Bluegreen archives

[bluegreen]

Well im going to leave the Ford archives there as they were quickly switching to New Holland by the late 90s anyway,   next up its Massey Ferguson.

 

Theres no question that in hindsight Ford are my favourite tractors of the mid 80s, early 90s but back in the day that wasn't the case!

Although I was a Ford boy back in 86/87 I can still remember being gobsmacked when I first saw the new Massey 3000/ 3600s,  they looked futuristic compared to Ford and JD and I was keen to see them sell well on my locality which was predominately Ford.

I was a regular visitor to a large farm just outside Newmarket in Suffolk called Stetchworth estates (SEF) and in 1987 they had merged with an adjacent estate (Ley farm) to give them 3500 acres.  They also decided to keep all the tractors and machinery for one or two seasons before fine tuning what could go and what would stay.  The SEF side of the business was Ford with two FW60s, 2 x 8210 and 3 x 7610s and all were either 1985 or 86 purchases (some featured in my Ford archives) but the Ley farm additions were all MFs,  2x MF699 (1986) 1 x 2725E (86) and 1 x 2680 (82).

I got the opportunity too drive several tractors over a few years for them on occasional weekends,  the 7610s or 699s on the sugarbeet haul and the 2680 and 2725E on ploughing duties.

As I recall the 7610 was a nicer tractor to operate from a gearchange perspective but never felt boss of the job on a 12 ton trailer full of beet in the way the 6 cylinder 699s did.  However the 699s had a horrible between the legs gearchange that spoiled the fun of driving them imo.   I got on well with the ploughman and he had an old 2680 with the original style MF 2000 series decals on its bonnet and he had switched the PAVT wheels off the newish 2725 and onto the 2680 for extra weight and traction. This was OK because the 2725 had been bought to go on a large fertilizer spreader and had spent most of its first year on terra tyres or parked up in a shed!!    Unfortunately I never got any pictures of the 2680 which was used for the 87 ploughing campaign and then sold in 88 when the 2725E took over from it,  and I loved driving that tractor on the heavy 5 furrow Kverneland pictured below with their two 699s.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2018 by bluegreen

[bluegreen]

There were a few 2000 series tractors working locally back in 1987,  the 2725E on the plough below was on a D plate and was one of the last 2000s TNS sold,  the other 2725E with the smart wheel weights was on a 600 acre heavy clay farm near Newmarket.  The 2680 was on the next farm up the road and was changed soon after I took that picture for a JD4450 which became a bit of a trend in my area.

[SPN]

" As I recall the 7610 was a nicer tractor to operate from a gearchange perspective but never felt boss of the job on a 12 ton trailer full of beet in the way the 6 cylinder 699s did. "

That's why Ford brought out the (long overdue) 7810 the following year.

All the goodness.

 

[bluegreen]

Yes that's right and I remember SEF exchanged one of their 7610s for one before they bought a Massey fleet.

[bluegreen]

The writing was on the wall for the blue side of Stetchworth estates tractor fleet as soon as they got a first demo of a Massey 3630 ploughing in the sugar beet tops in October 88.

I was a big fan of these new 3600s, loved the look of them

 

Funnily enough on the very day I dug this picture out of my archives I then overtook an identical 3630 machine on the way to the shops...……………………..spooky indeed as I hadn't seen one out working for many many years!

[bluegreen]

The first new MF I got my camera on was this nearly new 3070 planting sugar beet in early 1988.

In summer 1988 I got word that a farmer from Lakenheath had bought a new MF3650 and 3080 from TNS so I went out to find them with my camera.

Sadly I never did manage to catch up with the 3650 but the lovely  3 month old 3080 was on carting duties, along with a loaned 3090 due to their 699 breaking down as I recall.   By spring 89 they had three 3080s and had replaced the 3650 with one of the first 3680s.

[bluegreen]

Two more pictures of the new 3080 in action, this time on spuds...…………………………..These smart little MFs always looked so good on those Marston trailers, I used to love going over to Lakenheath and watch all three of the 3080s zipping back and forth through the village with their blue trailers full of grain ….And the same farm still has the Marstons today albeit with rather bigger red tractors pulling them now.  Last year they bought a new 7722 to go with two 6499s, a 6490 and a 7618 plus a new Centora combine...……….mind you they also still have an old 3000 series as a yard tractor to do the odd jobs during the summer.

Although I like the current MFs I have too say it remains the 3000/31/3600 series that are still my favourite red tractors and always will be.

[bluegreen]

During a visit over to Cowies /Mark Weatherheads in 1989 I spyed this very nice brand new 150hp  MF 3650 on the forecourt...……………...I never did get any good working shots of this model which is still my favourite ever Massey, just loved those PAVT wheels...……………………..Although I did get quite a lot of pics of its replacement the 3655, but that didn't have the nice big fat exhaust on its bonnet.

[bluegreen]

In the autumn of 1990 Stetchworth estates finally decided too buy their first MF 3000 series tractor a 3655 model...…………………….I remember walking into the farm yard one Saturday morning in September and there she sat having been delivered by TNS the previous day...……….the 3655 had replaced the 2725E  and I was informed they also had ordered new 3100 series machines 3115 and 3125 too replace their two Ford 8210s and scheduled delivery for the spring of 1991.   I was a huge fan of these new MF tractors and being a fickle young man I had swapped my loyalty from blue too red and was well chuffed with the new arrivals.  As I recall the estate were very busy changing machines around 1990/91 and also bought ex demo Ford 7810 and MF3080 too replace Ford 7610s and MF699 after the 3655 had arrived.

In retrospect the 3655 wasn't really big enough but the estate had a bug bear about compaction and wanted lighter tractors to do more work so they put the Massey to work on a new Kverneland push plough which lasted all of one season!  In 1992 they bought a Challenger 65 and a 10 furrow plough and put the 3655 back on 5 furrows too assist the bigger rig.

The two new MFs delivered in March 91 went straight on drilling rigs with the 3125 coupled to a new front mtd harrow whilst the 3115 had a smaller front mounted packer and 4m vicon drill on its rear end.  And then both tractors went on grain carting duties during summer with the 7810 and 3080.

I must say I didn't like the clumsy looking front linkages of the day as they blocked out the front lights and required spots to be fitted higher up which looked a bit naff imo.

[JEP]

Thanks for posting, more great photos, and as always excellent background information, love reading about the big set ups from the past. Keep them coming 

[Hoss]

Brilliant posts & pics Phil, 80’s & 90’s we’re by far the best decades for me. Just packed up working on a 5,000ac set up, sadly after doing the job all my life it’s just not the same anymore. 

Keep em coming !

[bluegreen]

Thanks Hoss,  You are quite right of course and although Im still impressed and occasionally awe struck by the design of modern machines I have to say that going through my archives has made me realise just how special a time the 80s and 90s were in the tractor world.   If I won a million quid on the lotto I would buy a nice little plot of land and get myself a Ford 7810, MF 3080 & JD3650 or as near to those models as I could find in decent order...…………..for now I will have too settle for the 1 32 versions

[bluegreen]

Robert Claydons farm at Silverley , just outside Newmarket was a regular haunt of mine during the late 80s early nineties...…...initially because of the impressive Ford fleet they owned which I showcased earlier in the blue section of the archives...…….and then when the son started to take over the business from his father and clearly didn't rate the Ford offerings in the late 80s.

Firstly an JD4650 booted out a TW35 in 1988 and then in 1989 an MF3680 and 3630 replaced the remaining TW35 and the smaller TW15.........….By spring 1991 a new 145hp MF3645 took out the Mk2  8210...…………………..This was followed by the exit of the remaining 7610s for MF399 and a 145 Fastrac.  Goodbye Ford,  was later followed by Goodbye MF & JD as CASE 270s &170s arrived and then at the turn of the millennium it was Goodbye Mr Claydon as he eloped to Canada or somewhere after selling up to the Arabs..…………….now at Silverley HQ we are left with 300+ acres of prime farmland that has been fenced off and is now the home to a few racehorses

[justy 46]

Not much off a happy ending there Phil. Very interesting tread tough. Thanks for all those fab pics & the story behind it all. 

[bluegreen]

Unfortunately much of the prime farm land around my old stomping ground of Newmarket has been bought up by rich Arabs and turned into pointless stud farms! Grrrrr

[bluegreen]

Heres one of my favourite pictures,  it was taken in May 1991 at Thurlow Nunn Standens Kennett branch and at the time was a complete surprise!

The three tractors were the first arrivals of a 22 tractor fleet that had been bought by the Vesty family near Haverhill on the Suffolk/ Essex border.   They were to be distributed between 4 farms that pretty much all backed onto one another.   Something along the lines of one 1500 acre unit, two at 2500 acres and the largest at 3000 acres. 

The tractors replaced most of a mixed fleet across the four farms which included all the usual suspects...………….Ford , JD, CASE, MB Trac and MFs

As I recall the models chosen were 3690 x 6, 3655 x 4, 3125 x 8,  3115 x 3, 3095 x 1  or something similar...………….I have a memory like an elephant

In subsequent years the farms used MF dealer Mark Weatherheads Ltd  who were positioned  only a few miles from the farms,  that's why I was surprised they dealt with Nunns initially.

I used to love heading over to their farms when the harvesting was due to start and checking out all the lovely new MFs they got delivered every year or two years depending on how much profit they had made.

The 3125 was a firm favourite of mine  it looked just right and was a perfect fit for their 12 -14 ton Marston grain trailers. (UH please make a 3125)

Edited December 19, 2018 by bluegreen

[SPN]

Love the pics, but would disagree that the trailer was a perfect match.

This picture (from earlier in the thread) shows the perfect steed for  a 12-14 tonne trailer.

 

[bluegreen]

What I meant was that 3000 series MFs always looked nicer pulling blue marston trailers,  im sure the 3125 could have pulled something bigger but until recently the UK has had draconian laws on the amount of laden weight tractors are allowed to pull.   An MF3125 pulling any make of 14 ton trailer fully laden would have been at the upper limits of legality.   I think it was 24 ton combined, so that's 10 ton for the tractor and trailer and 14 tons of produce...………………..you see the farmers dilemma.

In my limited tractor driving experience I recall that a Ford 7610 4wd could pull a fully loaded 12 ton trailer of sugar beet but when I tipped at the clamp the emptying load tended to catapult the rig forward unnervingly...………………………….that never happened when I drove 6 cylinder machines like MF699 /3080 or Ford 7810 as they were boss of the job, so I wouldn't be keen driving that 7610 2wd with a full load, not too mention its tendancy to swerve all over the road like a wayward supermarket trolley

[Tractorman810]

to be honest stan that looks like a spreader to me, so yes just dragging along its fine on that ford,suspect it made her work dam hard powering the thing to mind , but as phil said tipping would be a completely trouser filling moment. seen a few to small tractors in a rear end up position due to hauling way to big loads for them 

[844john]

At the end of the day, you need weight to pull weight and I'd always prefer to be on a heavy, less powerful tractor than a lighter more powerful one purely for it being boss of it's load. Today I've led several load of gravel out of a local quarry, averaging around 17 to 17.5 tonnes per load, but the tractor itself weighs close to ten tonnes and it always feels in charge of what's behind it, it's when you don't have enough mass pulling the trailer that you can get into issues with weaving and the trailer pushing the tractor around......I've experienced that in the past and it can leave you a bit clenched to say the least!

[smithy]

On ‎12‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 10:47 PM, SPN said:

Love the pics, but would disagree that the trailer was a perfect match.

This picture (from earlier in the thread) shows the perfect steed for  a 12-14 tonne trailer.

 

I love the picture ,but tractor not big enough for that trailer in wet sloppy conditions that's probably why there is a chain hanging on the front ready to give a tug  

[bluegreen]

The 7610 2wd belonged to Palmers the carrot people from Lakenheath, back in 1987 that was a new tractor and they must of had 5 or 6 of them,  all their competitors had moved onto 4wd. And so did they in 89/90 with a fleet of 7810s before they packed up for good soon after.   I recall the other half of the Palmer family also in Lakenheath had a fleet of 4wd MF2640s, so quite a different attitude on the right tractor to haul carrots with.

[bluegreen]

A couple of pictures from Otley college cultivations demo 1993...………………...One of the first 3120s which replaced the 3115 and a 190hp  3690 with quite rare wheel weights front and back.

Just wished I took more pictures back then.

[bluegreen]

My final picture of a 3000 series MF was of this 1995 MF3670 sporting some snazzy Trelleborg wheels and tyres at the 1995 cereals demonstration.   I had hoped that maybe I might see one of the first of the forthcoming 6100/ 8100 series but June 95 was an event too soon.  Still I find myself wishing I had taken more shots of the last of the outgoing 3000s.

[bluegreen]

After the cereals event in 1995 came the release of the 6100/ 8100 series and their first outing was on the "Power in Action" event on the clay at Otley college near Smithy

Just like the Ford 40 series these new MFs set about smoothing off and designing out most of the charismatic features that made their predecessors classics imo.    However I didn't like the Ford 40 series but I did like  these new MFs.   Especially the 6170/ 6180s which looked great,  very neat and compact with their sporty new side mounted stacks.

Gone were the "cut n shut" drooped bonnet styling of the 3670/ 90s on the bigger machines.  I thought the 8120/30s looked good but was disappointed to see the PAVT wheels had gone from this mid range and were now only on the 8140 and above.