ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

Organisers have announced that it’s less than a month until entries close for the Newark Vintage Tractor & Heritage Show, with several anniversary celebrations taking place and rare machinery to be seen. 

It’s the 75th anniversary of the Field Marshall Series II this year for example, so Ross Anderson, the brother of Field Marshall Club founder, Peter, is marking the occasion by bringing his first Field Marshall to the show. “She’s a very special tractor and she means a lot to us,” he says.

“Without this tractor we could have become football hooligans or something, but instead we spent our time repairing and recycling with her. Peter founded the Marshall Club, learnt to read and write, wrote two books and was head of machinery at RHS Wisley for 18 years.”

And it’s a chance for the young and old to get together, as Alex Kettlewell, 24, and his girlfriend Jennie can testify. “Vintage tractors have a massive social scene,” says Alex, who clocks up 2,000 miles a year taking his 1979 Ford 3600 to rallies.

“So many of my old school friends just sit at home playing video games, but what I’ve achieved doing the tractors up is brilliant. I’d say don’t be afraid to have a go - if you save up and buy one, it’s a big daunting project, but it’s also a huge learning experience.”
 
And there’s also 21-year-old Katie Birch, who inherited her love for vintage tractors from her grandad - whose Fergie TED20 she plans to bring to the show. She would like to see more young women get involved with the sector, as she’s often the only young female exhibitor.

“It’s a shame, we need more young men and women getting into vintage tractors,” says Katie. “You’ve got all this history right in front of you when you have a vintage tractor and if you want to restore it then you’ve got a nice project. They’re also just really fun,” she says.

This year sees some significant celebrations including 70 years of the Fordson New Major E1A (produced 1952 – 1958). Launched at the Smithfield Show in December 1951, the E1A replaced the old E27N model and featured a choice of three new four-cylinder overhead valve engines in petrol, diesel or vaporising oil.

The Cropmaster or VAK1C by David Brown is celebrating 75 years. And it’s time to wish a happy 50th to the Massey Ferguson MF1200. This four-wheel drive articulated tractor mirrored the huge 1500 and 1800 models produced for the US, including its hard-nosed bonnet and integral cab. The central pivot allowed for very tight turns on headlands while the Perkins 5.8-litre diesel engine produced 105hp, meaning this tractor was a true workhorse of its time.

There will also be celebrations of Nicholson’s of Newark machinery and Ruston stationary engines from Lincoln. And the show has introduced three new classes for commercial vehicles: British commercials, non-UK commercials, and pre-1950 commercials, says Elizabeth Halsall, organiser of Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show.

“Classic commercials play an important part in our history and are much loved by many, so we’re delighted to be expanding the classes we are offering.”