Sunday 19 January 2014

Fergie tractors

Our farm got its first tractor in 1947.   As the farmer was only three at the time he obviously doesn't remember, but he does remember that horses were also used for long after that and I have a lovely photograph somewhere of him on their horse.   I will look for it and post it if I find it.

I managed a rotten photograph this morning of him on the Fergie after it had gone past where I was standing (he is not keen on having his photograph taken and I don't like to invade his privacy) - so you can only see it in the distance, but this is the tractor which was bought in 1947 and has been going strong ever since.   In fact we have two but at present the other one is not going (it seems to be either one or the other but never both.   But as we have two other tractors - a Same and a Massey which is almost new, these little runabouts are only used for little jobs like feeding the sheep).   He is very fond of his Fergies - and I think all Fergie owners feel the same.

Very dismal day here, grey, damp and rather warm but certainly there is no inspiration to do anything or go anywhere, so it looks as though it will be hunker down by the wood burner and read/crochet.   The snooker final tonight - I am not really a fan, although the farmer is, but I must say that last night's semi-final between McGuire and O'Sullivan was fast-moving and good to watch.

More snowdrops coming into bud by the day.  Fingers crossed for good weather.

23 comments:

Sue in Suffolk said...

Very impressed by the lack of mud, stuff, useful things standing about, in the bit of your farm yard on the picture!

Arija said...

How beautifully TIDY your place is! We have about 15 crd that my grandson is 'fixing' scattered around the yard as well as our Fergie that was ancient when we acquired it with the farm 21 years ago. There's nothing like an old Fergie, is there?

Crafty Green Poet said...

it's great the the tractor has been going strong for so long!

Heather said...

It would appear that tractors and sewing machines have something in common. One of our daughters is still using my mother's old tabletop Singer which has possibly never been serviced in it's life! I have often found that older pieces of machinery are far more reliable than many newer models. We had a dreadfully miserable day yesterday but today is a total contrast. Weird weather.

WordsPoeticallyWorth said...

An interesting read of your day to day life.

Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.

Maureen @ Josephina Ballerina said...

Wowzer, 1947, huh? Here in the states the iconic tractor is a John Deere. There's even a color called John Deere Green. And to take it just a little further, there is a very catchy country song called "John Deere Green." It actually makes my top 20 all time favorite country song list. Warm and dry Sunday afternoon to you and the Farmer. :) maureen

Dartford Warbler said...

Your Fergie has done really well to be still so useful after more than sixty years!

My north Lincolnshire Grandfather used to shoe the farm horses around their village and he was very sad to see them gradually replaced by tractors.

Anonymous said...

Back in 1971, I won a Tractor Pulling Scholarship at Eastern Kentucky University. I did the only full pull run against 7 boys. And I did it with a stock Massey-Fergerson Farm tractor. Boy, was my dad proud!
Sandy O'

Gwil W said...

I've seen some old tractors just holding it together here in Austria. The manufacturer is Steyr. Maybe the farmer has heard of them.

Robin Mac said...

Love the photo of the Fergie, there are still a few of them about in Oz too. Your farm looks so tidy! I hope your weather improves soon. Cheers

Robin Mac said...

Love the photo of the Fergie, there are still a few of them about in Oz too. Your farm looks so tidy! I hope your weather improves soon. Cheers

Robin Mac said...

Love the photo of the Fergie, there are still a few of them about in Oz too. Your farm looks so tidy! I hope your weather improves soon. Cheers

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Tha's a proper-job tractor, that is and no mistake.

thousandflower said...

I was born the same year as the Farmer and we lived on a small farm with my grandfather who had a small house of his own. He farmed with horses until I was about 5 or so and then got a Ford 9N tractor. He still had the neighbor bring his horses over to rake the hay every year, though. I loved watching those big horses work. I had riding horses as a teenager but by that time the big horses had gone.

Pondside said...

The tractor here when I was growing up was always a Massey-Ferguson. Are your Fergies and our MF's related, I wonder?

angryparsnip said...

I was born the same year Farmer family got the tractor !
I love these posts.

cheers, parsnip

Cloudia said...

fond old Fergie!



ALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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Hildred said...

That was about the same time we got our Fergie on the farm, but shortly after Charles bought a John Deere and all it's accoutrements and he was still driving it when we left the hillside house, at the age of 86. Hard for him to mount but once he was up and running he and the JD did some amazing things.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Beautiful day here in my land, but I spent it hunkered down as well. Tired. Football on. A nap. Dinner of leftovers. I enjoyed it.

Thanks for sharing your life with us. I love to visit your posts.

MorningAJ said...

It actually looks like a tractor. These days they look more like overgrown 4x4s and it just isn't the same!

MarmaladeRose said...

Hmmm the weather is much the same up here today. Can never decide if I'm up the dale or down the dale from you. Never mind as long as we both know where we are I don't suppose it matters.
Nice to hear of something still going strong after so many years.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes, to anyone who asked - Messey Harris and Ferguson amalgamated to make the little Fergie. Our main tractor now is a Massey Ferguson - just the two firms put together.
The farmer is rather chuff that you think his farm is tidy.

Terry and Linda said...

You look as dry as we are. Terry is stuck on John Deere...funny how our men are that way.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com