Massey Discussion Forums > Massey Talk > Old Family Photographs.
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RE:Old Family Photographs.

Joe,

Many thanks for your post and very generous offer of starting a "Massey Fund" on my behalf, unfortunately the one word from your sentence which does not apply to this situation is "money" all your other thoughts fit the situation just like a glove slipping on your hand. I just have and need to be very patient with a watchful eye in that area.

Here is the next new Nuffield which came along to Salmonby, this time the Universal Three, bought new from Nuffield dealers F.C. Jackson and Sons of Coningsby Lincoln, registration number OJL 77, initially bought with no three point hydraulics and very soon had them fitted as an extra, seen here with a Ransome Cropgaurd sprayer attached.

This tractor was sold in the late 1960's and I managed to track it down and buy it back just before dad passed away, he was pleased to know that both his Nuffield's were back home and are still part of our family history.

Malcolm.
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RE:Old Family Photographs.

Another one of our family combines.  This was an MF 780 Special 10ft 6 in cut and poered by an Austin 6 cylinder Petrol/Paraffin engine.  A very smooth engine with an excellent governor which I think would cause the machine to digest a haystack in one grunt!

This is me driving it on our "Locks" field.  This was on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal and just a few hundred yards down from the Barton Locks.  The bridge in the background carried the M62 motorway, now re numbered and extra carriageways added to make the M60 Manchester ring road.

Probably around 1964.

John
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RE:Old Family Photographs.

Here is the last of our family's Massey combines.  It is an MF 500 driven by Clarence "Jackie" Eccleston.  It was not overly reliable and the automatic table height control - a series of long fingers beneath the table - was utterly useless on some of our peat and lighter land.  They would simply push the soil.  The whole device was removed.

Yes it was the last of our Massey combines.  When it came up for replacement Dad and my uncle approached the local MF dealer but he was un-competitive on price compared with a new Laverda.  Price won the day and what a truly wonderful machien it turned out to be.  It did many years service virtually trouble free and when Dad and uncle retired it was in such good condition that a dealer bought it for export to Syria.

The local MF dealer got himself into trouble with MF.  We had fields opposite the MF Central Parts Operation (shown in a previous photo with the MF 35 tractor) and MF management got angry at seeing this Laverda parading in front of their warehouse.  The dealer got it in the neck being told that the Farnworth Brothers should have been sold an MF machine at any cost!!  But fate was on our side - the MF combine line was in decline for reliability - the heady days of the Harvest Brigade and successor combines to the MH 21s was over and it has taken years for MF to claw their way back.

John
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RE:Old Family Photographs.

The early 1980's were memorable for me, having the shock of dad suffering a major stroke, months of very slow and minimal recovery then gave way to us spending quite a bit of time together as and when I was playing with old tractors and at that time heavily involved in local tractor club activities including ploughing matches etc. Dad liked nothing better than to ride along with me offering advice and enthusiasm for me to continue the journey of Massey Collecting, this all changed when the event "safety officers" came to power saying Health and Safety could no longer allow two on a tractor, many sharp  words were often exchanged but finally dad had to stop doing what he had done since being a boy, he never really got over that.

Attached are a few of our old photo's and newspaper cuttings from that era, he would always get mum to drive him to the ploughing match to over see I had got there, unloaded and prepared for the match.

Malcolm.
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RE:Old Family Photographs.

Here is a photo of the last time Dad drove the styled 25-40 on his own here at Salmonby, autumn 1989 or 1990 pulling his Ransome nine tine Dauntless drag.

So the first ever tractor he drove as a boy was his all time favourite M-H 12-20 and ironically the last tractor he drove was another "U" frame the 25-40.

His last words to me on the morning he passed away was "Look after all those Massey's" something I shall remember and honour all my life.

Malcolm.
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RE:Old Family Photographs.

WOW!!!  With those words, you don't have a choice Malcolm.  But I will say you have done an outstanding job of honoring your fathers request!  Thanks for sharing your story and your pictures.

It is interesting that bot you and John have so many pictures.  For some reason, taking pictures of my dad working was not high on the family priority list.  I think I have to pictures of our farm tractors.  I will dig them out and post tem when I get a chance.

Even though my dad farmed exlcusively with Masseys, I don't believe I purchased my first tractor until after he had passed.  He would surely think I am crazy if he could see it now. But then again he probably is seeing exactly what I am doing!!!

Thanks again to you both for sharing your family history with us!!

Gary

RE:Old Family Photographs.

Malcolm,

Fine memories indeed of your dad and his apparent love for the Massey tractors.  It is great that you have the nice photos to look back upon.  Thanks for sharing the photos and the story.

JB

RE:Old Family Photographs.

Before moving on to the next generation here are a few photographs taken by the local newspaper photographer back in the 1980's at local ploughing matches.

Apologies if any of these have been on here before.

Malcolm.
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RE:Old Family Photographs.

Here are a few work horses from the early to mid 1990's. The M-F 390 was a remarkable tractor of its time so simple and easy to use, there was also a 690 four wheel drive which I cannot locate a photo of.
Also a few blue ones were around in this timeframe of both two and four wheel drive, the 1995 two wheel drive 5640 Ford is seen here with the four furrow Ransome TS 59 plough bought new with the Nuffield Universal Four in 1960, it was time to brighten up the mouldboards after it had been sitting in the shed for many years.

Malcolm.

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RE:Old Family Photographs.

This is the Ferguson TEA tractor serial number 39615 (the only number I ever remember!) that my Dad bought new in June 1948.  It did an enormous amount of work on our farm where we grew a lot of vegetables.  Dad had it fitted with a Howard reduction gearbox especially for transplanting work.  It got roughly re-painted several times in its life as well as maybe 4 or 5 full engine re-fits.  It is now my sons.

This shot was taken about 15 years ago with its old driver Clarence "Jack" Ecclelston who worked for my Dad for many years and was its main driver; he came up to see us and be reunited with his old horse.  We still use it occasionally and have recently relined the brakes.

So, 70 years old next year and in one family since new!  It is now in "preservation" and is simply sprayed with oil once or twice a year as can be seen by the accumulated dust on the bonnet - easy care and very, very effective for little effort.
John

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