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Classic Tractor Magazine

Published on the last Friday of each month. The tractor magazine for owners, operators and enthusiasts.
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10/06/2026

This image fits in nicely with CLASSIC TRACTOR'S ongoing celebrations of 50 years of the Q cab. It was 1 June 1976 when the new Q cab noise regulations came into force, prohibiting manufacturers from fitting cabs with noise levels exceeding 90dB(A).

As for this Ford 9700, at the time this photo was taken in 1977 it was being demonstrated in North Lincolnshire by Ford dealer, Harris of Epworth. It is worth adding that if you were lucky enough to get your hands on a new Ford 9700 back in 1977 you were most likely an experienced main tractor driver and well up the pecking order.

Farmers and contractors did not hand out what was the most powerful Ford tractor in the range, one fitted with the very latest in quiet cabs, to rookies in those days. As a rule, you had to earn the right! There was a lot of prestige involved in being the head man, which usually meant you were given the biggest and newest tractor on the farm.

Photo: Paul Brown.

08/06/2026

Behold - the Poole-Trac 140! During the late 1980s, Coleman Engineering, a Mercedes-Benz MB-trac dealer from Essex, got involved in an attempt to relaunch the Poole swan-neck trailer.

The result was a combination that consisted of an MB-trac 1000 and a Poole trailer painted in MB-trac livery. The ‘Poole-Trac 140', as it was called, was taken to a demonstration in East London, but sadly the price of the trailer proved prohibitive and as a result, interest in the project waned and came to nothing.

The Poole-Trac got a mention in our June 2026 issue, in a Reflections piece on the impressive 53-year career of former Coleman Engineering service technician, Frank Knock.

Photo: Frank Knock.

03/06/2026

Now this is a bit special. In this wonderful archive photo, seven of Findus’ eight Mather & Platt Super Mobile MX MkII trailed pea viners can be seen parked up at Gunnerby, on the north-east edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds, during the 1973 harvesting season.

The six Muir-Hills consisted of two Findus-owned Perkins-powered 110 models and four hired-in 101 models with Ford engines. The Roadless 115, far right, which was well-worn at the time, was a temporary stand-in for a broken down Muir-Hill, recalls former Findus field service engineer Phil Gowshall, whose memories of working for the company were published in our October 2024 issue. Photo: Phil Gowshall.

01/06/2026

#🏆 Independently tested, Purecab’s activated carbon filters exceed the EN15695-2 standard, making them the perfect partner for category 4 cabins.
🚜💦 Using the correct filtration in your tractor is always important but especially so during spraying activities.
💪 Powered by ADXORB® activated carbon, Purecab filters trap the chemical vapours released by pesticides and herbicides, helping protect operators from the health risks associated with chemical exposure.
🛒 For more information about the Purecab range head to www.apairltd.com or visit AP Air on stand 834A at Cereals.

29/05/2026

Here we go again! It's almost the end of the month, which means it is CLASSIC TRACTOR time again. The latest issue of the UK and Ireland's best-selling tractor magazine has landed in the shops TODAY!

As usual, our latest issue is packed with great classics from cover to cover. It's hard to know where to start with this one, but how about with the 1975 New Holland Clayson 1530 combine on the cover. This stalwart of the cereal fields has been with its owner, a Norfolk farmer, since 1977 and has never missed a harvest since then.

Also check out that great collection of 1960s Zetor UR1 Series tractors, owned by North Yorkshire-based marque enthusiast, Charles Walmsley. He owns one of each of the different UR1 models sold in the UK during the 1960s, plus a few that were not available here, such as a Zetor 2023 crawler.

Another of the highlights of this issue is our celebration of 50 years of the Q cab. On Monday next week (1 June) it will be 50 years since quiet Q cabs with interior noise levels of under 90dB(A) became a mandatory fitment on all new tractors sold in the UK (with exceptions for machines used in specialist applications or low buildings, etc). In this issue, our assistant editor, Sandy Cox, a man who cut his tractor driving teeth on cabless machines, explores the background to the introduction of the new noise legislation and its impact on the industry and tractor operators.

This is just a taste of what awaits readers of our July issue, on sale NOW!

21/05/2026

If you run an older forage harvester, something a bit interesting, and are planning to use it over the next couple of weeks, please drop us a line. We would like to hear from you. CLASSIC TRACTOR'S annual Forage Harvesting special is being prepared right now!

The e-mail address is: [email protected]

Photos courtesy of Ken Topham and David Laley.

20/05/2026

Today's archive photo shows part of Massey Ferguson's stand at the 1980 Royal Show at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire. The company, whose UK factory, HQ and training centre were all very local to the event, was exhibiting a restored Massey-Harris General Purpose vintage tractor from the pioneering Frank Smith Collection alongside one of its new 4840 articulated models, in order to make the point that it had been in the four-wheel drive game for a long time (50 years at that point)!

Photo: Phil Spencer.

19/05/2026

Most people are familiar with 'long nose' Countys (1474 and 1884 models based on the TW-25 and TW-35 respectively), but what about a long nose IH 634 All-Wheel Drive? This example, registration number SHR 795H, served as a demonstrator for IH dealer, Maundrell of Calne, Wiltshire, in the very early 1970s.

One of 260 All-Wheel Drives produced by IH, this unit was built in 1970 and registered in July of that year.

The All-Wheel-Drive IH 634 was slightly under-powered for its size, recalls former Maundrell's salesman Mike Welch, whose career story was published in our April 2026 issue.

Maundrell's demonstrator was fitted with what is assumed to be an additional front end fuel tank, one that gave it a distinctive extended snout. According to the DVLA, SHR 795H has survived and is currently shown as SORN on its computer system. Does it still have its 'long nose', we wonder?

16/05/2026

The Deutz Intrac 2004, powered by a 70hp Deutz F4L912 four-cylinder engine, was the company's longest-running Intrac, with production spanning 11 years, from 1978 to 1989. Around 1000 units were built during this time.

The history of this UK-registered Deutz-Fahr Intrac 2004 is not known, but its registration number of VLJ 447Y suggests it first entered service somewhere in the Bournemouth area in Dorset. This machine is fitted with a 1.5t front-mounted Ripvator forklift, which importer Watveare made available for the Intrac in mid-1981.

Does anyone remember it or know what became of this machine?

13/05/2026

We are looking for a tractor-related modification to feature in our next issue (Mod of the month) of CLASSIC TRACTOR. If you've carried out a useful modification that has made life easier or improved the performance and/or functionality of your tractor, please share it with us by e-mail at:

[email protected]

Here are a few mods we've featured before.

Thank you!

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