Latest news with #MF821
Agriland
13-08-2025
- Automotive
- Agriland
Marquette: Massey Ferguson's other French factory
In the recent review of the Colm Clifford's vintage tractor auction in Co. Kerry, there appeared a Massey Ferguson 821 tractor powered by a Hanomag two cylinder diesel. This is an uncommon tractor here in Ireland, with no clear recollection of them being imported in any great numbers if they were imported officially at all. Yet there was another French-built tractor, the MF 25, which was sent to Ireland by the company. The MF 25 was a purely French design to be built at Beauvais This was the tractor for which the factory at Beauvais had been built to manufacture, but there were at the time three further factories in Europe, if Scotland is included, producing Massey Ferguson machinery. One was at Eschwege in Germany, another at Kilmarnock in Scotland while the third was at Marquette-lez-Lille in northern France. The production site of each model was denoted by the first figure in the model number. Tractors or combines built in Germany had the number six as a prefix, those produced at Kilmarnock number seven, while the factory at Marquette used eight as the first numeral. The MF 821 was powered by either a diesel from Hanomag or Peugeot, which also had a factory in Lille, making diesel engines Thus it was that the MF 21 was known as the MF 821 if built at Marquette, although it appears that tractors made in Beauvais had no such prefix. The Marquette factory had been opened in 1926 by Massey Harris as a French subsidiary to the Canadian company, branding the machines as Massey Ferguson from the mid-1950s onwards. The MF 30 combine was made at Marquette but was known as the MF 630 if made in Germany, as in this example It was primarily orientated towards combine production, but also became synonymous with the Massey Harris Pony, of which it built 92,000 units. At its heyday in the mid-1950s, the Marquette factory is said to have employed over 3,000 people, with a foundry and assembly lines producing not just complete machines but also cabs and parts for other factories. It was a thriving factory which would have been a major employer in the area. However, by certain accounts, it was far from a happy ship. The factory paid by piece work and, for a period, would only pay for a day's work if a certain amount of items had been completed. Working conditions were also said to be poor and, with this sort of management regime in place, the unions grew in size and strength, occupying the factory for several weeks during the French general strike of 1968. The twin cylinder Hanomag diesel in this Massey Ferguson 821 nestles within a frame and is not a stressed member, allowing other engines to be fitted Another problem that beset the factory - and all other tractor factories of the time - was over-capacity as the great rush to replace the horse drew to a close and it became a matter of fleet renewal rather than direct replacement. This inevitably led to a reduction of the work force as, bit by bit, Massey Ferguson scaled down its production throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Eschwege in Germany was the first to close in 1971, followed by Kilmarnock in 1980, and Marquette finally succumbed in 1984, but not after a protracted battle by the unions to keep it open. One tactic favoured by the French unions was 'sequestration' of the factory management, locking them into the offices for days at a time. The visitor centre at Beauvais now describes itself as the 'Home of Massey Ferguson' Whether this played on the minds of the Massey Ferguson board when it later came to deciding between Beauvais or Banner Lane depends on which account one chooses to believe, but it was the Coventry plant that closed in 2002.
Agriland
10-08-2025
- Automotive
- Agriland
Rarities and runners at Kerry classic tractor auction
Auctions of vintage and classic tractors are often a melting pot of all that was successful and much of that which was not. A sale to be held in Co. Kerry on August 23 delightfully exemplifies this principle with a scattering of rarities in the lots that may not have made millions for the makers but are fascinating details in the history of the farm tractor. Genuine examples of the Ford 7810 Silver Jubilee always attract strong interest. There are also plenty of the old favourites, including a Ford Silver Jubilee 7810 complete with pewter model, which alone is worth a considerable sum. The Ford 5000 was the workhorse of many a farm, but this example as been treated well Another Ford worthy of attention is an original-looking 5000, which is described as being exceptionally clean - and it does indeed have an air of honesty about it which cannot be ignored. Other popular machines that are always in demand include a pair of Mini tractors from the BMC/Nuffield stable. The BMC Mini and Nuffield 4/25 date from the mid-1960s and, although quite capable little machines, sales never reached the hoped for levels The BMC Mini tractor was a 15hp model with a 948cc diesel, by all accounts it was a good little tractor but sales were slow due to the lack of power. The Nuffield 4/25, powered by a 1,500cc diesel, was then produced to address this issue and, although it had more power, production lasted just two years. No auction is complete without a selection of Massey Ferguson tractors, and at Tralee there are some highly desirable examples bearing Harry Ferguson's name. The first Ferguson System tractor from which all other conventional tractors have inherited their basic design principle From the early days come a pair of Ferguson Browns; these are the bedrock of the Ferguson legend, being built by David Brown to Harry's specification. A total of 1,356 were built in the 1930s and surviving examples are rare. So to find two up for sale on the same day is an unusual occurrence, but one that should be taken advantage of. The Massey Ferguson 25 was the Beauvais-built successor to the Ferguson 20. It received mixed reviews here in Ireland, although a significant number were sold. Another notable pair of tractors, the left of these two MF 25's had a higher spec than the standard Irish import model on the right Again there are a pair available, one being a Dutch import with several extras that the standard model sold into Ireland did not enjoy. A little known slice of Massey Ferguson history is represented by a MF 821 from a Massey Harris factory opened in 1926 in the north of France. The Massey Ferguson 821 was produced in the company's other French factory at Marquette-Les-Lille, 200km north of Beauvais Responsible for producing both tractors and combines, the Marquette-Les-Lille factory assembled the MF 821 (sometimes known as the MF 21) from 1959-1967. This example has a 20hp Hanomag diesel powering it, although Peugeot engines were also fitted. Moving on from France to the German tractor factory at Mannheim, there are several examples of machines from both the Lanz era and the period immediately after John Deere's purchase of the company. Four nicely kept Lanz bulldogs, all in good running order, will be going under the hammer Four well-kept Lanz Bulldogs are on offer, all from the same vendor who obviously bestowed a great deal of attention upon them The John Deere 710 had a 50hp Dubuque-made engine but retained the Lanz ten speed gearbox Alongside these are two early Mannheim John Deeres, a JD 710 and a JD 200 while a JD 303, presented in vineyard form here, was assembled at Saran, back in France Built at Saran in France, the 303 is a rare example of John Deere fitting third party engines, in this case a 36hp unit from Standard Motors France was David Brown's largest export market but Germany also became important, and to help fill the gap for smaller machines the company co-operated with Wahl Maschinenfabrik to produce the DB 750. TDB 750 comes complete with side mounted mower, a later DB 1212 stands behind it The tractor had a sleeved-down DB engine and front end coupled to a ZF rear that could drive a mid-mounted mower, which were still popular in the early 1960s. Only 279 were built and sold exclusively in Germany making this a rare find in Ireland, although there are others about. Putting a V8 engine into a big tractor is common enough, but SAME did something which is probably quite unique - they used a V4 in an everyday tractor. Built from 1967-1972, the Leone had four-wheel drive with eight forward and four reverse gears as standard and produced 67hp from the air-cooled engine. The SAME Leona is a unique tractor that deserves a wider recognition than it presently has Giving it a V configuration may well have been an attempt to increase cooling efficiency, for the angle between the cylinders is not great. However, the layout does give it two exhaust pipes and a rather unique engine sound, making it a very attractive machine altogether. The auction will commence at 9am on Saturday, August 23 in the yard of Clifford's Tractor Parts, Tralee, Co Kerry. An international 84 Hydro with 65hp is also in the mix alongside a Case MX 135 The lots are drawn from Colm Clifford's own private collection, plus several other vendors from Co. Kerry and beyond. The auctioneer is Michael Doyle of Co. Carlow and there are expected to be 55-60 lots on the day.
