Farmall cub

[leakyrabbit]

Hi
Can anyone tell me whether a Farmall cub qualifies for the horticultural ploughing class with the correct plough.

[trusty220]

A good question, Roger! Quite a few years ago when the class was started a few of the original ploughmen got together to make a definitive list of what could be used and what wasn’t deemed to be “in the spirit” of the class.

Bearing in mind that the class was originally intended for Iron Horses and Trusty’s it has now expanded to include Kubota and Iseki machinery and everything inbetween.

What tends to happen these days is that all of the local ploughing matches that run a horticultural single furrow class tend to run it as an “Open” class in which anyone is welcome- let’s not forget that most of these matches are run for charity and the aim is to make as much money to put to a donation as possible. So long as somebody enters and pays their £10 they don’t look too hard at what machinery is being used, so a policy of “Anything goes” seems to predominate.

The only time things get really serious is when they want to qualify for the National Ploughing Championships. These are run solely by the Society of Ploughmen and competitors must comply with certain criteria, one of them being that the equipment must have been in production before 31st December, 1959. Clearly, the Farmall Cub complies with this.

In my opinion, and I stress it is only my opinion, I feel that The Cub is too big to be classed as a horticultural tractor. If we were to allow this to compete, why not a Ferguson TE20? Was this not demonstrated ploughing an allotment sized plot in it’s day?

At the end of the day it will mainly come down to practicalities; people who run John Deere L-series tractors tell me that it is difficult to do a finish with only two wheel marks showing on the neighbours’ side, and that tractor is smaller than a Cub. People will always regard rules as “black-and-white” and so long as it doesn’t say that the Cub is not allowed they will argue that it is eligible. I tend to think that rules need to be interpreted sometimes and that a certain amount of common sense should prevail- we know the spirit in which they were drafted after all. Would I like to plough with a walk-behind Trusty whilst competing with something far bigger with much more traction and horsepower? I say not!

Sorry, Roger!

[leakyrabbit]

It’s ok there is nothing to apologise about as it has been offered to me to buy and I’m trying to find a suitable class. When I first started out in the class, in fact my first ever match, I used my 2D vineyard with adapted front axle to get the correct spacing. Within a season I felt that this was not right and it was difficult not to leave too many wheel marks. I now use an Anazani, which has its own set of challenges but I am learning not to fight it.

[trusty220]

I think you’ll find that if you persevere with the Anzani it will give you one of the best finishes but it isn’t the easiest of machines to master.

I still use a walk-behind Trusty and find it one of the easiest machines once you’ve learned it’s little secrets and foibles.

[leakyrabbit]

Well here we are over a year since that last post and just to say that I did not buy the Farmall but went and purchased an MG5 and TS42A. I thought this would be the answer to my dreams and would be living the easy life when competing, what a poor deluded fool I am.

Spent sometime on it and found it too uncomfortable plus I felt divorced from the action having spent so long walking behind the plough.

However, I have now decided that the old Trusty that has ben rusting in the field is coming into the workshop and be rebuilt ready for next season. The engine is good but thirsty and so I might change it if I can find a replacement. It’s on steel wheels but I have a pair of LR series 1 rims which will be adapted and some nice comfy rubber.

But my other motivation has been that I was the only Anzani at Chatsworth this year and looking at the scoring I know I did the best opening I had done for some time and that it was nice and straight. But the Anzani opening is always narrower than the Trusty and never as clean due to having a knife instead of a Disc.

So here goes, a project for the winter of rubbing down, cutting, fiddling and painting.

Bring it on.

[trusty220]

We wish you all the luck in the world with it Roger! How about starting a new story in the Projects section so we can see how you’re getting on?

You know we’re here if you need any help, don’t be frightened to ask.

[Author]

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