Fowler tractor with Cuthbertson plough
Photographs courtesy of John Brodie, Mold, N Wales who has sent in photographs of his father ‘Jock’ Brodie who for a time was a plough operator with the Forestry Commission in the northeast of Scotland.
John goes on to say ‘My father worked with the Forestry Commission during the 1950's, firstly at Swanley, Fetteresso near Stonehaven, where, as far as I can remember he was a lorry driver, this would have been 1951/52. We then moved to Finzean when he started work as a plant operator at Blackhall near Banchory. Again, as far as I can remember he worked in places like, Rannoch Moor, Pitlochry, The Culbin Sands and the Rhynie and Tomintoul areas’.
This is a view of a Fowler tractor and Cuthbertson plough outfit parked next to a refuelling point. The year is thought to be about 1958 and a possible location is Drumtochty by not certain of either.
There is a good view of the back of the F type plough head and the ingenious long vertical pole system which allowed the frame to ride up and down over bumps and hollows in the ground but kept the plough head at a reasonably level keel in the ground thus delivering a drain or plough furrow which would run water without back up ponding.
The winch rope to lift the plough beam up to the top of the frame can just be seen a little way to the left of the base of the pole and in between are the plough ‘travelling hooks’ close to their hook up pegs. This was an arrangement which locked the head up against the frame when transporting on lorries. This outfit may have been ploughing soft peat areas or cross draining the ploughing already done by the other tractor.
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, Northeast Scotland , Tractors Ploughs and Drainage Machines