Forestry Memories

Sunart Forest - Ploughing in Achanellan

Sunart Forest - Ploughing in Achanellan

Date Added: 20 March 2007 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1978 Picture No: 113

Ploughing the top edge of the Achanellan area just above Polloch with a mounted tine plough on a Fiat 70. See larger picture to pick out tractor (red marks inserted)which is driven by Ian Balloch (Jocky Thomson also worked in the area). The tractors reversed up the slopes and at the extremities of the climb dropped their plough heads, in this case single furrow, and ploughed down hill. Difficult and rough work in this rocky steep ground.

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Groups: Forestry in Action, Sunart Ardgour and Morven

1 Comment

Hi.I have spent many hours doing this type of work, and in the same terrain.Used to do a lot of Land Reclamation Work. Ploughing and discing slopes you could barely walk up.

It's great to see pictures like these, fetches back good memories, and bad ones to. Trouble is you push your luck too far. Lots of broken bones, and suffering in later years, to this day.

I was ploughing a very steep bank some years ago with a Cat D4 and single furrow Fisher Humphries Heavy Duty plough. Been on this bank some days, turning roughly in the same spot. Then all of a bloody sudden the ground gave way and over the lot went. Threw me into a deep furrow, then the D4 chose to roll over me. By this time the plough had broken away, leaving me with many broken bones, Fema, Ankles Ribs, Punctured lung, Broken Pelvis in four places. And last of all a man who really enjoyed his work, and couldn't wait for the next bad place to come along. It did not deter me from doing it again.

It took me a long time to recover, but as soon as I was fit enough I was back on those banks again. Next time I was back on a Fiat 70 and a 100 and then my last one was another Cat D4. This time a D4 D on 30 inch pads, a bit more stable. Here to tell the tale Saint Paul didn't want me that day. There's an old saying, only the good die young. I'm now over sixty and still get those urges to want to get back on those banks again. I love my Crawlers, and always have done.
Comment left on 23 May 2009 at 00:49 by Malcolm Webb
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