Forestry Memories

Ploughing in Fetteresso 1952

Ploughing in Fetteresso 1952

Date Added: 25 April 2007 Contributor: Norman Davidson Year of Photo: 1952 Picture No: 171

Picture courtesy of family of late Davy Anderson, former Chief Forester. Does anyone know the names of the drivers of what could be International TD9 tractors ploughing on dry heathland in Fetteresso? The plough next to the camera is a Cuthbertson arch frame with probably a Ross tine head bolted on. The lead tractor is more interesting as this is probably the first successful mounted plough on tractor combination. A gantry frame has been fixed to the TD9 and a Begg plough mounted by hinging the beam end to the gantry. The head of the plough is pulled out of the ground and up towards the top of the gantry by a winch rope. This allowed the outfit to plough in short difficult runs and also to quickly lift over and miss out on any rocks and to reverse in and start again. Note that the fuel tank has been swung around to the side to accommodate the gantry. This combination is mentioned in S A Neustein's history of plough development dated 1974.

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Groups: Forestry in Action, Northeast Scotland , Tractors Ploughs and Drainage Machines

3 Comments

possibly Jim Connell is the driver. Comment left on 08 June 2007 at 17:02 by Bert Thomson (former Chief Forester Craigellachie)
I have been told this afternoon, Thurs.20th.Sept.2007, by Jim Connell that the driver on the lead plough was Jim Smith, Teinnland. This was indeed an early mounted tine.
The TD9 was a very well balanced tractor normally, but this one with narrow plates, and even worse the high off-set fuel tank was remembered as contributing to create an unstable and difficult machine to operate with the weight of the plough suspended, when climbing back up a slope for the next furrow. Comment left on 20 September 2007 at 20:50 by Ian Cameron. F.C.fitter at Dunkeld 1962/70.
I have a correction to make on my comment of last night. The driver on the lead tractor was not Jim Smith that day; it was Bob Connell, and Bert Thomson is correct, Jim Connell, Bob's brother was operating the second tractor. Comment left on 21 September 2007 at 10:00 by Ian Cameron. F.C.fitter at Dunkeld 1962/70.
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