Forestry Memories

Cuthbertson Water Buffalo tractor cutaway drawing and characteristic description

Cuthbertson Water Buffalo tractor cutaway drawing and characteristic description

Date Added: 13 June 2022 Contributor: Bill Rayner Year of Photo: 1952 Picture No: 5379

This is a cutaway drawing of a Cuthbertson Water Buffalo tractor; these tracked tractors were used by the Forestry Commission and contractors in peat ploughing and drainage operations during the 1950’s and early 1960’s.

There are numerous images and reminiscences of the Cuthbertson Water Buffalo crawler tractor, drawing ploughs and de-bogging other tractors elsewhere in this archive (e.g. image: 881) is an example of this tractor at work. It is heavy weight machine, with specialist tracks, light ground pressure and watertight hull that made it an expensive but very capable choice of machine for ploughing extensive areas of peatland for forestry establishment. The FC didn’t see it that way, preferring to “invest” in numerous, cheaper alternatives that often bogged, thereby increasing the overall costs of the operations.

I have also made available a pdf document of the tractor cutaway drawing, along with a list of the mechanical specifications for the tractor.
The drawing and specifications were taken from my late Dad’s book ‘Farm Mechanisation Handbook’, Tractor and Implement Operation and Repair, by T. Hammond Craddock, Temple Press Ltd, 2nd Edition, completely re-written and published in 1952.

Any further information or comments upon this or subsequent models of Bristol crawler tractors would be welcome.

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Groups: Tractors Ploughs and Drainage Machines

4 Comments

Thanks Bill - It is so good to see more information on the Cuthbertson Buffalo - a very innovative tractor in its day but perhaps a bit limited by engine power and reliability. There are still one or two about in the hands of enthusiasts.
Perhaps some day someone will write a detailed history of all the Cuthbertson machine developments, the people involved as well as the that of the Begg family and the early ploughs invented in south west Scotland. Comment left on 15 June 2022 at 08:20 by Norman Davidson
My pleasure Norman. As for the "...detailed history of all the Cuthbertson machine developments, the people involved as well as the that of the Begg family and the early ploughs invented in south west Scotland.", not at present. Comment left on 15 June 2022 at 09:31 by Bill Rayner
There has been a book written about the history of Cuthbertson, it is available from Biggar Museum Comment left on 26 June 2022 at 00:03 by Andrew Gates
Thank you Andrew for the information. That is very definately one to follow up. Norman Comment left on 26 June 2022 at 07:56 by Norman Davidson
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