Fordson Major with Hesford winch
Image is provided by Derek Dean who bought the tractor many years previously.
The Hesford winch was made by Charles M. Hesford & Co. Ltd an engineering company based in Ormskirk, Lancashire. The company is best known for manufacturing winches fitted to early Fordson and Field Marshall tractors.
This winch has a drop down stand for use when dismounted from the tractor’s three point linkage and has a number of locally made modifications and replacements.
Any stories about using these winches are very welcome.
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Groups: Other Vehicles and Machines, Timber harvesters, processors, forwarders and cable cranes
2 Comments
Its unusual to have such a powerful winch with anchors like this one hitched to the lift arms of the tractor usually they are bolted direct to the rear axle housing making it a permanent fixture, one wrong move and the lift arms would snap like match sticks.
Comment left on 29 July 2023 at 14:21 by Leslie Phillip
I would agree that not gauging your drag / pull correctly and pulling from indirect angle would put stress on the arms of a small tractor like this. But if winch anchor is dropped and digs in all the pressure is on the unit and the tractor just provides the drive thru pto. That being said hats off to all the old hands that operated with these tools as no matter what you do you’re always in the potential firing line for something! So on there toes they must have been most of the time.
Comment left on 04 August 2023 at 17:59 by Steven mair
Form Goes Here