Fordson Major County crawler and Cuthbertson deep peat forestry plough
This photograph was obtained by a social media page owner. He is unable to say where, when and from whom he obtained the photograph. It may have been taken by his Father who worked for the Forestry Commission during the 1950’s through to and including the 1960’s at Loch Doon, Ayrshire, on the establishment programme there.
The County crawler conversion of the Fordson Major tractor was widely used for ploughing, when establishing new plantations and the Cuthbertson, single furrow, deep peat plough, designed and manufactured by James A Cuthbertson Ltd of Biggar, Lanarkshire, for producing planting positions and cross draining new plantation areas.
In this photograph the tractor appears to have become bellied on the peat and a spar has been attached across the front of its tracks, in the hope that this will enable the tractor to lift and haul itself out of the peat. Whether this happened, without unhitching the plough and whether there was a winch mounted on the rear of the tractor, to haul the plough back to the tractor it isn’t possible to see.
If anybody is able to name either of the men in the photograph and or name the area where the plantation establishment is taking place, comments would be welcome.
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Groups: Forestry in Action, Tractors Ploughs and Drainage Machines