Classic tractor enthusiasts will generally have a wealth of material that documents the history of tractor models, and the Ford / New Holland story is particularly well recorded.
However, mechanisation is not just about tractors, there are many other machines which influenced the course of agriculture, and after the tractor, it was most probably the self-propelled forage harvester which enlarged the role of contractors in Irish farming.
Tricky to trace
Unfortunately though, the history of these machines is not so well charted as that of tractors and the knowledge base is not so wide, so collectors of early harvesters have a trickier task in piecing together their history.
Thankfully, there are enthusiasts out there who have a strong interest in machines of all types and one is Mike Butler of Shronell Cross, Co. Tipperary.
Mike is already well known in the machinery trade as a dealer in second-hand tractors and machinery, specifically New Holland, which he notes will always find a ready market.
It has certainly helped his business being a machinery enthusiast at heart, and it shines through when he talks about his growing collection of classic tractors and harvesters.
Switching back the New Holland
His latest acquisition is a New Holland 1880 self-propelled harvester from the mid-1970s, which was first seen working at Austin Rothwell’s Classic Silage Day in August.
Although in full working order, it is very much in its original condition, well, almost, for Mike has swapped various parts to convert it to a grass orientated machine rather than being set up for maize, which is how it came to him.
As noted, these machines do not have a readily available reference library so the switch was a matter of picking the brains of fellow enthusiasts and some educated guesswork, yet, judging by its performance, he thinks he is not far off right.
The major item to be swapped out was the three-row maize header which is now replaced by a slightly narrower head with pick-up reel, a spare item he had in the yard.
He has also reduced the knives to six rather than the original nine, adjusted the gearing to speed up the feed rate, and replaced the toothed belly band for a plain item.
Individual preference
Everything else is much as he found it. He stresses that these are only his thoughts on how it should be done, others may want to set it up differently.
However, being the sort of machine it is, there is unlikely to be a definitive and correct way of doing things with owners altering them to suit their particular situation according to crop and conditions.
Power comes from a Caterpillar V8 which was rated at 203hp when new. These were popular engines and when the harvesters were retired, the engine was very often removed and pressed into service elsewhere.
Earlier versions of the New Holland 1880 had a Detroit two-stroke diesel, but it is not clear quite when the change was made to the Caterpillar unit. If anybody has definite information on this, or any other aspects of the machine, then Mike would be delighted to hear from them.
Implications for farming
While it is common to dwell on the engineering side of old machinery, the role it played in developing the face of farming should not be overlooked and the self propelled forage harvester brought a good deal more horsepower to the silage operation.
Back in the 1970s, anything with 100hp or more would have been considered a big tractor, and here was a machine offering twice that.
Suddenly, silage could be chopped at twice the rate, requiring bigger tractors and trailers to get it back to the pit if full use was to be made of the harvester; it was definitely a job for the contractor who would have the necessary equipment.
This process of specialisation and ever bigger harvesters has continued up to the present day, but Mike is not convinced that it is set to continue.
Trend towards self reliance
Putting his dealer hat on, he notes that there is a trend towards farmers pulling away from full reliance on contractors for silage-making, to do more of the work themselves.
The round baler lies at the heart of this movement for with it silaging has become a lot more flexible, and although larger farmers with a big pit to fill will always need a big machine and fleet of tractors, smaller farms will not.
Nor will a big harvester be needed for second and third cuts, there is less grass to move and the baler can come and go as paddocks become ready, rather than the inflexible routine of reserving a given acreage for a second pass.
In response to this movement, Mike does see a growing demand for good used mowers, tedders and rakes, although contractors will understandably wish to row up in front of a big harvester themselves.
Balers, however, require a smaller swath and so it is quite feasible for the farmer to cut and manage the crop all the way up to ensilage.
Power demand is limited
This trend has also seen the demand for larger tractors increase, a machine that can handle a mower as well as feed bales is becoming an attractive investment, although there appears an upper limit of around 150hp for stock farms buying used.
He does try to keep a good range of machines, as experience has shown that there is always a customer for every type of tractor, yet this is not as easy as it once was.
The two major factors creating a shortage of stock are that the UK in particular has been buying more powerful tractors than Ireland uses, and a lack of trade-ins due to tractors being kept back for specific jobs, such as powering a diet feeder.
Finding good tractors below 150hp is becoming ever more difficult in the UK, and competition for clean examples is hotting up. What is most important is the condition, the age is a secondary consideration.
Yet Michael intends to continue to provide good used New Holland tractors to his customers while cherishing his growing collection of classic tractors, the latest additions being two six-cylinder Internationals, but we’ll have to wait to the summer to see them working alongside the NH 1880 harvester.