The West Cork Vintage Ploughing and Threshing Association’s Ford 100 Fest took place yesterday (August 27) on the ancestral home-farm of Henry Ford at Crohane, Ballinascarthy, Co. Cork.
The star attraction was a forage harvesting demonstration. It featured a brace of self-propelled and trailed forage harvesters of varying ages – chiefly New Holland machines working in tandem with New Holland, Ford and Ford-derived tractors.
AgriLand was there, to bring you all the highlights from the event.
The impressive array of harvesters included an 1880, 1905 and 2200 S. Machines such as the 2200 S were especially popular with contractors here in Ireland during the 1980s and into the 1990s
Classics in action: A ‘tidy’ New Holland 1905 forage harvester with a Ford TW-25 running alongside. This 156hp TW-25 is notable for its ‘unusual’ black grill. The first-generation TW-25 (pictured here) was later replaced by a Force II version, notable for its improved Super Q cab
New Holland self-propelled forage harvesters from the ages: Older 1905 and 2200 S machines lined up alongside newer FX and FR models
Old and new: A New Holland 1895 sits in the foreground; an older 1880 is nestled behind; and a positively modern FR9050 brings up the rear. This event provided an opportunity to compare New Holland foragers from different eras
‘Old-school’ silage chopping: Long before New Holland FR harvesters and T7 tractors with ‘half-pipe’ trailers became fashionable, machines such as this 1880 ruled the roost. It was a big and modern contraption in its day; it even boasted a driver-friendly hydrostatic transmission
Desirable terracotta fleet: Not everything at yesterday’s event in Ballinascarthy was ‘bue’. Flying the flag for Hesston and Fiatagri (or latterly New Holland) respectively were this 7725 self-propelled forager and 110-90 (DT) tractor. At one time, there was a significant number of 7725s at work here in Ireland, especially in Munster
This exceptional 1998 Ford TW-15 has been restored to a high standard. It’s pictured here coupled to a New Holland 717 precision-chop harvester. The TW-15 had a 132hp, 6.6L, 6-cylinder engine. It was replaced by the 8630 (recognisable by its black grill and black rear mudguards) in 1990. Unlike the TW-15, most 8630s had a ‘full powershift’ transmission
This striking, eye-catching tractor belongs to Michael Hoey – a well-known collector and enthusiast from Lusk (Co. Dublin). He has a large collection of Ford and Ford-derived classic and vintage tractors, plus examples from other marques too
Double-chop and precision-chop harvesters teamed up for yesterday’s event. Both of these outfits are owned by collector Michael Hoey. For anyone with ‘grass’ fever, this Ford-themed event was a memorable addition to the calendar
There was also an impressive static display on the west Cork site, encompassing not just ‘blue’ (Fordson, Ford and New Holland) tractors, but also some other brands.
The presence of so many Fordson tractors was especially poignant; these tractors were the first vehicles to be produced at the Cork Ford plant, which was established 100 years ago this year in 1917.
Alongside the silage cutting activities, there were also ploughing competitions and a threshing demonstration. A small number of combine harvesters was present.
Ford 100 Fest was sponsored by Henry Ford & Son Limited (Ford Ireland) – to mark 100 years of Ford in Ireland.
It wasn’t just about tractors of course; there was also a plethora of Ford cars and vehicles – going right back to the iconic Model T.
Don Coakley, Chairman of the West Cork Vintage Ploughing and Threshing Association, said: “Our Ford 100 Fest is the highlight event of the summer in west Cork. We are indebted to Vivian Buttimer and the Ford Buttimer family for hosting the event on the Ford family farm.”
