A compilation of footage of tractors and machinery on our family farm in Cornwall, from my late father Michael Rodliffe’s cine collection. Mostly (I believe) from the 1960’s, with some clips from the 70’s and one possibly filmed in the early 80’s. These are followed by some slides from mainly from the 60's.
Michael (1944-2022) farmed with his father George Rodliffe (1905-1979) and brother Alan (1939-2023). All three of them feature in this footage, as does Roy Williams who worked on the farm for several years.
Tractors featured -
Field Marshall series 1 (1946, originally owned by Hingston Wood of Little Petherick; George Rodliffe bought it from him in the early 1960’s, and it is still on the farm today.)
Field Marshall series 3 (1952, bought in the 1960’s (?) and sold late 70’s/early 80’s.)
Fordson Power Major (1959, owned from new and still on the farm.)
Fordson Dexta (1960, owned from new and still on the farm.)
Details of each clip/slide - please comment if you spot any mistakes:
00:10 Alan driving the Power Major with a Ransome trailed combine. Grain trailer pulled by the Dexta.
3:04 Dexta scraping (briefly); Alan driving the Series 1 Field Marshall with dung spreader; loading spreader with the Power Major; winching a tree with the Marshall (the winch was an addition from a scrapped series 2, along with the s2 wings etc - note that it didn’t have it in the first clip.)
5:43 George and Alan with Roy Williams; Roy baling with the Power Major & New Holland baler; Dexta and Marshall carrying bales, George loading the bale elevator and a clip of the Dexta turning.
7:30 Michael ploughing with the Power Major and the 5f plough which he built himself.
9:03 Series 3 Field Marshall - George topping up the oil and lighting the starting paper, Michael starting it on the handle followed by George rolling.
12:14 The Power Major with the seed drill and Alan measuring out seed. Some sheep.
13:10 Roy Williams on his bike and working in the garden.
15:07 Alan ploughing with the Series 3 Marshall and the 3 furrow plough they used for leys.
16:21 Ransome Crusader combine (possibly filmed in the early 80’s).
SLIDES
17:58 slides 1-6 baling with the Marshall (S1) and Bamford baler; bale elevator.
18:32 slides 8-10 “featherbed” potato picker.
18:48 slide 11 Michael baling with the Power Major, NH baler and the attachment he fitted (made from an Acrobat) to condense two swaths into one.
18:54 slide 12 onwards - various, mainly of the Fordsons.