First time ploughman

12 bore

Member
im looking to do a few ploughing matches for fun next year, my question is about kit, I have a couple of grey fergies and was going to buy a fergie plough. Would this put me at a disadvantage unless I entered a Ferguson class as I have seen other match ploughs with a lot more adjustment than that of a Ferguson one and if this is the case am I better off getting a different vintage tractor and plough right from the word go to learn with and perhaps be competitive in the future
All the best harry
 

Pennine Ploughing

Member
Mixed Farmer
there will be a few along in a min, telling you to do this or that,
but really you should be thinking what you want to do, just go for fun days, or want to be a bit better than just fun days, and really compete,
only bit of good advice i can give is, spend your money wisely,
if you want fun days go for it,
but if you want to compete get a good plough set up from the start, and spend your money once
 
id say a fergie plough is a good place to start, especially if you've alredy got a fergie tractor cheap plough too buy easy to get about, matches almost always have a fergie class and spares are easily sourced. in my opinion to be at the top of any class is no easy feat they all have there different aspect and any ploughman at the top of his game has my respect regardless of what class he ploughs in.
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
really does depend on, (1) do you want to move through the ranks, or stay in one class.(2) the bank balance!Go to a few matches, talk to people and make your mind up, then buy the best kit that you can afford for the class you have chosen. If you have any ambition, dont buy a fergy plough, you will either be trapped in that class, or have to spend again to get out, a good ransomes robin will work with your fergy to start with, and you can change class by changing the bodies, rather than the whole plough. One of those will cost more, but you will only have to spend once.As Pennine Ploughing has said, by the best, and buy once.
 

John 1594

Member
Location
Cambridgeshire
really does depend on, (1) do you want to move through the ranks, or stay in one class.(2) the bank balance!Go to a few matches, talk to people and make your mind up, then buy the best kit that you can afford for the class you have chosen. If you have any ambition, dont buy a fergy plough, you will either be trapped in that class, or have to spend again to get out, a good ransomes robin will work with your fergy to start with, and you can change class by changing the bodies, rather than the whole plough. One of those will cost more, but you will only have to spend once.As Pennine Ploughing has said, by the best, and buy once.

:sleep:
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
I was in your position last year, had a Fergie, so bought a plough, cheap to buy but you'll find you'll need to go through it, check everything, measure everything, check it's all dimensionally correct etc. Parts are cheap too and readily available.
Re the ploughing, there seems a Fergie class at most matches and it's pretty competitive, very in fact. A lot of old trailed plough boys who are too old to cart all the kit around seem to be buying a Fergie + GP plough as it's easier to get about, so generally the standard is pretty high and getting higher.
The Fergie class are a bloody good bunch (down this way anyway) and any help or advice is readily given (until you start getting placed!) we have a laugh and to be fair some of the work I have seen is better than other classes at matches. There are generally between 10 to 20 Fergies entered at the matches I have been to this year and I believe at the Sherwood Forrest match there were 45 entered, so popular!!
Don't be fooled into thinking there is no adjustment and it's a simple plough, it is to a point but there is plenty enough to adjust to keep you busy, lots of tweaks and tricks can be applied (legally) and also some others that are not so legal (if you plan to plough at the Nationals)
Re the plough itself, Genera Purpose is the one you want, ideally with a cross-shaft handle. There is a long and short version (long one is 10" longer) and most use the short version, boards differ slightly between very early ploughs and later. Ploughs differ despite being made in the same factory, we have 3 here and they all have completely different furrow widths, the one I use is 10 1/2", my girlfriend's is 10" and the other plough that I am making up for next season is 9 1/2". It does make a difference, for example at Sherwood Forrest match last w-end the winning Fergie plot seemed to be running at 9" furrows but I didn't measure his plough but he was taking 18" off a bout.
Some say if you can plough with a Fergie then any other plough is a doddle but I won't be buying a Ransomes anytime soon.
 

John 1594

Member
Location
Cambridgeshire
I was in your position last year, had a Fergie, so bought a plough, cheap to buy but you'll find you'll need to go through it, check everything, measure everything, check it's all dimensionally correct etc. Parts are cheap too and readily available.
Re the ploughing, there seems a Fergie class at most matches and it's pretty competitive, very in fact. A lot of old trailed plough boys who are too old to cart all the kit around seem to be buying a Fergie + GP plough as it's easier to get about, so generally the standard is pretty high and getting higher.
The Fergie class are a bloody good bunch (down this way anyway) and any help or advice is readily given (until you start getting placed!) we have a laugh and to be fair some of the work I have seen is better than other classes at matches. There are generally between 10 to 20 Fergies entered at the matches I have been to this year and I believe at the Sherwood Forrest match there were 45 entered, so popular!!
Don't be fooled into thinking there is no adjustment and it's a simple plough, it is to a point but there is plenty enough to adjust to keep you busy, lots of tweaks and tricks can be applied (legally) and also some others that are not so legal (if you plan to plough at the Nationals)
Re the plough itself, Genera Purpose is the one you want, ideally with a cross-shaft handle. There is a long and short version (long one is 10" longer) and most use the short version, boards differ slightly between very early ploughs and later. Ploughs differ despite being made in the same factory, we have 3 here and they all have completely different furrow widths, the one I use is 10 1/2", my girlfriend's is 10" and the other plough that I am making up for next season is 9 1/2". It does make a difference, for example at Sherwood Forrest match last w-end the winning Fergie plot seemed to be running at 9" furrows but I didn't measure his plough but he was taking 18" off a bout.
Some say if you can plough with a Fergie then any other plough is a doddle but I won't be buying a Ransomes anytime soon.


Proof that "it can be done"..regardless of what the "nay-sayers" always reckon
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
I will add that I had never done any match or conventional ploughing before in my life, I competed in 6 matches this year and have had two 2nd places (missed out on going to the Nationals by 4 points) and two 3rd places and also came rank last at one and a 6th but I have a lot to learn still re starts and finishes, am getting there slowly!!
Andrew Drinkwater is the man to beat around here and I was determined to beat him, I did at the last match, just got to beat him regularly now!!!
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
Certainly, it can be done, but at a much lower standard. Points in the fergy class at a south coast match were on average 20 lower than those obtaining similar positions in other classes.That is why the class exists! With very few exceptions they cannot compete otherwise. It really is like trying to compete in F 1 with a ford Cortina!
 

Ley253

Member
Location
Bath
I will add that I had never done any match or conventional ploughing before in my life, I competed in 6 matches this year and have had two 2nd places (missed out on going to the Nationals by 4 points) and two 3rd places and also came rank last at one and a 6th but I have a lot to learn still re starts and finishes, am getting there slowly!!
Andrew Drinkwater is the man to beat around here and I was determined to beat him, I did at the last match, just got to beat him regularly now!!!
So you wont be worried by Keith Williams or David Bryant !
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
Next season!!! Everyone is beatable!! I ploughed next to Keith last month, a nicer chap you wouldn't meet!! Lovely old boy.
Agreed re Cortina but to be fair my plough cost me £75 and I've spent maybe a hundred on it since. Many happy Cortina owners about so dont knock it till you've tried it. I will lend you my outfit one match and then you can see how easy it all is!!! lol
Who needs a land wheel anyway!!!!
 

rusty nuts

Member
Buy the best ransome robin you can find try and get one with bright metal work .Dont go down the fergy road you will never get anywhere and still finish up with a ransome .
 

Sprayer

Member
Location
South Derbyshire
Certainly, it can be done, but at a much lower standard. Points in the fergy class at a south coast match were on average 20 lower than those obtaining similar positions in other classes.That is why the class exists! With very few exceptions they cannot compete otherwise. It really is like trying to compete in F 1 with a ford Cortina!

You should be very pleased to see the fergy men at matches and not be so critical of them. They are the chaps keeping a lot of matches going, without them it would not be worth holding a match for the three or four world style that support us. Fergy round here is by far the best supported class. Your class is subsidised the grey Fergys.
 
You should be very pleased to see the fergy men at matches and not be so critical of them. They are the chaps keeping a lot of matches going, without them it would not be worth holding a match for the three or four world style that support us. Fergy round here is by far the best supported class. Your class is subsidised the grey Fergys.
I was told about 45 fergie ploughmen at sherwood forest ploughing match last week
 

MrNoo

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Cirencester
I was told about 45 fergie ploughmen at sherwood forest ploughing match last week
There would have been more but I know of at least 3 of us that couldn't get an entry, suspect there were more.
It's a starter class agreed and I am sure some will move on and buy Ransomes etc there by bolstering numbers at ploughing matches and encouraging new blood into the sport, which surely must be a good thing for any sport.
 

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