British Tractors

tr250

Member
Location
Northants
There could be a very good reason that tractor has been very reliable:
Was it made in the old Case /IH factory at Wheatley Road in Doncaster, which was taken over by McCormick as part of the terms for the C/NH merger?! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
It’s actually made in Italy. It was one of the very first made there I’m led to believe you can tell by 2 hooks on the back of the cab where they lifted them differently to Doncaster it also has a grey chassis and axles but I think that started at Doncaste. When we ordered it we thought it was going to be made in Doncaster but turned out not to be. But it is 100% case ih parts assembled in a different factory
 

Lincsman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
TBH the amount of British jobs being supported by UK assembled Tractors will be negligible compared to the service and support thereafter. There are probably more British Jobs looking after JD equipment than anything else due to the volume of them out there.
I dont think deere tractors needs more mechanic time than others, just because there are more doesn't count, at least a blue one says made in England on it, and some parts actually are, very few on a deere I find.
 

Wellytrack

Member
I dont think deere tractors needs more mechanic time than others, just because there are more doesn't count, at least a blue one says made in England on it, and some parts actually are, very few on a deere I find.

The more units that’s out there, the more parts, servicing and maintenance is going to be needed. In that regard you could draw a parallel to Claas and their harvest division compared to say that of Case IH.
 

alomy75

Member
Definitely buy a deutz it will keep four mechanics in full time jobs!! Heap of sh1te worst buy of my life!!
Deutz always intrigues me; one of the best engines ever in the air cooled form that found its way into all sorts (sp sprayers etc) and the later water cooled going into fendt but the tractors themselves sharing the same sort of market share as McCormick, Landini, Lamborghini, Same, etc. Aren’t the new big Deutz made in the same factory as fendt now?
 

Mccormick 94

Member
Trade
If it’s just about supporting British Jobs Buy a McCormick It will have the most people and vans scattered around it for the most time.
Old ones had some issues. Newer models since production moved to Italy have proved really reliable for us. Few electrical issues but nothing unusual and engines and transmissions have been great 👍. Definitely been more solid than the previous big brand we were selling.
 

DrDunc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dunsyre
Deutz always intrigues me; one of the best engines ever in the air cooled form that found its way into all sorts (sp sprayers etc) and the later water cooled going into fendt but the tractors themselves sharing the same sort of market share as McCormick, Landini, Lamborghini, Same, etc. Aren’t the new big Deutz made in the same factory as fendt now?
Deutz have recently opened their (huge) new factory in Germany where the (old) bubble cab six series and larger models are built.

Engines are still the most frugal of things, gearboxes are the latest ZF joy to operate designs, front suspension has been totally redesigned to provide comfort that only those clever Finnish buggers at valtra better, cab is still the small greenhouse designed back in the 1990s.

Apart from the cab, Deutz really are tremendous bits of engineering, totally let down by the awful distributor backup given to dealers who don't have experience of fixing problems because they sell so few of them.

My advice to the OP is buy what you find that is most comfortable and pleasant to operate. There's no point trying to buy British, because there's bugger all actually made here anymore.
 

DrDunc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dunsyre
Well my NH has a Union Jack stuck to the front of the cab, hopefully that was made here! :cool:
I've had the pleasure of being given a tour round the factory 👍

And yes, the shorter wheelbase blue and even a few of the red ones are assembled there.

However since they stopped producing the powerstar engine, and shut the foundry, not even the cleaners sandwiches are actually made there.

Everything is carted through the tunnel or across the water to this wee Island, where it's screwed together on a line that dates back to the days of the ford 5000s.

Lovely bit of history to see, but the profits all go overseas now
 

oil barron

Member
Location
Aberdeenshire
I've had the pleasure of being given a tour round the factory 👍

And yes, the shorter wheelbase blue and even a few of the red ones are assembled there.

However since they stopped producing the powerstar engine, and shut the foundry, not even the cleaners sandwiches are actually made there.

Everything is carted through the tunnel or across the water to this wee Island, where it's screwed together on a line that dates back to the days of the ford 5000s.

Lovely bit of history to see, but the profits all go overseas now
Everything up to the 315HP T7HD and all the case equivalents for the America’s are built there. Over 900 employees. That’s a lot of PAYE tax going into the economy. Then there are the supporting business built around Basildon.

If you think screwing then together has no skill, trying taking yours to bits and putting it back together and see what it looks like.
 

Bongodog

Member
I've had the pleasure of being given a tour round the factory 👍

And yes, the shorter wheelbase blue and even a few of the red ones are assembled there.

However since they stopped producing the powerstar engine, and shut the foundry, not even the cleaners sandwiches are actually made there.

Everything is carted through the tunnel or across the water to this wee Island, where it's screwed together on a line that dates back to the days of the ford 5000s.

Lovely bit of history to see, but the profits all go overseas now
All the profits always went overseas right from day 1 of Ford tractor prduction in the UK
 

DrDunc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dunsyre
Everything up to the 315HP T7HD and all the case equivalents for the America’s are built there. Over 900 employees. That’s a lot of PAYE tax going into the economy. Then there are the supporting business built around Basildon.

If you think screwing then together has no skill, trying taking yours to bits and putting it back together and see what it looks like.
Oh, definitely a skilled job assembling them 👍 They're far better organised at Basildon than the lines I've worked on at Solihull and Longbridge

The NH just in time warehouse to line delivery alone is a work of logistics art. Employees are encouraged to learn the different assembly procedures at different stations. While it improves efficiency to have a workforce flexible enough to swap roles, it needs a workforce with the skill to remember each part of the jigsaw they work upon. It's not something that myself and most others have the skill to do.

However, the days when raw materials are delivered into the factory, and a finished, manufactured, product goes out the gates are long gone.

Even the tour guides expressed some not inconsiderable remorse at the demise of the foundry. This was the last part of what had once been a far greater enterprise and employer of the community.

At least they do still assemble them there. No more McCormick at Doncaster, or the chronically under invested sheds at banner lane where Ferguson's were thrown together, or the short lived Leylands that dared employ the uncivilised heathen who reside above England's beauty.

Fingers crossed CNH get a big enough government bribe to keep the assembly plant open when the new model is released 👍
 

Sheep

Member
Location
Northern Ireland
I've had the pleasure of being given a tour round the factory 👍

And yes, the shorter wheelbase blue and even a few of the red ones are assembled there.

However since they stopped producing the powerstar engine, and shut the foundry, not even the cleaners sandwiches are actually made there.

Everything is carted through the tunnel or across the water to this wee Island, where it's screwed together on a line that dates back to the days of the ford 5000s.

Lovely bit of history to see, but the profits all go overseas now

I know it was a tongue in cheek comment, but Basildon has its own cafeteria with their own chefs, quite good food too, so at least the sandwiches and chips were made there from start to finish :p

Everything up to the 315HP T7HD and all the case equivalents for the America’s are built there. Over 900 employees. That’s a lot of PAYE tax going into the economy. Then there are the supporting business built around Basildon.

If you think screwing then together has no skill, trying taking yours to bits and putting it back together and see what it looks like.

The 'HD' range line was very recently closed and moved to Austria (T7.275, 290 and 315), the last of the Basildon built HD's and Optums will be coming out now.

You're right though, not just taking into account the factory staff but the office staff, security, support for local businesses is absolutely huge financially for a business of that size.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.3%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.9%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,294
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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