Mollison of Forfar potato digger c 1890

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

Attached are photos of our 1967 IH523 pulling our “New Improved” Mollison potato digger circa 1890. We greased and oiled and it went well. This was a small area planted when we expected a quiet summer locked down, so in the end the crop was neglected. Too may weeds. My grandmother was from Forfar and apparently this was a wedding present! It was used for opening up ahead of a Johnson elevator digger until 1970. It is remarkably gentle on the crop and in weed free conditions makes a good job of separating the crop.

 

[teslacoils]

Video would be ace.

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

https://www.facebook.com/401044143369233/posts/1842658695874430

 

[Mydexta]

A lot of old “scatter diggers” had a frame coming out to the right hand side which you hung a bag or something

it was to help stop the potatoes being spread all over the place, keeping them in a meat row which was easier to gather

 

[melted welly]

Attached are photos of our 1967 IH523 pulling our “New Improved” Mollison potato digger circa 1890. We greased and oiled and it went well. This was a small area planted when we expected a quiet summer locked down, so in the end the crop was neglected. Too may weeds. My grandmother was from Forfar and apparently this was a wedding present! It was used for opening up ahead of a Johnson elevator digger until 1970. It is remarkably gentle on the crop and in weed free conditions makes a good job of separating the crop.View attachment 910198View attachment 910199View attachment 910200

Got one of these residing in the garden, it has a bar that wouldve held a wooden screen to keep the tatties in a row. It’s still got a bit of paint on it, would’ve been red wheels and a royal blue chassis.

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

That’s great information, I often wondered about the colours. Had to be blue I suppose!
We never used the curtain which looked like a pallet on the end of a metal bar.
It opened out in preference to an MF mounted spinner which father said caused bruising to our crop which was for chipping.
As long as there are fewer weeds it spreads out really well.
Ours seems to have had another big lever to put it in and out of gear, long gone.
Please post a pic if you have a moment.

 

[melted welly]

That’s great information, I often wondered about the colours. Had to be blue I suppose!
We never used the curtain which looked like a pallet on the end of a metal bar.
It opened out in preference to an MF mounted spinner which father said caused bruising to our crop which was for chipping.
As long as there are fewer weeds it spreads out really well.
Ours seems to have had another big lever to put it in and out of gear, long gone.
Please post a pic if you have a moment.

Yeah, ours has the massive handle on it, like something for switching the points on a railway. I can remember the wooden curtain, still existed when I has playing on it as a kid but it’s rotten away now.

I always wondered the age of it, was quite surprised when you said 1890s, didn’t realise it was that old!! Build like a tank. Will try and remember and get some pics tomorrow.

ours still has the spud lugs attached to the wheels too, assume that the wee box was meant for storing them in.

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

Great. Look forward to pics. It’s 1890s if the family story is true but I can’t be sure.
We never had the lugs. It doesn’t need em as u say it’s so heavy.Yours never moved far from the factory!

 

[melted welly]

Mollison – a name long associated with tattie spinners – Scottish agricultural implement makers

im maybe mistaken on the colour, this one is green and red

 

[melted welly]

Great. Look forward to pics. It’s 1890s if the family story is true but I can’t be sure.
We never had the lugs. It doesn’t need em as u say it’s so heavy.Yours never moved far from the factory!

No, it hasn’t!

it’s probably seen out several generations of 3 or 4 different farming families if it’s been on this farm since new .

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

We have a JD and a NH so can colour coordinate but both would be no use, it needs an offset drawbar.
Article fantastic info. Need to check ours could be slightly different. Ours is new improved and that was before 1902.

 

[bobk]

We have a JD and a NH so can colour coordinate but both would be no use, it needs an offset drawbar.
Article fantastic info. Need to check ours could be slightly different. Ours is new improved and that was before 1902.

They are mounted on a fergie bar , I've got one but don't know where to send it .

 

[melted welly]

Great. Look forward to pics. It’s 1890s if the family story is true but I can’t be sure.
We never had the lugs. It doesn’t need em as u say it’s so heavy.Yours never moved far from the factory!

 

[melted welly]

 

[melted welly]

Definitely red wheels, I still think the chassis has traces of Caledonian Railway blue on it.

 

[melted welly]

Old ransoms jumbo 5f too

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

Looks great. Thanks .
So you’re a Cally man now!
My maternal grandfather was a Cally man.
We have the rest of the crop to dig on Saturday if dry.
I think we need to go over it and give it some attention during winter. It’s been on 1 farm in the homeland and 4 farms here as grandfather upgraded his business . Will have done a lot of work in its time.

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

Out antiques also include
An Alexander Jack of Maybole Ayrshire cart converted from shafts to drawbar , and a Garvie of Aberdeen grass seed drill. Grandfather bred Ayrshire cows and Clydesdales so a very Scottish line up. Then moved to England!

 

[melted welly]

Out antiques also include
An Alexander Jack of Maybole Ayrshire cart converted from shafts to drawbar , and a Garvie of Aberdeen grass seed drill. Grandfather bred Ayrshire cows and Clydesdales so a very Scottish line up. Then moved to England!

whereabouts in England did they move to? Always find it surprising how mobile farming families were in the past. My grandad was from Edinburgh, his father was a railway guard who studied on the job then left and worked his way up in the Co-operative. Grandad started out on lend lease combines after the war, starting on south coast, finishing in the Black Isle. Met granny in Dorset and they got a tenancy here in 1946.

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

Proper Border Reiver territory all within about 12 miles of Gretna . They were tenants and tenants were disposable. So he just moved up a size every time. They knew they would get thrown out after grandfather died so bought a smaller farm ready for the inevitable.