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Farm Machinery
Classic Machinery
One for Dr Wazzock.
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<blockquote data-quote="traineefarmer" data-source="post: 7815814" data-attributes="member: 89974"><p>I've heard several stories and anecdotes about Standens over the years from "insiders" in the works and boardroom. Trying to separate fact from fiction, my understanding is that the company boomed from the 50s through to the early 80s being the UK market leader in beet equipment with the Rapide, the various demount self propelleds and the Turbo-Beets. By the mid 80s european multi-row tankers and early 6 row SPs were hitting their market share so several new designs were rushed into development. </p><p></p><p>The spectre and spectrum that came out didn't offer much more that the turbo-beet and were fragile. The similar Garford Victor was a better machine and took yet more sales from standen. The Challenger was typical old school British industrial thinking - telling the customer what they wanted, rather than actually asking them. A tiny tank, oppel wheels and a very basic cleaning system along with poor reliability killed the concept of a British 6row and nearly killed the company.</p><p></p><p>They were saved by a contract to build safety fencing for the refurbishment of Wembley stadium, supposedly gained by some contacts of a minor shareholder and the reverse takeover of Keyag, which bought fresh blood to the boardroom and marked the company's proper entrance into the potato market.</p><p></p><p>My favourite story about the Challenger is that when the first prototype was built in the assembly hall they realised that it was too tall to fit through the door so it and every machine that followed had to be driven out on flat tyres.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="traineefarmer, post: 7815814, member: 89974"] I've heard several stories and anecdotes about Standens over the years from "insiders" in the works and boardroom. Trying to separate fact from fiction, my understanding is that the company boomed from the 50s through to the early 80s being the UK market leader in beet equipment with the Rapide, the various demount self propelleds and the Turbo-Beets. By the mid 80s european multi-row tankers and early 6 row SPs were hitting their market share so several new designs were rushed into development. The spectre and spectrum that came out didn't offer much more that the turbo-beet and were fragile. The similar Garford Victor was a better machine and took yet more sales from standen. The Challenger was typical old school British industrial thinking - telling the customer what they wanted, rather than actually asking them. A tiny tank, oppel wheels and a very basic cleaning system along with poor reliability killed the concept of a British 6row and nearly killed the company. They were saved by a contract to build safety fencing for the refurbishment of Wembley stadium, supposedly gained by some contacts of a minor shareholder and the reverse takeover of Keyag, which bought fresh blood to the boardroom and marked the company's proper entrance into the potato market. My favourite story about the Challenger is that when the first prototype was built in the assembly hall they realised that it was too tall to fit through the door so it and every machine that followed had to be driven out on flat tyres. [/QUOTE]
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Classic Machinery
One for Dr Wazzock.
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