Special match boards

[arcobob]

Rather than diversify an old thread even more here is my take on special match boards. There was a suggestion that RWMs were going to be banned in classic and in my opinion rightly so. Any special match boards introduced by a manufacturer are a publicity tool. They do it to promote their name in the commercial world not to enhance overall sales because the relative numbers produced are low. If they did not offer advantages to match ploughmen participating in what is an art form(in all classes) their efforts would have failed. Because of the low level production the few that were produced in the classic era, such as the RWM, are now a very rare commodity and not available to all.
The few people I have met using these boards admit they are not good in all situations and not everyone`s cup of tea but generally one has to accept that, as with Bonnings, Ransomes went to some considerable expense to develop and manufacture these boards for the reasons mentioned above. They should now be consigned to the "open" class.

 

[wilt434]

I am also in favour of banning the RWM board, why is it ok to use them in classic while boards such as hydrein specials are banned even though they are in the same era?

 

[Ley253]

Trouble is, once you start banning things, where do you stop? TS 86s the next to go?

 

[Boohoo]

I am also in favour of banning the RWM board, why is it ok to use them in classic while boards such as hydrein specials are banned even though they are in the same era?

Hydrein specials aren't banned at European level, classic class at last years European was won with them

 

[arcobob]

There has been some muddled thinking and poor decisions or unfair bias.

Trouble is, once you start banning things, where do you stop? TS 86s the next to go?

Ou can make a TS86 out of 59 parts as near as makes no difference. Making RWMs is a different matter. Somebody could do it but at what cost ? As far as I know Hydrien Specials are in reasonable supply and are competitive in the"open" class, RWMs are neither.

 

[arcobob]

Hydrein specials aren't banned at European level, classic class at last years European was won with them

If you allow Hydrein Specials in classic the value of TCNs will fall through the floor but then this is ploughing. Unfortunately you can understand how the Euros feel about this but it would suggest a serious flaw in the rules (ours or theirs). It is the opinion of some, to quote previous threads, that it does not matter what you use the best man will come out on top so whatever. I will stick to vintage because the playing field is less bumpy.

 

[arcobob]

Perhaps this is why no classic class is being arranged at the Worlds, just vintage. Some of the "open" class may feel they qualify !

 

[wilt434]

Hydrein specials aren't banned at European level, classic class at last years European was won with them

What's the point of being able to use them in the European when you can't use them to qualify?

 

[arcobob]

Quite, what a mess. Perhaps we should have an English style European classic class .

 

[Roy Stokes]

Can of worms Bob, anyone got a tin opener ??......................................................................

 

[arcobob]

That sums it up Roy. A bit like the wider picture But we understand each other better without the politics!

 

[Ts 59]

May be of interest to people on here if you look up "ploughing british movietone" on youtube it comes up with some good old news reports on ploughing matches, one being the 20th world match 1973 in Wexford. Most of the ploughs appear to be kv and fiskars with just the odd ransomes. If I was better at such things id put up a link,but im afraid ive only just mastered typing with more than one finger!

 

[arcobob]

There were KV and Bomford plus Ransomes and I suspect a Star. This was during what we now know as the classic era but was, I imagine, run under a fairly liberal set of rules as is world style today. I can`t comment on the boards other than to say that I did not spot any that would not be allowed in classic today. Did I miss something ?

 

[Ts 59]

Think we may be looking at different clips? Early kv hydrein special behind a 135 used by john milnes , Pierce then Fiskars KH being used by the winning Finnish competitor in 1973. There is also an older clip of the 1964 world match in Austria quite a wide range of ploughs here , trailed and mounted ransomes, early open frame kv on hydrein specials as well as a fiskars but the boards don't seem to be as long as KHs? I don't plough in the classic class so its just an observation really, looking at these clips there was a lot of interesting kit being used in the 60s at the same time as Ransomes 86s, yet most of it would probably not now be eligible. But then again it's not easily available either. Also posted as I thought these clips may be of interest to other "ploughing geeks" as my wife calls me!

 

[arcobob]

I may be confused because I remember the trailer plough, a TS86, a yellow Bomford and another blue plough which I thought might be a Star plus John Milnes. I have very limited knowledge of KV boards or world style ploughs so I am sure you are correct. So why are Fiskars and Hydreins banned from classic but not RWMs? I think you have followed my argument that these special match boards may not be readily available, certainly it appears that RWMs are not though I don`t think this applies to the other two. There must be a politically motivated reason !

 

[Ley253]

I may be confused because I remember the trailer plough, a TS86, a yellow Bomford and another blue plough which I thought might be a Star plus John Milnes. I have very limited knowledge of KV boards or world style ploughs so I am sure you are correct. So why are Fiskars and Hydreins banned from classic but not RWMs? I think you have followed my argument that these special match boards may not be readily available, certainly it appears that RWMs are not though I don`t think this applies to the other two. There must be a politically motivated reason !

One similar to the Bonning ban then.

 

[arcobob]

Bonnings are not in the classic era as far as I am aware but there are certainly some unexplained rulings. Transparency absent perhaps? I have no right to ask .

 

[Howard150]

Lots of good and fair comment on this thread however very few people are affected by this other than Classic ploughmen.
The Scottish ploughing society has just changed their rules to allow all ploughs manufactured in the classic era up to the advent of the quiet cab in order to conform to the European regulations, which in turn allows their ploughmen to compete 'on a level playing field'
In Europe ploughs for the classic era are in short supply. To be restrictive would limit the number of eligible ploughmen. In GB plough bodies from that era are more readily available. What people seem to forget is that whatever plough bodies a ploughman elects to use, the one thing that defines the actual quality of the work actually sits on the tractor seat.
TCN's have competed with all the Hydrein variants, RWM's and the like and still won. There are dozens of ploughmen who have tried RWM's and given them up as a bad job. Two Hydrein variants ploughed in the European in 2013. Their work was poor at the side of TCN work
One of the biggest obstacles to overcome is the judges perception of the work being judged and what kind of work he favours.
Please correct me if I am wrong but Bonnings are excluded from this debate as they were produced in 1979.
If the Classic class is made a free for all then I see no good reason why Hydraulic attachments should not be allowed either

 

[Roy Stokes]

Ransome Bonning TS 97 was produced in 1979, however David Bonning by this era had already moved on from the DSB 1 to DSB 2 which all TS 97's were fitted with so I would think a little digging into his history would see DSB1's just fitting into the classic era, once again though in most conditions a TCN would compete with the right bloke on the seat.

The Classic class was called the classic " semi digger " class when it was 1st conceived but now whole work is accepted and on certain soil types furrow definition with RWM's gives an advantage, more so when you are faced with a judge who ploughs vintage, but they are not very forgiving and need the right person on the seat- as said above

 

[Howard150]

I think in all fairness the Classic Class has never been actually called the Classic Semi Digger class. That is only the public perception of it. I am probably the only ploughman never to have ploughed in any other class and have been here from day 1 - just short of 20 years now (the powers that be say that the Classic Class is still in its infancy)
In the beginning I complained bitterly about allowing RWM's as they were purely made for competition ploughing which the TCN's we were all using did not.
The biggest and foulest exclusion in this class has been the Duncan's which I do believe were always allowed in Scotland
The old adage still remains good 'if you can't beat em join em'