Vintage farming equipment on show
When does a diehard enthusiast become an outright obsessive?
It’s a fine line differentiating one from the other when it comes to collecting and curating vintage farm machinery, two hobbyists agree.
Manawatu¯ Machinery Club members Ian Capstick and David Dench each have sizeable collections, which will be on display at Manfeild in Feilding during the Manawatu¯ Vintage Expo on Saturday and Sunday.
Capstick, who grew up on a farm but ran a ‘‘townie business’’, favours tractors and implements from the 1930s, while retired farmer Dench has a taste for the International Harvester brand.
Both men, however, are united about the importance of preserving our agricultural heritage.
Kiwi farmers have shopped the globe for the right gear and American product was the go in the 1920s. But this changed after World War II.
‘‘The bulk of the tractors pre-war would have been American, with a small number from England and Europe,’’ Capstick said.
‘‘While quite a lot of implements came from a far more diverse area.’’
A Commonwealth assistance scheme compelled Kiwis in 1945 to turn to British brands, Dench said.
The duo promise the display at Manfeild will be an irresistible draw for anyone with an interest in machines from past rural life, with some restored to new condition and others maintaining an older sheen.
Hundreds of machines from as far as Whangarei and Timaru, and ranging from the 1800s to 1970s, will be at the expo. They span from compact chuffing stationary engines used to drive shearing plants and milking machines to large vehicles.
One of the rare tractors on display is Dench’s 1924 Mccormick-deering 15-30, used to run a threshing mill.
The Steam Traction Society has four traction engines and a steam roller, and a space has been set aside for demonstration of about 40 earthmovers, They will include Cat 10s, used in the 1920s, to the mighty D8s that transformed New Zealand in the 20th century, crucial for everything from highway building to damworks.
Also on the card are shearing demonstrations in an authentic vintage shed.
International Trucks has 50 examples of models, ranging from 40 to 100 years old.
‘‘I think it’s the only truck still made in New Zealand, but originally they came from America,’’ Dench said.
Entry is $10 and children under 16 are free.