Vintage vehicles enjoyed all the fun of the BA Country Fair

EXHIBITION: Visitors ploughed ahead as big event reminded us what motoring was like in days before satnav

This year’s BA Vintage Country Fair was blessed with dry weather and the usual buzz of activity at Lynne of Skene.

The late spring this year did not put a dampener on the event, and the recent dry weather made ground conditions perfect for a whole host of activities over the two days.

The notable feature of this event is the large area of land given over to working machinery.

This machinery dated from the days of the heavy horse, with a pair hitched to a single furrow plough.

A larger plough that could travel both ways was hitched between two steam engines, which gave a great demonstration of how this method of ploughing was carried out prior to the Second World War.

The Barracks and the Cooks used their Fowler engines to favourable effect, turning up fresh soil for a multitude of tractors and implements to break down and level off.

Tractor ploughing at the fair ranged from little cabless grey Fergies ploughing with single-furrow ploughs to larger machines with two or more conventional ploughs.

Larger still were the big Masseys, Fords and Countys which used multifurrow reversibles to blacken soil.

Despite so many big ploughs being used, there was never a shortage of ground as the many grubbers, discs, levelling harrows and rollers firmed the soil up for the ploughing to start again.

Some participants even managed to plant some potatoes and dig them up again with FE35 and spinner digger.

There was a demonstration of grain drilling by the Ross family which brought a whole fleet of Massey Ferguson equipment.

Threshing and baling was done with two Aberdeen-built mills from Garvie and Clark and Sutherland, while the straw was put through a more modern baler.

At the top of the field were great lines of tractors from the likes of the County Club, the Ferguson Club, and the Nuffield, Leyland and Marshall Club which was celebrating 70 years of the Nuffield.

Displays of Field Marshalls and Zetors took plenty of interest, too, as did the long lines of tractor exhibits which contained all the well-known makes of past and present in terrific condition, from beautifully preserved to beautifully restored.

Commentator Don Carney gave an authoritative run down on much of the history of the tractor and its use in the north-east much to the delight of the crowd.

And if it was not Don who was heard over the loud speaker, it was the roar of the tractor pulling, which saw several souped-up tractors take to the track in various classes.

Adding to the general sound track was an army tank being put through its paces on some rough ground.

Military vehicles were camped out in the woods, where a sawbench was set up giving a flavour of the area’s forestry heritage, as did a display of vintage chain saws.

Four-wheel drive vehicles took to a special course of humps, bumps and water splashes.

Vintage cars were present in good numbers causing great reminiscing about motoring before satnav.