The Massey Ferguson Combine Part Two: 1970-2011

DVD PAL

WALKERS , ROTARIES AND HYBRIDS The second part of two programmes in which – using archive footage from AGCO – Tractor Barn tells the story of the Massey Ferguson combine from the reaper to the latest high-tech machines.

Part Two picks up the story at the beginning of the 1970s with the new 520, 525 and 625 combines built in Europe before moving on to the American 800 Series giants and then the smaller European versions. A giant rotary combine appeared in the 1980s that had been developed by White and then MF entered into an agreement with Dronningborg of Denmark to produce a range of European combines as well as Finnish company Sampo for a range of compact and plot machines.

The Dronningborg connection gave MF a leap in electronic monitor technology and would lead to the introduction of field mapping using satellites with the 30 Series machines and the dawn of the new era of precision farming.
After the purchase of MF by AGCO the combine line was soon rejuvenated with many more models appearing once again in the USA thanks to the use of Gleaner technology. In the 21st century a whole range of combines is built for Massey Ferguson by Laverda giving a very comprehensive and modern range, fit for today’s harvest fields all over the world.

Both Parts One and Two use original Massey Ferguson archive film taken when the featured machines were new and at work.Taken together, these two programmes tell the fascinating story of the development of the red combine harvester line from its origins right up to the present day and also include glimpses of how these machines were built in factories in Canada, Scotland and Denmark.

• Running time 70 mins
• PAL DVD