The Muir-Hill tractor range is one of the classics, which evolved from a British loader company in the 1960s. These tractors were based on a combination of Ford transmissions and Perkins engines, with an equal size four-wheel-drive system.
The first Muir-Hill tractor, the 101 model, was introduced in 1966 and was designed to be a machine for both agricultural and industrial work. The tractor was developed by engineer David J.B. Brown who joined Muir-Hill from Northrop, a company that was already making Ford tractor conversions based on the Ford 5000.
The Muir-Hill 101 was built around a Ford 5000, which was fitted with a Ford 2704E industrial engine rated at 108hp. The gearbox was a standard Ford 5000 unit with a transfer box, splitting the drive equally between the front and rear axles. This transfer box was lubricated by its own oil pump and it also drove the power take-off shaft. The rear transmission and hydraulics were all based on the Ford 5000, while the front steering drive axle was derived from some of the Muir-Hill wheel loaders already in production. The good weight distribution and extra power meant that these tractors were well appreciated by farmers and contractors. Industrial versions were produced with dozer blades and a reduction gearbox version was available for land reclamation work. A small number of these tractors were turbo-charged for additional power, making them powerful tractors in their day.
Muir-Hill produced two new tractors in 1969, one of which was the 110. This tractor was fitted with a six-cylinder Perkins 6.354 engine and rated at 110hp. The Perkins-powered versions were especially popular in the developing markets, where Perkins had a foothold, and were widely used in sugar cane harvesting.
The second new tractor introduced at that time was the 161 model, which was much larger. This was powered by a Perkins V8.510 engine and developed 163hp. This impressive tractor, with its twin exhaust pipes, departed from the Ford transmission and was fitted with a 10-speed Fuller gearbox.
It came with a removable cab and was considered to be the biggest tractor available in Ireland at the time. Only a very small number were sold here at the time, by Irish agents Coen’s of Tullamore.
In 1971 Muir-Hill increased the power of the 101 to 120hp by fitting a Ford 2715E industrial engine. There were also changes to the steering – from power-assisted to hydrostatic, which was becoming a more common feature in bigger tractors.
A year later a new Series II range of tractors was introduced, with the 101 being fully replaced by the 121. The 121 used the same engine and gearbox as the 101 while having a larger fuel tank and more modern cab. Muir-Hill engineers used rubber mounts on the flat floor of this cab to reduce noise and vibration levels and this model also marked the introduction of the Muir-Hill sliding door.
At the same time, the 110 model was replaced by the 111, which was powered by a Perkins 6.354 engine. The bigger 161 was replaced in 1975 by the 171 model and this brought a V8 engine upgrade, moving to the larger Perkins V8.540 model rated at 170hp.
The third range, Series III models were introduced in 1978 with further cab improvements. Engine power across the range increased and now the top-of-the-range model, the 171, was rated at 177hp.
That same year, Muir-hill introduced a new mid-range model, the 141, with the choice of either a Perkins or a Ford engine, both of which sold for the same price. The Ford version was the more powerful of the two at 143hp.
Muir-Hill ceased its tractor production in 1982 and the business was sold to Sanderson (Forklifts) which built a small number of tractors, before going into liquidation in 1990. Muir-Hill was then bought by the Aveling Barford company.
A year later the Muir-Hill business was bought by Lloyd Loaders in Yorkshire. Lloyds produced a small number of tractors based on the Muir-Hill design and produced a number of specialist tractors using the Myth-Holm brand name, for export to Norway.
Lloyd Loaders (MH) Ltd, based today at Mytholm Works, Hipperholme, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 8PJ continues to supply rebuilt and secondhand tractors and loaders. They supply spare parts and also have all the technical information and parts lists as well as original drawings.
Muir-Hill tractors in Ireland
Coen’s of Tullamore, Co Offaly, was the Irish agent of the Muir-Hill range of tractors from the 1970s through to the Muir-Hill business closing down in the early 1980s. The local attraction for the tractors remains and there are still a good number of the yellow and white equal-size four-wheel-drive tractors in the country.
Coen’s set up its machinery operations in 1974, while having a larger merchant importing business based in Gort, Co Galway. It was a David Brown agents up to 1988 when it lost the David Brown business after Case and David Brown merged. The Muir-Hill side of the business had fallen away by then.
The Muir-Hill tractor range was also sold for a period by the Barlo Group with outlets in Clonmel and Kilkenny. Barlo’s was also a David Brown tractor dealer.
My most recent Muir-Hill price list for Ireland dates back to 1979 when there were three models in the range, the 121, 141 and 171 models. The entry model 121 was priced at £20,525, while the country’s biggest tractor at the time, the Muir-Hill 171. was priced at £27,575.
To put the Muir-Hill range into context, the biggest tractor in the Massey Ferguson range in 1979 was the MF590 rated at 79hp and priced at £9,468, while Ford’s top of the range model was the Ford 9700 model rated at 153hp and priced then at £18,389.
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