County tractor enthusiasts brought 52 tractors to provide an impressive backdrop for the evening of reminiscing and rejoicing the former British tractor brand at the National Show Centre in Dublin last weekend.
The event was organised by the Irish County Tractor Club and the display of tractors was breathtaking. The tractors on show ranged from off-farm models, some of which are paying their way on a daily basis to some superbly restored models that are true showpieces.
History
The County tractors business was started as County Commercials in 1928 by brothers Ernest and Percy Tapp. They were originally truck manufacturers working from an early Ford truck chassis. They named the company County Commercials as each of the trucks were named after an English county.
The first County tractor was a crawler based on a Fordson E27N tractor and the first order of 50 was delivered to British farms in 1949. Wheeled tractor production at County started in 1954 with the County four-drive. It was a wheeled tractor with a crawler tractor drive system.
There were 52 County tractors on display at the Irish County Tractor Club event, held at the National Show Centre, near Dublin Airport last week. The event was dominated by classic versions of the County range, including the recent record breaking price tractor owned by Wicklow man Billy Keogh.
After 1983, the County tractor brand went through challenging times, firstly taken over by David Gittins and then by the Benson Group. Tractor dealer and contractor Mark Osborne of AT Osborne bought the County parts operation in December 2005, having first attempted to buy the business back in 1983.
Over the company’s 35 years in tractor production, County produced some 35,000 tractors, 75% of which were exported from Britain.
Many of the tractors on show were in pristine condition, including this County 1184 model in a beautifully restored condition. This tractor was fitted with a similar engine to the 1474 but slightly lower power at 120hp.
Mark Osborne, the current owner of the County tractors brand was the special guest at the event. He is as passionate as ever about the brand, 40 years after his family was a major farming user of County tractors.
He told the audience that Irish County tractor owners have been so important in the resurgence of the brand. He said that their enthusiasm and support for the brand had helped to keep County tractors afloat since its liquidation in the 1983.
Mark Osborne, current owner of the County brand, was a special guest at the event along with Chris Hurrell, who was a former employee at County Tractors up until the business closed in 1983 being interviewed by Michael Moroney at the Irish County Tractor Club event.
Osborne also told the gathering that there remains good demand for parts for County tractors and that his company was now in a position to provide new parts, where needed, from their location at Wytchwood, Shelley Lane, Romsey, Hampshire, England.
The first Irish public showing of the County brand on its own was at the 1965 Spring Show when Autocars of Fenian Street, Dublin – then a Ford tractor dealer – also showed the County Super Four tractor. Cahir House Garages, run by the Burke family from Cahir, Co Tipperary, soon became more prominent County dealers from the early 1970s.
Contractors’ and farmers’ experiences
At the Irish County Tractors Club event, a number of contractors and farmers told of their experiences with the iconic brand. Well-known Down contractor, John Dan O’Hare and his son Brian, span a generation of County followers.
John Dan was an early County fan and pulled a silage harvester with a County before graduating to the self-propelled world.
The County Highlander tractor, a forestry favourite among the earlier generation of Irish County tractor owners.
He remarked how the tractor’s equal size four-wheel-drive system allowed them to harvest grass in conditions where their previous tractors could not travel. His son, Brian, remembers his first sighting of the County in the fleet and how today, driving these tractors, of which they have three, remains one of sheer joy.
Louth farmer John McCroghan spoke of his first County which they bought secondhand as they could not wait for the delivery of a new Ford tractor from then local dealer McGees of Ardee. They bought the tractor, which served them well from 1974, for many years from Wexford dealers, Byrnes of Ballinaboola, who like McGees are no longer in the farm machinery business.
Limerick contractor Pat Hughes from Knocklong had his County 1174 Forward Control tractor on display, which is still in working condition. This tractor was introduced in the 1970’s to replace the County FC 654/1004 and came with a 112hp Ford six-cylinder engine.
The County tractor owners are all passionate about their blue machines and none more than Limerick contractor Pat Hughes. Pat brought his County 1174 Forward Control model to the event and told how he became addicted to the brand. Longford County owners included David Wilson and John Harte.
John told the gathering that his County is in daily use, ploughing and tilling from his Ballymahon base, while David started collecting County tractors for the sheer pleasure of them.
The sole crawler tractor at the Irish County Tractor Club event was this restored 1940s version of the Fordson conversion that is owned by the Hoey family.
Other County users who spoke on the night included Colin Doherty and Mickey McPartlan, as well as John Agnew, Steven Lennon and Declan Stewart, showing how the passion for County tractor runs across the length of the country.
As the crowds dispersed, there was a great feeling of satisfaction from honouring a great tractor range, with huge acknowledgement for Francie McBride, chair of the Irish County Tractors Club, for spearheading such a wonderful commemorative event.
County tractor enthusiasts brought 52 tractors to provide an impressive backdrop for the evening of reminiscing and rejoicing the former British tractor brand at the National Show Centre in Dublin last weekend.
The event was organised by the Irish County Tractor Club and the display of tractors was breathtaking. The tractors on show ranged from off-farm models, some of which are paying their way on a daily basis to some superbly restored models that are true showpieces.
History
The County tractors business was started as County Commercials in 1928 by brothers Ernest and Percy Tapp. They were originally truck manufacturers working from an early Ford truck chassis. They named the company County Commercials as each of the trucks were named after an English county.
The first County tractor was a crawler based on a Fordson E27N tractor and the first order of 50 was delivered to British farms in 1949. Wheeled tractor production at County started in 1954 with the County four-drive. It was a wheeled tractor with a crawler tractor drive system.
There were 52 County tractors on display at the Irish County Tractor Club event, held at the National Show Centre, near Dublin Airport last week. The event was dominated by classic versions of the County range, including the recent record breaking price tractor owned by Wicklow man Billy Keogh.
After 1983, the County tractor brand went through challenging times, firstly taken over by David Gittins and then by the Benson Group. Tractor dealer and contractor Mark Osborne of AT Osborne bought the County parts operation in December 2005, having first attempted to buy the business back in 1983.
Over the company’s 35 years in tractor production, County produced some 35,000 tractors, 75% of which were exported from Britain.
Many of the tractors on show were in pristine condition, including this County 1184 model in a beautifully restored condition. This tractor was fitted with a similar engine to the 1474 but slightly lower power at 120hp.
Mark Osborne, the current owner of the County tractors brand was the special guest at the event. He is as passionate as ever about the brand, 40 years after his family was a major farming user of County tractors.
He told the audience that Irish County tractor owners have been so important in the resurgence of the brand. He said that their enthusiasm and support for the brand had helped to keep County tractors afloat since its liquidation in the 1983.
Mark Osborne, current owner of the County brand, was a special guest at the event along with Chris Hurrell, who was a former employee at County Tractors up until the business closed in 1983 being interviewed by Michael Moroney at the Irish County Tractor Club event.
Osborne also told the gathering that there remains good demand for parts for County tractors and that his company was now in a position to provide new parts, where needed, from their location at Wytchwood, Shelley Lane, Romsey, Hampshire, England.
The first Irish public showing of the County brand on its own was at the 1965 Spring Show when Autocars of Fenian Street, Dublin – then a Ford tractor dealer – also showed the County Super Four tractor. Cahir House Garages, run by the Burke family from Cahir, Co Tipperary, soon became more prominent County dealers from the early 1970s.
Contractors’ and farmers’ experiences
At the Irish County Tractors Club event, a number of contractors and farmers told of their experiences with the iconic brand. Well-known Down contractor, John Dan O’Hare and his son Brian, span a generation of County followers.
John Dan was an early County fan and pulled a silage harvester with a County before graduating to the self-propelled world.
The County Highlander tractor, a forestry favourite among the earlier generation of Irish County tractor owners.
He remarked how the tractor’s equal size four-wheel-drive system allowed them to harvest grass in conditions where their previous tractors could not travel. His son, Brian, remembers his first sighting of the County in the fleet and how today, driving these tractors, of which they have three, remains one of sheer joy.
Louth farmer John McCroghan spoke of his first County which they bought secondhand as they could not wait for the delivery of a new Ford tractor from then local dealer McGees of Ardee. They bought the tractor, which served them well from 1974, for many years from Wexford dealers, Byrnes of Ballinaboola, who like McGees are no longer in the farm machinery business.
Limerick contractor Pat Hughes from Knocklong had his County 1174 Forward Control tractor on display, which is still in working condition. This tractor was introduced in the 1970’s to replace the County FC 654/1004 and came with a 112hp Ford six-cylinder engine.
The County tractor owners are all passionate about their blue machines and none more than Limerick contractor Pat Hughes. Pat brought his County 1174 Forward Control model to the event and told how he became addicted to the brand. Longford County owners included David Wilson and John Harte.
John told the gathering that his County is in daily use, ploughing and tilling from his Ballymahon base, while David started collecting County tractors for the sheer pleasure of them.
The sole crawler tractor at the Irish County Tractor Club event was this restored 1940s version of the Fordson conversion that is owned by the Hoey family.
Other County users who spoke on the night included Colin Doherty and Mickey McPartlan, as well as John Agnew, Steven Lennon and Declan Stewart, showing how the passion for County tractor runs across the length of the country.
As the crowds dispersed, there was a great feeling of satisfaction from honouring a great tractor range, with huge acknowledgement for Francie McBride, chair of the Irish County Tractors Club, for spearheading such a wonderful commemorative event.
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