Leyland Tractors: A Power on the Land 1969-1982 by Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam, Tractor Barn Productions. DVD approx 96 minutes. In stock at Old Pond at £15.95 including VAT.
Film-makers Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam are Leyland tractor enthusiasts and at the end of this programme they take us round their own collection of this marque. However, in the bulk of this fast-moving DVD they lay out the complete story of the Leyland models including background on Nuffield and Marshall.
Nuffield first. The account starts in 1948 with the Nuffield Universal and follows developments through the M3, M4, DM4, 4DM, 342, 460 and the ten series. After a brief look at the Bray 10/60 4 the Nuffield series is taken to its conclusion with the 3/45 4/65 and 4/25.
The presenters then show how the blue British Leyland tractors built on the Nuffield line they replaced. One of the hallmarks of Leyland was slow evolution rather than rapid product change. This is shown through the range that developed in the early 1970s including the 344, 384, 154, 253, 245, 255, 270, 285 and the powerful 2100. Four-wheel drive came in with the 485 and the 4100.
Quiet cabs and power steering helped make the 272 probably Leyland's most successful tractor.
Then in 1978 came what the presenters believe to be the company's most significant advance: the introduction of the Synchro range with far easier gear change on the move. The 472 and 462 4WD versions now had smaller front wheels.
1979 saw the introduction of turbocharging to the 282 and 482 as well as Leyland's part in the development of the backhoe loader when JCB adopted its skid units. There is good footage of a 3DIII still at work. Reference is also made to other industrials: the Loadall 520 4 and Climax rough-terrain machines.
But all was not well with the company. There were production problems at Bathgate, including poor quality control. BL apparently spent its tractor profits shoring up the car division and there was almost no new tractor development. 1980 saw the introduction of the yellow-and-black Harvest Gold livery and Explorer cabs. The 804 became the flagship model but the end was in sight and the company joined Marshall under the ownership of Charles Nickerson.
At this point the film takes back to look at the history of Marshall, dealing briefly with traction engines, the Colonial, the 1530, 1830, 1220 and the Model M. Then on to the post-war Field Marshalls, Fowlers and Track Marshalls until catching up again with the 1982 merger.
At first production at Gainsborough was little more than re-badging in the Marshall name until in 1984 the turbocharged 904 XL is seen as the ultimate development of Leyland design. Production moved to Scunthorpe but only a hundred of these machines were built.
The programme includes detail of the final years of Marshall, the time of the weak agricultural machinery market in 1980s Britain, and then, in 1996, the end of Track Marshall. Finally, a quick look at the JWD tractors that flourished in the 1990s.
This programme covers an enormous amount of ground. Footage includes stills, film from rallies and ploughing matches as well as on-farm footage. The amount of time devoted to individual machines varies widely. However, this is the first DVD to cover the story of what is going to be remembered as the only significant tractor marque which was British-owned throughout its history.
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