Old Pond publishing days

New pea harvesting DVD announced

The Pea Files: harvesting the most easterly peas in Britain, Stephen Richmond & Jonathan Whitlam (Tractor Barn). DVD, approx 80 minutes. ISBN 978-1-908397-03-4. Now in stock at Old Pond at £16.95.

From the McBain cutter-rower via Mather & Platt mobile viners to the PMC 989, the technology of pea harvesting has been transformed over the past fifty years. In this DVD, harvesting enthusiasts Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam show developments in East Anglia over the period.

They use archive footage from Anglia TV’s ‘Farming Diary’ as well as stills and extensive new footage, particularly of the 2007, 2009 and 2011 harvests. East Anglia nearly lost its large-scale pea crop when Birdseye retreated to its Hull base after 2009. However, in 2011 Anglia Pea Growers have been harvesting again – and using the latest PMC 989s, the fourth generation of this viner.

The DVD also includes extensive interviews with people who have been involved with the crop. Graham Richmond’s experience goes back to the Second World War when his father was loaned German prisoners of war to harvest the crop by hand. He demonstrates how they used to drive off pigeons with a calcium carbide bird scarer and introduces footage of the cutter-rower and green-crop loader from the late 1950s.

1960s archive film shows MF 175 tractors pulling Mather & Platt mobile viners getting a crop to be sent to Lowestoft for freezing.

Farm manager John Want recalls late nights and early mornings in the 1960s when the harvest was done at the behest of the tenderometer, which meant two-shift, 24-hour work. He recalls the lovely smell of the peas in the night and how on light land they used to hang like grapes.

Paul Reeve used viners towed by County 1164s or a Muir-Hill 101. He recalls, too, the various arrangements that were made for getting the crop to Mortons, such as high-tipping trailers bolted to the floor of redundant coal lorries.

Stephanie Hatton gives an insight into her work as a tractor driver in the field, fetching from the viner to the truck.

FMC’s first self-propelled picker, the 679, appeared in the late 1970s. The major step forward came with the 979 6-wheel type harvester which was quieter than its predecessors, had electronic controls and gave the operator a better ride. Also shown in the programme are Ploeger 520 and 530 with their engines at the rear. They remained in service in Norfolk alongside the more numerous FMC, and later, PMC models.

Footage of recent harvests is evocative: ‘As night fell the field became a completely different world with just the lights of the machines breaking the inky blackness.’

The final sequence, from 2011, shows the latest high-tech PMC 989s at work.

For more DVDs and books on farm machinery see the farm machinery section on the Old Pond website.

Walking with Giants: Steven Vale's earthmovers book advance information

Walking with Giants: Europe's massive earthmovers, Steven Vale. Hardback book, 280 x 220 mm, 320 pages inc. 400 colour photographs. ISBN: 978-1-906853-83-9 In stock at Old Pond at £29.95.

Phosphates and gold in Finland, copper in Sweden, limestone in Holland, coal in Wales and Spain … throughout Europe the raw materials for industry, construction and power are being excavated every day.

Steven Vale looks at fourteen European countries to show the diversity of surface mining machinery and techniques. He describes the regions in which the mining is set, provides information about the industries they serve and portrays some of the characters involved.

Steven’s fine photographs and detailed text then show the excavators, dozers, wheeled loaders and dump trucks, many of which are the largest in their classes. Some of these are veterans, others are the most modern available.

He reveals why the mine managers selected particular brands, how they feel about their selection and whether they are likely to continue with the same choices in future. He also describes how the mines are facing up to the environmental challenges which increasingly affect them.

Massive machines, with famous names – Liebherr, Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi, O&K, Terex, LeTourneau, Demag, Bucyrus – will give enthusiasts plenty to savour in this first book to look comprehensively at European surface mining activity.

Steven Vale, an Englishman based in Holland, is European correspondent for Earthmovers magazine. He is a life-long machinery enthusiast with an unequalled knowledge of the European scene. He has organised and scripted an impressive range of earthmoving DVDs for Old Pond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside Massey Ferguson new book advance information

Inside Massey Ferguson - a story of service, David Walker (Farm Power Publishing). Paperback, 234x156 mm, 284 pages inc. 16 pages of photographs. ISBN 978-0-9567019-1-6.

The new book is available here at £13.95.

In his autobiography, ‘Inside Massey Ferguson – A Story of Service’, former Massey Ferguson employee David Walker provides an unparalleled insight into what it was like to work in the service department of the world’s largest tractor manufacturer during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Joining Massey Ferguson at Coventry as a technical author in 1966, David went on to become heavily involved in all aspects of supporting the company’s products, carrying out everything from writing the service manual for the MF 1200 tractor to providing technical advice to its dealers, issuing service bulletins and troubleshooting on territory as a regional service manager. His assessment of the people and products that he encountered during his 21-year career with Massey Ferguson – some good, some occasionally not so good – forms the basis of his absorbing autobiography.

The stories David (right) tells of liaising with Massey Ferguson’s dealer staff and their customers make fascinating and often humorous reading, while his recollections of helping to resolve product problems, notably with the MF 1200, MF 1080 and MF 500 Series tractors of the 1970s, highlight the sort of challenges that members of the company’s service department faced daily.

As well as enthusiasts of Massey Ferguson who seek to broaden their knowledge of the company, ‘Inside Massey Ferguson – A Story of Service’ will also appeal to anyone who worked for the organisation or its dealers during the period covered by the book.

This is the second title produced by Farm Power Publishing. Their first, 'The Best Job Ever', the story of John Hull's career with County, is available from Old Pond.

The Story of the Ford 7000 DVD from Tractor Barn advance information

The Story of the Ford 7000, Stephen Richmond and Jonathan Whitlam (Tractor Barn Productions). DVD, approx 100 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-89-1. Now available from Old Pond at £16.95 inc. VAT.

Launched in 1971, the Ford 7000 was the first mass-produced turbocharged tractor to be built in the UK. It answered the demand for more horsepower, a need that many farmers were expressing at the time.

This programme is all about the 7000 – how it came to be, what made it tick and what people thought of it. The story is told with original archive footage from the tractor’s launch and with new film of examples still at work or in preservation.

The 7000 was also converted into a 4-wheel drive machine by the likes of County and Roadless, and so the 94T and 944 are part of the account.

The programme finishes by showing the legacy of the 7000 when it was replaced by newer models such as the 7600, 7700, 7610, 7710, 6810 and 7740. The concept of a turbocharged 94-97hp tractor had taken off to produce some of the most popular Ford machines of all time.

Further DVDs by tractor-filming specialists Stephen and Jonathan are to be found in the Old Pond Tractor Barn catalogue.

Ice Road Truckers series 4 expected into stock

Ice Road Truckers: the Complete Season Four, History Channel. Four-disc DVD set, approx 12 hours. Now in stock at Old Pond at £19.95.

Melting ice, whiteouts, punctures, avalanches,fatigue ... and that’s on a good day!

Join Jack Jesse, Lisa Kelly, Alex Debogorski and the rest of the ICE ROAD TRUCKERS as they return in the fourth series of this hit History programme.

This time around the action comes thick and fast as the drivers tackle frozen rivers and swamps out beyond the Dalton Highway, hauling supplies to some of the remotest towns of the great white north, where they come across the most dangerous terrain they have ever faced.

The stakes are higher than ever as the dash for cash continues!

SPECIAL FEATURES: Additional Footage includes Ray Leulleaux Bio, Greg Boadwine Bio, Trucker Pranks, Trucker Competition and Truckers Speak.

The three other Ice Road Truckers DVDs are available at Old Pond's trucking books and DVDs.

High, Wide and Handsome new trucking DVD advance information

High, Wide and Handsome: four exciting abnormal loads, Pete Connock and Martin Phippard (CP Productions). DVD approx 75 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-94-5. Now in stock at Old Pond at £16.95 inc VAT.

In Switzerland Friderici was transporting massive wind turbine sections from the port of Basle to the highest point on the Jura Mountains. Mercedes, MAN and Iveco units hauling Nicolas, Broshuis and Faymonville trailers undertook this challenging journey.

In America, Ohio-based Diamond Heavy Haul was moving one of its more spectacular loads. The huge casting was hauled out of the port of Indiana, offering the sights and sounds of Peterbilts, loud Jake brakes and a DHH powered trailer.

The British haulier Plant Speed operates sophisticated Volvo FH 16 8x4 tractor units to move the heaviest loads. CPP was fortunate to catch one of these moving a twin-hull ferry from Keswick to the port of Workington.

French transport specialist Brame P regularly moves heavy loads from Belfort to the port of Strasbourg. CPP captured the unusual sight of two massive loads each with a tractor unit at the front and a ‘pusher’ at the rear! 

For more DVDs by specialist big-trucking film-makers CP Productions, see their section in the Old Pond online catalogue.

Scrap Metal Giants DVD advance information

Scrap Metal Giants, Steven Vale. DVD approx 88 minutes. ISBN 978-1-906853-86-0. In stock at Old Pond at £17.95.

Scrap metal is handled in bulk by some truly large and exciting machines. Steven Vale starts by taking us to a site at Liverpool Docks where each week 200-250 cars are processed for 85% recycling. They form just part of the massive amount that goes through the shredder, sometimes as much as 150 tonnes an hour. After shredding and stockpiling, the ferrous metal is loaded onto ships by four very special Liebherr 984s.

The source of metal scrap ranges from drinks cans to structures weighing several thousand tonnes. On Norway’s coast sections of decommissioned oil rigs are brought in by Thialf, the world’s largest crane vessel. Once on the dock the sections are moved by SPMTs to areas where they can be cut up for recycling. This is where Rusch’s new demolition machine is being pioneered, based on a Cat 5130B mining excavator and carrying a 25-tonne tool.

Balance cranes are designed to use the force of gravity as a substitute for some of the mechanical power in materials handling. Steven Vale takes us to see Europe’s newest and largest examples at work in Belgium: E-Cranes including one from the 2000 series. Another example of balance crane is the Sennebogen 880D at work on the UK’s south coast unloading steel bars.

Steel mills have a special attraction because there you see scrap being handled – in the case of Thamesteel at Sheerness by Swedish-made MultiDockers – and loaded into the mill before reappearing as steel billets ready for use once again.

The processes, machines and narration in this programme give a fascinating insight into the current state of metals recycling in Europe.

Steven Vale has planned and scripted many of the DVDs in the Massive machines series of which this is number 8.

On Wings of Diesel new book available at Truckfest

On Wings of Diesel: trucks, identity and culture in Pakistan by Jamal J. Elias. Paperback, 252 pages, highly illustrated in colour. £29.99.

Professor Elias, based at the university of Pennsylvania, is the world's foremost expert on Pakistani truck art. Among other topics his book deals with: trucks and transportation in Pakistan; trucks, truckers and society; truck design and the trade of design; structure, motif and meaning.

This is written at a serious level but full of information and superb photographs of what are perhaps the most outstandingly decorated vehicles in the world.

Copies will be on sale at the Old Pond stand at the Peterborough Truckfest on 1 & 2 May. This is the first time we have exhibited at the show. Our stand number is E34.

Agriculture in Russia DVD advance information

Agriculture in Russia Vol. 1, Tammo Gläser. DVD approx 90 minutes. ISBN 978-1-908397-00-3. Now in stock at Old Pond at £19.95 inc VAT.

For his latest look into farming methods and machinery Tammo Gläser has selected the black earth area of Russia. This lies around the city of Voronezh, south-west of Moscow and close to the border with Ukraine. Noted for the fertility of its soil, this region hosts some mega-farms, with three holdings cultivating a million hectares between them.

Tammo looked at four principal activities: the end of the sunflower harvest; stubble cultivation, drilling wheat and the start of the beet harvest. He also visited a state-of-the-art dairy farm.

The season had been a dry one. Outbreaks of fire were visible on the horizon; the beet and sunflower crops were meagre, and the correct depth for drilling – very shallow – was a constant challenge for the agronomists.

Given the scale of the enterprises, some of the machinery was large, with John Deere prominent working with Vaderstad equipment. There were JD9630, 9530, 8430, 8420 and 8330 tractors. Another powerful beast was the Kirovets K744. On a more domestic level Tammo recorded several examples of Belarus at work.

The sunflower harvest was handled by Don harvesters, an Acros 560, NH TC56, Claas Lexion 530s and NH CX8070.

The beet harvest was difficult not just because the yield was low, but also because the individual beets differed in size, making it difficult to determine harvester settings. Among the machines were Holmer Terra Dos and Ropa Tiger 83. Needless to say, after a delayed start to the campaign the beet factory quickly closed its doors and deliveries had to wait.

Russia is striving to become more self-sufficient in agricultural production and foodstuffs. This DVD gives an insight into how mechanisation is serving this end and some of the obstacles that have still to be overcome.

Another of Tammo Gläser's DVDs available from Old Pond is Agriculture in North America Part 2.

Know Your Diggers new book advance information

Know Your Diggers, Paul Argent. Paperback, 104 x 155 mm with 96 pages inc. 45 photographs. ISBN: 978-1-906853-81-5. Now in stock at Old Pond £4.99.

This selection is designed to satisfy the curiosity of people interested in the plant and machinery they commonly see as they travel around the UK. Paul Argent’s selection includes diggers, excavators, backhoes, rollers, cranes, demolition machines, loaders, dumpers and a road planer.

The author shows products from most of the major manufacturers such as JCB, Caterpillar, Volvo, Case, Komatsu, Hitachi, Kubota and Liebherr. Each of the examples is seen on site in a full-page photograph. Paul’s accompanying text gives details of the class of machine represented, the work for which it is suitable and some technical specifications.

The range of machinery is wide, offering novice enthusiasts a chance to get to grips with many different types, a springboard to a deepening interest in the plant and machinery at work every day in Britain.

Paul Argent is a specialist photographer and journalist based in Ruthin, Wales and has worked in the construction industry for 24 years. He contributes regularly to Earthmovers and other magazines.

The machines in the book are:

Barford SXR6000 - Bell B50D - BG Paver - Bomag BW120 - Bomag landfill - CaseWX165 - Caterpillar 318DMH - Caterpillar 973 - Caterpillar 313D - Caterpillar 966H - Caterpillar D6 - Doosan DT160 - Fiat Allis FL7B - Hamm HD90 - Hamm HW90 - Hitachi EGR70 - Hitachi ZX225 - Hitachi ZX280LC - Huddig 1260B - JCB 3CX - JCB JS360 - JCB Robot - Komatsu D61PX - Komatsu PC130 - Komatsu PC210 Longreach -  Komatsu PC450 - Kubota KX080 - Kubota U10 - Liebherr A900CZW – Liebherr LRB155 - Liebherr R944C - Liebherr R984C - Manitou MRT1440 – Mastenbroek - New Holland B115B - Pegson Crusher - Takeuchi TB250 - Terex HR32 - Terex PT60 - Thwaites 1.5t - Thwaites 10t - Volvo A25D - Volvo BL61 - Volvo EC20B - Volvo ECR235CL.

See here for more information about the Know Your series. A wide range of DVDs featuring earthmoving and allied machines is to be found here.