Old Pond publishing days

The Grassmen Collection... Machinery Diversity!

The Grassmen duo made their first film in 2009 and they now have numerous titles, sales of which run into tens of thousands. They also have a cult following on youtube. This 7 DVD set includes all of the following;

 NEW Two Ledgends & A Donkey - In a unique Grassmen challenge two special characters from our earlier titles, namely the Legends that are Jimmy Doherty & Mike Greenaway, join the Grassmen's unforgettable team member Donkey for a series of tractor tests. Each man was given a budget of £16,000 to buy a 2nd hand tractor which they believed could still compete with today's new and rather expensive kit. In this first episode, they put their old girls back to work and as expected it isn't long before the breakdowns and banter kick in. Including reviews on the JF 1060 and Schuitemaker wagons this DVD will entertain all ages from start to finish.

Its In The Blood - On an island situated east of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Northern Province where wet weather grows the greenest grass on the planet, a dedicated group of men battle with the sodden ground, steep hills, narrow roads and tight yards to harvest thousands of acres of lush green silage.  These are Northern Ireland's GRASSMEN.  Interviews with three contractors from different locations in Ulster explain how they became GRASSMEN.  In addition they each talk about the current machinery they use, experiences best forgotten and what drives them to persevere with the grass.

Keep 'er lit - Join Luke Furse (Farmer’s Weekly Contractor of the Year Finalist), his son Lloyd and the rest of the team in Devon for an insight into the working of Furse agricultural contracting and earthmoving businesses.  The first in a two-part series, "Keep 'er Lit" shows the crew flat-out between the rain showers, as Grassmen.  Watch the varied fleet of tractors, hear the performance comparison results and make up your own mind as to which tractor brand really is the winner.

Old School - In an epic compilation of three unique events, Classic Grassmen captures a huge variety of old school kit in full flight.  After a long harvest season Devon based Luke Furse and his team take an evening to blow the dust off their Ford and County collections.  We also travel to Co. Down where Cyril Hanna has organised a fleet of local Ferguson tractors to haul in wholecrop silage, including two rare 1250's and a V8 1155.  This production is rounded off with the sights and sounds of the Dunmore single-chop world record attempt, including some rare harvesters working in a history of silage demonstration. Despite a tough summer the Vintage club aim to smash the previous record of 26 machines.

Meet the special characters who live and breathe classic tractors, as they put the pedal to the metal.

Sustain The Flame - 'Sustain the flame', the second DVD in a two-part series follows Luke Furse (Farmer's Weekly Contractor of the Year Finalist), his son Lloyd and the rest of the contracting team during the busy Autumn harvest season. This sequel to Grassmen's 'Keep er lit' DVD, focuses on corn cutting and maize harvesting Devon style.  The multicoloured fleet of machinery ensures there's something for everyone and the final verdict is delivered on the four tractor performance test, featuring a John Deere, Landini, Fendt and Case.

Green Fever - The third installment in the Grassmen documentary series, 'Green Fever' gives a comparison of silage making in counties Cork, Fermanagh and Down in the difficult 2011 season.  Featuring Troy Contracting, Read Agri Contracts and McKelvey Harvesting, a diverse range of kit can be seen in action across the unique challenges of each location.

Fulla the pipe - 'fulla the pipe’ is like no other production.  Using unique camera angles and real time action you will experience the highlights of 2010’s first cut silage season.  You will be taken on a journey through some of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular countryside by three of the province's largest contracting fleets.  The diversity of the machinery will ensure that there is something to suit every tractor enthusiast.  The reality of silage contracting is honestly and accurately portrayed in this documentary, with the weather and inevitable breakdowns being just some of the challenges faced.  More than just machinery, the characters amongst the Grassmen emerge as they share the highs, the lows and the humour of the season.  This DVD provides a snap shot of the art of silage contracting in the 21st century.

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International Heavy Haul 2 DVD... Heavy Haulage at its Best

In International Heavy Haul Two we travel to four different parts of the world to bring you features showing heavy haulage at its most impressive.

This Trucking DVD is filmed in four different parts of the world.

The first film looks at the transport of two 130-tonne bridge beams in Australia. We see the crews starting their day’s work in a remote layby on the Great Northern Highway between Perth and Port Hedland, and accompany them for some distance - excellent in- cab footage is included. Traction is provided by Mack-ballasted tractors with the beams supported front and rear on 7&8 row bogies.

In the second feature we move to South Africa. Here we were privileged to witness the movement of a 356-tonne transformer, which was being carried on a girder frame supported by 24 rows of axles. Motive power is provided by three 8x8 Tractomas ballasted tractors and a rebuilt 6x4 Pacific. The sight and sound of this awesome combination is definitely not to be missed. We also film various other heavy loads with a variety of bal - lasted and 5th wheel tractors.

For the third part of our quartet, we have to thank Warwick Bell, general manager of Tranzcarr in New Zealand, who very kindly allowed us to use a film made for Tranzcarr showing the haulage of two transformers to a wind-farm project. The loads, weighing nearly 100 tons each, were carried on ten rows of axles, pulled and pushed by two Mack tractors. Other trucks were brought in to assist on gradients of up to 20% (1 in 5). The film follows the whole job, from unloading the transformers from a ship in the Port of Wellington through to final installation at the job site.

Our final feature brings us back to England to witness ALE moving two redundant giant boilers from the decommissioned Berkeley power station to the docks at Sharpnees. Motive power is provide by ALE’s unique Unipower 8x8 tractor and a 6x6 Faun tractor. Filming starts at the power station and follows the loads through to the docks. There we see them being loaded onto a barge belonging to Robert Wynn and Sons for onward shipment to Avonmouth Docks, where they were due to be loaded onto a freighter for delivery to Sweden for processing.

Please click to view International Heavy Haul 2 

Beetles... A Beautiful Guide to 600 of Natures Gems

New in this week we have  This book takes an in-depth look at 600 significant examples of beetles, presented through astonishing photographs showing in detail the life size specimen.

Each profile includes a population distribution map, a table of essential information, a commentary revealing notable characteristics, a list of related species, and a diagnosis of the example beetle’s importance in terms of taxonomy, rarity, behaviour and scientific significance.

The author, Patrice Bouchard, is a research scientist and curator of Coleoptera at the Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes. With his extensive background knowledge, he illustrates the information in an easy-to-read format that can be appreciated by all. 

The Book of Beetles

The Book of Beetles

The Great American Wheat Harvest

The Great American Wheat Harvest is a documentary film that tells the story of hard-working families who spend each summer travelling from Texas to the Canadian border and beyond, harvesting thousands of acres of wheat. They take risks most of us wouldn’t dream of taking so that all of us have an abundance of food on our tables.

Battling high fuel prices, labor shortages, extreme weather, severe drought, and occasionally a fire, these harvesting crews wouldn’t dream of doing anything else, because they know they are harvesting the wheat that feeds the world.

http://www.oldpond.com/the-great-american-wheat-harvest.html 

 

View the trailer here:

 

Working at the bottom of the world!

Welcome to the lush green pastures of Southland, New Zealand.

Here on the other side of the world men and machines are turning the expansive fields into top quality winter feed.

But there is a twist!

12 men from Ireland and England came to New Zealand to experience unique farming practices and the contracting required to plough, sow, drill, mow and harvest for sheep, beef and diary cattle.

http://www.oldpond.com/grass-reapers-dvd.html

 

View the trailer here:

 

Rookie pilots defy bone-chilling temperatures to fly cargo and passengers through blizzards, breakdowns and transatlantic journeys.

ICE PILOTS - THE COMPLETE SERIES 2 (DVD)

Ice Pilots NWT is a 13-episode real-life docu series about an unorthodox airline in the Canadian North. Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways flies WWII-era propeller planes big old aircraft built by “Rosie the Riveter” and pretty much unchanged.

Rookie pilots defy bone-chilling temperatures to fly cargo and passengers through blizzards, breakdowns and transatlantic journeys. It’s an impossible job in a merciless place.

New recruits come to slog it out on the ramp in -30°C weather to earn a chance to fly planes that most airlines scrapped long ago. Classics like the Douglas DC-3 and DC-4 and the Curtiss C-46 Commando, the very planes that once ferried troops and supplies in WWII. 

Few newbies make it. As they compete to rise up the ranks, they cope with ice storms, forest fires, treacherous landings and legendary owner “Buffalo” Joe McBryan’s famous temper. Buffalo Airways is literally a lifeline to the North. As Joe’s son Mikey McBryan puts it: “You can’t separate the North from flying. It’s the same thing.” Without Buffalo Airways, food and supplies wouldn’t reach the many northern communities cut off from the rest of the world during the long, harsh winter.

This season on Ice Pilots NWT, viewers will follow a treacherous transatlantic journey in the middle of winter as crews attempt to deliver two Canadair CL-215 waterbombers to their new owners in Turkey. The problem? These aircraft aren’t designed to fly in winter conditions and aren’t configured for flying over larges bodies of water. Getting there proves to be a daring feat. 

 

Viewers will also watch the drama unfold as pilots fresh out of flight school pay their dues as“rampies”, anxious for a chance to fly. Rampies load cargo, sweep snow off the wings and log hours as flight attendants, competing fiercely with one another for the next coveted co-pilot position. Friendships among pilots are also tested as they vie for enough flight hours to make captain. By the end of the season, someone will be leaving Buffalo Airways. Ice Pilots NWT gives viewers a rare look at life “north of 60”. With the economic downturn, a dwindling supply of speciality aviation gas and the high cost of flying vintage aircraft, the very future of Buffalo Airways hangs in the balance.

To order your 4 DVD box set please click here

Lost Inns, Taverns and Public Houses of Ipswich

New into Old Pond this week, we have David Kindred's book "Ipswich, Lost Inns, Taverns and Public Houses" which is a record of 400 public houses, inns and beerhouses.

The enteries are organised into two sections.

The first describes the public houses that have been closed since 1919 and includes photographs of the establishmentsm while the second lists closures from the eighteenth century to the First World War punctuated with photographs were available.

By consulting archives, borough records, period newspapers and the painstaking research of the late Jack Ruffels, David Kindred has successfully painted a picture of the Ipswich local from frontroom beerhouse to grand hotel.

With interesting anecdotes from town residents, a section on old coaching inns and some 250 photographs, this book shows that the town has enjoyed a truly diverse wealth of inns, taverns and public houses.

If you love reading about the history of Ipswich and take a keen interest in how the town has developed, then this book is for you. 

A Warm Welcome to Farming in Miniature: Volume 2

After the much anticipated wait, Farming in Miniature Volume 2 has finally hit the shelves with the official launch at the Tractor Show in Spalding last week. So much material has been assembled for the book that it had to be divided into two volumes.

Each manufacturer has been given its own chapter, identified by the brand name rather than the manufacturers name. Volume 1 covers manufacturers alphabetically from Airfix to Denzil Skinner, while this volume, volume 2, covers Dinky to Wend-al.

A glossary of technical terms appeared in Volume 1. It was stated in the introduction in volume 1 that the glossary would be included in both volumes, but rather than repeat information, the space has been used for an addenda with details of additional items for the manufacturers in Volume 1 that have come to the authors' attention since the book was finished. One of the fascinating aspects of toy collecting is that previously unrecorded variations seem to turn up quite regularly, so that in the time since Volume 1 was completed (less than a year) they have filled several pages with new finds!

You can purchase the new Farming in Miniature: Volume 2 from the Old Pond Publishing shop here

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Farm Machinery Through The Seasons

These new releases from Tractor Barn Productions takes a trip through the farming year from winter to winter and shows the variety of machinery used throughout the seasons on a modern farm in the 21st century.

 

  Watch a huge variety of modern and classic tractors and farm machinery at work. By visiting many different farms up and down the country we get a real feel for what machinery are out at work in the countryside today.

Starting with the end of winter and then moving through spring, summer and autumn until we start winter again, the cyclical nature of agriculture is shown as crops are sown, cared for and finally harvested before sowing begins once again.

It soon becomes obvious just how important the tractor is in all this as well as the combine harvester, forage harvester, sugar beet harvester and pea viner. Implements include hedge cutters, mowers, balers, ploughs, various different types of cultivator, subsoilers, spreaders, sprayers, grass rakes, loaders, feeders, scrapers, trailers, irrigators, drills and planters to name but a few - all are in this programme and all are shown hard at work.

Probably no other farming DVD programme has ever included so much action! 

Click the links below to find out more:

The Farming Year Part 1

Part one of the story takes us from manure spreading in January to silage harvesting at the beginning of June. Other machinery seen in action includes various cultivators, power harrows, drills, ploughs, sprayers, fertiliser spreaders, yard scrapers, slurry tankers, planters, bed-formers, de-stoners, and flail mowers to name just a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Farming Year Part 2

The second part of the story takes us from silage making in June to ploughing in December. Other machinery seen in action includes various combine harvesters, pea harvesters, cultivators, ploughs, drills, manure spreaders, potato harvesters, maize chopper and sugar beet harvesters to name just a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Set (The Farming Year Part 1 & 2) 

 

Classic Tractors, DVD Box Set

This week we're pleased to tell you about a new boxed DVD set: Classic Tractors which is perfect for the tractor enthusiast.  This box set features 4 DVDS:

Classic & Working Tractors

Mini & Mighty Tractors

Classic & Vintage Tractors

Classic Early & Vintage Tractors

You can read more about the details of each DVD on our Old Pond website and can buy your copy online today at http://www.oldpond.com/classic-tractors-4-dvd-set.html

At just £14.99 this makes a perfect gift for any tractor enthusiast, so get hold of your copy today.