Whether it’s sticking EGR valves, AdBlue headaches, transmission troubles or engines deciding to spontaneously initiate endless DPF regen cycles, it’s fair to say buying new machinery brings no guarantee of reliability.

And when it comes to sorting out such problems on modern, high-tech gear, it’s rarely straightforward – nor cheap.

No surprise, then, that many farmers and contractors are increasingly keen on running older, higher-houred equipment as a means of securing better levels of dependability.

See also: 6 high-hour tractors still going strong on progressive dairy farm

Keeping these machines working doesn’t necessarily have to be a costly exercise, either, and Wiltshire farmer Hugh Bartlett is a long-standing believer in the merits of simple kit that is easy to maintain and fix.

With some 175ha of arable cropping, you’d be forgiven for thinking that having three combines, two prime movers over 240hp and a fleet of smaller tractors might be slight overkill.

But when you consider the amount of money tied up in the entire line-up, things start to sound a lot more sensible.

“On our acreage we can’t justify big shiny new toys, but we still need to get crops cut at their driest and ground turned around in good time.

So, really, our only option is older, high-output machines.

Lifetime repairs

“The last new tractor we bought was a 1989 Ford TW15. It cost more than £30,000 back then and it’s still with us, having clocked over 27,000 hours.

“It’s only had £7,000 to £8,000 of repair bills in its entire lifetime – that would equate to a single year’s worth for a modern equivalent.”

That same principle is applied to all the equipment at Oakley Farm, whether it’s the loader, sprayer or combines.

“There’s less than £30,000 tied up in all three of our Axial Flows so I’m hardly staring down the gun-barrel of depreciation,” says Hugh.

“We like to get all three out when we can, but the reality is that just one will do the job comfortably. If we have a breakdown mid-harvest then I’ve got two fall-back options to finish the job off.”

On the tractor front, there are two key prime-movers – a Steiger-built Ford FW30 and a Case IH Magnum 7250.

These are supported by a brace of TW15s which do the lion’s share of the running about, as well as handling spraying and fertiliser spreading duties.

In addition, looking the part on row-crop dual wheels, an elderly 72-year-old McCormick Model M is drafted in for rolling when the ground is tender, while a 1974 Ford 4000 scurries about with a water bowser.

Alongside the farm’s 25-year-old JCB TM270 pivot-steer, a 20,000-hour, 1985 Ford 7610 with McConnel loader deals with handling jobs.

1980 Ford FW30 – 8,020 hours

The Ford FW30 was bought with just north of 4,000 hours under its belt from a local farm in 2007 for the princely sum of £10,000.

Since then it’s doubled the digits on the clock, taking on the role of prime tillage tug from one of the two TW15s.

“We had made the move from ploughing to min-till in the early 2000s but the two-wheel drive TW would struggle on our slopes with the 9m Wilrich cultivator and 6m Wilrich drill we were running at the time,” explains Hugh.

“The FW30 came up by chance nearby and, having had experience of Versatiles and Steigers in Australia, I knew the benefits an artic would bring.

“The even weight distribution means they’ll pull straight without scrabbling,” says Hugh.

“If you want to go to wider kit you need a pivot-steer, and the FW30 represented seriously cheap horsepower.”

When it arrived, the FW was fitted with a Dowdeswell linkage but, having done a fair bit of ploughing in its previous life, the frame and arms had seen a lot of attention from the welder.

Given that all of Oakley Farm’s cultivation equipment was trailed, it was deemed unnecessary and, lacking the finesse of such things as draft control, it was promptly removed.

The stresses and strains of linkage work had also taken their toll on one critical component – the rear steering pivot oscillation point was significantly worn.

A new bearing was sourced from Amtrac’s John Nicholson and fitted in the farm workshop.

Reliable service

Aside from that, the white and blue liveried Steiger has been something of a stalwart. In more than 4,000 hours of work the only other major failure was a clutch slave cylinder.

Despite having the looks of a high horsepower prairie prowler, the FW30’s 14.8-litre Cummins V8 pumps out a modest 265hp.

That’s probably been a key factor in the big tractor’s reliability, as none of the drivetrain components are pushed to their limits and it hasn’t experienced the traumas that a more powerful FW might have.

That’s all helped by 150-hour engine oil refresh and 2,000-hour gearbox and axle oil changes.

“The FW is the most comfortable tractor we’ve got on the farm. It might look dated, but the cab is quiet, well laid-out and the air-con is like nothing else,” says Hugh.

“Its only weakness is the poor hydraulic pump – other than that, it handles anything we throw at it.”

1997 Case IH Magnum 7250 Pro – 7,978 hours

Just shy of 30 years old, the Bartletts’ Magnum 7250 is the newest tractor on the fleet.

Being a ‘Pro’ variant gives it wheel slip control, a tighter turning front axle, 40kph transmission and a bigger fuel tank than standard models.

It arrived at Oakley Farm in 2014 with some 4,000 hours on the clock and, at £30,000, was the most expensive tractor so far to have run down the farm drive.

“Ten years ago we were growing double the acreage of cereals that we do now and we needed a conventional rigid-framed tractor for cultivations.

“I’d always liked the idea of having a Magnum, primarily because it’s got the same 8.3-litre Cummins that’s in all three of our Axial Flow combines.

“It’s supremely reliable and we’ve got a load of the parts on the shelf to fix and maintain it. It’s about as straightforward as any engine you’ll find and we’re familiar with how it all works,” says Hugh. 

No big breakdowns

That said, to date it’s not needed any major repairs. Having doubled its hours in the past 11 years, the only things to have gone wrong have been hydraulic hoses.

Routed under the cab, the rubber pipework chafes through and, being squeezed between the transaxle and cab frame, it’s awkward to replace.

With most of the cultivated area now under a no-till regime, the Magnum’s workload is significantly reduced – it’s mainly roped in to pull a set of drag harrows or Cambridge rolls.

1989 Ford TW15 – 27,848 hours

Coming straight out of the showroom in 1989, the farm’s first TW15 was the lead prime mover and continued in that role until the FW30 arrived 18 years later.

As the flagship of the fleet it was responsible for all the ploughing, cultivations and drilling, initially with a 6m Tive drill and, latterly, a 6m Wilrich.

“Having a 140hp tractor with Dual Power was quite a revelation for us. The torque back-up from that turbocharged straight-six was like nothing we’d had before, nor the noise it created…

“But being two-wheel drive meant it did struggle with traction when we started to move to wider cultivation kit. When the FW arrived it was assigned to gentler duties,” says Hugh.

In its 27,848 hours with the Bartletts, this first TW15 has had four sets of rear tyres, two clutches, two alternators and a radiator.

Unfortunately in 2023 one piston came to pieces, necessitating a complete engine rebuild. While it was stripped down the Dual Power pack was reconditioned and a new clutch fitted.

1987 Ford TW15 – 30,127 hours

The first TW15 proved to be so dependable that when a 6,500-hour 1987 model came up for sale in 1997 for £10,000, Hugh swooped on it.

“With an increased acreage of cereals we needed to be ploughing, cultivating and drilling all at the same time.

“Our initial TW had proved it was more than capable so it seemed sensible to have a second,” he says.

“And, once again, it’s handy having like-for-like components on the shelf and that familiarity should anything go wrong.

“The interchangeability between the two TWs means if one goes down the other can just step in.”

Today the E-reg TW15 is assigned primarily to spraying duties, coupled with a 3,000-litre, 24m Chafer.

Engine rebuild

Like its twin, at around the 20,000-hour mark it too needed an engine rebuild – new pistons, rings, bottom end shells, bearings and cam shaft.

All in, the parts came to a grand total of £2,500 and the job took some 200 hours of workshop time.

While the fleet line-up at Oakley Farm might not be the most modern, it’s more than a match for the cropped acreage.

Should anything go wrong, there’s generally a stand-in to hand, but it’s rarely an issue as these old timers have proved super dependable, despite their age.

The simplicity of the equipment means it’s all farm-fixable and crucially, with so little capital tied up, there’s no hefty debt to service.

“Looking around at others running shiny new kit I’m never tempted to go down that route because I can’t see it brings reliability with it,” concludes Hugh.

“I don’t want to be burdened with the niggles of modern machinery and I certainly don’t want the shackles of a debt burden.

“If the market suddenly turns sour and we’re no longer making money then at least we don’t have the pressure of finance packages to add to our woes.”