Was this tractor-truck the first fast tractor?
Could this unusual machine be the first fast tractor? That question was directed at Farmers Weekly and its readers by Stephen Foxall, who sent us this intriguing picture of a 1973 hybrid tractor/truck.
It was made by John Price, a farmer near Craven Arms in Shropshire who used to fetch a lot of muck from up to 30 miles away to spread on his own farm. He also used it for rolling and harrowing on the farm.
The front of the vehicle is a front-wheel-drive Bedford lorry with air-brakes, a six-speed gearbox and a top speed of 45mph.
Meanwhile a prop shaft takes power to the rear axle, gearbox and diffs from an IH450 tractor. The rear linkage functions normally too.
Two machines were made and it was used for several years very successfully.
It was also seen by JCB founder Joe Bamford and apparently inspired him to start thinking about fast tractors, ultimately resulting in the birth of the Fastrac in the late 1980s.
Mr Price sadly died last month and a farm sale is taking place courtesy of McCartneys.
However the unusual tractor/truck will not be for sale.
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