David Pearson spent more than four decades working for Ford's tractor business, starting on the production line at the maker's Dagenham factory before moving to the Basildon tractor plant opened in 1964. He went on to become the maker's UK sales manager, and earned a reputation among farmers and dealers as the man who knew all there was to know about Ford tractors. Along the way, he was involved in the development of some of the most famous machines to bear the blue livery, from the Dexta to the 7000, and the FW articulated tractors to the 7810. Edited by agricultural journalist Martin Rickatson, Forty Years with Ford Tractors builds on a series of recollections which originally featured in Classic Tractor magazine, and includes additional material to tell David's fascinating story in full. It includes a comprehensive selection of black-and-white and colour photographs, many of which have never before been published and will be of interest to all Ford fans and tractor fans more generally.Front cover photograph: (c) Dave Franciosy / www.farmingphotography.co.uk

Vejledning i reparation og restaurering af ældre traktorer fra Ford

An unflinching eyewitness account of the Ford story as told by one of Henry Ford’s closest associates. In My Forty Years with Ford, Charles Sorensen-sometimes known as "Henry Ford's man," sometimes as "Cast-iron Charlie"-tells his own story, and it is as challenging as it is historic. He emerges as a man who was not only one of the great production geniuses of the world but also a man who called the plays as he saw them. He was the only man who was able to stay with Ford for almost the full history of his empire, yet he never hesitated to go against Ford when he felt the interests of the company demanded it. When labor difficulties mounted and Edsel's fatal illness was upon him, Sorensen sided with Edsel against Henry Ford and Harry Bennett, and he insisted that Henry Ford II be brought in to direct the company despite the aging founder's determination that no one but he hold the presidential reins. First published in 1956, My Forty Years with Ford has now been reissued in paperback for the first time. The Ford story has often been discussed in print but has rarely been articulated by someone who was there. Here Sorensen provides an eyewitness account of the birth of the Model T, the early conflicts with the Dodge brothers, the revolutionary announcement of the five-dollar day, and Sorensen's development of the moving assembly line-a concept that changed our world. Although Sorensen conceived, designed, and built the giant Willow Run plant in nineteen months and then proceeded to turn out eight thousand giant bombers, his life's major work was to make possible the vision of Henry Ford and to postpone the personal misfortune with which it ended. My Forty Years with Ford is both a personal history of a business empire and a revelation that moves with excitement and the power of tragedy.

The Complete Book of Classic Ford Tractors presents the evolution of the popular machines from 1917 to 1996. Model histories are accompanied by detailed specification charts and, of course, gorgeous photography of restored models.

1960 saw the dawn of an era of unprecedented innovation and development in farm machinery. It was a period of rapid technical advancement, that produced machines which are the mainstay of the current very buoyant vintage tractor restoration movement. At the start of the decade, spark-ignition Standard Fordson tractors still occasionally required repair; by the end of the decade, the Fordson Diesel Major had been replaced by the Ford 1000 series. The history of these iconic brands is well-known; Oily Hands and the Smell of Diesel gives an alternative view - the inside story of the agricultural machinery repair trade. First employed as an apprentice, then moving his way up to an engineer, David Harris gives an entertaining, informative and personal account of his time spent at a Ford main tractor dealership, working on Ford, Fordson, County, Roadless and Muirhill tractors, Chaseside loaders, Claas combines and New Holland and Jones balers amongst others. Including many historical photographs, David describes the technical challenges in detail, and tells of the ups and downs of life in the workshop and out in the field. This book will be a must-read for anyone who is or was involved in the machinery industry; anyone looking to restore or repair vintage agricultural machinery and anyone with a general interest in farming and machinery history.

"40 Acres and A Red Belly Ford: The Smith Family of Calloway County is a thoughtful tribute to 10 generations of the Smith family, but more importantly, it brings alive the history of Kentucky and its farming families. It's a special treat for readers who didn't grow up on a farm as they will learn a great deal about what it was like through these colorful tales of family life." -Bill Cunningham, Kentucky Supreme Court Justice and author of On Bended Knees: The Night Riders Story and Castle: The Story of a Kentucky Prison "The Smith family of Calloway County has provided us with a story of courage and survival in the face of modern day challenges brought on by the tobacco buyout program, immigration issues and foreign markets. It is refreshing to know that families can still thrive on the farm in Kentucky in the 21st century. In their new book, 40 Acres and A Red Belly Ford: The Smith Family of Calloway County, the Smiths tell engaging stories of farm and family life that also reveal their tender care of the land. In doing so they are weaving a legacy for their own descendants and all Kentuckians." William T. Turner, Christian County Historian