Mid- September and a last wander around the grass cropping fields of Cumbria to watch a lovely classic and modern team gather their final baled haylage crop of the season filmed over 5 days
Mowing with a Krone Easycut 3.2mtr front/rear combination was an immaculate 23-year-old JCB Fastrac 3185, a model only in production for four years with not so many in the area especially in this condition.
Scattering the grass with a Lely Lotus 6-rotor tedder is the lovely MF 3070 2wd (accompanied by beautiful black Labrador who was very excited to be going out in the tractor and fields) that featured in my hay baling video earlier this summer
Rowing up a few days later was a MF 7718 and Claas Liner 2900 twin rotor rake and the following day the JCB 3185 swapped the mowers for a MF 185 MB big square baler and with 180+ hp on tap flew through the rows of grass.
Finally definitely a rarity, a 55-year-old MF 3303 industrial loader tractor (based on a MF 165) that has been on the farm since 1976 and over the years has had a number of modifications in the farm workshop. No prizes on offer but would anyone like to hazard a guess at what they are? The MF 3303 might be getting on in years but is a very manoeuvrable and capable machine for loading and stacking the big square bales.
A really enjoyable fleet to film this one, not only for the variety of the machines but also the change in light over the days from bright blue skies on the first day, evening light while rowing up and cloudy but still dry on the last day so a good way to finish the 2024 silage season with. Hopefully I’ll catch up with the owners again in 2025.
Filmed in Cumbria 18th-22nd September 2024


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