Historic tractors have an allure all of their own – marrying social history, engineering achievements and visual appeal. And few inventors have driven more change than Harry Ferguson, who pioneered such developments as four-wheel drive and the hydraulic three-point linkage which still feature on modern tractors today.

Celebrating 60 years of the ‘Red Giants’ 100 series, the Newark Vintage Tractor and Heritage Show brought together an incredible 203 135s – a model which sold more than any others in the series and remains in use across the world today.

One family which has well and truly caught the bug of collecting and restoring Massey Ferguson tractors is the Evans family from Retford, Nottinghamshire. Farming 1500 acres of carrots and parsnips for Freshgro, you might expect them to be modern machinery fans. But it’s the historic tractors which have had a place in their hearts since Matt’s first tractor – bought when he was 12 years old – won best restoration by an under-25-year-old at the show in 2015.

Martin and Susan Evans, along with their sons Matt and Lewis and daughter Danielle, now have over 40 classic tractors in various states of restoration, and brought eight 135s, a 6499 MF and a Ford 6810 to the show. “We buy them in any condition – we prefer the worse ones as we like to do the mechanical work on them,” says Matt. “The engines are relatively simple to do – we like rescuing them.”

Lewis has just finished restoring his latest 135, which was rescued from the grasps of the scrap man several years ago. “I think the 135s are the best tractors; they’re simple to work on, have a foot throttle and hand brake, and plenty of power,” he says. “They’re comfortable to drive, with light steering – I put a different gearbox in this one so it does 30mph.”

After a complete overhaul and engine rebuild, Lewis was keen to finish it in time for the show – and displayed it alongside ‘Phill’ – another 135 awaiting restoration and named due to the amount of filler holding the rusty body together. “We bought it in 2017 and it starts on the button,” explains Martin. “It spent its working life on farms in Pembrokeshire, mainly on potatoes, and has numerous farm modifications and repairs – even the baler twine repairs have been upgraded to cable ties in places!

“These tractors are survivors and utterly encapsulate how many generations have worked producing food for the nation’s table,” he adds. “It’s what these tractors are all about – even in this state you can still run them and make a living with them.”

It’s not just bringing the tractors back to life that the family enjoy – it’s the social side of historic shows, road runs and ploughing matches that attracts them, too. “The people are really friendly and helpful – we’ve got a group of about eight young lads who get together,” says Lewis. “There’s always a bit of banter, and when we camp we have a few beers – it’s a good laugh.”

And the history of the machines is interesting, too. “We bought ‘Evan’s’ from north Wales – it was built in 1965 and its sister is still on the same farm,” says Matt. “The previous owner was Evan Jones, a real character and utterly fearless tractor driver.” Ploughing slopes that had never been ploughed before, Evan rolled the tractor not once, but twice, resulting in it losing its shell wings in favour of angular ones built by the local blacksmith. “It’s spent the last 25 years in a shed, and this is the first time it’s been back on its feet.”

There’s a financial element to restoring tractors – of course it can be costly, but it can generate a profit, too. “I funded my Master’s degree by buying and selling Grey Ferguson parts,” says Matt, who’s a qualified vegetable and arable agronomist. “We bought ‘Covid’ (another 135) as a wreck from Plymouth for £1,000. We dragged it out of a hedge and it started straight up. We’ve done a lot of mechanical work, put on new tyres and body panels, and it’s worth about £5,000 now.”

But it’s unlikely to be for sale, instead being put to work and enjoyed on the farm. “We do working days, ploughing matches, mowing and baling hay,” he adds. “We get them out as often as we can, in all conditions – they’ve all got a story to tell.”

• Save the date – next year’s event will be on the 8th and 9th November 2025
• For more information visit www.newarkvintagetractorshow.com