Cumbrian Silage 2024. Late summer haylage with Fastrac, MF 3070, 7718 & 55yr-old MF 3303 industrial

[@MarkSmith-vi3gt]

Love the loader and the home made hitch brilliant 👏 👌 😀

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@MarkSmith-vi3gt Oh it certainly is Mark. Great what can be found round the farmyard and adapted in the farm workshop! Definitely a unique machine! Cheers, David.

[@frantisekleiterman2082]

Perfektní záběry a zvuk! 👏👏👏👍👍💪

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@frantisekleiterman2082 Exactly as I heard and seen in the field Frantisek! Thank you as always my friend, pleased you enjoyed watching and listening to the video! Cheers, David.

[@B1066agri]

Well David a very nice video of some late haylage, interesting machinary indeed, do like the fastrac and the interesting 165 industrial with what looked like an electronis switched forward reverse, great memories of what seemed a strange summer, soon gone and the winter on the way with the coole nights upon us many will be finding how good the forage is this year, cheers Steve . 🎥😎⛈🚜

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@B1066agri Thanks Steve. Yes great to see some grass crop action in the latter months, definitely been a strange summer and a wet one for much of it! A very nice older Fastrac and I think you’re definitely right on that forward/reverse shuttle, a very useful modification! Yes the days are drawing in, hopefully plenty from the livestock to feed on this winter! Cheers, David.

[@macfarms]

That 3303 is an interesting little beast. The loader looks largely the same as what is on our early 1990's 60HX

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@macfarms Yes definitely an interesting machine to say the least! I would say you’re not far wrong about the loader being similar, if it’s a Steelfab design I don’t think much will have changed but as the saying goes ‘if it ain’t broke…’ Cheers, David.

[@frasermathers2287]

Good evening David, hope your good after your return to work. What a nice cradle to grave video of some good haylage making, with a great variety of tractors and equipment to enjoy. I have never had the pleasure of operating a JCB Fastrac, but I do think they are a marvelous piece of kit. I am lover of JCB products having spent a considerable amount of time both repairing and operating many models of JCB, from Backhoe Loaders 4Ds, 3Cmk2s, 3CX Sitemasters, 4CX, to JCB Excavators from 813s, 820s JS130s, and various JCB Telehandlers both farm and industrial models, plus love that they are British made and owned. Now the 55-year-old MF 3303 industrial loader tractor had me confused for a bit (and still am), as at first I thought it was a cut down MF50B digger with the back-actor taken off and pick-up hitch attached, then the wheels and raised floor confused me and the grill and home made bonnet etc, however, despite being confused, the little old 3303(plus parts), sure can do a nifty days work and is pretty nimble and a credit to whoever put her together. On top of that the quality of the video/filming is as always first class David. I do however have one compliant! We need more of the black lab, as the tease shot looking out of the shed was not enough 😂😂. Right I better shut up now before you ban me. Thanks David. Cheers, Fraser.

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@frasermathers2287 Good morning Fraser, yes back to the coal face but I’m well and looking forward to the weekend. Ah yes a lovely fleet of machinery to film, very varied and very well looked after. I’m with you on the Fastrac, a great piece of kit but in my opinion JCB have always been very innovative over the years, as you mentioned from the backhoe diggers in the late 1950s, Loadall telehandlers and the Fastracs and yes unlike all the UK manufacturers of farm machinery that are sadly now long gone they are still British made! Yes the MF 3303, I’m not surprised you got a bit confused over it (I also thought it was a 50B until I was put right by the owner) as it’s certainly not as it came of the production line but those modifications have made it still very usable. Yes the hitch (off an old Claas Jaguar trailed forager) the cast wheels, sloping bonnet which offers great visibility and you did well spotting that fabricated flat floor (no catching you out!)! Definitely a lot of thought gone into the modifications and the skill to put them all together too! Ah yes the black lab, she was a lovely wee girl and I would have loved to get more footage of her but she wouldn’t sit still for even a few seconds. However seeing her enjoying the open fields made me quite sad in a way because I miss taking Alfie our yellow lab on my adventures, he accompanied me everywhere but sadly he passed 3 years ago and he’s a big miss but he had a great life in his 12 years! As always great to hear from you Fraser, enjoy your weekend and take care my friend. Cheers, David.

[@frasermathers2287]

@@davidwinthrop7077 Thanks for your reply David and fully understand your feelings of sadness regarding your lab. They become part of the family and when there time comes, they are just as deeply missed. You have a good weekend too. Fraser.

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@frasermathers2287 He was a big part of the family Fraser., always by my side. Sadly missed but never forgotten!

[@msheep66]

Another great video 👍

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@msheep66 Many thanks. I really enjoyed filming this one, great machinery to watch at work. Cheers, David.

[@davew6170]

I love the 3070! A peach

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@davew6170 You and me both David! A lovely looking tractor! Cheers, David.

[@desfarrer6045]

Mornings david after reading thro the comments and anwser section what i was gonna comment on and ask as alreafy been anwsered great video's we have had a another decent week here out west 😂 hope your keeping well 👍 field work is about finished few people sowing wheat, potato harvesting , late big bailing so another year draws to a close speak soon DES ❤

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@desfarrer6045 Morning Des, good to hear from you in I hope still sunny west Cumbria! I think the last few weeks in September have actually been better weather wise than the summer and yes getting into the last of the field work now! Aye another year almost in Des, hopefully it’ll be a good un in 2025 🤞and I’ll get out to see ya! Cheers, Dave.

[@desfarrer6045]

@@davidwinthrop7077 its been good September dave yea its still dazzling me but no complaints 😉 yea hopefully be able to plan something in 2025 for a visit cos this year ya couldn't organise nothing it was a matter of get tings when ya could nice yo hear from you and we will speak soon

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@desfarrer6045 Definitely my friend

[@jacooboophotography]

That JCB is someting different! A 3303 isn't a tractor I have ever seen before, must be rather rare now. I certainly wouldn't be able to guess it was once a 165 if I didn't look closely.

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@jacooboophotography Yes a very smart JCB Jacob, certainly different from the machines we normally see in the fields of Cumbria. I’m with you on the 3303 as I’d never seen one before and I don’t think they’ll be many more around though talking to the owner I could see where the 165 resemblance comes from. Great to hear from you my friend, hope you are keeping well. Cheers, David.

[@jacooboophotography]

Cheers David. I am rather slow with KZbin at the moment, it’s not out of spite by any means, it’s just been sidelined while I’ve been busy. It’s always nice to see some rare Cumbrian sun. I’d like to see one of those 3303’s in person at some point, it’s a really interesting looking thing. Hopefully one shows up an a show!

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@jacooboophotography Well you never know Jacob? I’ve missed you posting your videos this year, I know there’s been a handful and as always up to your high standards but I also know you’ve been busy too. I’ve quite lucky this year because most of my filming has fortunately landed on a weekend so I haven’t had to take too much time off work but I know if that hadn’t been so like you I wouldn’t have had the output. However we’ve both got to keep going because over the years our work will be up there as an archive of agriculture in Cumbria that can never be captured again!

[@jacooboophotography]

I completely agree, I have been out of the county for almost all of the year so I'm much behind on my usual filming, I am planning to post a few videos soon but it's not currently a main priority. That is lucky, I'm hoping this autumn I can get out and see some maize and potato harvesting assuming we get some decent weather on weekends!

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@jacooboophotography Hopefully it’ll stay dry Jacob and isn’t a washout and clarty mess!

[@derekdickins7256]

Never seen an MF 3303 before.

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@derekdickins7256 Me neither until this one Derek. A very rare machine indeed. Cheers, David.

[@Magpie6639]

Have to say would graze a field of grass ax short as that or zero graze it! Perhaps didnt suit them,also thought more mature grass suited big squares better as hold shape better? Like you videos from Co.Antrim

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@Magpie6639 Hi Mark. Good point on whether to graze or zero cut graze the field as it was a short but good quality crop. I think the main reason they baled it is because the main farm and cattle is about 20 miles away so the only way to make use of it especially after the poor summer we’ve had up here is to bale it, wrap and transport it. Thanks Mark and I’m pleased you’re enjoying my videos Cheers, David.

[@stewartstamper409]

What are they doing with the bales when they are stacked up. I assume they will be covered? The loader looks old.

[@davidwinthrop7077]

@@stewartstamper409 Hi Stewart. The bales will be wrapped in much the same way as round silage bales. Just stacked together in a corner of the field as the wrapper is a static one attached to the 3-point linkage as apposed to a trailed machine. Yes an old loader indeed, manufactured in 1969 but still very reliable and doing a fine job. Cheers, David.