Putting the beast on show

Lauriston farmer Anthony Hampton stands beside his 4880 Massey Ferguson, ready for show on...
Lauriston farmer Anthony Hampton stands beside his 4880 Massey Ferguson, ready for show on Saturday. Photo: Toni Williams
If it roars like a beast and has the power of a beast, surely it is a beast.

The Massey beast; a 1986 Massey Ferguson 4880, with 239kW and the only known one of its kind in New Zealand.

And for members of the public there is a chance to see it up close this month at the Mid Canterbury Vintage Machinery Club’s Massey Ferguson display.

Lauriston farmer Anthony Hampton, who likes big articulated tractors, is putting the 4880 on display alongside others from his extensive Massey Ferguson collection.

The event, by the Mid Canterbury Vintage Machinery Club, is part of a tribute to the 175th anniversary of Massey Ferguson.

"It’s just a big ol’ American grunt machine," Mr Hampton said.

The 4880 has a 903 Cummins engine and is V8 powered and turbocharged.

"It has just real good old lugging horsepower. It’s comfortable to drive, got all the mod cons bar for electronics. Air conditioning.

"It’s a very nice tractor to drive."

The 4880 was the Hamptons’ latest acquisition and sourced out of Ohio, in the United States, at the instigation of Mr Hampton’s son.

It was pre-owned, with very low hours.

"He wanted it, so we bought it in," Mr Hampton said.

"It hasn’t done a lot of work."

But that no doubt was set to change, with the Hamptons planning to use it for heavy cultivation work.

The club’s tribute is a static display of all things related to Massey Fergusson and will be held in a field on the farm at 1448 Methven-Chertsey Rd, at Lauriston, on Saturday from 9am. It will be on wet or fine.

It will also serve as a fundraiser to fit out and build a club library used to store historic machinery and parts manuals donated by local businesses.

Entry costs $10 per adult. Children get in for free.

Anybody with Masseys was welcome to bring them along for show.

Club members hoped to see a range of Masseys spanning at least 100 years with anything from 9kW to 150kW and up to 300kW.

Mr Hampton’s oldest tractor is a 1928 Wallis, a predecessor to Massey Harris.

toni.williams@alliedpress.co.nz

 

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