Massey Ferguson

A friend worked there and told me about a tractor they had tied to centre point out the back that just kept going around and around in a makeshift paddy field. Then there was the wooden wheels they put on when they ran out of wheels and tyres.

We made 'wooden wheels' for certain tractors we exported for Massey at W.T Packaging, Currier's Close and at D.K. Packaging in Rugby, you had the main rim butt fitted wooden slats and bound them on with steel banding. Most times it was so they could be driven into the containers for countries that could not accept a CKD tractor for re-assembly, or where a country fitted their own tyres. Here's some JCB's we exported along with Massey's with wooden wheels in Canley.

This was a night out at "The Night Out" in Birmingham organised by Massey Ferguson employees in the 1970s, I think. My parents are on here - Ken and Sheila Egglestone.

Not sure if anyone is interested - film footage

On a rare visit to Coventry today, we passed along Banner Lane, where we stopped to photograph the plaque at Bannerbrook Park commemorating the Massey Ferguson tractor factory

A sample of Coventry-produced tractors, seen last weekend at a show

I worked for seven years at the Banner Lane plant from the early 1990's. There were many days when I really didn't like working there, really wanting to be elsewhere. There were good times, all down to group of people I worked with. Many, many, many characters, the production line needed it so you could stay sane. I was a little sad when it closed down, and was then demolished. That place and those people will always be a memory. I guess the people behind the tractor don't often get remembered. There was a older guy who had worked there from the age of 16 and racked up 44 years of service, I remember him telling me how he had been wearing his Omega 20 years service watch for nearly 25 years! That puts my time into perspective. Feelings of nostalgia are funny things, hey!!!!!

Tractor parade to celebrate 70 years of tractor building

'A Coventry manufacturing giant that came and went' - Telegraph article

From early 2000, I was involved in sub-contract gear grinding for MF, it was mostly to correct heat-treatment distortion. My contact was a guy called Malc who ran the gear shop. On visiting, you always had to report to the main reception, and what a place that was! All oak panelling, spiral staircase and a T20 on display. When the demolition started, some of the demolition team drank in Massey's club, one night one mentioned that he had been able to buy Massey's old fire engine, so I asked him if he could get me one of the main gate flagpoles (I use a 5 metre fishing pole in my back garden, flying the George cross), but sadly no joy and they were broken up.

The Shipping Office was right at the rear of the site, accessed from Broad Lane, when I was there (albeit as a contractor, not an MF employee). It was common knowledge in Coventry, in the last century (makes me feel old), that Masseys at Banner Lane was the worst (biggest) factory in Coventry for tea-leafing (= thieving or nicking or stealing stuff, for those of our readers who are not the cognoscenti. Or from London). We heard that one day, an articulated lorry pulled up, with all the ostensibly correct paperwork, and 6 tractors were loaded onto the lorry, the driver duly signed the paperwork, then drove off. It gets worse (or better, depending on your viewpoint). A couple of hours later, another driver (the real or genuine one) pulled up, and the security bloke told him "must be some mistake mate; you're too late, one of the other drivers from your firm has already taken these tractors". The driver was nonplussed. "Other driver from my firm? What firm? There's only me, and I'm self-employed!" By which time the earlier driver was well away, and the 6 tractors on their way to Europe. Probably. Most probably an inside job. It's a good story.

I think the Standard must have been on a par, there were always stories of people having their cars either re-engined or re-sprayed on the night shift. Actually knew a guy who had to park his TR6 outside and walk into work!

After the plant had closed and the contents were sold off, I had a short term contract taking soil samples throughout the site - the results were frightening and I'm glad I do not live in a house built on the site.

Happy to share these images from Massey Ferguson in the early 1960s - training sessions we think. Go to Cov Dig and look at the galleries for more.

I do have a few M.F. odds and ends, mostly to do with table tennis: anyone interested??