CLASSIC MASSEY COMBINES ~ The Combines

My 525 as found parked up for several years in a shed for a major seed company, this machine cut all manner of crops on a patchwork of trial crops for many years and was also used for seed cleaning, kept under cover all its life, you will notice the rear multiflow not connected, this was never used but amazingly it was kept intact with all the original fixings and even the belt!! the owner actually contacted me to ask if I would be interested in this machine as his foreman had seen an article on my 400 in a magazine and this combine had been replaced by a small trial plot machine several years previously.
After a service and check around and good clean and replacement of the cylinder drive belt the multi flow was reconnected and I used her first in 2010 and subsequently she has been ultra reliable on our small acreage.
She was registered in june 1978.

As found

My 400 as found, this combine came from Gloucestershire a one owner one driver machine very well looked after during its life, in the toolbox it contained everything you would probably need out in the field in emergencies ie spare chain links, spare pin for gear linkage,blades, rivets,knife point, wire, and twine,also a set of brushes for air pre cleaner screen, and radiator, also a few tools, just this alone tells you that the previous owner respected his machine.
This 400 was delivered to farm new, February 1966 although it was registered later, on a 1968 plate, the serial number tells us it was built 9 machines behind Howards 400 so they could of sat on the production line that same day!! who knows. but we do know they were sold by Birds of Gloucester who we have found out only sold 2 400s that year !! so they well could have sat in there yard prior to delivery! quite amazing then we ended up with these pair!.

mf 400

Howards 400. I managed to find this 400 for Howard it was less than 7 miles from my 400, but it passed into the hands of a massey ferguson enthusiast and collector who used it for a few years and kept it in good order but decided to offer us the combine as he had several others at that time, these pictures were taken as we collected combine, unfortunately for me at the time I was nursing a badly broken leg !!

Ready for her new home.

Somerset bound !!

Howards 780 special 1958 this combine came from hay on Wye it has a few 788 parts added by previous owner who used it for many years, it hasn't needed a lot of work to be fair just the odd belt and servicing and also it was repainted 4 years ago it was used this season 2014 and also the original owner Tim Price came to visit us and took time out to cut a few acres, the combine ran without any issues.

Howard on his 780 special cutting our wheat crop, Stratton on the fosse 2012

Along shot cutting our spring barley August 2014

Sundown shot !! of Howard

Howards 1953 780 currently under restoration ,this combine came from Burnham on sea it was outside for several years!! and what can only be described as a basket case, full of rust and the wood and canvas had all but rotted away!! I will be doing a full page on this rebuild as it certainly warrants it! more to come.

A rear shot of the newly repaired hood and the grain tank sits on the floor, this combine was originally a bagger.The tank was added at a later date in its working life.

This 780 special 1957/8 was purchased from hay on wye it was originaly intended to break for spares for the other 2 780s but very little has been removed and this combine could well be subject of another restoration?

Side shot showing the very good tin work

Operators platform minus the seat!

Side shotThis was our 1980 750 complete with 14ft freeflow table, we sold this combine in 2013 making way for the 860, this combine came from Wiltshire where it worked for many years alongside another 750 which unfortunately succumbed to fire.
This combine went to breaker Dave Pantrys yard it was hoped that a buyer could be found but sadly that did not happen and parts of the combine has now been broken.