The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

I only found out today that Hugh Barr MBE had passed away in June 2023, and he would be at the grand old age of 97! He was from Northern Ireland.

He won the World Ploughing Championship in 1954, 1955 and 1956, and having won it three times in a row he was presented with the solid gold trophy of a plough and allowed to keep it. He always ploughed with a Fordson Major diesel without hydraulics pulling a Ransome's RSLD trailed plough, and was the acknowledged master who probably did much to enhance the reputation of the Major.

After winning in 1956 he retired from the world ploughing scene, but he continued to work with Ford and Ransomes helping in the development of their ploughs and tractors and doing demonstration ploughing for them. He was made an MBE in 2015 for his services to ploughing and the work he did in helping and encouraging youngsters to develop their ploughing skills.

That's a pitty, having enjoyed watching his work in ford and fordson on film 2 and 3, I feel he is in some way unbeaten to this day. He was a brilliant ploughman, managing to beat many who were using mounted ploughs (which although very new at the time were already showing their easier operation by then).
Back then the Major seemed to win everything all the time, for the later 1950's matches were also won by Major's. The World Ploughing Championship has changed a lot since then.
Sandy

Yes, the Majors and Ransomes ploughs had a good run winning at ploughing matches at all levels in the 1950's and into the early 60's. Around 1962 another make came into the spotlight and was the "go to" match ploughing tractor for a while, this was the International B414 B275 B250 type. The B414 in particular had success at world and international and national level, they were a compact tractor with weight in the back end for traction like the Major, in fact much like a compact Major, they had the advantage of differential lock and they were easy to mount and dismount from and easy to reach the controls of the mounted ploughs which were then more in vogue. I think Ford next won again at world level in 1967 with a Swedish ploughman using a pre-force 4000 and mounted Kverneland plough.

I'm wondering if the Major is actually the tractor that has won the most. It certainly has a very impressive list of wins but Idon't know ifthere are any that beat that. I'm not very familiar with the International's, but I do know that they were the third main competitor in the Dexta size with the MF35 being there too. I'm pleased for Brian that it was a pre-force 4000 that won in 1967 as that was his favourite of the pre-force range. In 2016 a couple of Triple-D's were at the event but I don't know if they competed. It is amazing how quickly the mounted ploughs won after Hugh Barr's third match.
Sandy