Tamar Vintage Tractors; a vintage and classic tractor sales specialist

Posted by Chris Graham on 25th January 2024

James Webber visits Tamar Vintage Tractors to find out more about this vintage and early classic tractor sales specialist.

When I visited, Tamar Vintage Tractors’ stock included this largely original Ford 7000 with Dual Power and Load Monitor; certainly a desirable example.

Located in a quaint little village near the border of Devon and Cornwall, Tamar Vintage Tractors has grown to become one of the best for buying and selling tractors and farming equipment in the south-west of England. I spent some time with the company’s proprietor, Matt Young, who showed me around various barns filled with stock.

“A brief outline of us. We started around 10 years ago. I’ve always been interested in old tractors and machinery, and have been tinkering with mechanical things from an early age.

Badged as a ‘Massey Ferguson 135’, this tractor is actually an MF 20 – an Industrial variant of the iconic agricultural model.

My dad brought a Massey Ferguson 35X for the farm when I was about 13, and I did quite a lot to this in my early 20s. I fully restored a Fordson Diesel Major, and then a Super Major, and had a lot of fun doing those projects.

“After a few years, I’d bought a few more tractors and started to sell odd ones off to make way for more, and the business built from there. We set up a website, social media channels, and a YouTube channel, and we have many followers.

One from Matt’s personal collection – an American-built Ford 4000, featuring a four-cylinder petrol engine, power steering
and Select-O-Speed transmission. It’s used for cutting the grass!

“The YouTube channel has been fun, creating videos of starting veteran tractors, or showing you how to start a barn find! Over the last three years we’ve sold well over 100 tractors a year!

“I have a fond interest in odd or unusual tractors, and it amazes me to see the progression of technology from the pre-war to post-war era machines. We’ve also just brought a steam traction engine.

This 1941 Allis-Chalmers U was a barn find, and one that Matt intends to keep. It came from a farm near Exeter, where it had been all its life, and has all its original documentation.

“We pride ourselves on giving accurate descriptions and taking plenty of pics, which has seen us send tractors all over the country, and overseas. We offer nationwide delivery, and we will take other tractors back in part exchange. We buy tractors country-wide, from the odd one to the largest collection we bought two years ago, which was 30 tractors.

“We also stock a large selection of parts and surplus. Knowing some of these makes are becoming scarcer, it’s handy to grab bits as and when they come up for sale. Trade has gone well from year to year, and we have anywhere from 30 to 50 tractors in stock at any given time.

This Nuffield Universal Four and 4/65 had languished in a barn, just a few miles from Tamar Vintage Tractors since 1992, and were for sale as projects.

“A lot goes by word of mouth – that goes both for buying and selling. Recently, I was tipped-off about a couple of local barn finds where the owner had passed away and the family needed to sell.”

As well as the stock on offer, Matt has a collection of tractors of all ages, makes and models, and I asked him to pick out a selection, some of which are featured here.

A late example featuring oil-immersed disc brakes, power steering and Multi-Power, this MF 168 was a stock tractor best described as ‘an older restoration in good order’.

If you’re looking to buy your first tractor, or add to your collection, why not visit Tamar Vintage Tractors’ website by clicking HERE?

FIND OUT MORE
Tamar Vintage Tractors
Lamerton, Devon PL19 0LJ
Tel: 07966 881985
Email: tamarvintagetractors@gmail.com
Website: tamarvintagetractors.co.uk

This feature comes from the latest issue of Tractor & Machinery, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE