I’ll be sorry to see the old super heavyweight Fendt Favorit 816 go after 22 years. Hand-built in Marktoberdorf, Germany in 1996, she’s the last of the line of purebred Fendts to bear the name before new parent AGCO took over.

The radiator cowl was made out of solid cast iron unlike the fibreglass effort on a modern Fendt and the rear mudguards were the best Krupp steel, unlike the contemporary plastic affairs.

And the 816 was, of course, in traditional Fendt green unlike the modern variant. Nature green they call it now. This new Fendt nauseous nature green makes John Deere green look amazing and I could run with the American giant yet.

Yet for all of that the 816 was not my favourite tractor and, to be honest, it was more of a love-hate relationship. While generally reliability comes as standard with Fendt, the 816 was not the most reliable tractor ever built.

The breakdowns were seldom anything serious, usually something finicky like a water pump or oil seal. It wasn’t even here a full day when it burst a steel oil pipe dumping five gallons of crude into the River Boyne. In fact, over its lifetime it leaked more oil than the Exxon Valdez. I often said she was allergic to work.

But when she was good, boy, she was very good. With a gutsy 180 horsepower MAN engine coupled through a turbomatic clutch to a powershift transmission, she was a beast to pull. Many the time she pulled the high-hitch 20t McHenry turntable trailer out of trouble.

Modern vario transmissions just pale in comparison to the outright lugging ability of a gearbox full of meshing gears. Cogs transmit power more efficiently than oil. Oil drives are for wimps and for real grunt you need gears.

The 816 was very much a product of its day. With a turning circle that’s worse than the navy’s LÉ Samuel Beckett, it required a lot of shunting on a headland. Yes, the front axle and cab were sprung which was revolutionary but the cab was small and there was more room in a shower cubicle. The passenger seat meant a pretty intimate encounter with the occupant.

And so the time has come to say goodbye to 97 MH 4264. A replacement tractor has been purchased which doesn’t have nearly the commanding presence. Despite the 816 being a grey (and green) pensioner, she’s still well capable of turning heads. She cost €67,000 all those years ago and her 240 horsepower replacement is mega-bucks more.

But there’s still a chance the 816 will get a reprieve and join the Ford 7600 in retirement. Whatever you do, don’t mention the new acquisition to Mrs P should you see her in the supermarket or hairdresser.

She has other ideas as to how I should spend hard-earned money. I have been reminded that the medieval kitchen part of our house has more draughts and drips than Newgrange. I’m well aware of this as you need to be careful where you put the Journal down in the kitchen. Other than that, it’s fine.

I’ve tried to explain that capital expenditure on farm machinery is allowable against income tax whereas roof repairs to an ancient dwelling house are not. But you know what; I think she’s seen the well-thumbed Fendt 724 brochure on my desk. I didn’t dare bring it out to the kitchen - in case it’d get wet.