Tipperary timber contractor and tractor collector, Michael Fahey, from Rahinch, Littleton, is planning a world record attempt tractor challenge in May of this year. Michael and his team of supporting volunteers are planning to stage a national tractor record attempt on Sunday 3 May at the Turnpike, Thurles, on the farm of the Cantwell family, just off the old N8 road.

Michael Fahey (087-2712967) and his team are aiming to get approximately 2,500 tractors into one farm area, all standing tractors with engines running, to qualify for the Guinness Book of Records world challenge. There will be no age restriction on the tractors to qualify, other than their ability to run the engine on the day.

Michael has opened an invitation to all clubs and groups around the country to ensure that Irish tractor enthusiasts can break a new record.

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A similar record attempt was unsuccessfully made last year and now Michael is hoping for national support on the day. He will be providing loading ramps for tractors and there will be a food village on site, along with plenty of child-friendly events.

Michael will bring tractors from his own impressive collection to the event. While his day job is a forestry contractor and tree surgeon, Michael has been collecting tractors for a number of years.

While he started off his timber business with a chainsaw, he has moved on with a number of harvesters and forwarders. The big change in his operations came with the arrival of a four-wheel-drive County 754 in the 1980s. The tractor and its strong Leeford timber loader on front, coupled with a Boughton winch on the rear, allowed him to grow his timber business to what it is today.

He bought the tractor from William Keys in Dromore, Co Tyrone, and knew that it would transform his business – and it did. The tractor remains one of Michael’s favourites to this day and will feature at the tractor record attempt in May.

Michael has at least 15 tractors in his classic and vintage fleet. These range from a 1918 Fordson with a Sherman plough to an Irish-built 1928 Fordson, a series of Fordson 27Ns, as well as a Ferguson 20 and single-cylinder 1947 Field Marshall Series II.

He also includes an American White tractor, originally imported by Murphy Machinery in the 1970s, a Fiat 540 with cab and a 1974 air-cooled engine Belarus tractor which he is currently working to restore.

There are some Porsche Allgier tractors in the yard, all for future restoration

Two interesting machines in his collection are TBF Thompson trailers, which are designed to be coupled to a Muir Hill 141 tractor. This collection was bought locally and is especially interesting because of the design of the trailer coupling systems. Both trailers were very well built and include full air brakes.

The final details for the Ford Tractor Heritage Evening to commemorate the 1964 launch of the Ford tractor range are now in place. Fingal Vintage Society, in conjuction with Armstrong Machinery Ltd, will be staging a re-launch of the Ford Force tractors on Friday 13 February, in a unique event to be staged at the City North Hotel, Gormanstown, Co Meath, just north of Dublin Airport at Junction 7 on the M1 motorway.

The event aims to bring together a display of the original Ford tractors, in a setting that mirrors the tractor launch over 50 years ago at the Intercontinental Hotel in Dublin in November 1964.

The organisers have invited a group of retired former Ford tractor employees, called the old Boreham House Boys. They worked in the factory at Basildon and demonstrated the tractors on farms across Ireland and England, as special guests to the event, which starts at 7pm.

The Irish Farmers Journal will also be involved and we will publish the original adverts from the weeks that surrounded the launch of the tractors. Michael Moroney from the Irish Farmers Journal will be compere for the evening, which aims to provide an enjoyable lookback at this important tractor launch for Irish farming.

This is a pre-booked ticket only event, costing €30 each or €270 for a table of 10. Contact Martin Everard on 086-2563023 or Charles Hutcheson on 087-8790611.