Eddie Noone’s love for tractors was triggered from a very young age as he watched his father drive various machines in the local forestry plantations. However, Eddie has very fond memories of one particular machine, a Ford County 764 Highlander which arrived to the local forest in 1970.
Eddie recalls himself and his brothers driving the County Highlander around the field at the back of their house every day for years when their father, Paddy, came home for dinner before setting off to work again. Ever since, Eddie had aspired to once own a similar machine.
History
In 1970, the state-owned body that was responsible for the forestry plantations in the Galway area purchased a number of County Highlanders. One of these machines went to the Mountbellew area where it was driven by three different men – Tommy Noone, John Crehan, and Paddy Noone, Eddie’s father. The 764 was fitted with a 256DF 4.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine which had an output of 78hp. This tractor continued to work hard in the Mountbellew area right up until 1988 when the engine failed. At this time, much of the forestry work began to be sublet to contractors. This particular County 764 was sent to Cahir House in Co Tipperary to have the engine reconditioned.
Eddie Noone and his father Paddy Noone.
I often pulled out 10 trees up to 30ft long at a time with the Highlander. We then cut up these trees on the roadside before using the blade to gather them into piles
Almost three decades later and the memories of the County Highlander were as clear as ever in Eddie’s mind and now more than ever he aspired to own a similar machine. After years of searching through newspapers, magazines and online, Eddie finally found what he believed to be a very similar County Highlander for sale in a private sawmill in Co Tipperary.
The following day he travelled to look at the tractor. Eddie described it as, “running but in need of a lot of attention”. This particular tractor was painted in a County blue and had a different winch to the County which worked in Eddie’s local forest. However, he purchased it.
Reunited
As Eddie began to sand off the coat of blue paint, he stumbled across the old tractor identification plate. Eddie was gobsmacked to discover “T Noone Mt Bellew” engraved on the plate. Twenty-nine years later and Eddie had unknowingly purchased the tractor his father had spent so many years working on. He simply couldn’t believe his luck.
This is the Ford County Highlander before the restoration project began.
Eddie’s father, Paddy, said: “I often pulled out 10 trees up to 30ft long at a time with the Highlander. We then cut up these trees on the roadside before using the blade to gather them into piles. The blade was used for many things, from grading the roads to making roadways through the forest. It was a mighty tractor.”
Restoration
Eddie wanted to bring this tractor back to its glory days and he spared no cost in doing so. The restoration project began in October last year. Eddie stripped the tractor down to the chassis. The engine was running perfectly, but the front axle was beyond repair. Eddie sourced a front axle from a County tractor in the UK that had caught fire. He fitted the new axle before doing all the seals and bushings.
This is a front axle from a County tractor in the UK . The original front axle was beyond repair.
Like the back axle, the blade on the front is original. Eddie reconditioned the pins and bushings on the front blade and fitted new rams. The valve chest controlling the front blade is also original. Eddie took the valve chest apart and fitted new seals and hydraulic pipes.
The valve chest controlling the front blade is original.
When Eddie purchased the tractor it was fitted with a “spade winch”. However, this tractor was originally fitted with a double drum winch with a 5t capacity either side from the Jones factory in England. Eddie sourced a Jones winch in the UK and fitted it to the tractor to return it to its original ways.
This tractor was originally fitted with a double-drum winch with a 5t capacity either side from the Jones factory in England.
Eddie remarked that the Duncan cab was in “disrepair”. Local panel beater David Coffey restored the cab. He was also responsible for all the paintwork. This included sandblasting the cab, winch, hubs and axles before wire-brushing and hand-sanding the bare chassis. The tractor received four coats of primer and two coats of paint.
Vintage fanatic
Eddie has been an active member of his local vintage club in Mountbellew for many years. Each year at the club’s show, Eddie hosts a timber working demonstration using vintage petrol-powered Avon and Dolmar saws and, more recently, his restored Highlander tractor using both the winch and the blade as it was done many years ago.
Eddie’s vintage collection extends to include a petrol-powered Low-Fordson 26F tractor, a BMB-built President tractor and a 1963 Ford Model B truck. He also has a huge collection of vintage saws, many over 100 years old. Another of Eddie’s hobbies is making split end hay rakes, just as farmers used many years ago.
Eddie is the third generation of the Noone family to be involved with forestry work and runs Connaught Tree Care.
Eddie Noone’s love for tractors was triggered from a very young age as he watched his father drive various machines in the local forestry plantations. However, Eddie has very fond memories of one particular machine, a Ford County 764 Highlander which arrived to the local forest in 1970.
Eddie recalls himself and his brothers driving the County Highlander around the field at the back of their house every day for years when their father, Paddy, came home for dinner before setting off to work again. Ever since, Eddie had aspired to once own a similar machine.
History
In 1970, the state-owned body that was responsible for the forestry plantations in the Galway area purchased a number of County Highlanders. One of these machines went to the Mountbellew area where it was driven by three different men – Tommy Noone, John Crehan, and Paddy Noone, Eddie’s father. The 764 was fitted with a 256DF 4.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine which had an output of 78hp. This tractor continued to work hard in the Mountbellew area right up until 1988 when the engine failed. At this time, much of the forestry work began to be sublet to contractors. This particular County 764 was sent to Cahir House in Co Tipperary to have the engine reconditioned.
Eddie Noone and his father Paddy Noone.
I often pulled out 10 trees up to 30ft long at a time with the Highlander. We then cut up these trees on the roadside before using the blade to gather them into piles
Almost three decades later and the memories of the County Highlander were as clear as ever in Eddie’s mind and now more than ever he aspired to own a similar machine. After years of searching through newspapers, magazines and online, Eddie finally found what he believed to be a very similar County Highlander for sale in a private sawmill in Co Tipperary.
The following day he travelled to look at the tractor. Eddie described it as, “running but in need of a lot of attention”. This particular tractor was painted in a County blue and had a different winch to the County which worked in Eddie’s local forest. However, he purchased it.
Reunited
As Eddie began to sand off the coat of blue paint, he stumbled across the old tractor identification plate. Eddie was gobsmacked to discover “T Noone Mt Bellew” engraved on the plate. Twenty-nine years later and Eddie had unknowingly purchased the tractor his father had spent so many years working on. He simply couldn’t believe his luck.
This is the Ford County Highlander before the restoration project began.
Eddie’s father, Paddy, said: “I often pulled out 10 trees up to 30ft long at a time with the Highlander. We then cut up these trees on the roadside before using the blade to gather them into piles. The blade was used for many things, from grading the roads to making roadways through the forest. It was a mighty tractor.”
Restoration
Eddie wanted to bring this tractor back to its glory days and he spared no cost in doing so. The restoration project began in October last year. Eddie stripped the tractor down to the chassis. The engine was running perfectly, but the front axle was beyond repair. Eddie sourced a front axle from a County tractor in the UK that had caught fire. He fitted the new axle before doing all the seals and bushings.
This is a front axle from a County tractor in the UK . The original front axle was beyond repair.
Like the back axle, the blade on the front is original. Eddie reconditioned the pins and bushings on the front blade and fitted new rams. The valve chest controlling the front blade is also original. Eddie took the valve chest apart and fitted new seals and hydraulic pipes.
The valve chest controlling the front blade is original.
When Eddie purchased the tractor it was fitted with a “spade winch”. However, this tractor was originally fitted with a double drum winch with a 5t capacity either side from the Jones factory in England. Eddie sourced a Jones winch in the UK and fitted it to the tractor to return it to its original ways.
This tractor was originally fitted with a double-drum winch with a 5t capacity either side from the Jones factory in England.
Eddie remarked that the Duncan cab was in “disrepair”. Local panel beater David Coffey restored the cab. He was also responsible for all the paintwork. This included sandblasting the cab, winch, hubs and axles before wire-brushing and hand-sanding the bare chassis. The tractor received four coats of primer and two coats of paint.
Vintage fanatic
Eddie has been an active member of his local vintage club in Mountbellew for many years. Each year at the club’s show, Eddie hosts a timber working demonstration using vintage petrol-powered Avon and Dolmar saws and, more recently, his restored Highlander tractor using both the winch and the blade as it was done many years ago.
Eddie’s vintage collection extends to include a petrol-powered Low-Fordson 26F tractor, a BMB-built President tractor and a 1963 Ford Model B truck. He also has a huge collection of vintage saws, many over 100 years old. Another of Eddie’s hobbies is making split end hay rakes, just as farmers used many years ago.
Eddie is the third generation of the Noone family to be involved with forestry work and runs Connaught Tree Care.
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