Tuesday Implement

[Majorman]

Dowdeswell Plough behind an FW 60. Roger Dowdeswell was a farmer who started an engineering company to make implements for the large, high horsepower tractors during the late 1960's through to the 1990's. They used Ransomes parts for bodies, shares etc. but later fitted a range of popular ones from other plough makers. In their later years they took over the Ransomes share and body manufacturer when Ransomes pulled out of plough and implement manufacture and eventually made their own brand of rotovators and other implements, all heavy duty and well made products. Unfortunately Roger Dowdeswell died at an early age and the company folded. The rotovator side was taken over by Standen Engineering of Ely, Cambridgeshire and are still being produced today.
Dowdeswell Plough

 

[Bob Bancroft]

A couple of interesting things. The bottoms all have jointers, but only the rear ones have coulters. Just so the last furrow looks pretty? The vertical pieces at the shin piece look different from one another. I wonder if they're welded on by the operator. Which is just what we used to do to prolong shin piece life. Or could they be OEM? I hated all of the maintenance required on a moldboard plow. I didn't like dead furrows either. I haven't owned one in years.

 

[Majorman]

The vertical pieces are part of the landslides, as we call them. They were a very common fitting a few years ago, they cut the furrow as it is lifted and turned. On hard or dry land, a disc coulter can act as a wheel and prevent the plough entering the land, whereas the sword landslides, also help the plough to pull in.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Standen Engineering makes potato equipment. Been following their channel for a while.

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I'd wager they bought up the Dowdeswell rotovators to add to that line of tools.

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Mike

 

[Majorman]

Yes. I was involved with Standen for many years, designing electrical controls for them. I had the run of their design office and development workshop and worked on many varied machines for them.