Later than the Henschel, Beaugier bought some Volvo 's :
Fergie47:
oiltreader:
This thread is a must daily visit for me, French transport archive unearthed with the indefatigable input of detailed knowledge from monsieur Saviem…peerless.
Apologies for the diversion, this one is for a Fergie, snapped in a field on the Isle of North Uist, sadly succumbed to the ravages of the weather, though the share and board being steel are bearing up quite well.
OilyOily…bought a double one worse than that a few years back, stripped, re-built, painted, and used in a few ploughing competitions…see if I can find a before and after pic…thanks for posting that one, brought back a few memories.
Hi Fergie, good on you with your Fergie, a bit similar to this maybe.
Oily
Malaurie (24) Buisson de Cadouin :
Yes that’s another one still going!
Mostly DAFs nowadays.
Running out of le buisson de cadouin. Until recently they had an old but really clean 141 in service as a shunter/ local spare tractor unit, but sold her on due to a faulty gearbox
Evening all,
A day cutting Hedges, (somewhat of a passion for me)…I love neat trimmed hedgerows, with a slight “angular” batter at the tops, really makes a farm look well cared for. Despite the amount of concentration that you have to use, the old brain can freewheel and go through its filing draws…and come up with odd bits and pieces!
Davidoff is right about our friend spardo, who must have many stories of working for Henri Gauthier at St Pardoux La Riviere. A real traditional French "hire and reward " haulier, who , just as so many on this side of the water, handled most of the maintenance themselves, keeping a very presentable fleet of lorries at work.
There are some really interesting add ons to Gauthiers history, Paul Gauthier, Denise and Henri`s son, had worked in the Demonstration department of Berliet prior to joining the family firm in the early 70s. Then the only two Berliet V8 , V800 6.9 litre 190 hp @3000 rpm R6 26 tonne tractor units produced were acquired by Gauthier…but did not last long…rapidly replaced by more reliable 5 cylinder TAKs…
A lorry ahead of its time was the Stradair, its market potential defeated by a combination of engineering excess, over quality of build and production, and legislation distorting the market potential that it so obviously had . Berliets engineers had designed both 6, and 8 cylinder small capacity V engines for the heavier version of this range…the original concept having employed the ■■■■■■■ V6 engine as licenced to Krupp, and our own Guy motors…but Berliet was a massive company, well able to produce its own power plants…even if in the case of the V600, and V800, and of course the early MIV 08. 35.30. were like our own little AEC V8… less than reliable… but they learned well, and the later Vs for the 356,370, and 390, were silky smooth, with creamy torque rising like a Skylarks song, as the hill became steeper…Yes I liked the big V8s!
I remember Gauthier doing work for Addidas, and operating an (odd to UK eyes), TR drawbar, with a truncated “luton” van body for a bakery outfit, whose name escapes me. At the end of the `70s they were running a number of TR305 6 cyl, 12 litres, and then purchased five Ford HA 4427 Transcontinentals.
I believe that Henri, and Denise both became ill in the early 80s, but Paul took over the running of the business, does anyone know if Pauls son Vincent joined his father? He was a polite, and very enthusiastic, and knowlegable young man.
I remember that the livery changed, to a more contemporary version of the original, with simple lettering, Gauthier S.A. in a white band on the metallic green. Lovely company, and in so many ways similar to a typical British “family” hire and reward haulier. I would suspect good to work for…but so many French Hauliers enjoyed very low staff turnovers…now there is an idea for a few posts…who was the better employer, French, or British?
I will have to think about that, over a little Bollinger …
Cheerio for now.
GAUTHIER!!! Thanks for that. I won’t forget again; it’s the name of the Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealer here in Winnipeg. Monsieur Mondout at La Coquille, I know well. The side road between his house and his yard leads to the farm where I did some restoration work on a longere in 2001. M. Mondout and his red N88 tipper delivered the sand and ballast; I also rented his mini-digger. He had allsorts of interesting old trucks in his yard and along-side the N21, south of his house. I’ll always be grateful for the trouble he took in finding the dark red sand that was used in the pointing of the stone walls. Old Dordogne stone buildings look hideous when pointed with white sand and cement.
As for Vialle; I never worked for them, but came close on two occasions. A long story involving a woman and probably a bit off-topic for this thread.
oiltreader:
Hi Fergie, good on you with your Fergie, a bit similar to this maybe.
Oily
Oily…That’s a diesel, mines a petrol / TVO…other than that, they’re pretty much the same…The photo album with the tractor pic’s has gone walkabout, when I find it I’ll post a few before/after of both tractor and plough…
I don"t want to upset the parents of this old girl, but that is one ugly wagon, however, the second one is beautiful, well to me anyway…the third one, just look at that body work, it says “service rapide” and looks like its doing a 100 kph stood still, the French knew how to make stunning bodywork back then…I think it was more about image, and hang the expence, cerainly lacking to-day
oiltreader:
[
Hi Fergie, good on you with your Fergie, a bit similar to this maybe.
Oily
Mrs Fergie found the album, so I can bore you with tractor pics… 
Before and after…click on the picture to enlarge…
Also, prior to doing the Fergie up, I also did our MGB, did everything, including an engine re-build, and detailed the engine bay, but not the spraying of the car as I didn’t have the facilities for that…I do like tinkering…
Back to lorries…a few more retired ladies… one with a ■■■■■■■■ badge on the grill, and another with an AEC grill…interesting.
Wow Fergie, nice tractor restoration!!! How long did it take?
Regards
Johnny
jsutherland:
Wow Fergie, nice tractor restoration!!! How long did it take?
Regards
Johnny
Nine months, mostly evenings, and the odd Saturday or Sunday …mostly cleaning and rubbing down. De-coked and new clutch…tin work and wheels shot blasted and repaired, hard work in a standard sized garage… 
So, this thread has now reached 50 
…long may it continue…
Let’s hope the boss gets his new computer soon…
I love the old Fergusons. This a 1952 petrol/tvo with a Ferguson plough.
Fergie this tractor is a bit after yours in years but what a restoration job, its just been sold no price noted but suspect it was about K30 and was only at the dealers a few days. My mate is doing one up at the moment, all to bits and redone but he is a Massey trained engineer. He has a second one which he is selling to help pay for the one he is doing up, cheers Buzzer.
ChrisArbon:
0I love the old Fergusons. This a 1952 petrol/tvo with a Ferguson plough.
And still going strong over 60 years later…lovely old machines, with charterer…
Buzzer:
12Fergie this tractor is a bit after yours in years but what a restoration job, its just been sold no price noted but suspect it was about K30 and was only at the dealers a few days. My mate is doing one up at the moment, all to bits and redone but he is a Massey trained engineer. He has a second one which he is selling to help pay for the one he is doing up, cheers Buzzer.
Cheers John, that’s a fine restoration, and a lot of money spent,…but, if I had to choose !!!
Fergie47, that’s a fine job you did on the restoration of both the tractor and MG.
My Grandfather had a number of little Fergie’s over the years, both petrol/tvo and diesel. When he retired in 1974/5 he had two diesels one running perfect the other needed a little attention, basically from standing idle. I was about 14 and begged my Father to park them up in the shed as they would be collectable in years to come, but my view fell on deaf years and they were sold off.
It looks as if you have a Morris Oxford or Austin Cambridge parked behind the tractor, our family ran many of them, Morris 1000 and J4 vans, and Threepenny bits. All classic’s now.
Congratulations on this thread reaching 50 wonderful pages.
Regards Paul.