Cumbrian Hay Round-up ‘25 ‘A Look back at Summer!’ Four classic teams (MF,Ford,Case) make hay!

My yearly round-up of the footage I filmed this year way of haymaking in the Cumbrian countryside and with the weather being exceptionally kind for a change in the middle of 2025 meant there was plenty of activity taking place in the fields! I managed to visit four farms this season (my apologies if I didn’t make it to everyone who rang me in that week of blazing sunshine) so four haymaking scenes with a total of 15 classic tractors from the 1970s to the 1990s to film and keeping me fit running around the fields! First off we see two 30-year old MFs, a MF 362 and a MF 3070 2wd, both immaculate and scattering out the crop with Lely Lotus tedders. Next in a scene that could have been filmed four decades ago, a classic team of a MF 135, MF 565 and MF 390 work together with a PZ Haybob, 50-year old MF 20 square baler and a MF 1450 round baler, a very rare sight in this part of the world. Next up an all blue classic Ford team that I always try and catch-up with at this time of year. Rowing up with a Claas Liner 470 rake is a Ford 7610 closely followed by a Ford 4600 and International 440 baler, a machine that is still very popular in the area. Stacking the bales into 40s is a second Ford 4600, this time with a Lambourn L-P cab, Tanco loader & Browns flat-8 grab. Slightly more modern but still considered in classic terms, a once popular but now rare in these parts MF 6180 and MF 224 baler combination was absolutely flying through the crop but the 50 year old MF 135 and haybob rowing up ahead was keeping well ahead of the baler. Finally an absolute feast of classics were all in the field on one visit as it was all hands on deck on the last dry day of the week. A Case-IH 956XL and Claas Liner rake worked ahead of an International 475 & 445 baler before the classic International once finished was hitched up to a trailer where it joined the farms MF 135 QD and Case-IH 1056XL carting team that were being loaded with a Case-IH 844XL and Trima loader/ Browns grab combination. On the whole a good year for haymaking in this area and although crops were certainly a bit lighter the weather made up for it as the sun managed to keep shining all through the week unlike in 2024 when we were lucky to get two dry days together where both the hay & silage crops were almost a write off for many farmers especially those working on the many hill farms in the area. Fingers crossed for a good season in 2026! Filmed in Cumbria June-August 2025. If you enjoy my videos of farm machinery at work in Cumbria (and Southern Scotland), please consider subscribing. Likes and taking the time to comment (preferably positive ones) are always welcomed and I will try to reply as soon as possible although if I’m at work or out filming there might be a delay. Cheers, David.