I was a UK Ford Tractor apprentice, on getting married we left for Western Australia, tandems, as they were known had been very popular but sales were declining due to the import of large horsepower tractors from America. A local dealer became agents for Fiat''s and their tandems based on the Fiat 615 these were beautiful conversions and were mighty impressive to watch especially when chaining, that is clearing bush by dragging a huge ship's anchor chain between a 615 and a crawler at speed.
If you go to a field day or ploughing match in the UK and its still very common to see a Triple D in action where they are always a pleasure to observe. There are usually 2-3 being demonstrated at the large annual Doe show in Essex held every February. They remain a very collectable tractor by enthusiasts.
I found that very interesting, I’m local to Ulting and used to work with someone who owned a Triple D in preservation. Also i’m frequently in Doe’s collecting or dropping construction plant in there so I knew a little about them but this video has taught me a lot more. Cheers
When I was a lad in the late 70s my uncles farm in Essex had an early one of these beasts parked up in the back of the tractor shed. It had run since the late 60s when something major had broken on it. I was always fascinated by it, then one time we visited, all his old unused tractors had gone. I didn't see another one until about 20 years ago when I saw one working at at ploughing competition. Those are the only two I've ever seen.
In between employment in the early 1980’s, went in on the bottom rung at a local farm(s) near Kelvedon Hatch, Brentwood. Mainly machine driving and manual field work. The Tractor hierarchy was I believe 3 ? SAME tractors of varying size and power, I remember there was a Tiger, a Panther and a larger one, all built to a price (cheap) 4x4…….. below these there was an Ursus and a menagerie of Fords, a Selectomatic with a green hood, which I had as an oxyacetylene gas trolly, a really nice 7000 and a couple of Doe 130’s. None of the “real” drivers wanted to drive the Triple, so I used it mainly bale carting in the fields and the same between the farms, Kelvedon Hatch and Navestock. It was a joy for an engine obsessed motorcycling, car driving nut……. two engines bellowing !! It took a while to get the knack of gear changing (twice), throttle matching and worse still, the back tractor was mechanical clutch, with a remote hydraulic for the front, which leaked like a sieve, meaning I would lose the front clutch, knock it into neutral and drive on the rear - OK on road, but tricky on soft ground. To compound any issue, I towed a four wheel Scammell bogey, with an auto latching Scammell hitch, towing old Scammell flat trailers with hay - I was SO popular driving between farms and getting out of T junctions was particularly fun - having to stick the best part of a whole Ford 5000 into traffic, blind, till I could see 😳 The steering was shockingly juddering, making the tractor lurch horribly and tack like a Thames Barge. Picking up a full Scammell trailer in the soft on a hayfield was a lottery. Towing the dolly on the rear engine only. Stop, fill the hydraulic reservoir, fire up the front engine, line up on the trailer, back under with both pushing. As mentioned, the front ran faster, so, picture this, you back a dolly under the hitch and it squirms - you clutch in quickly, the back tractor stops driving, the front tractor no longer held accelerates, the clutch has failed - the triple concertinas and knocks over the hay trailer. Alone in the field, save for Cyril in a Ford Tractor digger with a bale grab - eventually, his sixth sense made him stop and look round. I took an exaggerated bow 🎉 Around that time, we (local layabouts 😊) went to a big country show at Barleylands, where a man was showing off a Doe Triple D in blue and Orange……. seeing our interest he came to explain, to which I said, I drive one most days…… he was incredulous that anyone still had and used one and when I found out their value now, I nearly collapsed…… Epic memory, epic vehicle. The DOE business is still up and running, I hold an account and the designers farm and family including a dear friend, are local to me. 🇬🇧🙂
I used to drive the A128 quite regularly in the summer/autumn of 1985. There was a Doe 130 languishing in a field on the East side of the A128 South of Ongar. Could it have been the same one?
@@essexpeter6116 hi 🙂, the farm was near the infamous Langford Bridge - the temporary one 🤣😂🤣😂 I’m fairly sure my (company property) Doe 130 was the only serviceable one……. there was to my knowledge another 130 and some earlier parts or whole ones near the workshop. My sketchy memory says a Major of some type and I’m sure there was a Selectomatic, which I always thought would be a good mix. I enquired after a survivor with a local farmer and was told he had sold the 130 he had inherited, but bought the one I used to drive 🤔 I intend to go and investigate 🥳
Was fascinated when I saw one of these for the first time at a show a few years back, great to finally learn exactly what it was. Great quality video, fascinating too. 👏
Thank you for a wonderful explanation of these unusual and remarkable machines, I love the ingenuity that brought about their creation. Also the amazing footage included is a step back or two to a time long passed but still remembered?!
Hi Jack, great video as a boy my dad was an agricultural engineer and did extensive work on these machines, I have recently come across a set of videos called look back in time, there's an interesting major prototype with hydrostatic drive but any info on it seems very scarce I will find it out and try forwarding to you Cheers Simon
Hi and thanks for a great and interesting video! We see a few Doe tandems in the south of Sweden. At least one that I know of is restored and shown at veteran meetings. I myself run a similar tractor video RU-vid channel from Sweden. I have missed a similar channel that base their videos on sources of facts. Thanks again! /Niklas Larsson
Nice one. I knew someone who was loosely related to the Does and he would point out the factory/showrooms and the triple Ds whenever we went past. Very innovative design and of its time. This added a lot to the tale, and some cracking video
It's only a week ago I commented on the power of tractors now at the Lincolnshire show. I related a tale of a farmer my father worked for joining two tractors together and copying the tractor you show here. Sadly the coupling broke on one of them and there was a foot race to catch the first one before it reached a natural obstacal, The farmer in question also pioneered what we called prairie farming filling in ditches and tearing out hedgrows so they were able to catch the tractor before it caused too much damage. I should say this is my recolection and at this age I am far from infalable! The reason I mention this is because in the comments I said I thought it was a tripple d. If no-one else reads my comments it shows Googles bots do!
I remember when some of the knock offs showed up in Canada, with one such that had David Browns driven from the front with a trailing unit pushing it. That one could be disconnected and the front unit used conventionally. The upshot though was that the manufacturers decided that if more HP and traction was required then a bigger motor and FWD would be less trouble to make and service, witness the County 6 and powered steers. Pretty soon everybody was doing it.
So this is where International Harvester got the idea for their 2+2 tractor , only they designed it with 1 heavy-duty transmission and 1 large engine hooked to 2 axle bending in the middle and with the driver at the rear of tractor where the action takes place .
Who've guessed it: - An innovative British manufacturer uses a US Corp product to develop a practical and unique maxhine for worldwide export, for, then to "have the rug pulled from their feet...."! RIP "Tiran of..."! Tragic, but entirely predictable....
Hey up mate good video, have you come across the one's made down under, think they were alis or ozi chamberlain, also interesting is the cane haulout bin's using a tractor with the steering and wheels removed and the trailer permanently attached and hydraulic ram's at the pivot to provide steering, whilst watching the video i kept thinking about the county which should've been able to do the same job
Very nice upload, back in the early sixties I would go with my dad to caenby corner machinery sale and sometimes see these being sold, back then they would sell for just scrap price, there time was up, now look at what they are worth 🙂
i'm a blue fan. triple ds were the nuts. but the single-engined, countys with the four huge wheels were the most beautiful thing ever to come out of essex ;-)
