MAKING MEMORIES

Like many others, Mark Coates’ obsession with agricultural machinery goes back to his younger years – but it is only recently that he has been able to indulge his passion. Scott Lambert finds out more.

Mark Coates, from Staffordshire, has recently taken delivery of his fi rst restored tractor – a 1976 International 574. Not an unusual choice, but one that is somewhat different to the small, cab-less

Ford and Massey Ferguson models that are common amongst those starting out in the world of tractor collecting.

As is often the case, the reason for his choice is due to the indelible mark left on him by this model as child. His father, Paddy, worked for Eddie

Pemberton of Cheadle at a time when the farm was in a transition period from

Massey Ferguson to International

Harvester. For many years the business solely ran MF tractors, but a brand-new,

Bradford-built B-414 had found its way into the fold, as had a used, pre-‘Q’ cab 574.

This tractor replaced an MF 165 and was used with a Kidd double-chop forage harvester to good effect. It proved to be a good combination and so a new 574 was purchased, registration NBF 549P, in 1976 – complete with ISO-mounted safety cab. It undertook all of the main jobs on the farm, including ploughing, mowing and forage harvesting, until it was relieved of some of the more testing jobs by a second-hand IH 674, that joined the Pemberton fl eet around 18 months later, along with a JF FC 80 side-mounted chopper.

Despite the arrival of the 674, it was the image of the shiny, new 574, often seen working with the mower or buckrake, that embedded itself in the young Coates’ brain and there was no looking back! “When you see a brandnew tractor, like the 574, at such a young age it doesn’t leave you, and as soon as I was in a position to own my own ➤

was used with a Kidd double-chop forage harvester to good effect. It proved to be a good combination and so a new 574 was

The 574 as it arrived at Young’s Agricultural Services Ltd. in August 2020. All photos of tractor during restoration: Young’s Agricultural Services Ltd.

Mark Coates (left) was inspired to purchase an IH 574 as his father, Paddy (right), drove one during the 1970s. All photos of finished tractor: Scott Lambert.

New mudguards and a windscreen surround New mudguards and a windscreen surround were fabricated and trial fitted. were fabricated and trial fitted.

tractor I knew that’s what I wanted,” Mark told T&M. “I remember the fi rst time that I saw the tractor in the fi eld. “It looked fantastic and that cab was leaps and bounds ahead of the Massey cab’s fl exible cladding.”

The International 574 was one of two new, Doncaster-built tractors from the World Wide Series, introduced in 1970. It was the largest in the range and was joined by the three-cylinder 454 and four-cylinder, Bradford-built 354.

Various changes were made during production of the 574, perhaps the most signifi cant of which was the adoption of an ISO-mounted version of the Victorbuilt safety cab to meet new noise legislation that came into force in June 1976 – forcing tractor manufacturers to keep noise levels below 90dB(A). It is this incarnation of the model that is the subject of this feature.

Powered by a German-built, IH diesel engine, rated at 68hp, the 574 was extremely popular and more than 29,000 were built before production ended in 1977. Key features of the engine included direct injection, a long stroke for high torque output, rotary injection pump, a dry-type air cleaner, twin fuel fi lters and a ‘clean’ design for easier servicing.

Both hydrostatic and synchromesh transmissions were available, with the latter being fi tted to Mark’s tractor. Both range and gear levers were placed at hip level for convenient control and a Torque Amplifi er could be specifi ed to double the number of ratios available to 16 forward and eight reverse. This system increased the amount of pulling power available whilst retaining engine braking in all gears.

Other features included hydrostatic power steering, self-adjusting and self-balancing hydraulic disc brakes, a twin-shaft PTO system (555 and 1,004rpm), a lift capacity of 1,633kg (3,600lb) at the link ends and 6.00-16 and 12.4/11-36 tyres.

No stone was left unturned during the project!

PROJECT

Fast forward to 2020 and Mark had managed to fi nd the potential tractor of his dreams after an exhaustive search through magazine classifi ed advertisements and Internet auction sites.

A Bould Tractors, Machinery & Plant, of Staffordshire, had a 1976 International 574 that looked tidy enough for Mark to take on as a restoration project and so a deal was done.

The initial plan was for Mark, Paddy and friend Mark Leedham – a mechanic, with encouragement from Mark Coates’ life-long friend John Crowther (who also worked with Paddy at Eddie Pemberton’s), to restore the tractor when time permitted, but with a lack of suffi cient workshop facilities Mark came to the conclusion that he would be better off paying someone to restore it for him.

A test had revealed that there were issues with the tractor, but nothing serious and nothing that wasn’t a straightforward fi x. With this in mind, Mark set about fi nding someone that could get the 574 back to its best and to a standard that met with his plans for the tractor.

Using Google as his preferred method of searching, Mark discovered Young’s Agricultural Services Ltd., based near Ely in Cambridgeshire. It was apparent that the company had restored numerous makes and models over the years, but an International 674 caught his eye as he browsed the gallery of photographs.

A conversation with Director Terry Young gave Mark the reassurance that he needed to entrust Young’s with the restoration of his IH 574 and so, in August 2020, Gavin, Terry’s older brother and General Manager at Young’s, arranged for the tractor to be transported to Cambridgeshire from Staffordshire.

Terry established Young’s Agricultural Services Ltd. in 2007 following two years at agricultural college and eight years at local Case IH dealer Collings Brothers of Abbotsley Ltd. He quickly found that his services were in demand and that employing a service engineer and establishing his own premises would benefi t his business.

By 2010 Young’s had grown to a team of three and expanded to larger premises in Stretham and continues to fl ourish – now with four service vehicles and franchises for machinery including Dieci telehandlers, Perfect mowers, Broughan trailers and Albutt attachments.

Terry and Gavin have collected and restored vintage and classic farm machinery for many years and having skilled employees able to repair and fabricate such equipment led Terry to believe that offering a restoration service was a logical step for the company.

Today, Nathan Hirst, who joined Young’s Agricultural Services Ltd. as an apprentice in 2017, now spends the bulk of his time restoring a variety of vintage and classic tractors for customers.

It was the company’s approach to restoration, as well as the quality of the end product, that attracted Mark to Young’s. “The process and terms are established before work gets underway,” he explained. “We obviously agreed what I wanted to be done to the tractor, but Terry explained that if they encountered unexpected problems or grey areas, he’d be straight on the phone to talk it through.”

The German-built D-239 engine was rated at 68hp and produced 185lb/ft of torque. This 68hp and produced 185lb/ft of torque. This tractor features a Bosch fuel injection pump, tractor features a Bosch fuel injection pump, but a CAV unit was used on some.

apprentice in 2017, now spends the bulk of his time restoring a variety of vintage established before work gets underway,” what I wanted to be done to the tractor,

WORK BEGINS

With the tractor thoroughly cleaned, assessed and in the workshop at Stretham, work got underway dismantling it, ready for repairs and shot blasting.

The main tasks included a full engine rebuild, including crankshaft polish and injection pump overhaul, parking brake overhaul and disc brake replacement, hydraulic rocker shaft bush replacement, front axle overhaul and some serious fabrication with regard to the mudguards.

Although lengthy, the engine overhaul proved to be straightforward, as did replacing the brakes and rocker shaft bushing, but the front axle put up a fi ght! Years of neglect meant that the pivot pin and bushes were passed their Nathan Hirst undertook much of the restoration work on KVE 600P. restoration work on KVE 600P.

best and the kingpins were in desperate need of replacement.

The parking brake, a notorious problem area on the World Wide Series skid unit, needed a new band – but whilst inspecting the components, Nathan noticed that the drum that the band operates on was cracked. A good, used example was sought and the system was back to operating standard.

With the tractor stripped down, the clutch naturally came under inspection, but it had evidently been overhauled prior to its sale, as it was in excellent condition.

Mechanically, the worst of the jobs had been attended to, but the sheet metal posed a whole new set of problems. The bonnet was in good shape and would not require much preparation prior to painting, but the cab was poor.

A new roof and windscreen surround were required, as well as new ➤

A true icon of the ’70s! The 574 was fitted with 6.00-16 and 12.4/11-36 tyres as standard, but this tractor is fitted with the optional 7.50-16 and 13.6/12-36 rubber.

mudguards. The mudguard tops were purchased, but the rest was fabricated in-house to achieve the required standard. They took time to get right, but the effort was certainly worth it.

No doors were fitted when the tractor arrived, so Mark went on a hunt to find some originals. He managed to locate some from a 674 that were in good order, so this was another tick on the ‘to find’ list. Mark explained that Terry has some excellent contacts and is able to source many of the used parts required for a restoration, but he was keen to help out by sourcing parts for his tractor wherever possible.

Good-quality original parts are becoming harder to find, but Mark was able to call on friend Andy Titerton, a farmer and IH enthusiast, for several hard-to-locate parts for the project. Thankfully, he was fortunate to find most of the items that were needed for this particular project.

BEING SENSIBLE

The 574 came fitted with a new radiator, but as many of you will realise, there is often a discrepancy regarding the length of ‘neck’ on replacement radiators for 74 Series tractors. This one was no different and so Mark asked the vendor if he had the original in the hope that it could be salvaged and repaired. His luck was in and it was sent off to be re-cored, maintaining the original look of the tractor.

Up to 10 ‘suitcase’ weights could be fitted, weighing 67lb (30kg) each. Parts, like the door handles, were rechromed where necessary. Good-quality replacement lighting is hard to find for World Wide Series tractors.

Although originality was an important factor throughout the project, Mark says that he was not governed by it. “Some parts are hard to find and you have to draw the line at how long you’re prepared to look for them,” he said. “The rear lights and plough light are extremely difficult to locate, or are very expensive. I wasn’t prepared to pay the money being asked for some items and so compromised by having aftermarket parts.

“I did get lucky with a good, used plough light, which Young’s put a new switch in for me, but the rear lights proved impossible to find at a sensible price. The new ones we opted for look good enough.

“The same goes for the tyres. It would be lovely to have a set of Goodyears, but I couldn’t justify the expense given that the tractor was never intended to be a showpiece. I always said that when I bought a tractor I would use it for what it was designed for and although I will enjoy it on the odd road run, it’ll be used to process firewood and for a spot of ploughing!

“I did tell Terry that I wanted to make a couple of additions too,” Mark continued. “These won’t please the purists, but were something that I’d thought about doing for a while. The additional spool valve was a factory option anyway, but a flashing beacon and radio were personal touches that make the tractor specific to me.

“The whole project went well from start to finish and I’m pleased with how things worked out. Lockdown restrictions meant that I couldn’t check on progress in person as much as I would have liked, but I got down to the workshop as often as I could and it was nice to see how it was taking shape.

“We’d discuss any issues, plus if Nathan or Terry thought that something ought to be done that hadn’t been agreed on, we’d have a conversation about it and, the majority of the time, I’d tell them to get on and do it as I couldn’t see the point in going to all of this trouble and leaving something that I’d later regret.”

PREPARATION

With the tractor ready for paint, it was up to Nathan to prepare it for spraying and it’s clear to see that his efforts paid off. The finish is fantastic and testament to the time and patience involved. The photographs do not do the tractor justice – with the two shades of paint looking just as they would have done when the 574 left Doncaster – albeit this time in two-pack form.

“It’s hard to underestimate how much of Nathan’s time is spent preparing a tractor for paint,” Gavin explained. “Fresh paint shows every little blemish and so it’s important that the prep is thorough. It’s hard work but, as you can see, it pays off in the end.”

With the tractor resplendent in its new paint and assembled where possible, ➤

SPECIFICATION: IH 574

Engine Cylinders Power Bore

IH D-239 4 68hp 98mm (3.88in)

Stroke 128.5mm (5.06in)

Displacement Torque

3,912cc (239cu in) 251Nm (185lb/ ) @1,600rpm Rated speed 2,200rpm Transmission 8 fwd, 4 rev or 16 fwd, 8 rev or Hydrostatic Li capacity 1,633kg (3,600lb)* PTO 540 or 540 & 1,000rpm Fuel capacity 77 litres (17 gallons) Length 3,430mm (135in) Wheelbase 2,170mm (85.5in) Width 1,625mm (64in) Height 2,310mm (91in) Turning radius 3,050mm (120in)** Weight 2,533kg (5,585lb) Front tyres 6.00-16 Rear tyres 12.4/11-36

wiring and cab cladding were next. A new starter and alternator were fitted in addition to a new loom and Mark picked up a dash panel from tractor breaker Ron Greet, of Devon, to house the five gauges as IH had originally intended. A radio, speakers and external antenna completed the work on the electrical side of the project and that just left the finishing touches – such as decals and the like.

The end result is a credit to Young’s Agricultural Services Ltd., and Nathan in particular, especially as Mark was overjoyed at the outcome of 15 months’ work. I was lucky enough to be there on handover day with Mark, Paddy, Terry, Nathan and Gavin and we all agreed that it had been well worth waiting for.

KVE 600P was delivered in time for Christmas 2021 and Mark has spent several weeks enjoying the tractor and showing it to his very envious friends. He even took it to Eddie Pemberton’s farm, now run by son Mike, who recognised the sound as Mark was approaching. “He instantly knew that it was a 574,” Mark explained. “He said it sounded sweet and was very complimentary about how good the tractor looked.”

Having acquired a period Twose transport box, which Young’s is returning to an as-new state, Mark is now looking for a period trailer to use with the 574. This, Mark says, will satisfy him for a while, but as Eddie Pemberton ran a B-414 and 674 too, a similar fleet would be something that he would like to replicate!

He is also keen to know if the farm’s original IH 574, NBF 549P, is still around. A DVLA vehicle check reveals that it has not been taxed since 1999, but the hope is that someone will know of its whereabouts. Should you have information, please get in touch with the editor in the first instance, via e-mail (tm.ed@kelsey.co.uk). * Thanks to Mark Coates, Terry Young, Gavin Young and Nathan Hirst for their help in producing this feature. ■

USEFUL CONTACTS

A Bould Tractors, Machinery & Plant Greatgate, Sta ordshire Tel: 07966 413753 facebook.com: A Bould tractors/machinery/plant Agriline Products Ltd. Stoke Prior, Worcestershire Tel: 01527 579111 agrilineproducts.com Bepco Kidderminster, Worcestershire Tel: 01299 252270 bepcoparts.com Ron Greet Broadhempston, Devon Tel: 01803 812269 rongreet.co.uk Tractorparts.co.uk Ltd. Earl Shilton, Leicestershire Tel: 01455 843955 tractorparts.co.uk Young’s Agricultural Services Ltd. Stretham, Cambridgeshire Tel: 01353 648078 youngs-as.co.uk

The 574 had a lift capacity of 1,633kg (3,600lb) and generated 63hp at the PTO.