Geoff Pulham with his 1972 County 1164. Photo / Catherine Fry
From swampy paddocks to vintage powerhouses, Geoff Pulham’s life has been one long tractor trek.
Born into the rumble of drystock farming, Pulham didn’t just inherit the land — he inherited a love for the machines that made it work.
Whether wrangling swampy terrain with crawlers or restoring a beast of a tractor once used to build hydro dams, Pulham’s journey has been anything but idle.
Now semi-retired in Pokuru, he’s swapped livestock for horsepower and his shed for a shrine to vintage engineering.
Over the years, Pulham and his wife Sheila have developed a farm in Rangiriri and owned drystock farms near Kawhia and Honikiwi.
Although the couple semi-retired to 1.6ha in Pokuru in 2008, Pulham joined the Otorohanga Vintage Machinery Club and does part-time contracting work.
“I’ve always loved tractors and the associated machinery and have owned quite a few different types over the years.
“My farms weren’t the easiest, especially a swampy one which needed crawlers and tractors,” Pulham said.
He wanted something a little different to have as a collector’s piece.
In 2010, he found a 1972 County 1164 on TradeMe.
Previously, it had been used in Invercargill by the Ministry of Works to build the hydro dams and roading.
“It was in used condition but still usable.
“It needed a good tidy up, and I had the time and the inclination.”
Pulham can turn his hand to both the mechanical and the fabricating/engineering side of restoration, but calls in local specialists for certain areas.
He says the Otorohanga Vintage Machinery Club members have a vast amount of knowledge collectively, and they always know someone who has the part you need.
Tractor wreckers also have parts available, but many parts can still be fabricated.
Getting parts wasn’t a problem.
The County 1164 was the result of a unique pairing of the County name, engineering and design using the gearbox and transmission from the Ford 5000 and the engine from the Ford 8000.
The 1164 has a six-cylinder, 6580cc, 116hp engine and eight forward gears and two reverse.
It was one of the first tractors to have a closed cab (which suited Pulham for tractor trekking).
It is one of the first four-wheel drive tractors available and has equal sized tyres at the front and rear, and Pulham’s one has dual rear wheels.
The tyre arrangement offered better traction to the higher-horsepower tractors of that era.
Pulham has to store his County with one of the rear outer wheels removed so it fits in the shed.
“These early four-wheel drive tractors had rear and front axles connected with universal joints and prop shafts, making them full-time four-wheel drive.
“When the diff lock is applied, all four wheels brake.”
Ford began to produce four-wheel drive tractors, competing with County for that market space.
County tractors first went into production in 1948, with the popular and distinctive four-wheeled units being manufactured later in 1961.
These models were based on a Fordson Supermajor but badged as the Super Four.
The four equal-sized wheels that many County tractors featured were designed to give outstanding traction for cultivation work, compared to conventional tractors.
This design, however, had its drawbacks as the four equal-sized wheels meant that they lacked the ability to turn in a relatively small headland, making manoeuvrability, particularly on cultivation work, an issue.
Over time, the market for smaller front wheel drives started to gain market share and although they were often still used in forestry and industrial-type operations.
Now seen as vintage tractors, County are very popular as collectable units and often have a high value today.
-Additional information from pocketfarmng.co.uk