FABULOUS FERGUSONS

Tom French from Cumnock, Ayrshire has been a big Massey Ferguson fan for many years. He comes from a farming background, but most of his life has been linked with haulage and transport.

He recalls. “My most important contract in the early days was the Massey Ferguson factory just up the road in Kilmarnock. Massey-Harris had originally opened the Moorfield plant in 1949. We made regular deliveries for the factory until it was closed in 1979. The job losses hurt the local community because the plant had employed around 1500 people.”

Grafting

Losing the contract was a blow, but it proved to be a watershed in Tom’s fortunes. He explained: “Although I still had the farm, I realised my long-term future lay with transport. Ayrshire had been involved with coal mining for many years and although the deep pits were closing, opencast mining was still a viable business. I hauled coal all over the country and brought back grain and building materials on the return runs. It was hard graft, and I was working round