Massed metal muster for meningitis

A flat 145ha paddock 2km from Cootamundra, NSW, on Shaftsbury station, will attract thousands of tractors and attached earthmoving equipment over Easter, to aid the Meningitis Foundation.

Called Plough and be Counted, the occasion will be an attempt to break the world record for the greatest number of machines with earth engaging tools attached, working in one paddock at the same time. The actual working day will engage each machine for 20 minutes on Sunday April 11.

Other record attempts will include the oldest working tractor, the most engine power in one paddock, the most vintage (1900 – 1974) tractors together and the most Massey Fergusons and Fords in one paddock.

The greatest number record to beat is 1833 accumulated in an Irish field in 2002. But organiser Vic Muscat is confident 3000 or more machines will muster near the southern NSW town. The last time the event was held in Australia, near Yass, NSW, in 2001, 301 machines gathered including a Caterpillar D10 bulldozer.

By mid January he had promises of several thousand machines including road trains bringing machines from Broome, WA, 18 semi trailer loads from Cairns and points south in Queensland and a promise of 1000 tractors from South Australia including 68 from one collector.

A feature attraction will be a 1903 6hp Ivel tractor, the oldest working tractor in the world. Also there will be three or four machines coming from each of New Zealand, South Africa, England and Ireland.

Entry will be free for those bringing machines. But Muscat expects between 15,000 and 20,000 of the general public to pay to inspect the massed metal.

Funds raised above the expected cost of $60,000 to stage the event will go to the Meningitis Foundation to raise awareness of the disease.

He said the capacity of the paddock was a comfortable 4800 machines and 5200 “with a squeeze.”

Ramps will enable 40 to 50 trucks at a time to load and unload

Muscat told Earthmover in mid January, that no major sponsor for the event had come forward. The biggest sponsorship to that time was $5000 from the South African Sandstone Heritage Trust.

He said a major sponsor would have the right to establish a commercial sales outlet on the site, make commercials of the event and fly flags on every machine and down the main street of Cootamundra.

Further information: Vic Muscat, 27 Gollan Street, Evatt 2617, 0411 133 543, fax: 02 6258 4550, www.users.bigpond.com/tractor.record

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A number of old Caterpillar tractors will be at the Cootamundra event

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