A fair reputation?
BMC heralded the arrival of its new Nuffield ¾5 and 4/65 models in 1967 – tractors that would replace the 10/42 and 10/60 – but they were not as well received as the company had hoped.
Although the main colour was the same, the styling was rather different to the familiar lines that farmers had become accustomed, but the problems were rather more serious than anyone could have envisaged with regard to the range-topping 4/65.
A great deal of work had gone into bringing these new models to the marketplace and it seemed certain that the combination of a strong pedigree coupled with striking new looks and mechanical refinements would help the 4/65 in particular gain a larger slice of the pie that was being enjoyed by the Ford 5000, IH B-614 and Massey Ferguson 175.
The Nuffield Universal models had a loyal following and this continued when the name was dropped in favour of the ¾2 and 4/60 in 1961. Come 1964 and the 10-speed 10/42 and 10/60 picked up the baton, with Nuffield’s new models finding favour amongst admirers of the brand. This, unfortunately, was not destined to last – as the new ¾5 and 4/65 did not hit the ground running.
Three specifications of the 4/65 were available – Basic: featuring differential lock, hand brake, full instrumentation, weight frame and swinging drawbar. Standard: as above but with hydraulic power unit and three-point linkage, PTO, drawbar extension, lighting, horn and registration plates. De-luxe: As the ‘Standard’ specification,
