Photo: N. Shearer
This sack lifter was photographed at the Alness Vintage Show earlier this year. It lifts to a height of about 4ft 6ins and the platform rotates through 1800 left/right so presumably would have been handy for loading a trailer. It located to the drawbar by means of pins. The plate identifies the makers as Culverwells, Lewes, Sussex. Would a local member please respond for it looks very much as though this implement was made for the TE-20 to fill a gap in the Ferguson inventory. It would have been very useful behind a thrashing drum or to follow up the bagger combine harvester. Note the mid-mounter mower.
Report from Lawrence Jamieson. Journal Vol.8 No.2 Autumn 1995
The article in the Autumn edition on the sack lifter made by Culverwells provoked an agreeable response, leading to the discovery of at least five more examples. One correspondent, Mr T. Sturmer, who was mentioned earlier, wrote ‘in this collection there are two sack lifters and they have the name of the company as Culverwells, of Lewes, Sussex. After seeing the Newsletter we attached one to the back of a tractor and the implement worked very well.’
It seems that Culverwells are still the local Massey Ferguson agents and that the implement was indeed produced for the TE 20, primarily for use behind a thrashing drum. It would be desirable to locate their literature and sales material for the club archives. Can a local member help?
Editor’s Note. If any Suffolk member has one of these sack lifters I would be very interested in trying it out behind our drum later this year. At the moment we use a Cook’s sack barrow with wind up hoist, an excellent device but rather slow and not always convenient.
Published in Journal no. 23 Winter 1995/96
