Period correct plates for Tractor
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Discussion

Snow and Rocks

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

45 months

Thursday
quotequote all
Recently bought myself an old tractor and have managed to get it registered for the road with an age appropriate number plate.

Didn't give it too much thought until I went online to buy some black/silver plates. There are endless variations...

Any ideas on what would have been fitted new in Dec 1964?

OutInTheShed

12,497 posts

44 months

Thursday
quotequote all
Not sure it matters, don't plates bought today have to meet today's standards?

But in Somerset, the number would have been painted on with a stick.

Pressed ali plates with polished characters on a black background would have been posh.

White stick on letters on a black background or v/v?

Snow and Rocks

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

45 months

Thursday
quotequote all
OutInTheShed said:
Not sure it matters, don't plates bought today have to meet today's standards?

But in Somerset, the number would have been painted on with a stick.

Pressed ali plates with polished characters on a black background would have been posh.

White stick on letters on a black background or v/v?
Haha, in darkest Aberdeenshire so painting number plates with a stick or marker pen is still very much in vogue... Although I reckon the supplying dealer would have made up plates if it was road registered from new.

It seems like you can fit whatever was legal at the time which includes a surprising variation in fonts.

White-Noise

5,405 posts

266 months

Thursday
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Pics!

vw_99

217 posts

61 months

Thursday
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Dingbro in aberdeen were able to make pressed plates a few years ago. Maybe worth a call

Snow and Rocks

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

45 months

White-Noise said:
Pics!
An 1964 International B-414 - aside from a leaking water pump, all seems in good order. Quite pleased with it.


Snow and Rocks

Original Poster:

2,947 posts

45 months

vw_99 said:
Dingbro in aberdeen were able to make pressed plates a few years ago. Maybe worth a call
Thanks, will give them a shout today.

Mammasaid

5,022 posts

115 months

Snow and Rocks said:
White-Noise said:
Pics!
An 1964 International B-414 - aside from a leaking water pump, all seems in good order. Quite pleased with it.

thumbup 60's tractors will go on for ever, if looked after.


White-Noise

5,405 posts

266 months

I was wondering what it would be. Congrats and I hope you enjoy it. We had a grey fergie for a while, road legal which was a great experience.

Llentil the llama

957 posts

247 months

Old tractors are great, so analogue and easy to work on.

Below are our two earning their keep. Driving the bigger one on the road is fun, even drivers of blinged up orange Ford crewcabs don't mess with it.




aeropilot

38,816 posts

245 months

Snow and Rocks said:
Recently bought myself an old tractor and have managed to get it registered for the road with an age appropriate number plate.

Didn't give it too much thought until I went online to buy some black/silver plates. There are endless variations...

Any ideas on what would have been fitted new in Dec 1964?
Probably the same as to what you see on this tractor, from a very famous photo taken in 1962 of George Aird banging out of a Lightning over Hatfield airfield, which looks like white hand painted numbers on a black board smile



White-Noise

5,405 posts

266 months



Ours just had to cut the paddock and go to the village fete occasionally.

The picture of the plane above is amazing thanks for sharing that.

Mammasaid

5,022 posts

115 months

Llentil the llama said:
Old tractors are great, so analogue and easy to work on.

135 Multipower?

RSTurboPaul

12,435 posts

276 months

Llentil the llama

957 posts

247 months

No it is not a Multipower, normal gearbox only. Like the OP's it has a front loader which is why we bought it, no more shovelling muck up onto the heap now!


Squirrelofwoe

3,224 posts

194 months

Yesterday (09:41)
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Not sure if it helps or not but two of our old ones are still on their original plates - black and white

The MF 165 was purchased at 1 year old by my late dad back in the 60s, it was his first tractor that was truly his rather than his dad's (my grandfathers).

The DB was acquired by my dad sometime in the early 90s as payment for some hedge-cutting work (using a DB 1212 with a huge side-mounted Econ - also still in the family). Both the red DB and the 165 have been rebuilt a couple of times as were in pretty much daily use until a couple of years ago.

Now both still in the family and now working at my sister's place down in Cornwall.




theadman

675 posts

175 months

Yesterday (12:34)
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I bought new plates for a 1967 car from here:

https://www.tippersvintageplates.co.uk/

They are very knowledgeable and should be able to advise you, but I suspect the majority of tractors used the 'painting with a stick' method in the early 1960s.



aeropilot

38,816 posts

245 months

Yesterday (12:55)
quotequote all
theadman said:
but I suspect the majority of tractors used the 'painting with a stick' method in the early 1960s.
Back then, there would still have been many local sign-writers around in most villages/market towns that would have hand painted numbers on a black border on new tractors, I doubt many would have been fitted with actual number plates then. That would likely have changed by the end of the decade.

hidetheelephants

31,604 posts

211 months

Yesterday (14:59)
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Tippers do more or less every variant of number plate style, not cheap but they do look right.