Waikato man moves his MF 3080 tractor from Northern Ireland to the North Island

Stanley Wilson with his Massey Ferguson 3080. Photo / Catherine Fry

When Waikato Vintage Tractor and Machinery Club member Stanley Wilson and his family were looking at emigrating from Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, to New Zealand, they came over in 2001 to gather information before making the big move in 2002.

“One of the things I was pricing up was tractors and I realised I would have to pay between $50,000 and $60,000 for a tractor like the Massey Ferguson 3080 that I already had in Northern Ireland,” Wilson said.

At the time, if he had sold the Massey Ferguson 3080 in Northern Ireland, he would have got about $15,000.

“Bringing over a 40ft container in 2002 was $9000, so it made perfect sense to bring our belongings and the MF 3080, plus there was room for my Massey Ferguson 30E industrial loader.”

Twenty-two years later, the family are equity partners in a dairy goat operation near Tauhei in the Waikato and both the well-travelled tractors are still going strong.

“I ran a contracting business with my father in Northern Ireland and we bought the 1991 Massey Ferguson 3080 in 1998 to carry out de-stoning for potato crops and it also did a lot of mowing for silage.”

Technical aspects

The MF 3080 is an early example of an electronically controlled hydraulic lift system. Photo / Catherine Fry

The 3080 has a six-cylinder, 105hp Perkins diesel engine with 32-speed gears.

Although quite different from the screens and digital technology we see in cabs today, the modest array of buttons and dials in the 3080 cab is an early example of an electronically controlled hydraulic lift system, offering draft control while ploughing.

The tractor has three double lever-activated hydraulic valves for coupling with external implements.

“Massey Ferguson were forerunners in this type of technology, even though the other manufacturers soon caught up.”

Still on the job

The MF 3080 hydraulic lift system and coupling valves. Photo / Catherine Fry

The 33-year-old 3080 is still in regular use, performing tasks such as sowing fertiliser, raking grass for silage and wrapping bales.

It’s in original condition and Wilson has had to redo only the brakes as a precaution.

The Massey Ferguson 3080 is still in regular use. Photo / Stanley Wilson

He said he was more interested in having his tractors running well mechanically than looking like “show ponies”.

He did, however, admit he was beginning to feel a little precious about the 3080 and it may end up having a spruce-up and being given a space in the shed.

Wilson and his son, Dean, share a love of machinery and between them have a collection of 11 tractors from the 1950s to 1995.

These include eight Ferguson/Massey Fergusons and three David Browns.