Tobias Daniels, 37, and son Oscar, 16, from Somerset are engaging the next generation of tractor lovers with a fun and quirky YouTube channel dedicated to vintage restorations. Heather Juliette Bryson reports…

Tobi’s first encounter with a tractor was at the age of 6. After admiring these machines and their fascinating colours and technical attachments from birth, the opportunity arose for him to have a go in one at a friend’s farm. From this moment on, the addiction set in. At the age of 35, after never quite being able to justify the need for a tractor of his own, an immense sensation of joy was felt when his son Oscar, age 13, blurted out the words “Dad, I want to be an engineer and fix engines’.

Naturally, they gathered any amount of money from savings they could and rummaged around the sofa cushions for a little extra. After several calls and emails, Tammar vintage tractors sent him up a little Grey Ferguson TED 20 that needed some restoring, at a bargain price. The gratitude for being afforded this opportunity is an endless debt in Tobi’s mind. The work on the grey Ferguson bought about a huge amount of joy for the father and son team, so much so that once complete, they took the Ferguson to a local show and ended up with a rosette!

One morning, while admiring their beautiful machine with a cup of tea, the pair had a thought; “If we can restore a vintage tractor, learning as we go, anyone can”. So they set about sourcing another tractor to restore and stream on YouTube, creating some fun yet educational videos, under the name ‘Father and son Tractors’.

This time, Easterbrook Tractors stepped up and again, at a good price, sent up a Ferguson TE20 continental. This one however had been sat in a hedge since 1980, and was in a far worse condition. No wires, no starter motor, no wheels, it looked like it had been in a fire, mice were living inside the gear box, and birds had nested in the radiator housing! In fact, when the tractor was dropped off by the former owner, David, he said; “You’ll want to put some diesel on those pistons, fella”.

Unaware of what this meant or why, the pair were disconcerted to say the least. Filled with a confusing mix of enthusiasm and scepticism, works began. But as this particular tractor was in such a bad way, the chaps decided they needed some support. A blanket series of carefully tailored correspondence were sent out to a few select companies and after a few weeks, the team had gained some valuable sponsorship, offering both discounts and freebies.

Picture caption: The first restoration; a Grey Ferguson TED 20

This article extract was taken from the October 2024 edition of The Country Smallholder. To read the article in full, you can buy the full issue here.

To receive regular copies of The Country Smallholder magazine featuring more articles like this, subscribe here.

For FREE updates from the world of smallholding, sign up for The Country Smallholder newsletter here.