World Champion Ploughman takes a Break

Following Simon Witty’s fourth World Reversible Ploughing title in a row, the Yorkshireman has announced that he is stepping down from future Reversible World Championships. But admirers of his work need not worry that they won’t see him representing his country again, for he plans to ‘enter the ring’ on the conventional side of ploughing. “Ploughing has given me a great deal of pleasure and I feel I’ve come as far as I can with reversible ploughing for now, so I want to try my hand at conventional ploughing for a new challenge” comments Witty.

Simon uses a trusty 19 year old 82 horsepower Ford 4610T which was originally destined for work in Brazil at altitude, where the scarcer oxygen would have resulted in a lower power output. Despite offers of sponsorship from tractor manufacturers, Simon prefers to stick with the Ford because, without today’s modern technology, it is simple to maintain and operate – offering clear all round visibility from the cab. Just as with his competition reversible plough, Simon has been busy modifying a 2-furrow Kverneland body. Simon is sponsored by Firestone and runs his tractor on a set of Firestone R7000 radial tyres, with a 45o lug bar, making them ideal for ploughing – although Simon has even made some modifications to the tyres to alter their performance for competition requirements.