History
Welcome to the “History” section which takes a look at each era of the history of Nuffield, Leyland & Marshall Tractors.
To download your chosen chapter simply click onto the title.
Chapter one – In the beginning, the Nuffield years and BMC
Chapter two – The ‘Mini’, ‘British Leyland’, the birth of ‘Leyland Tractors’ & ‘Position Control’ hydraulics
Chapter three – The 98 Series Engine, ‘Q’ cab and the ‘Synchro’ gearbox
Chapter four – Tractors for the ’80’s, the final chapter for Bathgate, the Marshall Years and beyond!
NEW – An Overview of ‘British Leyland’ Foundries and other casting suppliers.
Nuffield and Leyland Tractors used large quantities of heavy cast iron housings, here are a few examples;
Main Frame, Gearbox, Rear Axles, Hydraulics, Engine Block, Cylinder Head, Front Axle Bolster, Clutch Cover etc. etc. Different models of tractor would use more or less castings. An average tractor could have approximately 23 main castings, and with a maximum of 94 tractors being built every day, this could amount to some 2162 castings per day! On a tractor weighing over 2 tons these castings made up a substantial percentage of the weight. Many other minor castings were also required, these would be either iron or aluminium.
All these thousands of castings had to be made, transported and machined! With Leyland Tractors being built at Bathgate, some 300 miles north of the foundries, transport was costly and problematic. Most major castings were transported by train others by road.
It’s sometimes difficult to identify exactly where each casting was made but the two main foundries were at Wellingborough and Coventry. Most major castings have foundry marks and casting date codes which makes identity easier.
Some foundries were subsidiaries of ‘Leyland’, others privately owned. It must be born in mind that the dates quoted are, in some cases, approximate. Different sources of reference offer conflicting dates!