Kverneland’s recent announcement that it is to drop the Accord, Taarup and Rau names and concentrate its many brands under the Kverneland and Vicon names is a reminder that long-established farm machinery marques can die out quite suddenly.

Can you name these tractors?Go to www.fwi.co.uk/oldmakes to see more or upload your own pictures (Click on each picture to enlarge)

Accord drills are well-known in the UK, as are Taarup mowers, and many farmers will have one or have had one in the past.

However, while car makes can almost disappear overnight (remember Rover, TVR, Reliant,Triumph, Wolseley, Oldsmobile and Simca?) farm machinery marques are generally very durable. Even if the manufacturer goes out of business or is taken over, the reservoir of goodwill that remains among farmers (not to mention the potential spares business) often means that it’s worth someone else taking it on.

Witness the rebirth of McCormick, an old name that had a lot of hsitory and affection behind it.

While marques like International Harvester, Clayson, Allis Chalmers, Steyr, Ford and Renault were swallowed up by big multinationals, the factories often carried on as normal and many still do to this day.

However many of the British names that went also involved factory closures. Marshall, Leyland, Nuffield, David Brown, Ransomes ploughs and Howard are just some of them.

Do you have a favourite old name that you were sad to see go? Add it to out list of gone-but -not-forgotten marques. If you have one in a shed, grab a picture and email it to david.cousins@rbi.co.uk. We’re starting a picture gallery too, so you can upload a picture to www.fwi.co.uk/oldmakes