Our latest What’s in Your Shed? heads to TV presenter-turned-farmer Jeremy Clarkson’s 400ha Cotswold farm for a rummage through his sheds.

The well-known figure bought his farm – Diddly Squat – in 2008, and has since taken over the running of it with help from farm manager and local contractor Kaleb Cooper. 

See also: Video: Jeremy Clarkson tells FW farming ‘harder than I thought’

Watch the video and read the full report below.

Favourite dealer?

Jeremy: The Lamborghini is serviced by Krone Forage Services over at Enstone, Oxford. I admit it probably isn’t the most practical tractor to run in England, as it’s a German import.

Kaleb: Claas Western. The service we get from them is second to none and nothing is too much trouble.

They are a great bunch of guys and will come and sort things at a moment’s notice – no matter what the time of day.

Jeremy Clarkson’s Lamborghini R8 © MAG/Colin Miller

How brand loyal are you?

Jeremy: I would never have anything other than a Lamborghini tractor, because it wouldn’t be a Lamborghini. I quite wanted a Fendt, but they are very expensive and I’m from Yorkshire.

Kaleb: There’s a bit of rivalry between Jeremy and I. He thinks his Lamborghini R8 is the best thing ever, but it’s far too big for the farm. I have an old 1996 Lamborghini, but other than that I am purely Claas.

The Claas Arion is much more sensible, but I will buy whatever machine is best suited to the job that needs doing, which means we don’t really stick to one brand – we are happy to mix it up.

Favourite bit of kit?

Jeremy: The CLM cultivator – because I know how to work it.

Kaleb: The 6m Weaving Sabre Tine drill. I really like how simple it is to use and set up. It has hydraulic adjustment and by taking the clips in and out, I can quickly adjust the sowing depth. I can get on it and know it will stick to the calibrations I’ve set, it’s a great design and practical, too.

Least favourite bit of kit?

Jeremy: I don’t have a least favourite bit of kit. Don’t you dare say the Lamborghini tractor…

Kaleb: …Jeremy’s Lamborghini R8. It’s just too big. The turning circle is so large you have to do a three-point turn at the end of each run, the cab is like a glass pyramid and there are loads of buttons and too much plastic. It’s terrible – everything about it is bad.

Latest purchase?

Jeremy: The Weaving Sabre Tine drill.

Kaleb: We were looking for a drill that could go into cultivated ground, but would also be able to plant direct into unmoved stubbles.

We only have a cultivator for scratching the surface, but the idea is to spray the stubbles off and then go straight into them with the Sabre Tine.

It fits our system really well and is extremely versatile, which is what we look for

Weaving Sabre Tine drill © MAG/Colin Miller

Replacement policy?

Kaleb: All our kit is second-hand – most of it is fairly old and came from a farm sale. The drill is our only new piece of kit and, ideally, we will try to keep everything going because changing stuff is expensive.

We’re not afraid to buy second-hand – it’s fine as long as you know what you’re doing and the back-up is there.

Reliability, a decent warranty and good service are everything when you buy a second-hand tractor, and that is why I like to stick with Claas. Really, you can’t go wrong.

Favourite tractor?

Jeremy: The Lamborghini.

Kaleb: I’ve got a Claas Arion 540 with a loader on the front. It does all the spraying and I like everything about it, especially as it is a bit smaller than the others on the farm.

I also have a Claas Axion 820 with a continuously variable transmission, which is a bit more powerful.

It will do a lot of road work and carting and take on the cultivating if the Lamborghini is busy. Generally, the Lamborghini does all the groundwork because it has a lot of power.

Claas Axion 820 tractor © MAG/Colin Miller

What’s next on your wish list?

Kaleb: We’ve not long equipped the farm with everything we need. When Jeremy decided to do the farming himself, he basically went to a farm sale and bought the machinery second-hand.

But if we were to replace anything, it would be a new self-propelled sprayer to take over from the Berthoud.

Most expensive repair?

Jeremy: Replacing the steering wheel when it fell off the Lamborghini, and repairing the brakes when they failed – that was very scary.

Kaleb: I had a £4,500 bill for the Claas Arion – everything seemed to go wrong at once, so it ended up needing a mix of different repairs.

There were exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) problems and the air conditioning broke at the same time. 

Do you fix and repair yourself?

Kaleb: Not normally – I usually get Claas Western to do all the big tractors. If it’s an older machine I will look after it myself and they can talk me through some of the simple fixes over the phone.

I find with modern machinery you really have to know what you’re doing – especially with these big tractors and all the electronics that are on them nowadays.

What’s your everyday transport.

Jeremy: Range Rover – I’ve got two of them.

Kaleb: A Mitsubishi L200 pickup truck – it’s a good workhorse and has done 158,000 miles.

I’ve never put a spanner in the engine and it has cost me absolutely nothing other than a £300 EGR valve. The whole time I’ve had it, that’s the only repair I’ve done – it just keeps going.

Biggest machinery mistake?

Jeremy: Putting the tramlines in wrong when I was drilling.

Kaleb: Jeremy’s tractor – it’s the worst tractor I’ve driven. But I’ve never really bought something I regretted.

What’s the best bargain you’ve bought?

Jeremy: The Lamborghini R8 – it was only £40,000.

Kaleb: I had a Krone twin-rotor rake that I bought for £2,000 – it was a real bargain.

Clarkson’s Farm will launch Friday 11 June on Amazon Prime Video.