A Massey Ferguson IDEAL 9T with joystick steering replaced a competitor brand combine on a Cambridgeshire mixed farm this year. After an extremely successful first harvest, the owners remain entirely happy with their choice of machine. 

Trading as M & F Farms, the Morton family has farmed in and around Helpston, near Peterborough, since 1938. Robin Morton runs the partnership with his mother, Rosemary and his son, James and although the mixed farm is the main enterprise, the family also owns the award-winning Willow Brook Farm Shop and Granary Tea Room.

The farm comprises owned, rented and contract-farmed land, totalling approximately 800ha. Arable cropping on 750ha includes wheat, winter and spring barleys, oilseed rape, winter beans, winter oats and sugar beet. A small area is rented out to a potato grower. The remaining land is grass pasture for grazing and forage to feed the family’s 100-head herd of Lincoln Red & Aberdeen Angus beef cattle. 

Change of brand

Before buying their Massey Ferguson IDEAL combine, the Mortons had remained loyal to a competitor brand for many years. When the local main dealer lost the franchise, the increased distance to collect spares and for engineers to travel to the farm to carry out repairs became a concern. So, in 2024 when the combine was due for replacement, the family looked elsewhere. 

Robin Morton and his son, James.

Priorities when selecting the new combine included reliability, dependable dealer back-up, high work rates and gentle handling of the crops and straw. “Because of daily livestock tasks to complete before other work commences, we often don’t start harvesting until late morning or lunchtime,” explained James. “That means we need adequate capacity to allow for short harvesting days and challenging weather, and to ensure cereals are harvested in peak condition. We grow barleys for malting and wheat is Group 1 for milling, so grain sample quality is key.

“Straw is needed for our own livestock, some is supplied to a neighbouring pig farmer and the rest is sold for biomass to a green energy company. This means leaving straw swaths in good condition for baling is essential. Only the oilseed rape and winter beans residues are chopped.”

Straw quality a priority

The Morton’s previous combine had a twin-rotor separation system and although the straw quality wasn’t as good as from a conventional straw walker model, it was adequate. An alternative brand rotary combine was trialled three years ago when a dealer demonstrator was in the area, but it was quickly discounted as it ‘smashed’ the wheat straw so badly, explained James. 

The family started dealing with local AGCO dealer, Chandlers (Farm Equipment) Ltd in 2000. “There is a depot near us at Barnack, the back-up is good, and the team are all friendly and easy to deal with, especially Agricultural Area Sales Manager, David White who looks after our account,” explained Robin. “A few years ago, our Caterpillar Challenger crawler went in for a repair and we were lent a Massey Ferguson wheeled tractor to use instead. We couldn’t believe how well it pulled the heavy cultivator, so we traded in the crawler for a Massey Ferguson 8740. It proved so popular with operators and the dealer back-up was so good that we traded in another wheeled tractor for an 8S.265, which has been equally successful. That’s why, apart from one remaining tractor of another brand, all our tractors are red today.”

The positive experience of Massey Ferguson as well as the superb service from the Chandlers team encouraged the Mortons to try an IDEAL combine during harvest last year. “We were immediately impressed,” continued James. “We wanted additional capacity and the IDEAL 9T had plenty, and the demonstration machine came with a 40ft PowerFlow header which was a step up in performance and output compared to our existing 35ft header with an extendable bed. The machine trialled also had Massey Ferguson’s IDEALdrive joystick steering rather than a conventional steering wheel and, although we had doubts about its benefits, we placed an order for the combine we’d tried.”

Before the 2025 harvest, the Chandlers team arranged operator and maintenance training. “It was really helpful,” confirmed James. “We preferred the option of learning about our own combine in our own yard, and everything was clearly explained while we were also confident that any queries we had during harvest would be quickly answered.”

Joystick steering advantages

James said that it took a short while to get used to the IDEALdrive joystick steering, but he now prefers it to a steering wheel. “The IDEAL’s cab is spacious and comfortable, and the joystick steering increases working efficiency and reduces fatigue. Rather than turning a steering wheel multiple times at each headland, I just move the joystick left or right instead. It also allows a much better view of the header without a steering column blocking the view. With the joystick on the left seat armrest, I can see right across the table and there’s no need to lean forward to keep an eye on the intake elevator, so it’s better for my back too.”

James Morton says the Massey Ferguson IDEAL 9T’s cab is spacious, comfortable and well laid out. Almost all settings are made from the cab and the main terminal menus are logical and easy to use. 

Easy to set-up and use

Achieving a good grain sample has also proved easy. “I start with the IDEAL’s suggested settings which are applied automatically and then tweak the parameters myself as conditions change during the day. I find the IDEAL’s control terminal intuitive and user-friendly. I set grain sample and straw quality as my priorities, rather than maximum work rate, as the IDEAL 9T so easily achieves the productivity we need. In a 12t/ha wheat crop with high straw volumes, we easily achieve 70t/hr and get over the ground quickly, especially considering we tend to work short days. Using automatic speed control in wheat and barley I sometimes feel that the crop intake must be too fast, but the combine never struggles and the automation is simply doing what it was designed to do - making the most of the IDEAL 9T’s impressive capabilities. It’s taken me most of harvest to learn that I don’t have to worry it might block,” he added. 

Reduced losses

The PowerFlow header contributes to reduced grain losses. “We lose significantly less grain at the front than with our previous header, and I’m impressed by how efficiently it picks up shorter crops and delivers them to the intake elevator too,” continued James. “The superior header performance is particularly noticeable in oilseed rape and winter barley, and it ensures a constant flow of material to the processing system. Overall losses from the whole combine are negligible, and much lower than we were used to with previous machines.”

Lincolnshire-based M & F Farms purchased a Massey Ferguson IDEAL 9T with a 40ft PowerFlow header and IDEALdrive joystick steering, following a successful demonstration by Chandlers (Farm Equipment) Ltd last year.

The IDEAL 9T is easy to look after. James said the design, including fewer drive chains and belts than most other combines, makes it easier and quicker to complete daily checks. The AirSense cooling system includes a reversible fan which keeps the engine bay and radiators clear of dust and debris build-up, so little cleaning was needed even during the dry and dusty 2025 harvest. The engine air cleaner didn’t require cleaning at all and remained almost spotless. 

Right dealer and machine

“We would definitely choose the Massey Ferguson IDEAL 9T again,” confirmed Robin. “It would handle a bigger header quite easily, but we feel the 40ft model is just right for our situation and the crops we grow. The combine performs well; it seems very fuel efficient and it’s easy to set-up to achieve a good sample. Although this year’s harvest was especially dry with some very brittle straw, it was handled gently by the IDEAL and contractors baled it easily.

“I can’t speak highly enough of the Chandlers sales, service and parts teams. They are just brilliant and nothing is too much trouble. We were reassured by a five-year warranty when we ordered the machine, but knowing we had such a good dealer nearby was just as important a factor in our buying decision.”