(L-R) Jai Pritchard, Rundle & Co; Gareth Goodchild, Massey Ferguson UK aftersales manager; Jerry Hobskirk and Sue Cripps, FYB Marine; Colin Tucker, Rundle & Co. 

Towing boats out of the Falmouth Estuary isn’t the traditional place for a brace of Massey Ferguson tractors, but the bespoke setup of an MF 4709 M, and a smaller MF 1735 E, has meant they’re excelling in their new home. 

When crane hire became uneconomical for lifting and lowering boats from and into the Falmouth Estuary, Jerry Hobkirk, director at FYB Marine, decided that handling the movements via the business’s slipway was the most logical option.

The issue was that to do so required significant investment in machinery. Jerry’s idea was to use a manoeuvrable tractor that could handle jobs around the yard, but also be over 6t in weight to control a Roodberg 15t-rated boat trailer down the steep 30-degree slipway, with vessels up to 41ft on board. He explains.

“Inching boats down a slipway doesn’t require loads of horsepower, but it does need sufficient tractor weight for traction. There’s a turn at the top of the slipway, so a tractor that is underweight would be guided by the trailer during the turn, rather than the other way around.”

Jerry continues: “We need total confidence in the tractor to hold the weight of the trailer. We’re moving expensive boats, so accuracy and safety is paramount. In the winter we remove 60 boats from the water up the slipway, so our process needs to be as efficient as possible,” adds Jerry.

FYB Marine was set up in 2001 and is a main agent for several premium suppliers, such as Volvo Penta and Yanmar. The business also has a 60-berth marina next to the one-acre site on the harbour-side.

As Jerry, and fellow director Sue Cripps, aren’t from farming circles, they chose the local Stithians Show to visit several tractor dealerships to size up the options. Jerry says there was only one dealer and brand that wanted to understand his exact requirements.

“We spoke to Colin Tucker at Rundle & Co, who was interested in our business and responded quickly to our criteria. We received several quotes from other dealers, but it was Rundle & Co who took time to understand our specific requirements and get us the right machine for the job.”

The two MF tractors have increased flexibility and daily efficiency for the team at FYB Marine

Customer requirements

Colin quickly understood that this was going to be a very different tractor from his usual farm sale as there was no need for lots of horsepower or GPS technology. Instead of quoting Jerry a 6t MF 6S, Colin suggested a smaller MF 4709 M, with several options to increase the weight. Colin explains.

“The simple option was to quote for an MF 6S, which would’ve easily coped with the traction. However, an MF 6S was more expensive and had a larger frame that compromised manoeuvrability in the small yard. Once I understood the requirements, I decided a smaller tractor with ballast to match the weight of the MF 6S would be better.”

Colin, along with the engineering departments at Rundle & Co and the MF team in the UK, worked out by adding rear wheel weights, a front weight, and wider tyres than standard, (an additional 125kg per corner when ballasted), the MF 4709 M was more than up to the job.

“Between us we assessed water and air volumes of the tyres to ensure the machine would be heavy enough. It wasn’t straight forward and took considerable time, but it was this work that Jerry and Sue really appreciated, as we saved them money by understanding what they needed.”

The MF 4709 M has been customised and is well matched to the Roodberg boat trailer on the slipway

MF 4709 M changes

With no requirement for the rear linkage, Rundle & Co fitted the valve block for the trailer, which has various lateral and height movements to accommodate different vessel sizes, and hydraulic rams supporting the boat at the rear.

The tractor has a Dyna 2 transmission, with 24 gears in both forward and reverse, and the straightforward cab makes it simple to operate around the yard. Other changes include a full coating of a rust inhibitor to protect the whole machine from saltwater exposure. The tractor also has a fully serviced and maintained five-year warranty.

Since it arrived in 2024, the MF 4709M has proved a big hit at the boat yard, as Jerry explains. “We now have the flexibility to launch and remove boats from the water when it suits us and means we can help boat owners that have broken down. The tractor can also reverse the boat trailer into the covered workshop, which wasn’t possible before.”

Recent 1735 E addition      

Despite the benefits of the MF 4709 M, the trailer does take considerable time to remove, and Jerry was finding a need for a smaller machine for shunting various items around the yard, keeping the slipway clear of seaweed, and moving other trailers around the yard.

He openly admits he could’ve saved a lot of money by purchasing a lesser-known make of tractor, but the support provided by Rundle & Co through the first sale, meant Jerry was keen to return the favour and buy a higher quality machine, with the benefit of a five-year warranty and service plan.

“The investment in a smaller tractor has saved us significant time switching between implements as it’s A-frame linkage can handle implements for slipway maintenance, trailer movements, and has a galvanised box for various items we require when moving boats from the water.”

Jerry concludes: “There’s plenty of operations that require tractors other than agriculture, and we found Colin and Rundle & Co very supportive in our requests. We believe we’ve ended up with the ideal tractor combination, for much less than if we’d just gone with the first quote we received.”