1940s Massey-Harris combine harvester still works in Norfolk

The Massey-Harris 722, first registered in 1949, is thought to be the oldest working British-built self-propelled combine.

It is owned by agricultural engineer and vintage enthusiast Scott Bunting, based at Skeyton near North Walsham.

This machine spent its whole working life at Hill Farm in Oxwick, Fakenham, and was then stored in a farm shed until 2012, when it was purchased by Norfolk collector Bob Parke.

Mr Bunting was part of a small team who helped restore it to working order, and he bought the combine from Mr Parke in 2019, to ensure this rarity stayed in Norfolk.

And to keep this valuable piece of farming heritage alive, he still uses it regularly - including cutting four acres of wheat during this autumn's harvest.

"I have never really had any problems with it," he said. "It is like anything, modern or old, if it is well maintained, it will keep working.

Scott Bunting harvesting wheat with his 1940s Massey-Harris 722 combine harvester (Image: Chris Lockwood)

"I cut a few acres with it every year to keep it in good working order.

"As far as I am concerned, it can keep doing that for a long, long time to come."

The 31-year-old, who also works part-time fixing steam locomotives on the Bure Valley Railway, said he had always had a passion for bygone engineering.

"Growing up on the farm we still had a few old tractors which my grandfather and my great grandfather bought," he said.

"I have always been around old machinery and I suppose that is how I got interested in it. 

"Some things are worth restoring and keeping for future generations. If I don't preserve it, who else is going to?"

Scott Bunting with his 1940s Massey-Harris 722 combine harvester (Image: Denise Bradley)

Mr Bunting said 395 machines of this model were made for about 12 months between 1948 and 1949. Of the three or four remaining models, this is the only one still functioning.

The 722 is a British version of the Canadian-built 222 model. Parts were imported into the UK and assembled at a Massey-Harris factory in Manchester.

Instrument panel on Scott Bunting's Massey-Harris 722 combine harvester (Image: Denise Bradley)