The FoFH forum is dedicated to Harry Ferguson and the legacy of his approach to engineering that survives today, over 40 years after his death. This heritage extends beyond Harry Ferguson’s tractors and implements, including a wealth of ideas and patents which many other manufacturers have copied, imitated and adopted, not just in the manufacture of agricultural machinery but also in many other fields of engineering.
Whilst many discussions in this forum concern Ferguson tractors, the scope of the forum encompasses both Ferguson tractors and implements and the many Ferguson derivatives which remain lasting proof that no individual has made a greater contribution to modern agricultural engineering than Harry Ferguson.
The FoFH forum recognises that the exchange of knowledge and experience between enthusiasts is the most valuable resource available in the pursuit of this goal. Besides strictly technical, mechanical or operational issues, the forum strives to foster and promote “the Ferguson spirit” - an idea which is difficult to define in absolute terms but which embraces a wide variety of views and ideas, inspired by Harry Ferguson’s original ideas and designs, proven and embraced over decades by Ferguson owners and enthusiasts worldwide.
So this forum can be about technical tips and tricks, about Ferguson history, or how to use your Ferguson tractor or implement - or anything else that in some way embraces the Ferguson spirit or is likely to appeal to other Ferguson enthusiasts. You don't have to own a Ferguson tractor to participate. And if you do, there are no requirements that you own a particular model, use it for particular tasks, or restore or maintain your tractor in a particular way or to a particular standard. Participation is open to all enthusiasts, from the “strictly original, museum-grade restorers”, through the working smallholders who simply enjoy experimenting with their Ferguson in their way, to those who still dream of driving or owning a Ferguson.
Similarly, we hope to avoid the need to impose or discuss rules about what is “on-topic” or “off-topic” - experience or an understanding of many other machines or models of tractors will often give rise to worthwhile or entertaining discussions from which other members can benefit.
To make this forum appealing and accessible to the widest possible audience, we would recommend the following -
When creating a new topic - give it a logical title - preferably prefixed with the tractor model (where appropriate) - for example- “TEA-20 12v Starter motor problem” (much better than “HELP MY FERGIE WON’T START”).
Remember that THE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS on web forums is usually regarded by other members AS SHOUTING! Think of the other members as friends and colleagues, whose help and advice will usually be more forthcoming if you don't shout at them.
There are situations where the use of capitals is OK - for instance, if you are trying to explain a repair process, writing “...then loosen the belt and remove dynamo from it's mount - REMEMBER TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY” - is not only acceptable but also a welcome reminder!
When replying to an existing topic, try to stay on-topic, so that, in the future, others who may find the forum from a search engine stand a chance of finding useful information, and so that other members, who may know the answer to your question but who might not have the time to read every posting, can quickly see the topics which interest them. When posting an obviously off-topic posting - set a prefix “[OT]” in front of the topic title - this allows those who prefer strictly topical postings to skip your off-topics posting and will generally limit the number of discussions we all have about controlling off-topic content.
If you choose to quote from a previous posting, edit the part of the posting you wish to quote so that its relevance is clear - avoid simply cutting and pasting an entire post! Remember, this is not a mail group, so it's easy for those joining a thread or topic to scroll down and see where it started!
When deciding whether to post to the forum, ask yourself whether your posting is better catered for on other FoFH pages - for instance the FoFH website already has popular For Sale and Wanted pages, as well as links to other organisations and suppliers.
If you are a supplier and wish to post a topic or reply which in some way promotes your products or services, please try to tread the fine line between “helpful postings” and “blatant advertising”! Whilst a topic or reply promoting a special offer on engine oil might be blatant advertising, a reply to a member who is searching for a hard to find part or service, saying that you can help them, is definitely valuable to both the member in question, and others - and will be welcome on the forum!
Suppliers are invited to email the
Web Editor, for inclusion in the FoFH Directory of Suppliers at FoFH’s discretion, but no charge.
If you wish to post an image - often the best or only way to adequately explain your question or answer - you can do this by uploading your image(s) to your own website and including a hyperlink to the image(s) in your posting. Please remember that not all members have high speed internet access - so try to crop your images tightly and compress them well. (JPEG compression with 20% compression 20% smoothing will do wonders for an otherwise "heavy" image, and still enable a 800 pixels wide photo to fill less than 200Kb)
Remember also, that “messing about with tractors” can be dangerous - think carefully about the advice you give to others - and always add a disclaimer when suggesting or describing something which you know has inherent hazards.
Finally - and most importantly - remember the limitations of electronic communication - what you see as a witty remark may offend another member - especially if English isn’t their mother tongue and they can’t see the glint in your eye as you write. Be nice to new members, and avoid “restoration snobbery” - remember that most of us started out with a non-working rusty wreck painted the wrong colour grey, with a pile of broken non-original parts and a big puddle of oil under every drain vent!
FORUM CONTENT (Disclaimer) --------------------------
The forum is established to support and connect Ferguson enthusiasts and to promote and support the activities and interests of FoFH. Members participating in forum activities are solely responsible for the legality of their contributions and the views expressed therein and all content posted by members does not reflect the views or policy of FoFH. Similarly, those using the forum - either as guests or members - accept sole responsibility for however they may use any information that they acquire as a consequence of the use of the forum without FoFH or individual members incurring any liability - express or implied - concerning the use, dissemination or application of such information.
COPYRIGHT ---------
Whilst all contributions are copyright the contributing member, all contributors, when posting new topics or replies to existing topics to the forum expressly accept that FoFH may, without fee or consideration, at its sole discretion-
publish such postings in this forum
share or cross-post such postings to other fora with which FoFH has an agreement
publish such postings in whole or in edited form, in any FoFH publications
The above rights apply in perpetuity worldwide without limitation with respect to the form of publication, media or distribution technology which FoFH or its legal successors may choose to employ. The utilisation of such rights is similarly subject to the original contributing member being appropriately credited for the use of such contributions.
MODERATION ----------
FoFH and its forum team will strive to create and maintain this forum for free discussion and exchange of ideas, information and experience with a generally unmoderated content policy. At the time of launching the forum (Mid 2004) we do not envisage general moderation of all postings or strict rules or guidelines for topic content or points of view.
The host server technology of the FoFH forum has been chosen and configured to limit the most likely problems-
Membership limited to FoFH members only
Communication between members using hidden email links
No posting of images to the forum (though linking to member’s external websites is possible)
There are two possible exceptions to the (generally unmoderated) content policy: technical considerations which may be necessary to maintain an efficient forum within the available bandwidth and host resources and questions of a legal or ethical nature. In the event of such issues FoFH reserves the right to take whatever action it deems necessary to further the interests of the forum.
PRIVACY POLICY --------------
Forum members do not need to provide any private information other than such information already required for FoFH subscriptions.
Private information provided by members will not be used for other purposes than described in FoFH membership details and will under no circumstances be given, sold or otherwise released to any third party.
To minimise the risk of unsolicited email to forum members FoFH recommends that members do not include their email address or any other personal data in open text or html code in their postings, but use the forum’s communication features when contacting other members.
The forum may not be used for the sale or distribution of pirate-copied manuals or documentation!
