Having right tool for the job, gets the job done. When bringing home the annual turf harvest in Co Leitrim in northwest Ireland, a 1979 Land Rover Series 3 is the perfect machine.
For hundreds of years across Ireland in a multi-step process families ‘saved’ turf from their bog for use in home heating and cooking. Turf was traditionally cut by hand using a two-sided spade called a sleán.
But even with mechanical cutting, where the turf is laid out in a ‘sausage’ shape over the length of a field, it is still a labour-intensive and back-breaking process to dry and harvest the turf.
To get yourself onto the spongy, wet bog, you will need a relatively light-weight vehicle, able to be loaded up to the roof and tow a laden trailer and a Series 3 Land Rover fits the bill.
Going into production in 1971, the Land Rover Series III is the most common version of the series range (series I, II, and III), with 440,000 of this type built from 1971 to 1985.
Series Land Rovers have a fully synchronized transmission with ‘selectable’ Four Wheel Drive (4WD) and operate as standard in rear wheel drive. The Series III gearbox has 10 gear ratios, (20 with the optional overdrive unit); giving you 8 forward gears and 2 reverse gears.
These gears are in turn divided into High range and Low range. High range consists of four standard gear ratios, plus a standard reverse gear. Low range consists of four low forward gears, plus a low reverse gear.
With 20 gears available the Series 3 is the perfect machine for bringing home the turf.
After the turf have been left on the bog for a few weeks, the work begins and the sods are stood upright leaning against each other with the wet side out – this process is called ‘footing’ and allows the wind to blow through the turf – you will have to do this more than once!
Information sources
Dr Martin McHugh – University of Limerick
RTE
The Irish Times – Conor Pope
