Vintage Tractor Engineer

November 2007 marked 50 years of Massey Ferguson and the familiar Triple Triangle badge.

The companies of Massey Harris and Ferguson merged in August 1953 to form Massey-Harris-Ferguson. Massey-Harris were a Canadian based company which had been manufacturing farm equipment since 1847. Although Massey-Harris had much success with combine harvesters, their tractor range had failed to make the same impact, so the deal with Ferguson would give them the oportunity to work with the worlds best selling tractor design. The TE-20 (or Little Grey Fergie) was the world’s best selling tractor, with production peaking at over 100,000 units a year.

Harry Ferguson was chairman and head of engineering of the new company, but by 1954 he had fallen out with his new coleagues, resigned from his position and then sold out completely to the new company. The company now traded both the Massey-Harris and the Ferguson brands, but this was abbreviated in 1957 to Massey Ferguson. The new name was accompanied by new red paint work and the Triple Triangle badge. Was it the rejection by Massey Harris of Ferguson’s new 60Hp tractor that caused the disagreement?
AGCO marked the 50 year celebration with the opening of a new visitor centre at the Beauvais plant in France.

This Ferguson tractor story comes straight from Harry Ferguson’s grandson, who tells of a 60Hp Ferguson tractor which never made it into full production.

This information came from Vintage Tractor Engineer’s farming neighbour. The neighbour was looking to buy some dairy cows and a whole herd was advertised on the Isle of White. It turned out that the seller of the cows was none other than the grandson of Harry Ferguson, who runs a Ferguson museum on the island as well as Harry Ferguson Farms LTD at Kings Manor, Freshwater.

VTE’s neighbour was told the story of a Ferguson tractor that never went into production.  Clearly the Massey Ferguson 35 was a successful tractor and Harry wanted to capitalise and improve on the machine by introducing a 60Hp version for the larger farms.  The story goes that 6 of these prototype tractors were manufactured and sent out onto farms.  This happened at the time after Ferguson had sold out to Massey Harris and all tractors were now been sold under the Massey Ferguson brand (2007 is 50 years of Massey Ferguson).  Harry was delighted with the new 60Hp version and expected the model to outsell all other competition and propell Massey Ferguson into a league above all the other tractor manufacturers.  At this time though, Harry was now only an employee of the Massey Ferguson Corporation and did not have the final say any more over tractor production decisions.  The company chiefs decided to shelve the 60Hp Ferguson designed tractor in favour of their own Massey Harris designed tractor.  The Massey Harris designed tractor was badged the Massey Ferguson 65 but the tractor was not received well and was not a great comercial success.  It can be seen that the design and styling of the Massey Ferguson 65 has an American feel to it and it clearly wasn’t the big brother of the Massey Ferguson 35.

Sadly, of the 6 prototype tractors, 5 were recalled to the factory where they were broken up. The 6th one remained out on farm and was forgotten about.  The farmer had bought the tractor and it was so reliable that it ran for many years without needing any repairs or new parts.  One day the tractor had a fault and so the owner sent it in to the local MF dealers to be repaired.  They had seen nothing like it before and did not know that the model had ever existed.  When the dealer enquired to the factory the factory offered to take back the prototype and supply the farmer with a brand new Massey Ferguson tractor and of course the farmer was highly delighted that he had been able to swap his old tractor for a brand new one. 

Now for the sad part of this story.  That 6th tractor was also broken up by the factory and any traces of the model’s existence were destroyed.  One wanders what would have happened had Massey Ferguson gone with the Ferguson design in favour of the Massey Harris designed 65.  Harry Ferguson was a man who not only understood the tractor market, but also knew his design would be a huge success.  Apparently Harry was of the opinion that Massey Ferguson would have killed off most of the competition from other tractor manufacturers if the company had brought the 60Hp Ferguson into production. 

This is the story that Vintage Tractor Engineer has been told.  If you have any more info then leave a comment.  Maybee you helped design the tractor, maybee you have driven one, or possibly you have a photograph?  Let us know.