Copyright 2011 - 2024
The farm has two tractors - a 4-wheel drive Kubota M-series which does all the extra hard yards - resowing paddocks, cutting, raking
and baling hay, and an old grey Fergie. The Fergie (Ferguson TE-20) is my favourite and generally gets the most use (even though
it is 69 years old). The Fergie slashes pasture and lawn, does all the fertiliser spreading and usually pulls the spray trailer.
The
trouble with Fergies is that they basically never stop. In my care (or lack of it), it has had a new coil, new fanbelt, new
carburettor, new tyres, new dashboard instruments, new brake linings and new rear axle seals over the last 19 years. So, I've
had it for a quarter of its life, and sad to say I only changed its transmission/hydraulic oil for the first time last year.
Compression is still good in the cylinders of its petrol engine (100 psi across the board).
The Fergie is TED 236376 which puts
its manufacturing date as 1951. The 'D' is interesting as this indicates that it started life out with an engine designed for
'Tractor Vaporizing Oil' (a modified form of kerosene). So, is it the original engine, now running on petrol? I can't
tell, but the TVO's had two fuel tanks (a second smaller one with 'real' petrol so that the tractor started; once started you then
switch to the cheaper TVO), and this tractor only has one. It also has a 12 volt electrical system, so other owners have obviously
done bits and pieces to it. No problem..., even in our cold winters, she starts easily first go, and just doesn't' quit.
So,
when I had to replace the rear axle seals (and the brake linings which oddly enough were covered in oil), I decided to give the tractor
a new coat of paint. These days purists say don't 'restore' a tractor, leave it the way it was found. Well, this tractor
hasn't been restored because it has never stopped working. It just needed a coat of paint to look a million dollars (even though
I probably painted it with the later Massey Ferguson grey rather than Ferguson grey. I don't care, it looks great.
