The little Grey Fergie was one of the most popular tractors in Australia in the 50’s & 60’s. That tractor actually wrote itself into Australian folklore, when local farmers gathered with their tractors during the 1956 floods in the Murray-Dowling river town of Wentworth NWS to save the town. Those little tractors worked around the clock patching levee banks and saved that town from disaster. They appreciated the little grey fergie so much for that effort, the town erected a monument to it, which still stands today.
Neil Granger
No Haggle Tractor Purchase
I purchased a 1956 TO-35 Ferguson from a family in Pie Town, New Mexico in April of this year. I live in Orange, California and visit our family ranch in Pie Town, New Mexico usually once a month. After our 11 hours and 660 miles of driving, just before our property, we noticed a little red tractor with a “For Sale” sign next to it. We slowed as we drove by and thought we might call the phone number listed on the sign in a day or two. Seven days later, the day we were to return to California, we drove by the tractor and checked it out. We called the phone number listed on the For Sale sign, but no answer. We decided to drive to the farmhouse which we thought might be selling the tractor. As we drove through the opened gate, with signs posted saying “You Are Now Within Rifle Range”, we felt a bit uneasy. We finally found a gentleman and inquired about the tractor. He said it was his tractor and he was the individual selling it. During our conversation I kept seeing movement out of the corner of my eye. After he was finished telling us all about the tractor he must have sensed we were good people because he yelled out “It’s O.K”. And at that moment his 13 year old daughter appeared from the side of an outbuilding and lowered her AK-47! Yep, this was the movement I had been noticing.
So, we purchased the tractor for $500.00 as we did not think haggling with him would be a very good idea. He indicated the distributor and cam were both damaged and would both need to be replaced. For $500.00 we received the tractor, an auger attachment without the auger, a seeder, and a sprayer. We loaded it on our trailer and headed back home to California.
We discovered the distributor gear would not turn at all. We could see and feel the cam gear and it seemed to be in decent shape. We installed a new distributor, added a battery, dumped in some gas and…..she fired up immediately. Sheet metal is in great shape. Someone painted it the wrong color, but that will all be taken care of. I am currently in restoration mode. My daughter named our tractor, Fergy. I have already purchased several items from Steiner and will be ordering more soon. Probably not too many people who have had a gun trained on them while buying a tractor.
Michael Stucker
Orange, California
Ferguson TO-20 or Ford 9N?
The Ferguson TO-20 and 9N Ford tractor are commonly confused with each other. If you’re making repairs, it’s important to know what you have! In addition to mechanical differences, one of these tractors has a big claim to fame – read to the end to find out what it is.
The easiest and most reliable way to tell which model of tractor you have is to look at the serial plate. The TO-20 and 9N are similar enough that a quick glance (or even a look at the hood) won’t be definitive. If you’re ordering parts, it’s worth your time to double-check.
There are plenty of similarities between these two tractors. They have the same paint scheme (grey all over), same tires, and the same rim, to name a few commonalities.
Big differences: the motor and the carburetor.
The TO-20 uses a Continental Z-120 motor. Ford produced their own engine for the 9N. The carburetors are different, too: The TO-20 uses a Zenith, and the 9N has a Marvel carburetor.
Some people call the Ford 9N tractors a “Ford-Ferguson” tractor. While I know what they’re talking about, this technically isn’t the name of any model of tractor. It can be confusing! The 9N Fords were advertised as having a Ferguson Hydraulic System and even had an emblem on the hood that said “Ferguson System.” The word “system” often falls off before the word “Ferguson,” though, making it even more confusing!
Now comes the claim to fame. The TO-20 was well received here in the United States, but it was fantastically popular in England, the rest of Europe, and even Austraila and New Zeeland, where the tractor is nicknamed the Little Grey Fergie. It’s even the subject of a popular children’s show! In England, the tractor is known as the TE-20. It’s a very similar tractor and comes with a wide variety of engine options (diesel, gasoline – even lamp oil!).
While I’m partial to Ford tractors, the TE-20 (England-produced version of the TO-20, essentially the same tractor) has the claim to fame that takes the cake: it was used by Sir Edmund Hillary on his expedition to the South Pole! A fleet of 7 of these tractors was used to transport people and supplies on the 1955-1958 expedition. While some of the tractors got special tracks or extra tires, the other components of the tractors were stock. These tractors performed admirably, even in the bitter cold and on sheets of ice. They hold the record as the first vehicles driven to the South Pole.
Central Washington Agricultural Museum Restoration
Volunteers at the Central Washington Ag Museum recently completed a restoration of Massey Harris Pony tractor that was originally made in 1950. The Massey Harris Pony was the smallest of the tractors manufactured by Massey Harris and was manufactured from 1947-1957 and was designed for use by small farmers. It has a three speed transmission (unsynchronized) and can develop 10.4 horsepower at the drawbar. It has a 4 cylinder Continental engine.
The tractor was owned by the Libby, McNeil and Libby Canning Plant located in Toppenish, WA and was used by them from the 1950’s until the 1970’s primarily to run test plantings of various corn varieties on a test plot in Toppenish. Over that 30 year span, common attachments for the Pony were a disc, spring tooth harrow and cultivator. In addition to corn, Libby, McNeil and Libby also had test plots of sweet peas, spinach, green beans and carrots.
Libby, McNeil and Libby went out of business in the early 1980’s and one of Libby’s field men, Robert Gallion acquired the tractor at this time. Mr. Gallion’s son, Rob Gallion used the disc and harrow for several years on his family’s property until it was donated to the Central Washington Ag Museum in 1992.
Rob had seen the Pony several times at the annual Pioneer Power Show, held the third weekend of August at the Ag Museum. He noticed the front tires seemed to be deteriorating over the years. He decided he wanted to get new front tires and help restore this Massey Harris Pony.
Rob did purchase new front tires. Then the work really began. Rob helped our Volunteer Crew completely dismantle the Pony. They did a major overhaul of the carburetor and the distributor, cleaned the accumulated dirt and grease, painted the entire tractor the original colors, and added new side panels and decals.
Rob himself proudly drove the restored tractor during the 2016 Old Town Days Parade in Union Gap, WA in late June. The tractor will also be displayed and be part of the equipment parade during the Pioneer Power Show held from August 20-21 at Union Gap’s Fullbright Park and the Central Washington Agricultural Museum.
“Driving that Massey Harris down Main Street, Union Gap in the parade was certainly a highlight for me. It brought back great memories of my father and the work he did for his career. Restoring this tractor has been very fulfilling and I want to thank the Central Washington Ag Museum’s volunteers for helping to make this happen,” said Rob Gallion.
The Central Washington Ag Museum currently has 148 tractors on site representing many of the leading manufacturers of their respective time. Several of the tractors are fully operational, although numerous tractors are in the need of repairs. If you have an interest in helping restore any of these tractors, or have a family story and history to lend to a tractor, please contact the Central Washington Ag Museum at www.centralwaagmuseum.org or call them at 509-457-8735.
The Central Washington Ag Museum is located at 4508 Main St, Union Gap, WA 98903
Eric Patrick