Machinery plays a large role on our farm. Tractors hold a special place in most farmers affections – we tend to remember the good features and forget the ‘less good’ ones.
One of the tractors held in high respect is the old TEA20 Ferguson tractor – or the old fergie. These were (and still are on small farms) common work horses. They had very little horsepower – 20 HP – for the mass of jobs they actually did. I won’t bother telling you the history of the machines as there are plenty of sites dedicated to the sturdy little machines.
Nowdays, the fergie is mainly used for small jobs such as towing small equipment (augers, bins etc), grass cutting with a slasher and fencing. But in their day they ploughed, harvested and carried all manner of things on farms throughout the world. They were simple machines, easily maintained and very reliable. At 67 years of age, it still goes most days doing a range of useful jobs.
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Here’s me and the old girl. The paint work is what they call original, but that has never slowed her down. It has a few quirks as you would expect, but I have never had to worry about the air conditioning or the engine management computer failing. 🙂 |
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She is a TEA20 petrol model manufactured in approximately 1948 according to the serial number. The fuel was gravity fed into the carbie. Electric start, battery and lights were an option and all fergie’s were equipped with the crank handle conveniently located under the seat for those who preferred manual starts. |
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However useful the old girl is, time stands still for no one. Here you can see the growth in horsepower requiring an increase in size and weight of more modern machines. Technology has certianly moved on – although I wonder if these other tractors will still be working into their 60’s? |
Cheers
NeilK