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| Lot number | 53 |
|---|---|
| Hammer value | £2,100 |
| Description | Ferguson TED 20 |
| Year | c.1953 |
| Colour | Grey |
Possibly the best-known and best-loved tractor of all time, the Ferguson TE20 was launched in 1946 and was the culmination of 30 years’ work by its inventor, Harry Ferguson, to integrate the tractor and its plough into an engineering whole.
At the heart of ‘The Ferguson System’ lay an ingenious three-point linkage which transferred the ‘pull’ of the plough into ‘downforce’ using hydraulic controls to vary the depth of ploughing. This allowed ‘the little grey Fergie’ to do the job of machines weighing five times as much and proved such a worldwide success that it literally revolutionised farming – as well as making Harry a multi-millionaire.
Produced under licence at the vast Standard Motor Company ‘shadow factory’ in Coventry (used to make aero engines in the war years), the TE20 employed Standard’s new 1,850cc wet-liner four-cylinder engine, a version of which would later be used in Standard’s road cars, such as the Vanguard. The first tractors ran on petrol but from 1949 the TED20 version could also run on TVO (tractor vapourising oil – paraffin, more or less) and over half-a-million were sold before production finally came to an end in 1956.
Thought to date from around 1953, this particular TED20 has been in the current Shropshire ownership for eight years and was acquired from a local lady farmer who had owned it for many years before that. Shortly after acquisition the tractor was treated to a thorough restoration at a cost of some £2,200 which is documented in photographs on file. Only used for light duties around the vendor’s country estate since, it remains in very smart condition throughout and is ready for work.
Although the tractor is not currently road registered and does not have a V5, the vendor believes that it was formerly used on the road (possibly with the registration number NUX 420) and it should be easy enough to get it re-registered with the V5 application form that is included in the sale, should the new owner feel so inclined.
