David Brown VAK 1A

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AMENDMENT: Please note that this is a VAK1A and not a Cropmaster as previously catalogued.

David Brown Ltd. were best known for manufacturing gears, but in 1936 decided to branch out into tractor manufacture. Joining forces with Harry Ferguson, they built the Ferguson Brown tractor, a machine highly prized today.

The genius of the new machine came from Ferguson’s patent 3-point hydraulic lift, a system which transferred the weight and drag of the implement directly into downward force on the rear wheels. This gave the lightweight machine tremendous grip when ploughing, outperforming much larger machines and catching the eye of none other than Henry Ford. The Ferguson Brown partnership broke up shortly before war broke out when Ferguson went into partnership with Ford. David Brown quickly got stuck into war work, developing their own twin-seat tractor tug which commonly saw active service as an aircraft tug.

After the war, they modified it back to an agricultural tractor and in 1945 the VAK1 was introduced. Just 3,500 of these early VAK1 models were produced, starting the long-running Cropmaster range that built the firm’s reputation through to the Case takeover in 1980. One of the main selling points of the Cropmaster was the two seat arrangement which allowed a driver and ploughman to travel together, most equipment at that time requiring two people to operate it. These days, when classic tractors are used more for show and tractor runs than paying work, these two-seat Cropmasters have become very fashionable.

This 1945 example was purchased through Brightwells in 2013 having been comprehensively refurbished and is offered ready to go. On offer simply because the vendor has acquired a slightly later model that he prefers, it is available at a fraction of the cost of its restoration and is ready for the parade ground.