| Successor |
David Brown Ford-Ferguson |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1934 |
| Founder(s) | David Brown and Harry Ferguson |
| Defunct | 1939 |
| Headquarters | Belfast, Ireland |
| Products | agriculture machinery tractor |
| Parent |
Ferguson David Brown |
 | |
| Model history | |
|---|---|
| Model introduced | 1934 |
| Model discontinued | 1940 |
| Model status | Discontinued |
| Engine Specification | |
| Engine make |
Coventry Climax David Brown |
| Power hp | 20 |
| Cooling system | Water |
| Transmission Details | |
| Transmission type | Unknown |
| Drive | 2WD |
| Linkage Category | Unknown |
| Other info | |
| Factories | England |
| Plow rating | Unknown |
The Ferguson-Brown joint venture started selling tractors in 1936 based on Harry Ferguson's Ideas and built by the David Brown company Ltd of Huddersfield in England.
History[]
Harry Ferguson built a prototype tractor in Belfast called "The Black Tractor". It served as the model for the Ferguson-Brown Model A. The Black Tractor used an American built Hercules engine. In 1934, in partnership with engineer David Brown & Harry Ferguson formed the Ferguson-Brown Company and they produced the first Ferguson-Brown Model A tractor in 1936. This was a light weight tractor using many aluminium parts to keep the weight of the tractor similar to that of a horse as to aviod soil compaction. Fitted with a Ferguson-designed hydraulic system. Ferguson surmised that the tractor hitch was the key to having a better plough and a simpler tractor attachment for it. This was the first tractor to have an OEM three point hitch system. He had spent 30 years developing his ideas.
The early production models had a Coventry Climax Model E engine, with the latter ones having David Browns own engine fitted, which was a improved copy of the Model E after Coventry Climax discontinued production. (The early Coventry Climax engines used a shallow oil sump pan, this resulted in oil stavation to the crankshaft bearings during hillside work. A number of the 1st Ferguson Model A's were demostrated and sold in the Scottish highlands. As a result earlier tractors can be found today with later David Brown built engines after they had been returned to the factory under warranty for replacment engines). The Model A tractor was built with an alloy gear box and Bell housing body to keep weight down, as one of Fergusons ideas was that the tractor should be light. Some were built with stronger alloy casings after breakages, but Ferguson would not swap to a cheaper (& stronger) steel casting to cure the problem.
The Ferguson-Brown was expensive against the rival machines such as the Fordsons, as special implements were required to operate with it, rather than the old horse drawn ones that could be used with the other makes. David Brown decided to re design the tractor to reduce costs, but did not consult with Ferguson who had gone to America, this caused a rift between them. One design change that David Brown made was to add a combined PTO - Belt pulley. This was opposed by Ferguson. It is not known how many of the Model As had this feature.
Ferguson Ford Partnership[]
- Main article: Ford-Ferguson
Henry Ford had started building tractors in 1917 but these early machines did not have the hydraulic mounting for implements that were later to be a feature of the Ferguson TE20 series tractors, they just pulled with the draw bar which could if the plough struck an obstruction result in the tractor rearing up and over turning, in some cases killing the driver. Harry Ferguson started developing his three point hitch system to solve this problem and tried unsuccessfully to interest Henry Ford in partnering with him.
In 1938 Harry Ferguson went to see Henry Ford and demonstrate his new system to him. A plowing (us) competition was staged in Dearborn in America between a Ferguson-Brown Model A with 3 point hitch plough (UK) that Ferguson had shipped to America and a Fordson Model F pulling a trailing plow (US). The Ferguson-Brown outplowed the Fordson Model F. This Model A is the one now displayed in The Henry Ford Museum.
Following this demonstration Harry Ferguson made a handshake agreement with Henry Ford to produce "Ferguson System" Ford tractors incorporating his idea. Henry Ford then started building Ford tractors using the Ferguson linkage and jointly developed the Ford Model 9N, also known as the Ford-Ferguson tractor. Harry Ferguson set up a plant in western Detroit to supply the hydraulic systems for these tractors.
The Ford-Ferguson 9N and the David Brown VAK1 are both based on the Ferguson-Brown Model A. Both models have a rear mounted Power Take Off (PTO). The Ferguson-Brown Model A on display at The Henry Ford Museum does not.
The End Of Ferguson Brown[]
This resulted in Ferguson terminating his agreement with David Brown, on his return to England on the grounds that Brown had broken the agreement, by design changes introduced whilst he was in America. So in 1939 David Brown introduced the VAK1 tractor. This tractor had been in development in secret at the factory incorporating David Browns updated ideas and changes based on feedback from customers/users of the first tractors.
- Main article: David Brown
Ferguson Brown Model A 1937
Model Range and Preserved examples[]
- Ferguson-Brown Model A was the only model built, with slight variations. Such as engine and the HD Casting. It had a 20 horsepower (Template:Convert/engine)
- A total of 1356 were Built between 1936 and 1939. "The Black Tractor" prototype was built in 1934.
- It has been claimed that as many as 200 survive !! (If you know of any please ad details to the list with a photo)
| Serial No. | Engine | Year | Reg No. | Owner | Photo (click on image for Large version) |
misc info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 | Coventry Climax | 1936 | BDM 925 | Mike Shearstone, Leicestershire | 
|
Seen at Newark Tractor Show 2011 |
| No. ? | - | 1936 | - | - | |
Steel Wheels version Seen at Newark VTH show 2008 |
| No. 130 | - | year | reg | owner |
|
(1098) Seen at Newark Tractor Show 2011 |
| No. ? | - | 1936 | GVH 674 | - | See here | On Tractordata.co.uk |
| No. 262 (Orchard) | Coventry Climax engine no. ? | 1937 | - | The Shuttleworth Collection | to add
|
Seen at Bedfordshire Steam and Country Fayre 2013 |
| No. 263 | Coventry Climax engine no. 1096 | 1937 | - | ? |
|
Sold at Appleby Lodge Farm sale for £11,000 + premium + Vat.[1] |
| No. 270 | Coventry Climax | 1937 | reg | R. Riseborough, Norfolk |
|
(36) Seen at Newark VTH show 2011 |
| No. 353 | Coventry Climax | 1937 | 516 XUT | A. Irving, Dumfries & Galloway |
|
(1047) Seen at Newark tractor Show 2011 |
| No. 450 | Coventry-Climax | 1937 | CAH 36 | R. Myhill, East Anglia | to add | (17) Seen at Strumpshaw Steam Rally 2009 |
| No. 525 | Coventry Climax | 1937 | EKA 721 | Graham Allen |  |
Seen at Tractor World Show - Malvern 2009 on Reproduction cast wheel centers |
| No. 528 | David Brown engine | 1937 | - | Carl Hargreaves, Lancashire |  Ferguson Brown Model A 1937   Ferguson Brown Type B Plough |
Tractor & plough are part of The Hargreaves Rusty Relics Collection. [[1]] |
| No. 566 | - | year | - | R.F. Lunn |
|
(1060) Seen at Newark Tractor Show 2011 |
| No. 635 | year | - | R.F. Lunn |
|
(1061) Seen at Newark Tractor Show 2011 | |
| No. 756 | - | 1938 | BEW 373 | - |  |
Seen at Peterborough National Tractor Show 2008 |
| No. 921 | - | ? | None | D. Hastings, Leicestershire |  |
Presented at Bath and Southwest Tractor show in 2009 |
| No. 1164 | - | ? | ? | For sale (Oct 2003)[2] |
|
Has a PTO |
| No. 1191 | - | 193? | ? | ex. Derek Willams collection |  |
For sale (September 2012) by H J Pugh & Co. at Symmonds Yat[3] |
| No. 1202 | - | 1938 | TSY 178 | R.Cunningham & M.Knight |  |
Seen at Eastern Counties Tractor Show 2013 |
| No. 1217 | petrol/TVO | 1938 | - | new Owner ? |
|
Sold at Cheffins April 2010 sale - £9,200.[4] Ex Isle of Man. |
| No. 1279 | - | 1939 | - | - |
|
Sold at NW Edwards sale - £13,000.[5] |
| No. 1315 | ? engine no. ? | 1938 (?) | - | ? | to add
|
Seen at Lincolnshire Steam and Vintage Rally 2013 |
| No. 1503 ? | - | year | - | M. Brewster |
|
(1071) Seen at Newark Tractor Show 2011 |
| No. ? | - | - | - | - |  |
Seen at Belvior Castle Show 2008 |
| No. ? | - | ? | - | - |  |
Steel Wheels version Displayed at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan |
| No. ? | - | 1938 | RUN 704 | - | Photo here | On tractordata.co.uk |
| No. | - | year | reg | D P May | to add
|
(1094) Seen at Newark VTH show 2011 |
| No. | - | year | reg | D P May | to add
|
(1095) Seen at Newark VTH show 2011 |
| No. | - | year | reg | owner |
|
Seen at ? |
| No. | - | year | reg | owner |
|
Seen at ? |
See also[]
Reference[]
- ↑ Vintage Tractor Magazine, issue 104, Aug/Sept 2008, page 57
- ↑ Old Tractor Magazine, Issue 1, p44
- ↑ Old Tractor Magazine, Issue ?
- ↑ Old Tractor Magazine, issue 82, July 2010, page 30
- ↑ Vintage Tractor Magazine, issue 104, Aug/Sept 2008, page 58
External links[]
- http://www.dbtc.co.uk/ - David Brown Tractor Club
- http://www.fergusonclub.com/ - The Ferguson Tractor Club
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