This thread regarding the Ferguson TEA20 brings back many memories - I spent
many hours of my youth with my bum firmly planted on the seat of such a
tractor.
It would always start, despite the six volt electrics and was therefore
pressed in to service on frosty mornings when the diesel tractor (at that
stage a Massey Ferguson 65 - Perkins motor) had other ideas. Any city folk
who were asked to start the Fergie always got confused until we showed them
what other uses a gear lever was for - the starter was activated by moving
the gearlever to where most modern cars have fifth gear (ie. opposite
reverse). It was therefore impossible to start the tractor "in gear" which
was a great safety feature. There many equally unsafe features, not least of
which were the brakes - very marginal.
I believe that Harry Ferguson revolutionised the tractor by fitting three
point hydraulics to this model, but the downside of this was that the
(already light) tractor became very light in the nose when any sort of load
was carried out the back - this very nearly lead to my demise when the
tractor effectively lost steering when going along a rather steep hill.
Thankfully I lived to tell the tale...
Now as to the origins of the 4 cylinder wet-sleeve TR engine - I heard that
the original design came from Citrokn (another marque dear to my heart) and
that accounted for why a Ferguson spanner would fit a Ferguson tractor and
nothing else and no other spanner (except one with sliding jaws) could be
used on a Ferguson.
Is this correct?
David Greed
1974 Stag Man O/D
1979 2500S Man O/D
1992 Citrokn BX TZD
Email: Home: greed@wave.co.nz
Work: david.greed@telecom.co.nz
Webpages: http://www.wave.co.nz/pages/greed
.
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Macartney" <jonmac@ndirect.co.uk>
To: <lrmetz@home.com>
Cc: "Triumph List" <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, 25 February 2001 11:14 AM
Subject: Re: Did TR give or get the "Tractor" motor ?
>
> First Ferguson tractor came off the line at Banner Lane in September
> 1946.
> First Standard Vanguard using effectively the same engine appeared in
> July 1947
> A diesel derivative was developed for the tractor sometime before
> 1950 - exact date not in my records
> Round tail TR2 using tractor/Vanguard engine appears at London motor
> show in November 1952
> Diesel engined Vanguard appeared in August 1954.
>
> A 1947 Petrol/TVO Ferguson in daily and reliable use lives no more
> than 30 yards from my keyboard. Kent Howard from VTR English Channel
> photographed it alongside his 4A last year and was amazed to see the
> Fergie starting method. Diesel version even more obscure to puzzle out
> unless you know what to look for as there's no obvious ignition switch
>
> Jonmac
///
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