Ferguson-Brown

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.

[edit] History

Harry Ferguson built a prototype tractor in Belfast called the Black Ferguson. It served as the model for the Ferguson-Brown Model A. In about 1934, in partnership with engineer David Brown, Harry Ferguson formed the Ferguson-Brown Company and they produced the Ferguson-Brown Model A tractor. This was a light weight tractor 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.^[1]

The early models had Coventry Climax engines, with the latter ones having David Browns own engine fitted. The 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 build with stronger Alloy casings after beakages, 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. 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 sheave. This was opposed by Ferguson. It is not known how many of the Model As had this feature.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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

[edit] Model Range and Preserved examples

• Ferguson-Brown Model A was the only model built, with slight variations. Such as engine and the HD Casting.
• A total of 1350 + 1 were Built between 1934 and 1940.^[2]

List of Known preserved examples of Ferguson Brown tractors

Serial No.	Engine	Year	Reg No.	Owner	Photo (click on image for Large version)	misc info
No. ?	-	1936	-	-		Steel Wheels version Seen at Newark VTH show 2008
No. ?	-	1936	GVH 674	-	See here	On Tractordata.co.uk
No. 263	Coventry Climax engine no. 1096	1937	-	?		Sold at Appleby Lodge Farm sale for £11,000 + premium + Vat.[3]
No. 525	-	1937	EKA 721	-		Seen at Tractor World Show - Malvern 2009 on Reproduction cast wheel centres
No. 756	-	1938	BEW 373	-		Seen at Peterborough National Tractor Show 2008
No. 921	-	?	None	?		Presented at Bath and Southwest Tractor show in 2009
No. 1164	-	?	?	For sale (Oct 2003)[4]		Has a PTO
No. 1279	-	1939	-	-		Sold at NW Edwards sale - £13,000.[5]
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	owner		Seen at ?

[edit] See also

• David Brown
• Fordson
• Massey Ferguson
• Shows and Meets
• List of Collections

[edit] Reference

1. ↑ Ford & Fordson Tractors by Michael Williams, ISBN 978-0-7537-1447-8
2. ↑ David Brown Tractors 1936-64, by Alan Earnshaw
3. ↑ Vintage Tractor Magazine, issue 104, Aug/Sept 2008, page 57
4. ↑ Old Tractor Magazine, Issue 1, p44
5. ↑ Vintage Tractor Magazine, issue 104, Aug/Sept 2008, page 58

[edit] External links

• http://www.dbtc.co.uk/ - David Brown Tractor Club
• http://www.fergusonclub.com/ - The Ferguson Tractor Club