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Spectacular pageant of 70 tractors marks 70th anniversary of Coventry produced Ferguson TE20
Massey Ferguson , a worldwide brand of AGCO , reports that enthusiastic crowds turned out to see the historic ’ 70 Tractors for 70 Years ’ parade through the streets of the City of Coventry on 30 July .
T he cavalcade and display of machines old and new was staged by Culture Coventry to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the start of production of the iconic Ferguson TE20 tractor . In July 1946 , the first Ferguson TE20 tractor , affectionately known as the ‘ Little Grey Fergie ’, rolled off the assembly line at its former Banner Lane manufacturing plant in Coventry in the UK . The tractor was the brainchild of engineer and inventor , Harry Ferguson , a founder of the present-day Massey Ferguson , one of the world ’ s foremost producers of farm machinery for global markets .
The tractors for the event were brought together by the Friends of Ferguson Heritage Club . Led by a 20.3hp 1947 Ferguson TE20 , equipped with a 2-furrow plough , and the mighty 400hp MF 8737 - the most powerful tractor in the current Massey Ferguson line-up - the procession wound its way through Coventry finishing at Millennium Place outside the Transport Museum . Unusually , it was not the familiar Massey Ferguson red livery for the MF 8737 . Instead , it had been especially prepared by Massey Ferguson with striking black paintwork – paying homage to the prototype Ferguson Black tractor of 1933 which was the first to incorporate Harry Ferguson ’ s pioneering ideas for a three-point linkage system to connect tractor and implement . In a tribute to the manufacturing legacy of the Banner Lane plant , Massey Ferguson named the black MF
8737 the ‘ City of Coventry ’. Seated in the cab for the duration of the parade was the Lord Mayor of Coventry , Councillor Lindsley Harvard .
“ It was a marvellous event and wonderful to see this pageant celebrating the brilliant engineering of the Ferguson TE20 which changed the world of farm mechanisation .” says Campbell Scott , Massey Ferguson Director Marketing Services ( who himself drove a 1949 TEA20 tractor in the blue livery of Brighton Corporation ). “ We are so proud of this superb legacy of practical and innovative technology which continues to inspire our design engineers and is at the heart of Massey Ferguson ’ s 21st century mission to produce straightforward , dependable equipment to increase the efficiency and productivity of farmers all over the world . Today , more than 200,000 tractors bearing our famous Massey Ferguson ‘ Triple Triangle ’ brand are built every year for global markets .”
Tractors taking part in the pageant showcased a wide range of Ferguson , Massey- Harris and Massey Ferguson machines produced since 1946 . The tractor coming from furthest afield for the event was a 1949 Ferguson TEA20 fitted with half-track equipment which travelled nearly 200 miles from Exeter in Devon . From much closer to home was a 2015 MF 5610 Dyna-4 on turf tyres based in Finham , Coventry . A beautifullyrestored , prize-winning MF 65 industrial tractor painted in the requisite yellow from Skipton , Yorkshire represented the non-agricultural ranges . Over half a million Ferguson TE20 tractors ( Tractor England ) were built at the Banner Lane plant between 6 July 1946 and 13 July 1956 . Key to the global success of the tractor was its unique three-point linkage implement attachment system controlled by the tractor ’ s hydraulics . Designated the ‘ Ferguson System ,’ this effectively turned the tractor and implement into a single working unit , replacing the previous cumbersome trailed method of implement operation .
Massey Ferguson is a leading global farm machinery brand producing a full-line range of tractors , harvesting equipment and agricultural implements . Its well-known red-liveried equipment is distributed in 140 countries .
Established in 1994 , The Friends of Ferguson Heritage Club has over 5000 members worldwide who are dedicated to all things Ferguson , Massey Ferguson and Massey Harris . ( www . FOFH . co . uk )
The Ferguson TE20 ’ s 70th anniversary inspired Culture Coventry ’ s current ‘ Tractors – From Factory to Field ’ exhibition at Coventry Transport Museum ( runs until 19 September ) and the public display of the Daniel Massey Bronze Sculpture at the city ’ s Herbert Museum and Art Gallery . Culture Coventry manages three of Coventry ’ s major visitor attractions including Coventry Transport Museum , Herbert Museum and Art Gallery and the Lunt Roman Fort .
www . farmingmonthly . co . uk August 2016 | Farming Monthly | 07