Ford: Tractors
Note: This is a sub-section of Ford.
The "Major" was put into fuill production by the Ford Motor Company Ltd. in 1951. It represents progress in design to meet the varied requirements of mechanised farming. This tractor is produced with a choice of three engines-diesel, petrol or vaporising oil- all of which were designed specifically for agricultural work. The engines are four-cylinder units, and in each of them use has been made of components common to all three, thereby simplifying servicing. With a diesel engine, the tractor has a maximum drawbar horse-power of 31·6. The tractor is fitted with a power take-off shaft, a hydraulic lift system, and a belt pulley which makes it available for stationary work. The tractor is built in full-track and half-track models, and a narrow gauge model to enable the tractor to work in such places as hop gardens and vineyards.[1]
1981 Ford transferred all the tractor production from its Antwerp plant to Basildon, making the Essex factory the sole producer of Ford tractors in Europe at the time. The Basildon tractor plant employed 2,700 hourly paid workers and around 1,300 staff.[2]
In 1986, Ford Agriculture was looking for a way out of the tractor business. The following year they bought Versatile, who made super-tractors. All this buying was to rival manufacturers like Deere & Company and Case IH but because of the 1980s American tractor slump, Ford were forced to think again.
In 1988 they sold 80% of the company to Fiat and in 1991 the remaining 20%.
Fiat re-branded their European tractors under the newly acquired name of Ford-New Holland.
In 2001, the Ford name was dropped.
List of Models
Ford Model 9N (Ford-Ferguson 9N)
Ford Model 2N
See also Fordson: Tractors
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Engineer Centenary Part 6: Modern Products and Centenarians
- ↑ The Engineer 1981/04/09