[AT] Ford 1520 and tractors a ramble..

[Cecil Bearden]

Ford has really made some bad decisions toward the heavy duty and 
agricultural markets.  The Louisville line of Ford trucks were one of 
the best heavy duty work trucks on the market.  Granted they had a 
differing array of Engines transmissions rear ends and suspensions, but 
the cab was good for over half a million miles in dump truck service.  
There is a sand company here that used them exclusively for many years 
and still pays a good price for good bodies and complete trucks.
The ag tractors were reliable once they got rid of the old select o 
speed and went to a good power shift transmission.  The 4 cylinder 
Genesis engine was reliable to 6000 hours without much maintenance.  
Over that the valves would drop into a piston as I experienced.  The 
early series of blue 5000 and up fords tractors were tall, but fairly 
reliable.  Until the New Holland branding, their parts were more 
affordable than others.  When Massey was still in business, Ford parts 
were cheaper for the equivalent part.

Fords were much simpler than the Massey's.  Massey had 3 different 
pressure systems in their hydraulics on the multi power tractors.   They 
just got too complicated..   I have a White 2-105 and an Allis 7030 from 
the mid 70's.  The Allis is so much simpler but has more transmission 
ranges and a higher flow hydraulic system than the White and nearly 40 
hp more, for nearly $20K less.   Both tractors were long gone by the mid 
80's.   Some of the reasons were consolidation of farms, but 
mismanagement probably had more to do with their demise.   The White was 
really a re-badged Oliver with less weight.  I have both here on the 
farm.  If I ever get time, they will both be running.  The White has 
rear tires slipping on the rims, and the Oliver engine is stuck and the 
clutch is out.  I did a lot of work on Moline and Oliver tractors in my 
youth.  Moline took twice as long to work on as they always had a bolt 
on the opposite side somewhere of whatever you were trying to remove.  
Engine mountings especially.   To remove an engine mounted hydraulic 
pump would require removing the timing cover to get to one bolt from the 
timing cover side.   Transmissions were a bear to tear down and 
rebuild.  The planetary reduction drive in the G-1000 series required 
individual needle bearings in the planetary gears instead of Torrington 
bearings.  You had to count the needles, similar to universal joints.  
The rear ends were the same problem with the bolt from the back side....

Enough rambling.  I am worn out from sowing wheat.  Had to fill the 
drill with a 40 inch bucket on the New Holland from the grain truck.  
Hopefully the auger will be installed by next year.  I used the auger 
wagon for the last 3 years, but it was a pain to fill.  The truck solved 
that problem, but the auger was not installed this summer as planned.  
The never ending spring and now the never ending summer has really put a 
crimp in my work.  As soon as this round of showers get through here, 
its hay cutting time..   The prairie hay has jumped nearly a foot in the 
last 2 weeks....

It is good to have work....   Even better if you have the ability to do 
it!!!

Cecil

On 9/11/2019 10:30 AM, James Peck wrote:
> Ford of UK was selling their tractors as Fordsons until the 1960s. Interesting point. When Harry sold 9Ns into the UK it likely was through his own distribution network. Harry's design group were making the drawings for the TE20 while they were still selling 9Ns. Harry was not caught flat footed. Ford had only themselves to blame for the creation of Ferguson tractors.
>
> [Dean VP Snohomish, WA 98290] James, That is why I suggested there may be a European Bias. The article was discussing the handshake agreement between Henry and Harry. Those tractors made and sold in the US were called Fords.  The tractors sold in Europe probably were called Fergusons.
>
> [James Peck] Those experts were right. The 9Ns were manufactured by Ford but sold by Ferguson. They had a Ferguson logo on them as well. The modern term might be “joint venture”.
>
> If we can call a tractor designed and built by Shibaura a Ford or a New Holland, then we can call a tractor partially designed and sold by Ferguson a Ferguson.
>
> [deanvp at att.net] <snip> Even the “experts” make errors such as the tractors sold in the US by Ford with the Ferguson System starting in 1939 were called “Fergusons”.   <snip>
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