Tractor heritage, news and features

The tractor that started it all

Little did I know that in 1991 when I was 13 years old and my father bought a rusty old Ferguson TEA20 tractor for us to restore that this little machine would pave the way to something that is now a major part of my working life.

It doesn't seem five minutes ago since our neighbour Ken, my dad and, of course, yours truly set off one murky March afternoon to retrieve this tractor that revolutionised farming back in the late 1940s.

I sat perched in the middle of Ken’s white Peugeot pick-up cab on the journey to Button Oak, which nestles on the edge of Wyre Forest.

Although it's the neighbouring village to ours, in order to get there you first have to travel into the next town to be able to cross the River Severn; it's amazing how this meandering stretch of water has split one village off from the other.

When we arrived at Arthur Cheadle's place from where the little Fergie was purchased, we could see it immediately sat among the forest ferns.

Where it was open to the elements, there was a hint of the original 'weathered' grey paint on the bonnet, which looked to be in a very tidy condition; while the engine and rear end were both covered in rust. The local Worcestershire reg number HNP 417 was still clearly visible and painted in white at the bottom of the slightly dented 'T'-piece section of the bonnet; the rear tyres looked to be in good condition even if the front ones were scrap.

Ken soon had it loaded up and we were on our way back. This being early March, it was dark by the time we returned home, and Ken suggested that he would bring the tractor round in the morning and unload it when it was light.

Dating the tractor

We duly agreed with him, although we couldn't wait till tomorrow. However, the next day was Monday and a trip to school was first painfully required. I couldn't wait for that bell to ring and signal the end of the day so I could return home to see the Fergie in greater detail.

We soon managed to date the tractor at 1949 from the commission plate that was still on the dash; also the original dealer's plaque was still there. It was made in brass and read Pheysey of Stourport – this confirmed that this was a local tractor. Pheysey of Stourport was the main Ferguson agent; many local farmers still have fond memories of the place, as a good quantity of tractors were sold from this modest riverside garage during the 1940s and 50s.

My dad did some detective work on HNP 417 and found out that it had been sold to a farm at Elmley Lovett first, which was not far away; after farming there for many years, it went to Kinlet, which again was very close by. It finally ended up at The New Inn at Pound Green, just a few miles as the crow flies from Trimpley, where the landlady drove it around on a daily basis – for many years she really treasured this little machine – until it ended up abandoned at Arthur's place for around a decade.
We started this restoration in mid March, with the goal of it being at the Arley show, which is held every August Bank Holiday just about four miles away.

Our first job was to clean the oil and grime off the tractor, using a simple flat-headed screwdriver and a jam jar full of paraffin to dissolve the caked-on oil.

I was able to remove most of it – we had no fancy tools in those days and all of the work was done outside, as what is now my workshop had not been built. My dad then came along with a brush which was attached to the angle grinder which removed the rust and any odd bits I had left behind.

After a great deal of work, we were able to prime the tractor in Finnigans (now Hammerite) No1 Rust Beater, which was brown in appearance and I remember thinking at the time that it looked more like runny chocolate than paint.

The engine was in desperate need of attention, as from the outset we knew that it was seized solid. This being a new experience for us, we set about stripping the engine to find any problems.

In those days, we had no idea in matters concerning pistons and rings and valves etc; but something I stand by today is that if you don't know how to fix it, just take it apart carefully and methodically and have a little confidence in your own ability and you can often learn how it works quite quickly. I have found over the many restorations I have done, whether it be Land Rovers or vintage tractors, that this is the best way.

We have however been incredibley lucky to have a good neighbour in Ken Briggs; his mechanical knowledge is vast and his enthusiasm helped us immensely with the TEA20, especially when we discovered it needed new rings on one piston. In those days the rings weren't that readily available, unlike today when you can find them virtually from any tractor parts retailer.

I can still remember to this day where we went for them. It was a little back street place in Kidderminster run by a chap called Jack Douglas. He sold everything for car engines and the like; he had been in business for many decades.

The rest of the parts and the paint came from Brian Dunn; he was the only Massey Ferguson specialist in the area and stocked most parts for Banner Lane's products, and it was a regular Saturday morning jaunt for dad and me to go and get something we needed. With the engine now free and the pistons re-installed, the work could progress, and cleaning the mass of tinwork certainly took up most of our time. Dad and me were painting the bits with a brush as fast as we could clean them up.

This is the only restoration that I have been involved with where every bit of the tractor was salvageable – all the tinwork was in good condition with no rot anywhere. I think this is what makes this machine more special, as it is 100 per cent original; the only thing that we changed was turning it from a 6-volt electrical system to the more common 12 – this was done to help with starting as much as anything else.

Throughout the hot summer months, when on some evenings we would work on till dark, we managed to complete it. We enjoyed every aspect of what we did. I can still remember when Ken came round to start it up for the first time; the apprehension on our faces was probably clear to see, but the standard petrol engine started briskly and ran without any problems, so our worried looks soon turned to smiles. On that August Bank Holiday, the weather was perfect as we followed dad in the car when he drove it to the show, where we presented to the world our achievement.