From Australia’s wheatfields to the rolling hills of Wales, almost every tractor in use today has Irish inventor Harry Ferguson (1884-1960) to thank for its design. The “Ferguson System” is the universal 3-point tractor hydraulic system now employed by tractor manufacturers worldwide.
Arising from the merger of Harry Ferguson Ltd of the UK and Massey-Harris of Canada, 2022 marks the 63rd anniversary of the formation of the Massey Ferguson badge. Wherever you are, you’re not far from the iconic Triple Triangle emblem known and recognised by farmers everywhere. But did you know Ferguson’s revolutionary innovation was born from tragedy? Or that the world’s first monument to a tractor can be found right here on home turf? Here’s six surprising facts about Massey Feguson and the Little Grey Tractor.
Henry George “Harry” Ferguson was the first Irishman to build and fly his own airplaneThe Irish-born, British inventor and engineer was known for his daring ways. Nicknamed the “mad mechanic of Belfast”, Fergurson was also a diehard motor racing driver and developed the first four-wheel drive Formula One car, the Ferguson P99. He got off to a rocky start though, driving through a shop window the first time he drove a motorcar in his youth.
The TE20 tractors were so groundbreaking that Ferguson established The Massey Ferguson Training School in the 1950s for farmers, dealers, engineers and salesmen to learn how to operate them. Credit: farmcollector.com
The British government ordered Feguson to stop tractor-related deathsEarly tractors were a dangerous breed. Some, like the Fordson, had murderous tendencies. If the plow the tractor was pulling hit a big rock, the plow would stop but the tractor would kick on. Many tractors would then flip over, killing the operator. Something had to change, and while it took 30 years to perfect the “Ferguson System”, the design still stands today. Ferguson came up with the idea of mounting the plow both low on the drawbar and up higher in a triangular formation. If the plow hit an underground rock, the force would switch to the upper link point, thus forcing the front of the tractor down rather than up. Ferguson added a hydraulic mechanism to easily raise and lower the implements and automatically control the plow’s depth.
An early illustration of the 3-point hitch designed by Harry Ferguson. Credit: farmcollector.com
The 12th Massey Ferguson tractor ever sold in Australia has pride of place in a NSW workshop
Such is the nostalgia associated with the Little Grey Fergie, that Reliance Motor Company in Dungog, New South Wales, proudly features one on site. The dealership sold the 12th Grey Ferguson TEA 20 in Australia in 1948. After being traded a few times, it was eventually sold back to the company where it remains as a popular talking point today. The grey Ferguson TE20 rolled into farms in 1946 and became an iconic chapter in agricultural history. The official name comes from Tractor England 20 horsepower, but it’s affectionately referred to as the Little Grey Fergie.
Reliance Motor Company’s Barry Irwin with the 12th Massey Ferguson ever sold in Australia. dungogchronicle.com.au
A placard heralding the end of production of the TE-20 in 1956: “This is the 517,651st tractor and the last of the TE-20 build.” Credit: farmcollector.com
The first tractor monument in the world can be found at Wentworth, New South WalesIn 1956 the distinctive roar of the little Fergies could be heard 24 hours a day as the residents of Wentworth worked to save their town. Devastating floods turned Wentworth into an inland sea, but with the help of the maneuverable Fergies, crumbling levee banks were saved and new ones built to protect the town. Today a brass replica of the Fergie, provided by Massey Ferguson, stands proudly for all to see. The cairns of stones where the monument sits is set at the height of the water that would have engulfed the town had the clay levee banks not been built. An actual Little Grey Fergie flying high on a pole also greets visitors entering Wentworth across the river. Grab a copy of “By God and by Fergie we beat the Flood”, published by Wentworth Shire Council, to uncover a piece of local history.
The cairns of stones where the monument sits is set at the height of the water that would have engulfed the town had the clay levee banks not been built. Credit: redzaustralia.com
Ferguson helped explorer Sir Edmund Hillary reach the South Pole by supplying three TE20 tractorsSir Edmund Hillary led the first mechanised expedition to the South Pole in 1958 using a fleet of modified Ferguson TE20 tractors. Though not a race, the New Zealand explorer beat English expedition leader Vivian Fuchs to their meeting point on the South Pole, even though Fuchs was equipped with specially made snowmobiles. When Fuchs reached the pole on January 20 his first words to Hillary were “Damned glad to see you, Ed.”
The converted Massey-Ferguson tractors used by Edmund Hillary's team on the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1957/58. Picture: US National Science Foundation
Sir Edmund Hillary, right, and Jim Bates, both of New Zealand, stand before their tractors on Jan. 4, 1958, after arrival at the American Scientific Station at the South Pole. Credit: myfarmlife.com
Harry Ferguson was the only man Henry Ford ever went into partnership with
The infamous “handshake agreement” took place in 1938. Ferguson needed volume production with reduced costs and the two reached an agreement. “No written agreement would be worthy of what this represents,” Ferguson said. “If you trust me, I’ll trust you.” Ferguson's innovations would be produced by Henry Ford. But Ford's grandson used Ferguson's patented inventions without making the machinery for Ferguson, which resulted in a lawsuit. By 1952 most of the patents had expired and Henry Ford II could use Ferguson's inventions, along with the rest of the world.
Harry Ferguson and Henry Ford at the scene of the famous "handshake agreement. Credit: farmcollector.com