TRACTOR TALK

1962 MASSEY FERGUSON 65 DIESELMATIC

The Massey-ferguson 65 Diesel debuted for 1958. The DNA for that tractor started with the 1939 intro of the Ford-ferguson 9N, a brilliant tractor designed largely by Harry Ferguson but finish-engineered and produced by Ford Motor Company. Coming out of a handshake agreement with Henry Ford, the 9N (1939-42) and later 2N (1942-1947) were market-changing tractors and a financial boon to both Ford and Ferguson. Ferguson operated his own dealer networks selling the Ford-ferguson tractors and a line of Ferguson-produced implements.

The agreement between Ford and Ferguson apparently included enough wiggle room to let Ferguson build tractors in England. In the agreement, that was to be done at the Ford Dagenham Plant but Ford management in there balked. By 1945, Ferguson had negotiated with the Standard Motor Company in Coventry to build tractors that were marketed as the TE20, “TE” for Tractor-england. They began manufacture in 1946 and were very similar in

basic design and layout to the Ford-ferguson tractors being built by Ford in Michigan but used Continental or Standard gas (or kerosene) engines instead of Ford and they had styling and detail differences.

Despite Henry Ford retiring late in 1945, the Ford-ferguson agreement continued until Henry Ford II and the Fomoco board abruptly ended the Ferguson deal in December of 1946 but continued to build Ford badged 2N series tractor that included technology designed by Ferguson. Into the summer of 1947, Ford built tractors under contract for Ferguson and after that contract ended, he began having TE20S shipped over from England.

Harry made a big move in 1948 by opening a factory in Detroit and building the TO20, “TO” for Tractor-overseas, a tractor very similar in size and layout to the new 1948 8N Ford. He also launched a lawsuit against Ford, in which he eventually won $9.25 million dollars (about $103 millions today). The English and American built Ferguson tractors were both popular, though the American Fergusons were often darkened by the gigantic shadow of Ford’s tractor division and it didn’t help that the Fords were less costly. By 1953, Ferguson had sold his outfit to Massey-harris, a Canadian company. At first, the Massey-harris and Ferguson lines were kept separate but in 1957, the companies became one... Masseyferguson.

THE PERKINS CONNECTION

The British side of Ferguson had a strong connection with F. Perkins Limited, an engine

The high clearance version of the MF65 are not as common as the low clearance but the narrow front variant of the high clearance is almost never seen. Owner Jason Abbott must be especially proud, since his ‘62 has all the bells and whistles to include Multi-power and power steering. The Abbott’s MF65 looks to be carrying a fair amount of weight but in the Nebraska test, a Multi-power standard clearance tractor used 4,700 pounds of ballast for it’s loaded performance. This tractor is also not long into when the direct-injected diesel had debuted. 3eportedly, the final drive gearing was changed in the high clearance tractor accommodate the larger 38 inch tires (vs 28 inch on the utility version).

The Abbott tractor was built not long after the direct-injected version of the 4.203 entered service and was called the 4D.203. The DI and IDI engine are very similar on the bottom end, both five main, wet-sleeved engines with a 5-inch stroke. :ou can tell the heads apart by the IDI injectors being mounted vertically and the DI injectors being canted a little. In the agricultural version, the 4.192 made 54 áywheel horsepower at 2250 rpm, while the 4.203 IDI made 57 at the same rpm. The 4.192 made 143 lbs-ft at 1350 rpm while the 4.203 IDI cranked out 151 lbs-ft. The agricultural DI engine made 56 horsepower at a lower 2000 rpm but a whopping 161 lbs-ft at 1250 rpm. In later years the 4D.203 was turbocharged. These lasted into the 2000s.

The MF65 had the legendary Ferguson 3-point lift system, invented by Harry Ferguson in the mid-1930s. It took over the tractor industry and for tractors that still need that capability, it still rules. It, and the PTO, were standard for the MF65 tractor.

The operator accommodations were on par with other tractors in the same era and class, but nothing to write home about. You can just see the Multi-power control under the steering wheel “Neckin’ Knob.”