TRACTOR TALK

1956 MASSEY-HARRIS 555

Daren Meyers’ 1956 555 Western was built in the early part of the production run and spent most of its working life in South Dakota. While it’s largely original and in good original cosmetic condition, Meyers reports this tractor was the poster child for “rode hard and put away wet.” The engine had been run so hard there were 3/16-inch cracks in the block between the sleeves… and it still ran! The fuel screw in the PSB pump was turned out to the last thread. Meyers built one engine out of three to get this tractor 100-percent back in the game. He planned a full cosmetic restoration as well, but the tractor’s patina drew so many positive comments he decided to run it as-is. He still rides it hard but doesn’t put it away wet.

The 55 Diesel debuted in 1949 as the big diesel tractor in the Massey-harris lineup. Despite some teething problems it established a reputation as a gutsy tractor, and by the mid 1950s many thousands were at work in the wheatlands of the Northern Plains of the United States and Canada. Then came the merger of Massey-harris (M-H) and Harry Ferguson Inc. and the notorious Two Line Policy.

The merger was a mutually beneficial move designed to counter low profits from a post World War II market saturated with tractors. For a brief time after the merger was fully complete in 1954 the new Massey-harris-ferguson organization became the second biggest farm equipment company, just behind International Harvester and a squeak ahead of John Deere, in North

America. It made sense at the time to keep the two as separate companies, since brand loyalty is always a factor and both M-H and Ferguson had legions of fans.

Both companies brought a lot to the table and, in theory, it was a good match. Each had a good dealer network and a firm grasp of farm equipment technology and marketing. Massey-harris was more broadly based in farm equipment manufacturing, while Ferguson was a bit ahead on the tractor technology side but did not offer a big tractor. Still, the Two Line Policy created problems because it pitted two brands within the same company against

each other at both the dealer and corporate levels.

Out of this mess emerged the Massey-harris 555, commonly called the “Triple-five” or “Triple-nickel.” Production started in 1955 (for 1956) and it was a refresh of the Model 55 (see February 2018) that added some chrome bling and a fair number of styling changes, but little else. The small tractors