The David Brown 850 was one of the three Implematic tractors that David Brown listed for 1961–1965, built at the company’s Meltham works in the West Riding of Yorkshire. In the United States the same tractor was sold under the Oliver name.
David Brown 850 at a glance
| Maker | David Brown Tractors, Meltham, Yorkshire |
|---|---|
| Production | 1961–1965 |
| Series | Implematic |
| Range-mates | 880 and 990 Implematic |
| Predecessor | 950 Implematic, 1958–1961 |
| Successor | Selectamatic range from 1965 |
| American version | Oliver 500–600, rebadged 850 and 950 |
| Works | Meltham, West Riding of Yorkshire |
| Company | David Brown, founded 1860; tractors from 1936 |
| Exports | at one stage 80% of tractor production |
| Company sold | to Tenneco (J.I. Case) in 1972 |
No Wikipedia page exists for the 850 itself. This article is based on the maker’s page, David Brown Ltd., which lists the model and its production years; it is based on one source.
History of the David Brown 850
From Huddersfield gears to Meltham tractors
David Brown began in 1860 as a pattern-making company in Huddersfield and concentrated on gear systems from 1873; by 1898 it specialised in machine-cut gears, and in 1902 it moved to Park Works, Huddersfield. In 1934 the firm took over an old silk mill at Meltham, on the south side of Huddersfield, and there it started building tractors with Harry Ferguson in 1936. The Ferguson-Brown used a Coventry Climax engine for the first 350 tractors before Brown developed his own engine. Total production came to 1,350, plus one more built from parts in 1940 after production had finished.
The Implematic generation
Brown and Ferguson disagreed over tractor design in the late 1930s, and Brown designed his own tractor, the VAK1, in secret; it was launched at the 1939 Royal Show and more than 7,700 were eventually sold, most of them during the Second World War. The 850 belongs to the next generation but one. The 950 Implematic series ran from 1958 to 1961, and for 1961–1965 the range was listed as the 850, 880 and 990 Implematic. In 1965 the Selectamatic generation arrived, with the 770, 780, 880, 990 and later 1200.
Oliver, exports and the sale to Case
For the American market David Brown did not sell the 850 under its own name: the Oliver 500–600 were rebadged 850 and 950 tractors. The tractor division had ten subsidiaries around the world, at one stage exported 80% of production and handled sales through 2,508 agents in 100 countries. A worldwide recession hit tractor sales, and in 1972 the tractor operations were sold to Tenneco of America, owner of J.I. Case. Case applied the David Brown name to some of its own tractors in Britain until the early 1980s.
Design and features
- Implematic identity: the 850 was listed as part of the Implematic series for 1961–1965.
- Shared range: it was sold alongside the 880 and 990 Implematic tractors of the same years.
- American twin: in the United States it appeared as part of the Oliver 500–600 pair.
- Meltham build: production was at David Brown’s Meltham works in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
David Brown 850 versions
- 850 Implematic (1961–1965): the British-market tractor.
- Oliver 500–600: the American-market rebadged 850 and 950.
- 950 Implematic (1958–1961): the model that preceded the 850 in the range.
- Selectamatic range (from 1965): the generation that followed the Implematic tractors.
The 850 sat in the range with the 880 and 990, and the 950 came before it. More machines are in the David Brown collection.
Video: David Brown 850 driving
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- David Brown Ltd., English Wikipedia: tractor range and production years, company history, sale to Case
