The Ferguson-Brown Company was the Northern Irish firm in which Harry Ferguson, working with David Brown, first put his hydraulic three-point linkage into production. Its Model A tractor of 1936 carried the system that every later Ferguson and Massey Ferguson tractor would use, but only 1,356 were built before the partnership with Ford changed everything.
Ferguson Brown at a glance
| Company | Ferguson-Brown Company, Northern Ireland |
|---|---|
| Partners | Harry Ferguson and David Brown |
| Tractor | Model A (Ferguson-Brown) |
| Production | from 1936, Huddersfield, Yorkshire |
| Built | 1,356 |
| Export | 400 to Norway, the only export market |
| Engine, early | Coventry Climax Model E, derived from the Hercules engine of the “Black tractor” |
| Engine, later | David Brown, with a deeper sump |
| Engine change | around tractor serial numbers 525 to 528 |
| Key feature | Ferguson hydraulic three-point linkage, patented in 1936 |
| Followed by | Ford-Ferguson 9N of 1939 |
The article is based mainly on one source, the English Wikipedia page on the Ferguson-Brown Company, with the Ford-Ferguson production total from the article on the Ferguson TE20.
History of the Ferguson Brown
Formation and the Model A
Harry Ferguson formed the Ferguson-Brown Company in Northern Ireland in partnership with David Brown. The company’s product was the Model A, a tractor built around Ferguson’s hydraulic three-point linkage. The first production tractors were built during 1936 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, by the David Brown Company. The Model A incorporated Ferguson’s “suction side” hydraulic control, patented on 5 February 1936, which solved the problem of sensitive automatic control of three-point mounted implements. Together with the converging hitch patented in 1928, it was the key to the success of all later Ferguson and Massey Ferguson tractors.
Engines and production
Of the 1,356 Ferguson-Brown tractors produced, 400 were sold in Norway, which was the only export market. The early tractors used the Coventry Climax Model E engine, a descendant of the American Hercules engine fitted to the prototype “Black tractor”. Later the engine manufacture was taken on by David Brown Ltd, which made a number of improvements, including a deeper sump: some of the earlier tractors suffered from oil starvation on hillside work. Surviving examples suggest that the change from the Coventry Climax to the David Brown engine took place around serial numbers 525 to 528.
Agreement with Ford
In 1938 Ferguson made a handshake agreement with Henry Ford to produce Ferguson System tractors in America, beginning with the Ford-Ferguson 9N. That tractor can be recognised by the blue Ford emblem on the front of the hood and the Ferguson System emblem on the grille. Its three-point hitch, with a rear power take-off for mounted implements, soon became the favourite system among farmers in North America and around the world and set the standard for later tractor development. Material shortages after the American entry into the war brought the 2N in 1942, and about 300,000 Ford-Fergusons had been built by 30 June 1947. In 1946 Ford and Ferguson parted after several disagreements, and a long lawsuit over Ford’s continued use of Ferguson’s patents followed.
After Ferguson-Brown
In December 1945 the Standard Motor Company announced an arrangement to build Ferguson tractors at its Banner Lane factory in Coventry, with production expected to start in 1946. That project produced the Ferguson TE20, the tractor that made the Ferguson System famous. In 1953 Ferguson merged with Massey-Harris, and the combined company, later shortened to Massey Ferguson, took over manufacture of the tractors and Ferguson’s other designs. The Ferguson-Brown Model A remains the starting point of that line: the first production tractor to use the hitch that became an international standard.
Design and features
- Hydraulic three-point linkage: the first production tractor to carry Ferguson’s system, with automatic draft control.
- “Suction side” valve: the 1936 patent that made sensitive automatic control of mounted implements possible.
- Coventry Climax engine: derived from the Hercules unit of the experimental “Black tractor”.
- David Brown engine: later examples had a deeper sump to cure oil starvation on hillsides.
- Export success: 400 of the 1,356 tractors went to Norway, the company’s only export market.
Ferguson Brown versions
- Model A, early: Coventry Climax Model E engine, up to about serial number 525.
- Model A, later: David Brown engine with a deeper sump from about serial 525–528.
- Ford-Ferguson 9N (1939): the American tractor built under Ferguson’s agreement with Henry Ford.
- Ford-Ferguson 2N (1942): the wartime update built during material shortages.
The Model A led directly to the Ferguson TE20 and then to the Ferguson 35. More tractors are in the Ferguson collection.
Sources
- Ferguson-Brown Company, English Wikipedia: company, Model A, engines, production, Ford agreement
- Ferguson TE20, English Wikipedia: patents, Ford-Ferguson production total
