Tractors

TE20 Ferguson Register

Ferguson TE20 Tractor Register database

I read Fred Turner’s article ‘The history of the Continental‘ in Journal 106 with much interest as I have two such tractors. I have also been fascinated by the fact that nobody seems to know how many were made.

We have a golden opportunity to go some way to finding out. Our membership is about 3000 so, if we who have these tractors, were to send details of their tractors to a central point in The Club, it would give us more of an idea than we have now, because quite frankly we have no idea!

So, with this in mind, and with the Chairman and Secretary’s blessing, I am volunteering to start a data base of what exists in the Club. I am proposing a data base just identifying what we have to VIN numbers only. This would NOT identify any tractor to any member. It would also try to find out how many have been converted to, say, a Perkins P3 and what condition they are in from concourse to working clothes to original unmolested condition. There would be a second data base which would be just VIN number, Member’s name and Club number.

So to kick the idea off I am asking ALL owners of TE20s to, ideally, Email to te20@fergusonclub.com their Name, Club number, TE20 VIN number and further details of condition as indicated above and anything else you wish to tell us. Of course if you have no access to a computer you can post all details to TE20 Ferguson Club, 1 The Gardens, Bury Road, Beyton, BURY ST. EDMUNDS, IP30 9AB

A report would appear each Journal as to how the project is going.

I look forward to being overwhelmed with data, please, please on this one occasion just help us help you!  It will be in everyone’s interest. John Selley.


Update No.1 – February 2024, Journal No. 108
17 Respondants
21 tractors
Earliest No. 883 1947
Latest 18478 1947
2 have no VIN plates
We even have one bought at Bangers and Cash and described as ‘presentable condition’!

John Selley.


SAFETY – Never Pull from Top Link Pin

I have just received issue No.80 of our magazine for which many thanks, it is absolutely outstanding. Please can you do something about the article on page 13, it made my blood run cold.

When I was an apprentice (68 years ago) it was drummed into us time and again:

‘NEVER PULL ANYTHING FROM THE TOP LINK PIN’

Why? It is the quickest way to kill the tractor driver.

Believe me, when a tractor flips over backwards it happens so fast that the driver has no time to react.

I have had the misfortune three times in my life to assist in removing a TED20, MF35 and a MFl35 from the remains of the drivers; one pulling a heavy tree and the other two trying to start heavy tractors.

Yes, each time a chain had been used, but the easiest place to attach the chain was the top link pin. I would imagine, looking at the photograph on page 13, (is 13 an unlucky number?) that the hitch is designed for a solid drawbar, whicb would negate my warning to a large extent; but the attaching place for a rope or chain is still there, easily accessible for someone who is not thinking or doesn’t know about the consequences.

My sincere advice to Mr Bert Van de Kamp is to remove this dangerous device from his tractor, take it to a scrap yard and sell it, it could easily save a life one day.

My kindest regards to you and our members and please:

NEVER PULL ANYTHING FROM THE TOP LINK PIN.

Published in Journal No.81 Winter 2015/16  D.R.Field


The Overtime and Eros Tractors 1916-1917

Feguson Plough development and the Overtime and Eros Tractors

Harry Ferguson said in the early years of plough development that ‘It is no more possible to design a plough which would be suitable for use with various sizes of tractors than it is to design a cart which can be drawn by a donkey or a Clydesdale, or a body that would be suitable for all makes of car.”

He spoke these words intending that this should be a guiding principle. His experiences with trailed ploughs whilst working for The Irish Board of Agri­culture in the First World War, together with Willie Sands, convinced him of the need for a much improved design of plough.

William Sands had joined Harry Ferguson’s staff of May Street Motors, Belfast, soon after the establishment of the company in 1911, where initially, cars were serviced and later sold from the premises, agencies for such makes as Vauxhall and Darracq were acquired. By 1912 the motor business was flourishing under Fergusons management; the name was changed to the company title of Harry Ferguson Ltd. In due course the company began to sell farm tractors and the agency for the American ‘Overtime” tractor was acquired. Ferguson and Sands took to promoting this tractor together with a three furrow ‘Cockshutt’ plough.

Ploughing with Overtime tractor and 2 furrow Cockshutt Plough (Flickr)

There is a comprehensive article on the Overtime Tractor in Ireland at:
https://www.wheelsandfields.com/the-overtime-tractor-story-in-ireland/

They quickly discovered that practical pub­lic demonstrations were the most effective way of selling the machinery, and they soon learnt how hard it was to please farmers whose critical eyes were on the lookout for poor ploughing quality of faulty machinery. However, with much tenacity they persevered and by 1917 had gained a reputation as skilled and proficient tractor ploughmen. They were duly noticed by officials of the Irish Board of Agriculture and were asked to look at the efficiency of the tractors in use during the spring ploughing up campaign of 1917. The Ger­man ‘U’ boat offfensive had reached a climax by 1916-17 and Britain was in urgent need of food production from its own sources. The Government requested that another half million acres should come under the plough in Ireland in 1917; in fact some 637,402 acres were ploughed up, whereas in England and Scotland combined only another 350,000 were ploughed. Thus in the final years of World War 1 England was receiving more food from Ireland than from any other country.

Such was the food crisis at that time, it was said that Britain only had about two weeks supply of food left, due to the devastation wreaked by the German ‘U’ boats. Ferguson and Sands could claim responsibility for some of the success of the ploughing campaign in Ireland in 1917; they started work on March 19th 1917 at 5.00 a.m. and travelled widely in their task of tuning tractors and setting ploughs and demonstrating techniques and machines. (It is interesting to note that these articles were first started by the author on March 19th 1987 by pure coincidence, i.e. 70 years later to the day.) At the same time they gained an insight to the shortcomings of ploughs of that era.

Ferguson later wrote to the ‘Implement and Machinery Review’ stating ‘I can assure you that the (Overtime) tractor presents only small difficulties, but the adjustment of the ploughs to get them to do really good work is my greatest difficulty and the ploughs are a more serious problem to the country at the present time when ploughing work is urgent, than are the tractors.

Among some of the problems facing Ferguson were those of setting compli­cated assemblies with lots of nuts and bolts, and that of breakage or distor­tion of the plough parts or structure if obstructions were encountered. If obstructions were large enough the result was the rearing up of the tractor and subsequent overturning with often fatal consequences to the driver. Not only were the tractors longitudinally unstable, but the ploughs whilst in operation were laterally unstable as Sands found out one day whilst riding a plough which suddenly turned over sideways and narrowly avoided landing on top of him. Also considerable physical strength was needed to make adjustments or to raise the ploughs out of work.

Suddenly, one day Ferguson turned to Sands and said ‘There must be a better way of doing the job, we’ll design a plough’. These words were the beginning of the Ferguson system as it later came to be known after some twenty years of unremitting toil, frustration, heart breaking setbacks and seemingly endless experiment and negotiations with other manufacturers, and then after a further ten year period which saw the start of a massive legal battle with a major manufacturer.

By the end of 1917 Sands had constructed a two furrow plough to Fergusons plans and ideas, which were to adhere to lightweight construction and for use behind the Ford ‘Eros’ tractor, the agricultural conversion of the Ford Model T car. This plough weighed only 220lb. i.e. 1/3 of the weight of other two furrow ploughs in its day, and had less than half the number of parts than other ploughs. It also operated without the need for depth wheels, because of its unique hitching arrangement, under the chassis of the tractor and forward of the line of the rear axle. This design was fundamental to the Ferguson system because it caused the line of draft to pull all four wheels of the tractor down onto the ground and overcame the tendency of the front wheels to lift if an obstruction was met by the plough. The plough was mounted very close to the rear wheels of the tractor so that the weight of the plough was carried on, and the depth of work controlled by the rear wheels of the tractor thus making the depth wheel device redundant. There was a shear pin incorporated in the linkage connecting the plough to the tractor which was designed to break if the plough hit a serious obstruction. The lifting device was by means of a lever conveniently placed by the driver’s seat connected to a series of links and compensating springs. The working parts of the plough were designed for ease of adjustment as well as low soil resistance and low draft requirement. This plough was the so called’ Belfast’ plough.
Ford ‘Eros’ model T tractor conversion, with first Ferguson plough experiment (Journal No.8 Autumn 1988) (The ‘Eros’ conversion was based on the Ford model T car, and was made by the E.G. Staude Manufacturing Company of St. Paul, Minnesota, one of several conversion kits made for the Model T.)

The plough was demonstrated behind the ‘Eros’ conversion tractor and was quite well received, though the first prototype was made of cast iron and collapsed one day in front of some highly amused farmers, when it hit an obstruction and the shear pin failed to give the protection it was meant to do. Later ploughs were constructed of alloy steels. The plough sold in small numbers, but the demise of the ‘Eros’ tractor put a stop to any further developments. Henry Ford was busy with introducing the Fordson Model ‘F’ tractor at this time, so Ferguson immediately redesigned the plough to suit the new tractor. This plough was hitched to the Model ‘F’ with two parallel struts one above the other and was patented and named the ‘Duplex’ hitch. This was again a fundamental development as the arrangement was the beginning of a unit principle, that of the plough being part of the tractor utilizing the geometric forces and lines of draft to the best advantage to aid traction and keep excess weight to a minimum, and to stop the tractor front end rearing up also. Again the plough was hitched very close to the back axle of the tractor and a similar device in principal was used to lift the plough and to control the depth as on the Belfast types.

© Ferguson Club & John Baber. Adapted from: ‘Harry Ferguson & Ferguson Ploughs (part 1 of 4)
Their development and types 1917-1964’ Journal No.4, Summer 1987.


Fordson F 1918-1928

Fordson F 1918-1928

The arrival of the famous Fordson F in 1917 led to the demise of the Eros and thus a modified hitch was developed to allow the Ferguson plough to be used on this new tractor. The limitations of this design prompted the development of the new Ferguson plough with ‘DUPLEX’ hitch. This new design marked a major advance and quite clearly displays many aspects of what we now refer to as ‘three point linkage’.

Harry Ferguson’s plough for the Model T Ford Eros conversion was ready by December 1917 but at the same time Ford announced their intention to build a tractor plant in Cork. To fill the gap in production before the factory was ready they decided to import 6,000 Fordson F tractors from America.

At this time the Model F was the most widely used tractor after the Eros and was the first with a cast iron unit frame, a system soon adopted universally. At around 1.5 tonnes it was very light compared to most other tractors of the day and sold in Britain for £250, well below the Model T Ford and accompanying Eros conversion. The consequences of even more Ford Fs flooding the market were obvious for Ferguson’s plough (in fact approximately 750,000 of these Fordsons were sold worldwide between 1917-1928).

Harry always had the ability to turn a setback into an advantage and quickly sold his remaining stock of Eros ploughs. He then devoted his energy to designing a plough specifically for attaching to the Fordson F. The result was the “Duplex Hitch”. Its main advantage besides being comparatively light, was that if the plough struck an object which caused the tractor to stop, it was prevented from toppling backwards onto the driver. © Ferguson Family Museum: Fordson Model F

There is a detailed article on the Fordson Model F on the tractordata.com website with technical specifications, serial numbers, etc.

Other articles on the Fordson Model F can be found at;
https://www.lhf.org/2015/06/meet-the-fordson-f-tractor/
https://heritagemachines.com/guides/buying-guide/fordson-model-f/


The Ferguson Black Tractor 1933

The Ferguson Black Tractor 1933

The Black Tractor

Probably the most famous tractor in the world
“The Black Tractor” – currently housed at the
Ulster Transport Museum.

This tractor, built by Harry Ferguson himself has been brought to life with stunning imagery giving the opportunity to see it from all angles and great detail.

After Harry Ferguson had invented the 3 point linkage he needed a lightweight tractor to demonstrate its advantages. It became clear to him that the only way forward lay in building a prototype tractor incorporating his own inventions which could ultimately be built cheaply and be useful on the smallest farms as well as the largest.

As the design progressed Ferguson insisted that it should be painted black, probably because of his own liking for functional simplicity. The Black Tractor was completed in 1933 and immediately put to test and became the fore-runner of all modern day tractors with its 3 point linkage and hydraulics, weight transference and automatic depth control.

More than any other single development, this invention revolutionised the use of the farm tractor, and nearly all subsequent designs have incorporated its design principles. In particular the Black Tractor was the fore-runner of the TE20, lovingly known as the “Fergie”, a descendant that became a common sight on farms all over Britain and the world in the 1940s and early 1950s.

The Black Tractor has recently been moved from the Science Museum in London to the Ulster Transport Museum in Belfast. It is on display in the Museum of Innovation Gallery at the Ulster Transport Museum. The gallery showcases stories of local pioneers who have made a global impact, thus preserving the legacy of Northern Ireland’s innovators. The tractor is on loan to the museum by Harry Ferguson’s family who recently travelled to Belfast for the unveiling of the exhibit.

The above text is copied from the Ferguson Family Museum website.

Black Tractor arrives at Ulster Transport Museum

Harry Ferguson famous “Black Tractor” has arrived at the Ulster Transport Museum. (22nd August 2024)

The tractor that revolutionised farming is now on display at the Ulster Transport Museum. This iconic prototype, engineered in Belfast, truly expresses the genius of Harry Ferguson. It brought together Ferguson’s unique innovations for the first time and is arguably the most important tractor ever built.

On loan to the museum by Harry Ferguson’s family. You can now see the Ferguson Black Tractor on display in the Museum of Innovation at Ulster Transport Museum. Please click on the “YouTube” link below to see it arriving :-

Ferguson Black Tractor | Behind-the-scenes at the Ulster Transport Museum (youtube.com)

Ferguson enthusiast and Club member  – Colin Taylor and his fabulous son, Aaron, were the first to visit the new display. Colin has sent us these photos so we can all celebrate this historic event……

Please find a further link below to the museum for visiting information….

Museum of Innovation | Ulster Transport Museum

I’m Mad Into Massey-Fergusons | Liveline – RTÉ Radio 1 (rte.ie)


The Ferguson ‘A’, “Anything short of concrete” 1936-1939

ANYTHING SHORT OF CONCRETE!” by Leslie Hutchinson

World famous for their farm implement range Massey-Harris had expanded into tractor production through the acquisition in 1928 of the JI Case Plow Works Co who held the rights to the ‘WALLIS’ tractor. (A version of this machine had been built in the UK by Ruston and Hornsby and marketed as the ‘BRITISH WALLIS’.)

While the demonstration Harry Ferguson gave for the Massey-Harris executives was impressive, no manufacturing agreement resulted. But then, this was the autumn of 1932.

Tullylagen Manor, home of Mr McGregor Greer, Photo: G. Field

One of the fields at Tulllagen Manor where early Ferguson developments were tsted including the ‘Black’ tractor. Photo – G. Field

Not long after this, construction of the Ferguson prototype (popularly known as the ‘BLACK TRACTOR’) was completed. To evaluate the design a series of field tests commenced, one of the locations chosen being Thomas McGregor Greer’s Tullylagen Manor es­tate near Cookstown, Co Tyrone in Northern Ireland. Here a field well away from the public gaze was used to enable the testing to take place in secret. It subsequently became the best known secret in the district! Joe Warnock, a neighbour of Greer’s, would drive the tractor leaving Harry and his right-hand man Willy Sands free to concentrate on engineering matters.

All this activity at Tullylagen inter­ested a young Cookstown man called Robert McGucken. As well as being good friends of the Warnocks the McGuckens owned the MOC Garage Co and a franchise for ‘Austin’ cars. (MOC Garages occupied premises in Magherafelt, Omagh and Cookstown, the initial of each town forming the com­pany name.) Not surprisingly Robert had little difficulty in gaining access to the test site. Here he found that a small corrugated iron shed had been erected to serve as a field workshop and provide shelter from inclement weather. During this visit Robert enjoyed a long conversation with Willy Sands on the fu­ture of mechanised farming – outside the workshop!

In the spring of 1933 Harry Fer­guson held a number of public demonstrations using the prototype ‘Black’ tractor. While some refused to take the new machinery seriously others realised its potential. Two of those who did were Hugh Minford. MP for Antrim and Rowley Elliot, MP for South Tyrone. During the second reading of the Agricultural Marketing Bill at Stor­mont, Minford and Elliot spoke highly of the new farm machinery. Rowley Elliot pointed out that of all the food consumed in the UK. only three-sevenths was ac­tually produced by British farmers. He believed that if the new machinery were to be made in Northern Ireland. it would not only help farmers but increase employment as well.

Not all of those in the Northern Ireland House of Commons shared this view however. The then Minister of Agriculture, Sir Edward Archdale, ex­pressed concern that the machinery might not be suitable for small farms. “It will do a garden .• retorted Hugh Min­ford. Rowley Elliot then extended an invitation to the NI government to attend a demonstration this being accepted by the Minister of Labour, Mr Andrews.

Sadly a tractor factory in Ulster (the six counties of Northern Ireland) never became a reality and three years passed before the design entered production in England at a Huddersfield gear factory. This resulted from a manufacturing agreement between Harry Ferguson and David Brown and Sons. Put simply, Browns were to build the tractor. Ferguson would sell it.

Ferguson type ‘A’ No. 104 owned by A. T. Oliver & Sons of Bedford, ploughing at the Ouse Valley Vintage Rally, October 1988. The driver – David Markham, Ferguson Club area representative for Bedfordshire . Photo – A. Boorman (photograph A4 insert in V.4. N.1)

Throughout 1936 the Ferguson A (Ferguson-Brown) was demonstrated all over Ulster including Ballyclare, Ander­sontown, Armagh and the Agricultural Research Institute at Hillsborough. At each demonstration an unidentified ‘spectator’ would ask Harry Ferguson the same question: “ls there anything it cannot plough? “Anything short of con­crete!” Ferguson would reply.

Despite all this, sales of the new tractor could hardly be described as spectacular. It was apparent that farmers were still loyal to the horse and this was not going to change overnight. A demonstration held at Ardtrea near Cookstown in early 1937 illustrates this point. As the day progressed it was suggested to the farmer who owned the land that he should buy the tractor. He was aghast. “Me! Buy a tractor! The weight of that thing’lI pack the land. No – give me a horse any day. (Harry Fer­guson 0 – ‘Dobbin’ 1)

In August 1937 Robert McGucken decided to buy another tractor for the agricultural contracting business he had started. This he mentioned to Harry Ferguson during a visit to Belfast. Not one to miss an opportunity for good publicity and knowing that at least this time he was sure of a buyer, Harry of­fered to stage a demonstration. A suitable field was found adjacent to the Lissan road near Cookstown, Co Tyrone. The tractor selected, serial no. 307. driven by Joe Warnock, opened the demonstration with a Fer­guson ‘B’ type two furrow plough while Harry Ferguson addressed the crowd. A fter ploughing a few rounds. (’bouts’ to ploughmen), Joe turned to the spec­tators and picked out a young man, a certain Rankin Faulkner. On mounting the tractor. Rankin was given verbal in­structions what to do and, moments later, moved off ploughing two furrows with apparent ease. To this day Rankin modestly maintains that his efforts were not exactly world class but, in view of the circumstances, he did very well indeed.
Ferguson ‘A’ No. 307 referred to in Leslie Hutchinson’s article. Note that the oil filter over the magneto coupling is not original equipment. This one was fitted in the late 1950s during an overhaul by a garage in Magherafelt. Taken at the County Armagh Vintage Vehicles Club Rally at Markerhall1989.

Even the sceptics had to admit that this was an amazing feat. Joe War­nock’s choice was certainly not made an random for the Faulkner family owned a successful electrical business in the town and as such were known far and wide. Thus, no-one could accuse Fer­guson of cheating by using one of his own employees. The point of the exer­cise did not go unnoticed. If a novice could use this machine just think what an experienced farmer could do with it. At the end of the demonstration it was an­nounced that the tractor had been sold to, surprise, surprise. Mr Robert McGucken. The farmers went home with much food for thought and their sons very disappointed that they had not been picked to drive the tractor!

Tractor no. 307, registered as vehicle JI 7674 on September 2nd 1937, was shortly engaged on its first job, binding oats. When Robert and his young helper arrived at the customer’s farm they found harvesting already in progress in an adjacent field, also oats. It so happened that on this occa­sion the binder was being pulled by a tractor bigger, heavier and more powerful than the diminutive type ‘A’. On seeing the new arrivals the driver stopped work and, walking over to the hedge, exclaimed: “You’re surely not going to try and pull a binder with that thing? Laughing loudly he turned and walked back to his own machine. Such sarcasm had a profound effect on our duo. As Robert McGucken recalled: “That day we pulled out all the stops. The light weight of our little tractor made it very easy to manoeuvre. Even though my helper had only recently left school he found the steering no problem. By the end of the day Robert and his young assistant had finished work and were driving out of the field. The other tractor was still working. even though both fields were about the same size.

In September 1939 Robert McGucken sold his machinery and volunteered for the Royal Air Force. Although tractor 307 has had succes­sive owners it still exists and is now owned by Ferguson Club member Mr Noel Greer of Markethill, Co Armagh in whose capable hands it has been re­stored. No doubt we shall be seeing a lot more of it at future vintage tractor events.
Fifty seven years later the Black’returns to the farming scene on the Ferguson Club exhibition on the Massey-Ferguson stand at the 1989 Royal Show. Dickdowdeswell, long time Ferguson test engineer, stands at the front of tractor.

Photo courtesy Roger Thulbourne

© Leslie Hutchinson (no 166) – 1990 – First published Vol.4 No.1, Spring 1990


Thomas McGregor Greer and the No.1 Type ‘A’

Thomas McGregor Greer and the No.1 Type ‘A’ Tractor
Leslie Hutchison. Co.Tyrone. N. Ireland.

Those of us who have been fortunate enough to visit the Massey Ferguson museum, may well have admired the 1936 Type A, on display there.

Most of us know by now, that these tractors were manufactured by David Brown of Yorkshire. The example on display is of particular significance, as it was the first one built, and thus carries the serial number 1. From the Harry Ferguson sales records for Northern Ireland (a copy of which exists at Greenmount Agricultural College, Antrim), we know that this tractor and its implements arrived in Belfast on the 21 st April, 1936 . They were used throughout the year for demonstration and show purposes.

One of these early demonstrations was held at Andersonstown and attended by a number of prominent figures. An account of this appeared in The Northern Whig and Belfast Post, Tuesday 26th May, 1936. On 12th January, 1937, No. 1 tractor plough and general cultivator were sold to Mr. Thomas McGregor Greer, Tullylagen Manor, near Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, whose association with Harry Ferguson went back to the early years of this century.

Thomas McGregor Greer was the only son of Thomas Greer, M.P., F.R.G.S. of Grove House, Regents Park, London and Sea Park, Carrick fergus , Northern Ireland. In 1898 he inherited the lease of Tullylagen Manor. When asked his occupation for the parish records he replied, “Gentleman.”

Greer’s many varierd interests included wood-carving, photography, gardening and last but not least the motor-car. He became the first man to drive a car, a De Dion Bouton, through the famous wide main street of Cookstown. Subsequently Greer purchased another car. From local legend· I believe this was a Vauxhall, a make at that time gaining a reputation for fast, well built cars. However, Greer’s later acquistion would not perform to his satisfaction and attempts to remedy the situation failed. Greer had heard about a young machanic called Harry Ferguson, who was supposed to ‘have a way with engines’ . So the young Ferguson was summoned to Tullylagen. His success with engines impressed Greer to such an extent that Ferguson was asked to service all cars at Tullylagen from then on.

When Harry was required to stay overnight he slept above the harness room. In winter the only heat was from the iron chimney pipe which passed vertically through the room from the stove below. The well-being of the harness was probably the prime consideration!

When Ferguson started his own garage, Greer was a major financial backer. As a local observed at the time, “when Harry Ferguson came to Tullylagen he slept in the farm buildings, before he left he was sleeping in the Manor House!”

Greer also shared Ferguson’s enthusiasm for mechanized farming. A field at Tullylagen (well away from public gaze), was made available to Ferguson for testing the various designs. During these tests, Ferguson used the services of a neighbouring farmer, called Joe Warnock. Driving a tractor was not a totally new experience for Joe, as he had been taught to drive a car by Greer’s chauffeur. These lessons took place in the farm yard using the De Dion when the master was away.

When demonstrations were given to the public. Joe Warnock would drive the tractor while Ferguson addressed the spectators. Should a mechanical failure occur, Ferguson would automatically blame the operator, not the machine! No matter what Harry Ferguson said Joe Warnock would never answer back. The reason being that Ferguson paid him a bonus to take such blame, thus sparing the machine and Harry, any public embarrassment.

To return to 1937 and Tullylagen, the farm manager at the time was called Jim Scott. Years later he recalled the tractor and plough’s arrival on the estate. “It was an understood arrangement between Harry Ferguson and Mr. Greer, that the very first production tractor and plough would be sold to no-one else other than Thomas McGregor Greer. Mr. Greer wanted to secure his place in history as the owner of the first tractor and plough built for the hydraulic system”. Jim Scott further recalled that Greer did not like steel wheels so pneumatics were very soon fitted. Also he was concerned that there was no protection for the driver from the rear wheels. This probably explains those unique mudguards which are still present on No. 1 to this day.

No. 1 Model A Tractor at M-F Museum. Photograph courtesy of Massey Ferguson.

As rumours of impending war began, the tractor was used to haul trailers filled with stones and rocks to certain locations on the surrounding roads. Here they were unloaded and concealed behind the hedgerows, the idea being that should the enemy invade, Greer’s men would use these to build roadblocks and thereby hinder the progress of enemy vehicles.

On 9th June, 1941 Thomas McGregor Greer died at Tullylagen Manor. At his own request his coffin was placed on a haycart, covered with red carpet and pulled by an Austin car sent from Harry Ferguson’s garage in Belfast. Jim Scott was the driver. The funeral cortege made its way to the nearby Desertcreat Parish Church. Harry Ferguson who was in the U.S.A. at the time was represented by Mr. Joe Thompson, who along with Hugh Reid was to form in 1959, Thompson-Reid Ltd.

After World War II the tractor and plough were sold. A friend of Joe Warnock’s, Mr. Lynch, purchased the tractor and it spent the next few years in the Coalisland area. It was subsequently sold back to Harry Ferguson who, I believe, part¬-exchanged it for a reconditioned Ford/Ferguson.
As regards the No 1 plough this was advertised in a local newspaper, The Mid-Ulster Mail, during the spring of 1947. The buyer was Mr. William Gibson who farmed near the village of Coagh. The price paid was £25, for which he also got the original top-link into the bargain. The plough was collected the followinig day by his son, Sandy. It was with Sandy Gibson’s help that I acquired the plough during March 1980. Other than requiring a few IIlinor repairs it is in much the same condition as it was in 1936.

At present Tullylagen Manor is undergoing a major restoration programme. Soon the house and the farmyard will look as they did in McGregor Greer’s day including the room where Harry Ferguson slept. The new owner, Mr. Raymond Turkington, intends to see that it is preserved.

Leslie Hutchison. Co.Tyrone. N. Ireland. First published Club Journal V.2 N.3 Autumn 1988


Tullylagan Manor – A short History

Welcome to Tullylagan Manor – A short History

The present house at Tullylagan was built during the early 19th Century by the Greer family. The style is that of a late Georgian classical villa. While the precise history is unfortunately not known, it is believed that this building replaced a much older structure which was erected by the Sanderson family.

1898 saw the arrival at Tullylagan of Thomas McGregor Greer. who was responsible for much of the development of the Manor. McGregor Greer was a talented man who had many diverse interests. He considered the Manor House inadequately propor­tioned for a country residence. Rather than risk spoiling the architecture by adding to the house he decided to excavate the basement. ‘This was a mammoth task depending heavily on manual labour, with the soil removed from the basement. the house became three-storey.

The grounds of the estate received similar attention with many rare and exotic trees and shrubs being planted. Greer was able to identify each plant by its common and latin name.

In the farmyard he installed carpentry facilities and here many fine examples of chairs, tables and other items were produced. As he had by now an exquisite collection of fine bone china a kitchen sink was made from softwood and installed in the Manor House. This was to minimise damage to the china during washing. Desertcreat Church was to benefit as the Holy Table, Chancel Chairs and beautifully carved Reredos were made here and pre­sented by Greer to the Church.

To enable work to continue during the hours of darkness a turbine was installed to drive a dynamo. Intially only those buildings located in the farmyard had electric light. in later years the dynamo was replaced by a larger model and electricity was supplied to the House.

In additton to all this McGregor Greer received many guests from all walks of life at Tullylagan. Sir Edward Carson the eminent lawyer who inspired Terence Rattigan’s play “The Winslow Boy” was a visitor. Another was F.E. Smith who later became Lord Birkenhead the Lord Chancellor, who by 1914 was reputedly earning £30,000 a year at the Bar.

Another person who came to Tullylagan, not as a guest but as a mechanic was none other than Harry Ferguson the tractor pioneer and inventor. To conclude with we reproduce two articles which were written by a local enthusiast and which were pub­lished in the Ferguson Club Journal. These relate to Harry Ferguson’s association with McGregor Greer and the estate. We hope you find them enjoyable.

Issued as the cover of an A4 insert to the Club Journal mailing in 1996, with reprints of ‘Anything short of concrete’  V.4 N.1, Spring 1990 and Thomas McGregor Greer and the No. 1 tractor V.3 N.3, Autumn 1988 .

Footnote:  McGregor or MacGregor?
The journal articles consistently show Thomas’ middle name as McGregor.  The Cookstown Local History group have Thomas MacGregor Greer, Births, Deaths, Marriages have MacGregor.


No 1 Returns to its Tullylagen Home

NO 1 RETURNS TO ITS TULLYLAGAN HOME – Leslie Hutchinson

The manor at Tullylagan recently restored by its present owner, Mr Raymond Turkington. The house has been restored as it was when Harry Ferguson first visited it before the Great War. Photo: G Field, Sutton, Tenbury Wells, Worcs

On Saturday 8th June 1991 Ferguson type ‘A’ No 1 returned to its former home near Cookstown, Northern Ireland, after an absence of 45 years.

The occasion was the Tullylagan Manor ‘Heritage Day’, a tribute to the memory of the late Thomas MacGregor Greer DL, JP, a former director in the pre-war Ferguson farm machinery companies who died on 9th June 1941. This event also happened to be the first ever organised by the Ferguson Club in Northern Ireland. ‘No l’ was recently restored by Club members John Burge and David Bull. It is due to their efforts that the tractor is now in truly pristine condition.

Normally ‘No l’ is on permanent display in Massey-Ferguson’s museum at Banner Lane where it is one of the company’s most prized exhibits.

When the idea of a tribute was originally conceived one or two cynics thought it unlikely that ‘No l’ would be allowed out of the factory gates, let alone to Northern Ireland. However Mr Aaron Jones. Managing Director of Massey-Ferguson Tractors Ltd, recognised the significance of the event and very kindly permitted ‘No l’ to return to its former home. We believe this is the first time that one of the world’s largest manufacturers has sent one of their vintage models to a venue in Northern Ireland. Needless to say, all concerned were absolutely delighted by this and a very big ‘thank you’ is due to Aaron Jones and Massey-Ferguson. without whose generosity it would not have been possible.

Prior to departure, ‘No l’ was completely serviced, checked and resprayed by John Burge and David Bull, who also volunteered to accompany the tractor to Cookstown. Thus on 8th June 1991, ‘No l’ was reunited with its original ‘B’ type plough, No 1, as well as its general cultivator, in the very same yard to which they were delivered 55 years ago in 1936. This must be a terrific achievement by any standards and one of which the Ferguson Club can be justly proud.

The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum was also represented in the form of a full sized replica Ferguson monoplane loaned by our good friend John Moore, keeper of the museum’s transport section. This particular replica was, for several years, on display at Belfast International Airport.

In order to transport it the wings and certain other fittings have to be removed and John was already at Tullylagan at 7am assembling the machine. Recent members who are interested in Harry Ferguson’s pioneering aviation activities are recommended to read John’s excellent article in the Spring 1990 Journal, Vol 4 No 1. (Back issues are still available – see details below. John Moore also wrote in ‘Fly-Past’ magazine, December 1984, on the same subject. Editor)

Among the other Fergusons present were four other Ferguson type ‘A’/Ferguson-Browns. Type ‘A’ No 307, now owned by Noel Greer, has a special association with Tullylagan Manor as its original owner, the late Robert McGucken, saw the ‘Black Tractor’ being demonstrated here in the early ‘thirties. No 307 was itself demonstrated near Cookstown in August 1937.

Dan McTaol from Ballymoney, Co Antrim, attended with his 1937 model, registered as DZ 5220. Dan is a well known vintage tractor enthusiast and appears at many events all over the province. This tractor has Dunlop rear wheels fitted with 24″ tyres instead of the normal 22″ size. Ian McAllistair of Dervock sent his 1937 model, No 467, and driven by Robert Kidd of Broughshane, Co Antrim.

‘No l’ on arrival at its former home for the years 1936 to 1946. Ferguson Club executive officer George Field, with David Bull and John Burge who carried out this impeccable piece of restoration. Harry Ferguson was uncompromising when it came to the presentation of his machinery. He would have been well satisfied with the standard of turnout for this, his first production tractor. Photo: Mid-Ulster News

Published in Volume 5 No. 2 Winter 1991

Footnote: During September 1991 the farm buildings at Tullylagen Manor were extensively damged by fire.  The room where Harry Ferguson slept on his early visits to the manor and the garage and coach house were fortunately undamaged.  The main building including the hydro-electric plant, stables and function hall were gutted.  At the time of writing the extent of structural damage is unclear.  The cause of the fire is unknown.  Leslie Hutchinson, Newsletter Winter 1991,