Fantastic classics at the brilliant Tractor World Show!

Posted by Chris Graham on 4th April 2024

Chris Graham showcases a selection of the Ferguson and Massey Ferguson tractors that caught his eye at this year’s Tractor World show.

As usual, there were plenty of MF 135s on display at Tractor World. This very smart 1965 example is owned by the McDonald family from Aberdeenshire, was impressively restored in 2019 and is here fitted with an MF spinner.

Last year it was snow that disrupted travel to the Tractor World event at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern while, this time, it was flooding. My usual route to the venue out of nearby Upton upon Severn was blocked due to the use of flood barriers which, presumably, were protecting parts of the town from the river that had burst its banks.

There were a good number of newer ‘classics’ on show at Malvern this year, which was great to see. A fine example was Duncan McColl’s 1993 MF 390, which he bought from Reekie, in Perth, Scotland, in 2021. The tractor spent its working life on a farm at Callander, near Stirling, and remains in what appears to be remarkably good, ‘off-farm’ condition.

At the showground the carparks were waterlogged, with ‘ordinary’ cars being diverted away from the usual fields for fear of getting stuck so, as luck would have it, I ended up parking inside the show ground and thus much closer to the action than usual, which was a bonus!

Robert Allan’s immaculate looking 1972 MF 148 has been restored over the past three years.

The show, itself, was excellent and appeared to be very well attended on the Saturday I was there. I gather that, overall, the number of people visiting the show was up on previous years and exhibitors filled the available spaces to capacity. The HJ Pugh auction looked packed with interesting lots, too – both tractors and implements – and the various exhibition halls contained the usual fascinating mix of trade stands, club displays and specialist tools/equipment suppliers.

Simon Wright’s 1972 MF 1150 is always a show-stopper wherever it goes, with its impressive size never failing to impress. The tractor was imported from America in 2019 and restored brilliantly by Simon during 2022.

Here’s a selection of the Ferguson and Massey Ferguson tractors that were on display in the various exhibition halls at the show, and caught my eye.

This smart little 1954 Ferguson TE-F 20, owned by A Brooks, was first registered in Northamptonshire and then taken to Evesham College where it was used as an engineering model. After that role came to an end it stood in a shed for 10 years before the present owner bought it as a non-runner in 2018. A comprehensive restoration then followed.

Another classic from the 1960s, this time an MF 165 in beautifully original condition. This tractor was originally supplied by Browetts of Warwick and then used on the same farm for most of its working life. John Hughes bought it in 2021.

This Ferguson TE-L 20 vineyard was bought by the Ellerdine Collection in 2022, from a Cambridge vintage sale. It was reportedly in very good condition but needed restoration nevertheless. That work started in March 2023, and was completed just in time for this show.

Here’s an unusual sight! It’s a MF 35 ‘tandem’, consisting of 1959 and 1960 models. Apparently, the conversion was completed in France, and was found there in January 2023 by the present owners – Sally Ennor and John Burdfield – who brought it back to the UK.

Massey Ferguson’s Industrial models always catch the eye thanks to their bright yellow paintwork. This 1964 MF 35 is an ex-Army tractor that was bought in 1995 by John Roger Edwards from Colwyn Bay, North Wales, and then restored in 2011.

This original condition 1955 Grey Fergie is owned by David Smith and had been on the same farm for the past 32 years. It’s still used for light duties today.

Another from the Ennor/Burdfield stable is this immaculate 1972 MF 188 4WD which, as you might have guessed from its appearance, has been the subject of a full, nut-and-bolt restoration.

Belonging to George Headworth from Newport, in South Wales, this 1962 MF 35 was supplied new to a farm in Redwick, South Wales. It was bought by the Headworth family in 2015 and will stay in original condition as it remains a working machine.

This feature comes from the latest issue of Classic Massey & Ferguson Enthusiast, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE