Vintage Ads

[A554]

A couple of ads for Massey Harris tractors around the time when Massey Harris joined with Ferguson and the creation of Massey Ferguson.

The ad for the 745 Diesel, on the right, was published in 1956 when Massey Harris machines were sold in Australia by the HV McKay company. HV McKay played a big part in developing harvesters in Australia and built up a very large business building farm equipment mostly under the Sunshine brand.

The ad on the left for the 745 Super Diesel comes from 1958 and this was after the formation of the Massey Ferguson company. As part of that process, MF bought out HV McKay and used the McKay factories to establish the MF base in Australia.

[utility 64]

I have a large library of documentation of tractors and agricultural machinery IH and Case IH, the oldest of which date back in very good condition with the 1930 Farmall F 12. If you wish, I can scan some examples for you to share my passion for the brand IH.

Here are two pages of advertising from the 1980s on IH tractors and combine harvesters.

[Loadstar]

A couple of ads for Massey Harris tractors around the time when Massey Harris joined with Ferguson and the creation of Massey Ferguson.

The ad on the left for the 745 Super Diesel comes from 1958 and this was after the formation of the Massey Ferguson company. As part of that process, MF bought out HV McKay and used the McKay factories to establish the MF base in Australia.

Those Masseys look pretty much identical to what we saw here in the fifties except for the numbers. I think the 745 pictured in your ad would match the horsepower of the model 444 sold here. This ad I have is from Feb. of 57. It shows the whole line up. I put in a good many hours on a 444 about 40 years ago.

[A554]

I have a large library of documentation of tractors and agricultural machinery IH and Case IH, the oldest of which date back in very good condition with the 1930 Farmall F 12. If you wish, I can scan some examples for you to share my passion for the brand IH.

Here are two pages of advertising from the 1980s on IH tractors and combine harvesters.

Please post your material.

Always interesting to see the differences from the various countries.

My schoolboy French is very rusty but I can 'read' the images OK.

[Loadstar]

A big old W9 McCormick in this ad. I see I have mis-labelled it as a 58. I think more likely a 53 model. Notice the 18 foot diskall in the bottom of the photo . Commonly known as "diskers or oneways" here, they were a popuar machine for both summerfallow and seeding.

[Loadstar]

And then theres Oliver. I think this Super 99 with it's screaming GM diesel would leave the McCormick WD9 in the dust.

[A554]

A couple of ads for Massey Harris tractors around the time when Massey Harris joined with Ferguson and the creation of Massey Ferguson.

The ad on the left for the 745 Super Diesel comes from 1958 and this was after the formation of the Massey Ferguson company. As part of that process, MF bought out HV McKay and used the McKay factories to establish the MF base in Australia.

Those Masseys look pretty much identical to what we saw here in the fifties except for the numbers. I think the 745 pictured in your ad would match the horsepower of the model 444 sold here. This ad I have is from Feb. of 57. It shows the whole line up. I put in a good many hours on a 444 about 40 years ago.

Loadstar, your comments regarding the Massey Harris model numbers has made me realise the 745 model tractors were from Great Britain, I had assumed they were from Canada.

A bit of research shows they were fitted with Perkins L4 diesel engines.

Another ad from the same period for a Massey Ferguson field tiller which is shown behind a Massey Harris tractor.

[A554]

An ad for Ferguson TEA 20 tractors from 1956.

[Loadstar]

Loadstar, your comments regarding the Massey Harris model numbers has made me realise the 745 model tractors were from Great Britain, I had assumed they were from Canada.

A bit of research shows they were fitted with Perkins L4 diesel engines.

I had no idea Massey had a Perkins connection with that series of tractors. Here in North America they used the Continental diesel or gas engines. Not til the Ferguson alliance did they show up with a Perkins diesel option. Like this little model 50 from a 1958 ad. No more mention of Massey Harris from then on.

[Loadstar]

Although this is not exactly a machinery ad, it does have a tractor in it and shows what the well dressed farmer was wearing to work back in 57. Or at least what the Great Western Garment company hoped he was.

[utility 64]

I have a large library of documentation of tractors and agricultural machinery IH and Case IH, the oldest of which date back in very good condition with the 1930 Farmall F 12. If you wish, I can scan some examples for you to share my passion for the brand IH.

Here are two pages of advertising from the 1980s on IH tractors and combine harvesters.

I will send you pictures of my IH and Case IH equipment on my farm, but also, I will scan photos for brochures and IH CASE IH French .

Please post your material.

Always interesting to see the differences from the various countries.

My schoolboy French is very rusty but I can 'read' the images OK.

[Loadstar]

International's tractors for 1957. The "power line".

[A554]

Loadstar, your comments regarding the Massey Harris model numbers has made me realise the 745 model tractors were from Great Britain, I had assumed they were from Canada.

A bit of research shows they were fitted with Perkins L4 diesel engines.

I had no idea Massey had a Perkins connection with that series of tractors. Here in North America they used the Continental diesel or gas engines. Not til the Ferguson alliance did they show up with a Perkins diesel option. Like this little model 50 from a 1958 ad. No more mention of Massey Harris from then on.

Loadstar, a bit more research using 'A World-Wide guide to Massey-Harris, Ferguson and early Massey Ferguson Tractors' by John Farnworth.

In this book the tractors are grouped by country of manufacture. It shows the MH 745, a 745S and a 744PD as being built in UK at Kilmarnock, Scotland.

The 745 and 745S are shown as being powered by a Perkins L4 diesel engine developing 54hp. The 744PD was powered by a Perkins P6 diesel engine developing 42hp.

There are no dates shown for these tractors but as the ad for the 745 in Australia was in the 1950s, my assumption is they were produced after WW2. All other models of MH tractors sold in UK were imported in knock down form and fitted with local wheels, tyres etc.

Another thing I found interesting from this book is that of the tractors produced in North America, only the MH Pony was built in Canada and all other models built in USA. As MH was a Canadian company, I had just assumed most tractors were manufactured in Canada.

[A554]

Two ads for Ferguson and Massey Ferguson tractors from the late 1950s.

[Loadstar]

Loadstar, a bit more research using 'A World-Wide guide to Massey-Harris, Ferguson and early Massey Ferguson Tractors' by John Farnworth.

Another thing I found interesting from this book is that of the tractors produced in North America, only the MH Pony was built in Canada and all other models built in USA. As MH was a Canadian company, I had just assumed most tractors were manufactured in Canada.

That is surprising. I had assumed being a Canadian company meant all their tractors originated out of Canada.

Here is one page of a 3 page ad showing the line of Massey equipment. The little 65 was a popular tractor.

[Loadstar]

And some of the older Massey Harris tractors from 1956. The triple 4 and 5 were a popular tractor.

[George 2]

Loadstar:

The old Massey Harris 333, 444, 555 etc were made in Racine. WI (old JI Case plowworks plant). The newer TO35, MF50, 65, 85, 88 and the 1100 series were all made at Ferguson Park in Detroit. Ferguson Park was closed in the early 1980's. I took a tour through that plant in December 1967.

[ozfarm]

744 came about from a groundnut scheme in africa, MH was going to supply , but it had to be diesel, so a P6 was fitted to the US chassis

groundnut scheme didnt eventuate, so u might find most of the 744 ended up down here

[Loadstar]

Loadstar:

The old Massey Harris 333, 444, 555 etc were made in Racine. WI (old JI Case plowworks plant). The newer TO35, MF50, 65, 85, 88 and the 1100 series were all made at Ferguson Park in Detroit. Ferguson Park was closed in the early 1980's. I took a tour through that plant in December 1967.

I always associated Racine with Case tractors. Interesting to hear that some Masseys were built there too.

I don't know where these 57 Chev trucks were built but the ad has a definite Canadian theme to it. That is one of the rare Cameo pickups burning up the Alcan highway with one of those new 283 V8 engines.

[Loadstar]

In 1958 this was the top of the line of Cockshutt tractors. The last series of the real Cockshutt built tractors. Somewhere out there exists a 580 prototype powered by a 354 Perkins diesel. It never went into production though.

[A554]

An ad for a Shearer disc plough.

John Shearer was an Australia company that made cultivating and sowing implements. This 5 furrow plogh is being pulled by a Fordson Major tractor.

[A554]

An ad for a Fordson Power Major from the late 1950s.

I can recall when my friends father purchased one of these tractors new for use in the famly orchard.

It joined a Fordson Major diesel which was later replaced by a Fordson Super Major.

[Loadstar]

Those old Majors didn't change much externally through the fifties.

This 1938 Fordson looks like a very different tractor and I am not sure just how connected they were to the post war Fordson Majors. This one was built in Windsor, Canada by the Ford Motor Company.

[A554]

Another pull-type PTO header, this one from John Deere sold in Australia. This information comes from a Power Farming Annual of 1988 and not a very good photo of the machine.

It is interesting to read the description of how the cutting platform was attached to a cart for transport, with the cart attached to the harvester. During transport the cart swung out and behind the machine. I have never seen one of these machines and I wonder how well this worked.

Some more images I have found showing how the cutting plat form is attached to the John Deere 1051 pull type harvester sold in Australia.

I wonder if the designer of the JD 360 Swinger disc was involved in designing this system - has many similarities.

[Hoot]

Somewhere out there exists a 580 prototype powered by a 354 Perkins diesel. It never went into production though.

The last I knew the 580 prototype was owned by an Ohio State patrolman right here in Ohio. The story was Cockshutt actually made 3 of these 580's but there was only 1 known to exist & it was this one. I have seen it myself completely restored.