A little grey Fergie tractor

Tweet

We spotted this on the side of the road just outside of Latrobe in northern Tasmania. It’s a ‘little grey Fergy’. These small tractors endeared themselves to farmers and others when they first appeared. I googled the tractor so I’d have something to tell you about them other than the fact that they are grey. The TE20 (Tractor England 20 horsepower) was designed by Harry Ferguson in England and manufactured from 1946 to 1956. Its small size, light weight, manoeuvrability and versatility marked a major advance in tractor design. In some parts of the world, it was the first to be affordable to the average farmer and many remain in use today. They are also popular with collectors. There are anumber of models of both the TE and TO (Tractor Overseas). The three-point linkage system was revolutionary at the time is now used by most tractor manufacturers. The whole article on the little grey Fergie was very interesting but I’ll add just a few more points. • A monument in Wentworth, Australia, commemorates the time in 1956 when the Darling and Murray Rivers flooded and a fleet of the Fergies were used to build levee bands to save the town. • Seven TE20s were used on the 1955-58 Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition led by Sir Edmund Hillary. Some had full caterpillar tracks and an extra wheel on each side; other had half-tracks with steerable front skis. A canvas cabin was added – no air-conditioned solid cabins like they have nowadays! They continued to be effective climbing a 1-in-7 hard polished ice slope and operated in conditions of -10 Fahrenheit. They reached the South Pole and were left there for the use of American researchers. One is now on display in Christchurch, New Zealand. • One diesel nicknamed Betsy appears in the Guinness Book of Records when, in 2003, it was driven 3,176 miles (5,111 km) around the coastline of Britain. It is now on display at the Yorkshire Museum of Farming having been donated to the Friends of Ferguson Heritage group. • A TEA-20 appears on the NZ $5 note. Sir Edmund Hillary is on the obverse with the tractor in the bottom-left corner. In 2008, it is also depicted on a $1.50 postage stamp. • A TE20 is the star of ‘The Little Grey Fergie’, a TV series for small children. This had its first showing in the UK in 2013 and is based on a Norwegian children’s story. • Australian folk singer Peter Pentland released an album entitled Me Beaut Little Fergie Tractor. So there you have it. All hail to the little grey Fergie.