Massey-Ferguson

Massey-Ferguson was formed by the takeover of the Ferguson Co. by the Massey-Harris Co. Massey-Harris was founded in 1891 the result of a merger of two companies. They went on to produce engines and tractors and along the way worked with a number of different engineering companies. Harry Ferguson had designed tractors and developed the Ferguson System, a hydraulic control and attachment system. In 1953 Massey Harris and the Ferguson Co. became Massey-Harris-Ferguson, later known as Massey-Ferguson.

• Many were surprised at the takeover of Harry Ferguson's company by Massey Harris, since his tractors were achieving worldwide success and he was making a considerable profit. It is thought that as Ferguson was given full control over tractor development within the newly formed company he thought he would be able to make his ideas widely available to farmers everywhere, or it may have been due to health worries that Ferguson saw a way of securing the future of his company.

• Following the merger of the two companies both brand names produced tractors whilst restructuring took place. Some existing models were renamed and the tractors had a new colour scheme of red and grey.

• In 1959 the M-F 88 was introduced with a 60 HP engine which could run on gas or diesel.

• In 1959 Massey-Ferguson bought the Perkins Diesel Engine Co. of Peterborough, England. Previously Massey-Ferguson had had to buy in engines but this purchase meant that they would have access to a variety of engines and they were also able to build engines to supply to other companies.

• In 1964 a smaller tractor, the Red Giant, was produced. These were built in Britain and France.

• In 1965 two new designs were produced. The model 1105 featured a turbocharger to boost power and was aimed at the Canadian market. The model 1135 had 140 HP.

• In 1969 Massey-Ferguson introduced the M-F 1080, using a Perkins diesel engine. This was replaced in 1973 by teh M-F 1085. The biggest machine produced was the M-F 1150,

• Because of the demand for bigger and more powerful models Massey-Ferguson upgraded some of its models and the 1970s the development of such machines was constantly moving forward.

• In 1978 in Brantford, Ontario, Massey-Ferguson began producing four-wheel drive machines with the smallest machine a 225 HP and the largest machine a 375 HP. These were the 4000 series and were produced until 1988 when they were replaced by the model 5200.

• In 1973 the smaller tractors were updated. This 200 series was produced at Banner Lane in England.

• In the 1970s Massey-Ferguson produced a new tractor with a cab included in the design. By the mid 1970s it had become a legal requirement for tractors to have cabs. The new model was called the M-F 500.

• In the 1980s Massey-Ferguson introduced a replacement to the 500 series tractors, this was the 600 series,

• The model 5200 was sold to McConnell Tractors who marketed it until 1993.

• In the early 1980s Massey-Ferguson produced the 600 series which ranged from a 66 HP to a 88 HP machine. These tractors were made at the Banner Lane factory in England.

• In 1986 the 200 series was updated to become the 300 series with an additional model added with a six-cylinder engine capable of producing 110 HP.

• Massey-Ferguson were at this time also producing tractors in France.

• By the 1980s Massey-Ferguson were fitting tractors with the new Autotronic System. This gave the operator improved control over differential lock.

• A digital readout system called Datatronic was also available giving the operator information about the systems direct in the cab.

• Massey-Ferguson had produced a system whereby they used electronics to multiply the coverage of gears available for selection. This was known as the Dynashift and was introduced in 1992 and is today known as the Dyna-6 system.

• In the early 1990s Massey-Ferguson was bought out in two phases by the AGCO Corporation. In 1991 the United States business was purchased, followed by the remaining businesses in 1994.

• In the 1990s the new company produced state of the art tractors.

• The 300 series was updated at the Banner Lane factory in England in 1997 and again in 2001, however in 2002 the factory's fortunes changed when the 4300 model became the last series to come off the production line and production moved abroad.