2019/52/1-2

Ferguson tractors (Manufacturer)

A Ferguson TE20 drawbar and top link, used by the donor's father in his role as a farmer in the Western Dales of Yorkshire. The parts likely dates from the mid-twentieth century. The donor's father owned two grey Fergusons from which the drawbar and top link became separated. The drawbar is steel and would have been attached to the rear of the tractor, and then attached the item which was to be moved, such as a plough or a trailer. The top link has the numbers 8738/9-B and 11721CO33 cast into it.

1 Drawbar; Metal: Good condition

Museum Object Entry Form – 'Form No: 502 // DESCRIPTION OF OBJECT/COLLECTION // 1 x TE20 drawbar (in two parts - possibly with a third part to follow) // See seperate emails. // REASON FOR ENTRY: Gift // 19 Jun 19', Email, Donor to Ollie Douglas, 7 June 2019 - 'Thanks for this. // No problem filling out transfer documents. // Source of the drawbar: My father farmed in the western dales of Yorkshire all his life and for many years had two grey Fergies as the mechanical mainstay of his operation. These were supplemented by a later red Fergy and then a new Massey Ferguson in 1978. I think the old tractors - one permanently attached to a saw-bench and the other to a mowing machine, or it might have been a transport box, meant that the drawbars were not required and thereby got separated. In 1981 my father and family moved back to the farm he had inherited years before but gradually handed over the running to one of my brothers. My father died in 2003 after which my brother sold or scrapped or gave away much of the equipment. On a visit to the farm last year I recognised the drawbar in a barn. I'd seen your tractor and lack of this component. This year I told my brother of my intention and since then he had found one of the associated stabilisor links and the pto drive cover. // [handwritten note] Someone was killed using one of the two Ferguson tractors. The tracking (width of wheel span) was adjustable and was too wide for the road.', Email, Ollie Douglas to Donor, 7 June 2019 - 'Many thanks for your kind offer. Given that we don't have a drawbar for the TE20 in the Museum's collection, we'd be happy to accept this [...] // Can I ask how you came to have the drawbar itself? I am assuming that you have (or had) a TE20 but it would be good to confirm if this is the case. We like to document the histories of individual items in the collection and your drawbar would be no exception. So, anything you can tell us about its history would be most welcome. Where you got it? Who might have used it? What became of the tractor(s) it was used on? Where was it used?', Email, Donor to Ollie Douglas, 6 June 2019 - 'I have it in mind that your Grey Ferguson tractor is missing a drawbar. // I would like to provide you with one of these as a donation to the collection // [...] if you reply affirming you are pleased to take it, no strings attached, then I will deliver it to the Museum.'

1900-01-01 - 1999-12-31

Twentieth century

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