Full of Fergusons: Collection Evolves from Ford-Ferguson 2N Tractor Purchase
What began with a 1946 Ford-Ferguson 2N tractor grew to a 75-piece collection
Bill Vossler
February 2010
 |
Bob Radoush on his Ferguson TO-30, along with his rare restored Ferguson BEO-20 baler. His collection is housed at the LeSueur (Minn.) Pioneer Power Show, where he is a regular exhibitor.
Bill Vossler
|
When Bob Radoush bought his first tractor 15 years ago, his son wasted no time in turning him in.
“Mom, Mom,” Jason squealed, “Dad got drunk and bought a tractor!” That’s not exactly what happened. Jason was young, Bob had drank only a couple of beers on a hot day, and he had long wanted a small tractor to use on land he owned near Mille Lacs Lake in Minnesota. “I needed a little tractor to plow a 5-acre corn field,” Bob recalls.
RELATED CONTENT
Iowa collection is 'corn fed'...
More clues help unravel Kentucky tractor mystery...
Odd-named tractor ushered Ford onto the farm...
The last British Massey Ferguson factory closes after 56 years...
That first tractor was a 1946 Ford-Ferguson 2N with a 2-bottom Ferguson plow. Bob had no intention of collecting old iron. “Ferguson was not on the radar,” he says. But his Mille Lacs neighbor, Louie Richards, changed that. “He had quite a bit of Ferguson stuff, and I got hooked on it,” Bob says. “Louie convinced me that Ferguson was the No. 1 tractor.”
Soon, Bob (who lives in Chaska, Minn.) had restored the 2N. “It came to me in pretty good shape, but I restored it to the best of the best, including the best possible paint of all in my paint shop. I didn’t want to collect, but it kind of crept up on me. It’s a disease,” he says with a laugh.
Getting well
Today, Bob has 75 pieces of Ferguson equipment, including 27 different versions of Ferguson plows and 12 Ferguson tractors. He’s sold on the line. “They made so many different kinds of machinery, it’s built solidly, and it just doesn’t wear out,” he says.
Bob’s first Ferguson implement acquisitions were practical ones: a 2-bottom plow, corn planter, disc and section drag to use on his acreage. “From there, we started going to threshing shows with that little 2N, and started seeing more types of Ferguson tractors,” he says. “Every one I saw I wanted to own.” Today, Bob has all the Ferguson models except the Pony and the Pacer.
One of the quirks of the Ferguson line is that some of the tractors and equipment are badged as Massey-Harris pieces while others are Ferguson. (Massey-Harris acquired Harry Ferguson Inc. in 1953. The new company was named Massey-Harris-Ferguson and plans called for production of two separate lines; in 1958 the name was changed to Massey Ferguson and the dual arrangement ended). “Just like Chevy and Buick are two GM automobile brands,” he explains, “this equipment is the same except for the tag.”
Ferguson equipment is harder to find and much more desirable than comparable MH pieces. Collectors need to be aware of that distinction, Bob says. “Fergusons are identified by a plate on the engine block that says ‘Harry Ferguson’ and has its own Ferguson serial number. If you’re a real Ferguson collector and you see one of those tractors, the first place you go is to check the engine block.”
Page: 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Next >>