The Allure Fordson Tractors

By Josephine Roberts
Published on March 1, 2008
1 / 10
There’s no denying that the Fordson E27N has a certain charm, and I don’t blame Pete for being unable to resist this lovely original looking model. Note the brass “duck’s head” filler cap that someone with a sense of humor has attached to the tractor.
There’s no denying that the Fordson E27N has a certain charm, and I don’t blame Pete for being unable to resist this lovely original looking model. Note the brass “duck’s head” filler cap that someone with a sense of humor has attached to the tractor.
2 / 10
It might have been the Perkins engine that made this E27N so appealing to the Canadian farmer who owned this tractor for most of its working life.
It might have been the Perkins engine that made this E27N so appealing to the Canadian farmer who owned this tractor for most of its working life.
3 / 10
Some of the Fordsons Pete owns are going to need more than just a lick of paint. This Model N with spade lugs has certainly seen better days.
Some of the Fordsons Pete owns are going to need more than just a lick of paint. This Model N with spade lugs has certainly seen better days.
4 / 10
 To some extent you can put a date to a Fordson Model N by looking at its paint work. Very early models were painted blue, but from 1937 onwards they became a rather lurid shade of orange. With the outbreak of World War II, all Fordsons made after 1940 were painted green. It is always claimed that they were painted green as camouflage – probably because at the Dagenham plant the completed tractors were always parked outside, and the bright orange livery did stand out rather! However, the individual working in the fields with a tractor may also have felt more secure knowing that he or she was driving a more discreetly colored tractor. This orange Model N of Pete’s dates to 1938.
 To some extent you can put a date to a Fordson Model N by looking at its paint work. Very early models were painted blue, but from 1937 onwards they became a rather lurid shade of orange. With the outbreak of World War II, all Fordsons made after 1940 were painted green. It is always claimed that they were painted green as camouflage – probably because at the Dagenham plant the completed tractors were always parked outside, and the bright orange livery did stand out rather! However, the individual working in the fields with a tractor may also have felt more secure knowing that he or she was driving a more discreetly colored tractor. This orange Model N of Pete’s dates to 1938.
5 / 10
On top of the Fordson’s radiator Pete found a nest some small creature made and stuffed with grain, suggesting the tractor – an E27N – was used on a grain farm. The fact that it has no hydraulic arms means that it may have been used for towing or to power machinery by means of the PTO or the pulley.
On top of the Fordson’s radiator Pete found a nest some small creature made and stuffed with grain, suggesting the tractor – an E27N – was used on a grain farm. The fact that it has no hydraulic arms means that it may have been used for towing or to power machinery by means of the PTO or the pulley.
6 / 10
Painted a discreet wartime green, this Fordson Model N dates to 1941. Pete’s son, Matthew, gives his dad a tow to get the Fordson out of its shed.
Painted a discreet wartime green, this Fordson Model N dates to 1941. Pete’s son, Matthew, gives his dad a tow to get the Fordson out of its shed.
7 / 10
Pete literally “firing up” the E27N! The Perkins engine gives this tractor extra speed and power, but whilst it might go like a rocket, the E27N isn’t terribly keen on getting going this morning, and some rather unconventional techniques are called for.
Pete literally “firing up” the E27N! The Perkins engine gives this tractor extra speed and power, but whilst it might go like a rocket, the E27N isn’t terribly keen on getting going this morning, and some rather unconventional techniques are called for.
8 / 10
An early industrial Fordson Model N. Fitted with a 6-cylinder engine, this tractor (and others like it) was used by the Royal Air Force to tow and maneuver aircraft on runways. This dainty looking antique is capable of speeds of around 40 mph.
An early industrial Fordson Model N. Fitted with a 6-cylinder engine, this tractor (and others like it) was used by the Royal Air Force to tow and maneuver aircraft on runways. This dainty looking antique is capable of speeds of around 40 mph.
9 / 10
Everywhere you look there are Fordsons! This 1962 Roadless Fordson Super Major is the powerful big brother to all of those earlier models. It’s a serious workhorse, but does it have the charm of its ancestors? Perhaps not, but when it comes to timber extraction it’s second to none, and its presence on the smallholding means Pete never has to buy timber or firewood.
Everywhere you look there are Fordsons! This 1962 Roadless Fordson Super Major is the powerful big brother to all of those earlier models. It’s a serious workhorse, but does it have the charm of its ancestors? Perhaps not, but when it comes to timber extraction it’s second to none, and its presence on the smallholding means Pete never has to buy timber or firewood.
10 / 10

In which Josephine Roberts introduces her brother Pete Roberts, a Fordson fanatic from the foothills of Snowdonia, who happens to own a range of very original-looking Fordson tractors.

My brother Pete lives in a little smallholding tucked away in the woods, and he’s lucky enough to have a bit of space around him and no neighbors – which means he can do what most of us would love to do: Fill his place with old tractors!

Some people collect a variety of tractors, but Pete is pretty firmly set on his Fordsons and now has 15 tractors, mostly Fordsons. The first of the Fordsons Pete fell for and started collecting was the standard Fordson, the Model N. Here in Wales we tend to call this tractor the Fordson Bach, which translates to the Little Fordson, as opposed to the Fordson Major (or the E27N) which came later and is much larger in stature.

I fully understand my brother’s enthusiasm for the Fordson Model N: It is a handsome little tractor with a charming and antiquated look. I think it’s the shape of the tank, the sprung metal seat and the sweep of the mudguards that does it. What’s more, they aren’t hugely expensive old tractors to collect, because there are still plenty of them around, and they are frequently seen at plowing matches used in combination with a trailer plow.

You could purchase a Fordson Model N in good condition for about £1,200 ($2,475 U.S.), paying much less for a rougher example. Like any old tractor they take a bit of tinkering with, and some people find them a wee bit temperamental – after all, this is a tractor designed to be started in the morning and left going all day. I’ve heard older people who remember them in regular service saying it was best never to turn them off, because you couldn’t be sure when you’d ever get them going again!

The Fordson Model N was manufactured in the U.K. from 1929 to 1945, when it was replaced by the larger E27N (the early Fordson Major). Whilst the Fordson Bach is small, compact and (dare I say it of a tractor) cute, the E27N is tall and leggy. The Irish sometimes call the tractor a High Nellie! In my mind it is one of the most attractive vintage tractors commonly seen in the U.K., especially when in original condition, because the archaic and slightly battered look seems to suit the model well.

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