I thoroughly enjoy your magazine each month. I found the article “Double-take” (Farm Collector, May 2015) particularly interesting. My father sold farm equipment for more than 45 years. He took on the Massey-Harris line in 1956 just after the Massey-Harris triple series, the Massey-Harris 50 and the red and gray Ferguson 35 were introduced to Massey dealers.
Also at that time, the Ferguson 40 was added to appease Ferguson dealers who needed something to compete with the Massey-Harris 50. I own a Massey-Harris 50 that my father sold new to a neighbor; it came with the farm when I bought it. A point of correction to Mr. Vossler’s excellent article: The engine used in the M-H 50, Ferguson 40 and the Ferguson 35 was the Continental Z-134, not the B-134. This could have been a typo or just a misunderstanding.
Another interesting point is that the 35, 40 and 50 were all mechanically exactly the same with the 35 using the same style front axle, hood and dash used on Ferguson 30. The hood, grille and dash used on the Ferguson 40 were essentially the same as those used on the Massey Ferguson 50s and 65s built in England.
Keep up the good work with your magazine.
Fred Potter,
134 State Rte. 36,
Troupsburg, NY
Editor’s note:You are exactly right, Fred: Our ears played tricks with us on that engine identification. And thanks for the extra detail: very interesting!