A brief history of tractor design.
A personal view.

.....Collecting and restoring old tractors has become a popular and rewarding pass-time for many old men young at heart. The popularity is due to many factors but predominant is the love of old machines and that they have not become too expensive to own, restore, and run. Many old and interesting tractors worthy of restoration can be purchased for between £500 and £3000 and these can be turned into items of historic or financial value. Most people do it for fun and are motivated by a desire to own and drive a tractor which gives them and others pleasure when displayed at vintage rallies throughout the summer months.

.......For most people all old tractors will be seen as vintage. This is not absolutely true, as like all other vehicles, tractors are classified as Veteran, Vintage, and Classic depending on their age.

Veteran....... ......Pre 19??
Vintage............19??-1960
Post Vintage...1960-1970
Classic........... 1971-1980

.......The invention of the internal combustion engine led to early American tractors appearing in 1894/? These were crudely built, slow, and not very maneuverable. They consisted of a stationary engine on a fabricated frame and bore little resemblance to the tractor as we know it today. It was a start but staem engines were then more reliable and were to remain in regular use for another 50 years.

......Developments also took place on this side of the Atlantic; the most significant being that of Dan Albone at Biggleswade. By 1902 he had produced a tractor which he felt able to market as a going concern. He named the tractor after the river which runs through Biggleswade; the Ivel. Notable survivors are one in the Science Museum, London and the working one owned by John Moffat.

.....A multitude of companies then saw the potential and there began to appear many and varied designs. Some were soon lost as they did not work but others continued in production for many years and their names are still with us today i.e., John Deere, Massey, Ford, Case. Notable British names were Austin, Sanderson, Davis Brown,

.....A pattern soon emerged which became the standard design for all tractors. Small front wheels for easy steerage; large, iron back wheels for good traction, engine at the front and driver at the back, no cab but large mudguards to give some protection for the driver. This format still holds today and can be seen in many of our modern 4 wheel drive models. Rubber tyres, diesel engines, belt and PTO, hydraulics and lights were all refinements which crept in from the end of the First World War.

The two tractors shown below illustrate the changes in design and construction which took place between 1920 and 1940. The early model is a stationary engine on a frame while the later one is a engineers design with an integrated engine, gear box, and back axle, with rubber tyres TVO engine and improved driving position for the driver

.....Tractor size and power seemed to reach 50-60hp around 1955 and remain around that level for a number of years. Nuffield, Fordson, and Massey Ferguson all had tractors in this power range and they are now some of the most sort after tractors for preservation. Further power was only available with diff lock, strengthened transmissions, increased tyre size, 4wd and advanced diesel engines. This led to some dramatic increases in power eventually reaching 300hp on some American tractors.