Picture by kind permission Motorman Tel’s Flickr Site

Usually only a Horse ploughing match, this year Beamish decide to show what replaced horses on the farm. Enter me. I was asked to demonstrate using the museums TE-A20 (TVO converted) Ferguson and my 2 Furrow plough. I had so much fun. A big thank you to Beamish for letting me be there.

The day started very much earlier than the opening picture. I Had travelled up from Sheffield the day before and spent the evening chatting to the plough match competitors. I was told it was a very friendly sort of an event.  At about 7:30am I made my way to where the tractor was stored. Why did I get up so early when the ploughing didn’t star until 10:30am. I had to build my plough before I could use it.

Armed only with two trusty Ferguson spanners and a pot of grease It took about an hour to put the whole thing back together. I’m glad I remembered to  take a couple of pictures of it all assembled to know how to reassemble it from pieces.

Not bad for £75 Well that’s what I paid for it originally. I’d struggle to get one as good for £275 now. The mouldboards and skimmers and coulters are covered in grease from the last time I used the plough It is not rust on them.

Ferguson Tractor Jack

With the plough assembled with plenty of time to spare I could experiment with the Ferguson Tractor Jack I had bought as Auction a couple of months earlier. I can’t remember why I only bought the back section. I have the front. With the right lower links fitted to the tractor (the original lwer links not new replacements like my tractor) it was easy to attach the jack.

So then the moment of truth the lift. Needless to say it all went according to plan both back wheels off the ground ready to either change the wheels or alter the track width.

It works and it works so well. You can see a movie below of the lowering process.

With the Tractor filled with TVO it was off to the plough field.

First Job marking out. one stake at either end and one in the middle. I measured from the next plot over about 15ft. I’m not sure in a real plough competition what this distance should be. I was on the start of a row and was only ploughing as a demonstration.

I am not sure what happened the as I made several passes up and down the field but somehow in the excitement and concentration I forgot to get off the tractor and take some pictures.

I was following the opening on Stubble start as recommended by the ferguson manual. opening on Stubble

This is a marke cotrat to opening on Grass. opening on Grass

So the first time I remembered to take some pictures I had completed the “Open”.

More to follow tomorrow night

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My reply

Hi Richard,

Glad you like the site,

would it be OK to publish the email you sent on the website with the pictures you supplied?

Please send more pictures of all of those special accessories for your ferguson you mentioned.
I know it’s a subject all the readers are interested in.

can we have some upclose pictures of the wiring for the lighting Kit please. Where it goes inside the bonnet, where it goes along the engine, at the back of the dash, to the back mudguard.

Regards

Tim.

Richard  sent some more pictures back. I don’t think the plough lamp or number plate bracket is wired up as i can’t see any of the wires.

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This is a subject that has had a lot of feedback (comments) on this site so I thought after getting an email from the person who skillfully managed to get it running some time ago you might like to know what was needed to get it running.

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I’ve been round to see a friends Tractor. It hasn’t run for a year or so and the green moss is staring to grow on it. Mike says he had it running a couple of years ago.

Mikes Tractor

It has the plate TE-A130359 so originally it was a straight petrol. I originally went to look at the tractor several years ago as it has most of the lighting kit. I have been researching the plough lamp bracket as I’d like to go back into production with a repro version. Mikes tractor still has the bracket, but not the rear number plate bracket.

Cyclops Light and one side light

Bonnet Up

I keep on trying to get Mike to sell me the one side light he does have. The other has been broken off at some point. Mike still accuses me of taking it. 

As I started to look round the tractor I found it more and more interesting. It has at some point been converted to TVO I think. why do I think this. Well there seem to be a lot of shims under the head gasket. About 5mm worth. This would make the bore 85mm instead of 80mm.

Interesting Engine

It looks as though it has the remains of the back of the manifold shield you normally see on a TE-D. I don’t know what a TE-A or TE-D exhaust should look like so I can’t tell you if this is the right one.

It has the cross over switch to change the fuel supply from petrol at startup to TVO once warm. I didn’t look at the dash to see if it had a temperature gauge!
So I have no idea why it has a diesel Fuel tank fitted.

The exhaust elbow has a support bracket on it. I’ve never seen that either.

And I’m not sure if this as a 12Volt dynamo? can you tell me, please leave a comment below.

There will be more pictures of the lighting kit which I believe was fitted when the tractor was new in the lighting page to the right.

Thanks Mike for letting me get the information I need. Watch this space for plough lamp brackets on sale soon.

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