MASSEY FERGUSON 65
As the 1950s began drawing to a close, Massey Ferguson found itself in desperate need of a larger, new model to offer its power-and performance-hungry customers.
Harry Ferguson had attempted to meet that demand earlier in the decade, with the LTX (Large Tractor Experimental) project but, for whatever reason, his prototypes were rejected by the powers that be at Massey-Harris. One of the official reasons given was that Ferguson’s new machine – to be named the TE-60 and powered by a 56hp diesel engine – hadn’t been designed with a row-crop option. However, perhaps more telling was the fact that Ferguson’s machine decisively out-performed an MH744 in field trials, under the full gaze of the Massey-Harris big-wigs!
The ‘Meccano method’
In the end, the company opted for a more cost-effective method of creating a larger model, by making use of as many parts as possible from the existing MF 35. This became known as the ‘Meccano method’ and, ultimately, proved successful resulting, as it did, in the MF 65 Mk.1 that was revealed to an appreciative industry at the Smithfield Show in December, 1957.
The new model, of course, featured the full Ferguson System hydraulics (upgraded from the MF 35), and was powered by a version of the Perkins P4 diesel engine. The 3.1-litre, four-cylinder A4.192 unit produced a healthy 50.5hp at 2,000rpm, and this was transmitted through an Auburn, two-stage clutch to a modified, six-speed gearbox (with higher ratios) taken from the MF 35.
A differential lock was available, as was power-assisted steering and
