THE ULTIMATE CLASSIC TRACTOR?
Do you think that Massey Ferguson knew that the 135 tractor would turn out to be the huge success it was, at the time it was launched back in 1964, as part of the brand-new Red Giants range? The model went on to become a firm favourite with thousands of farmers and tractor drivers around the world, and it’s still well regarded to this day.
It was manufactured in huge numbers in the USA, France and at the UK factory in Coventry. Here in Britain, there are very few farms that won’t have been worked by at least one Massey Ferguson 135 over the years.
The 135’s forebears
The history of the 135 tractor begins with the Ferguson TE-20 of 1946, itself largely based on the Ford 9N of 1939, although modified in many ways, including engine, transmission and bonnet design.
The TE-20 gave way to the FE-35 in 1956, then the red and grey Massey Ferguson 35 at the end of 1957. In 1959, a Perkins three-cylinder engine replaced the original four-cylinder Standard Motor Company diesel unit, and this helped to increase the attractiveness of an already very popular tractor model.
