Henry Ford would have had a field day at the 2023 Ford/Fordson Collectors Assn. (FFCA) national show held in conjunction with the Southern Indiana Antique Machinery Classic Iron Show in Evansville in June. Showcasing more than 220 tractors and 90 implements, the FFCA display celebrated the heritage of Henry Ford and his one-time business partner, Harry Ferguson.
The display included everything from Vindex toys to chainsaws, pedal tractors to mechanics’ kits, tractors, implements and trucks representing just about every farm-related product Ford built – including a rare prototype tractor making its debut at the Evansville event.
“There was something weird about it”
When Roger Elwood, Sharon, Connecticut, got a tip on a collection of 25 tractors being offered for sale, he checked it out – but he took only one home: a Ford 8N. “It looked like a normal 8N that had been widened by a previous owner, but the brake pedals were side-by-side,” he says. “Something was just not lined up right.”
And that wasn’t all. “The three-point arms on the back had been bent in to allow for the narrowing of the tractor,” he adds, “and the fenders had been aligned to be narrower. The steering arms had been brought farther in
