Ferguson TE 20 tractors can usually be found at vintage tractor auctions. Prices at this sale held at Great Malvern in the spring achieved prices ranging from £340 for a tractor in need of some tlc to £750 for a diesel engined TEF 20 ready or work.

The Ferguson with its draught and position control hydraulic system heralded a new era in farm mechanisation when the first TE 20 series tractors were made nearly sixty years ago in 1946 at the Standard Motor Company factory at Coventry. Although the little grey Fergie is now a collector's item in the highly mechanised arable areas of the UK it is still making an important contribution to crop production on smallholdings in may parts of the country. No less than sixteen different versions with petrol tvo, diesel and lamp oil engines in standard narrow and vineyard format were built during the TE 20's ten-year production run. Harry Ferguson's hydraulic system was so well protected by patents that there were no real competitors for his tractor until the introduction of the Fordson Dexta in 1957.

The Ferguson 20 hydraulic system was the key to its success. It was the first tractor that could be used with mounted a plough and other soil working implements without the need of a depth control wheel. The Ferguson draught control system uses forces acting through the top link a control valve to maintain the required working depth of a plough or other soil-engaging implement. When the driver selects the working depth for an implement the force acting down the top link will set the hydraulic control valve in a neutral position. Any increase or decrease in the forces acting through the top link will cause the control valve to automatically raise of lower the implement. When the plough goes in too deep the extra force in the top link causes the control valve to lift it back to the correct depth. When the plough is not deep enough the reduced force in the top link causes the control valve to return the plough to its the correct depth.

In actual fact draught control is really concerned with the load on the tractor and not the working depth of the implement. The draught of the tractor increases as the plough goes in deeper and the increased force in the top link causes the valve to lift the plough slightly and restore the top link loading to its pre-set level. When the plough is not deep enough the load is reduced and the control valve lowers the plough slightly to return the draught to the required level. The only downside to this is that the soil needs to be consistent across the field for draught control to work to its full potential. In fields where there are light and heavy patches of soil some adjustment with the control lever will be necessary to maintain a regular working depth. The Ferguson hydraulic system also incorporates position control, used for mounted implements such as a mower or sprayer, which work above the ground and is used to hold the implement at the correct working height. It is important to use the correct hydraulic system for the implement in use. Position control will not control ploughing depth and spraying in draught control mode can for example result in the spray bar sweeping the ground.

The TE 20 was ideal for row crop work which sometimes needed the wheel track width to be altered to suit different row spacings. To make this job a little easier Harry Ferguson designed a jacking system operated by the hydraulic linkage to lift the tractor clear of the ground. A Ferguson implement was made for virtually every job on the holding from ploughing to harvest and Ferguson 20 owners should be able to buy the more common ploughing and cultivation implements at an auction. A typical, and sensible, auction price for a second hand plough depending on condition should be in the £50 to £120 bracket. Auction prices for TE 20 tractors will very much depend on condition of the tractor and equally on how many keen vintage tractor collectors are at the sale. Recent sales reports show that prices paid for TEF diesel tractors are in the £350 to £800 bracket with similar prices being paid for the TEA and TED petrol and tvo engined models. Tractors the lower end of the price range needed some bit more money to be spent to bring them into working order. Nicely restored Ferguson tractors usually sell at auction for a sum in excess of £1,000.

Many Ferguson tractor owners, especially in the old tractor-collecting category, belong to a TE 20 enthusiasts club. Details of the Ferguson Club are available from Ian Richings on 01242 574830. The club web site address is ww.fergusonclub.com. The Friends of Ferguson Heritage club is run by Carol and Roger Thulborne, telephone 01366 377464 and the web site can be found on www.fofh.co.uk. Both of these clubs have a range of Ferguson merchandise, publish regular newsletters, organise shows and generally offer help and advice to their members.

Many Ferguson 20 tractor owners enjoy competing in local ploughing matches that are held in numerous locations in most parts of the country. Many of these matches are arranged by local groups or clubs, others are arranged by ploughing clubs and societies affiliated to the Society of Ploughmen (SOP) which organises the Annual British National Ploughing Championships. Ferguson 20 owners who compete in local matches normally use a conventional right-handed two-furrow plough and are required to plough a competition plot of about half an acre and have four hours complete the job. This includes waiting periods while the ploughing match judges award points for the opening split, the 11 or 12 furrow start and the finish. Points are also awarded for uniform ploughing across the plot, suitability for a seed bed, ins and outs at the headland and the general appearance of the whole plot.

The 55th British National Ploughing Championships will be held on Saturday and Sunday October 8th & 9th 2005 at East Fen Farm at Soham in Cambridgeshire. The site is just east of the Soham bypass on the A 142 mid way between Newmarket and Ely. Competitors at the national match in October will have qualified to take part through one of the many SOP affiliated Societies. They will compete in the class for trailed or for mounted conventional ploughs in the vintage class, in the classic class with a mounted plough or in the world style conventional or reversible ploughing class. Oat seed furrow work, horse ploughing and the Young Farmers' Club championships also take place at the national event. If you would like to learn more about ploughing matches there's no better way than to visit a local event and for details of the SOP write to Quarry Farm, Loversall, Doncaster DN11 9DH or check out their web site www.ploughmen.co.uk