Hi Pat
I am thinking the hood color is what matt in WI and my self was talking about a few months ago in his power major posts, It was not technically correct for anything other than the 5000 type major hood and nose I have, and the one you have and some counties had it also like the one in your collection as you have said your self.
Somebody was painting older tractors outside the ford organisation. Like I said in Matt s post then, I have white hood/ fenders and nose cone from a power major that was wrecked in Canada. It was not supposed to be like it but was
. Matt has known history of a local dealer doing it in his area to any Major to sell it
.
All the ID plates I have here are exactly the same as the English plates I have seen with motor number on and the block stamp matching on tractors that age. Before the change to just motor number stamped on block, and ford product tag on bulk head, That came in with the power major in 58 and continued to the end of production before the world wide series 000's came out.
From what I see/ read that tractor has come from the U.S. somehow. it should be a blue and orange tractor the same as that model was sold in Canada and the U.K.
The brake and the decompressor is right mine are exactly the same here in Canada and are original imports from the day and sold new here.
The wheels are the total unknown as to how they got on it and it does have 2 odd wheels one back and one front that I don't think would be common in North America.
The fenders are correct without the rear light mounts the mounts are not easy to remove, as held with 3 rivets and then leave a square and 3 rivet holes also.
It should have teardrops on the middle top. chances are they got took off or fell off. some tractors I had here had them missing, but had the 2 bolt mounting holes and the wire hole and shadows in the paint where they had been. The missing headlamps should also be external on the grill sides the same as the U.K ones.
ford listed the brake and decompressor spec fitted here as export. it is very unusual to find a front mount decompressor lever on an English spec farm tractor motor, and a tractor spec transmission lacking a park brake in the u.k of that age
.
The hood and grill are definatly the wrong color however they got changed, but are the right style, the wheels are a mess as it probably should have the wides on back and pressed on front, all mine purchased here do. Thats a mystery we will never solve to how those wheels got on it
.
How I would sum it up is, It is technically an export spec tractor with a few incorrect looking features ,for what it is supposed to be compared to mine. and only still worth what a regular crap dead drive majors worth in the U.K.
I see it also has what looks to be an uncommon to the U.K alternator fitted, like the north american delco style, which also with the guy stating a U.S Connection kinda backs the story to me
.
i think the biggest problem here is deciding what a guy calls an export spec Major. Plus how much of this one is just in use modification over the years like the Heinz 57's that are world wide now with parts and owner modifications. And Does a guy pay a premium for somebody bringing this one back. I think in this case we all say a big fat No,and this is why he still owns it at the moment
.
Regards Robert