The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

What's the difference between a 62 engine with FL head and minimec pump and a 63 new performance engine? Would it be just the engine speed, and can the 62 engine be set at the higher speed?

Hi mathias

As far as I understand the only difference between the first engine fitted with the "FL" head and minimec pump and the New Performance engine was a claimed slight modification on the delivery valves on the P4596 minimec pump on the engines fitted to "New Performance" tractors which claimed to increase the rated power of the engine from 51.8 bhp to 53.7 bhp. The maximum rated engine speed of the earlier and later engines remained the same at 1700 rpm. Whether there is any substance in this claim or whether it was a marketing ploy by Ford is open to conjecture. As I have previously said under the "Convert to Livedrive" posting some time ago, the real "New Performance" came from changing the PTO drive gear ratios on the New Performance model so that the engine speed that gave 540 rpm at the PTO was increased from 1200rpm to 1473rpm, this increased the PTO horses at 540rpm PTO speed from less than 32hp on the previous Super Major with a minimec pump and "FL" head to a genuine 42.5hp on the New Performance Super Major. Changes to the final drive diff ratio and changes to all the gearbox ratios except 5th gear gave a better spread of speeds for PTO work and increased drawbar pull on the New Performance Super Major. Also don't forget that the "FL" head was simply the head that was introduced in July 1961 with stiffer and bigger valve springs and also a modified camshaft, but was cast at a different foundry to Dagenham from April 1962, hence the "FL" foundry marking.

With regard to increased engine speeds enabling claimed higher power outputs, both Fordson with the New Performance Super Dexta replacing the Super Dexta, and Massey Ferguson with the 35X replacing the 35 were both guilty of a "slight off hand manoeuvre"! Both makers increased the rated engine speeds of their respective models from 2000rpm to 2250rpm and claimed an increase in power from 39.5 bhp to 44.5 bhp - Massey Ferguson in 1962 with the introduction of the 35X and then followed by Ford in 1963 with the New Performance Super Dexta. However the engine speeds that delivered 540rpm at the PTO remained the same on the new models as was the case on the earlier models. Consequently there was NO increase in PTO horsepower at 540rpm for the New Performance Super Dexta over the previous Super Dexta, and NO increase in PTO horsepower at 540 rpm for the MF 35X over the previous 3 cylinder MF 35!!

That is a very informative post. The Manufacturers were certainly crafty when things were due for an update!