The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

She is a 1958 Dexta that I've had for 6 or 7 years and is the main workhorse on the Croft doing all kinds of work. I guess a lot of older tractors mostly get used for lighter duties but ours still has to, occasionally, put in a shift of hard graft.

In the photo she is putting the finishing touches to a field I've spent the last few years trying to reclaim.
The Dexta mowed the rushes with a flail mower for several years until we could get in with a digger to put in drains. A contractor did the ploughing and lime spreading (I'm my experience hitting a 1/2 ton rock with a plough on a dexta you stop dead and try not to hit your face off the steering wheel whereas a 200hp tractor can pull the rock to the surface with only a little swearing from the driver). The Dexta disked, harrowed, sowed seed and rolled it and hopefully she will make hay on it next year.

I used a set of fergie discs and it was hard work, on the uphill the Dexta really laboured due to the heavy rough ground, there is no chance that a fergie (with 10hp less) would have managed. I guess these things were designed & matched for good ground not for rough land. Even with a fairly new radiator and recently flushed system I couldn't do more than 2 or 3 hours without risking overheating.

As with most tractors there is always a list of jobs that could be done to make things better but I've never had any major problems beyond the usual oil leaks and electrical niggles.

I'm hoping she lasts another 60 years for my sons to use.

Nice picture and landscape you have there.

As for the overheating problem, maybe it's worth checking the thermostat. If this isn't working well, it will cause overheating.
and of course, as long as we will have fuel, it will last another 60 years!

If you have electrical issues/niggles then maybe replace your loom with modern wires and add the modern essentials such as Indicators, brake lights and trailer electrics. I did mine quite a while ago and it is available under the WIKI section.
Cheers and enjoy.

Jerry

I replaced the loom a few years ago and recently changed to an alternator so most of the electrical niggles are now sorted (didn't bother with modern indicators etc as it's never on the road).

There is always something else though - last month the pto started occasionally disengaging when under load so that will be next. (I think its my fault for using a slightly too long pto shaft with a mower......)
All part of the fun though.