Us Model major?

[Vulgunx]

Looking at swapping my dexta for this major is this an original export american model

[BearCreek Majors]

From what I can see, most likely not. the grey/blue paint didn't come about in the US until the late Super Majors. this one has the cast iron front wheels, and if it has a hand brake, taillights, and 36" rears, you can pretty much bet it was a "not for export".

Pat

[Vulgunx]

1955 he said and he said the rears are the wrong anyway but why would it be painted white?

[super6954]

Hi
If the Dexta's any good keep it .
This tractors been round a few places for a while Have seen it online before. Here in Canada I have seen power majors with white tin as well, I think it's Matt in WI that said a dealer near him painted any old major tin white to sell older models, I think the guys here did it because it looked good . As far as I know these were not done by ford importers themselves. The tractor ford did that you want is a fordson super major around 63-64 that is painted Blue body, all white tin and wheels and badged as a ford 5000 diesel. Export majors here in North america had 30" rear tires and 7.50 16 pressed fronts. the odd one had 36" like the one Pat bear creek has in his collection, some had 38's also, But we think that Pats was a private import as it has U.K dealer badges on it still , this one could be the same or a pile of junk from a wreckers with the wrong wheels on .

I just found the listing for this tractor, so came back and edited my original post a bit, it has the decompressor fitted on the motor so it is an export tractor. but from a rare point of view a guy could still build it from a 55 and a decompressor head thats been in the U.k and be none the wiser.
I still say it's not worth the money as it doesn't have the extras like raised pto and wide tires/ and wheel weights . The tins pretty rough also from the pictures, to the average guy at a show its a major with no hand brake and painted wrong .
you would really want a genuine 5000 diesel original and not painted, then you'd have something until 50 more guys buy and ship them over. . But that might cost ya 4 0r 5000 quid for a good one . Have seen one sold in a u.k auction, talked about in a magazine. It made 4500 I think. I got one here I still use and had another that i painted and sold 2 years ago with a snow blower for $3500.
Regards Robert

[Dandy Dave]

Aahhhh... No. Not an export. First Dead Giveaway, The tractors that came here to the USA had pressed tin wheels instead of cast Iron front wheel rims. Dandy Dave!

[super6954]

Aahhhh... No. Not an export. First Dead Giveaway, The tractors that came here to the USA had pressed tin wheels instead of cast Iron front wheel rims. Dandy Dave!

Hi Dave
The tractors in the U.K of around that age had the park brake and no De compressor on the head for home market, this one has both correct export options, all my canadian tractors have the Pressed steel wheels, de compressor, and no park brake but the sway chains on the 3 point are fitted with more links on them making them longer and further back up the rear arms.
Whats on your power major in the U.S.A. are they just 2 chain links an eye bolt and shackle and the screw adjuster, or like mine with 4 or 5 chain links on the arm ends of them?. i don't know if my chains are a Canadian update or if most of them in North america had them. This tractor has U.K spec ones .

From what I can see and have read about this particular tractor it has come back from the states in 2012. it has some export features correct to it. The main problem from what I see is the tin should be blue and the wheels as you say. what we don't know is how those wheels got on it.
My thoughts/ guess is somebody got it from a wreckers in the states cheap with no wheels on, thinking it was a rarer 5000 version and they got caught on it when it arrived back in the U.K. . it simply was not worth what it cost to buy and ship back it has a super scalloped rear dish one side and correct style the other. I noticed that one of the front centers doesn't have the cast dust ring on so must be from an earlier tractor like an e27n or before like an N. The other thing is it looks to me like the tire wear is U.K yard scraper bald tire treads. all the tires I ever see this side have loads of tread but weather checked beyond use. , did somebody even take the propper rims off to sell and get money back and stick this set on instead
It's a tractor of many misterys and like a few things on ebay has a sketchy history, that makes it a bit of a dog and buyer be ware come to mind .
Regards Robert

[BearCreek Majors]

Some guy in Rushden is probably going to really dislike me.

OK curiosity got the best of me and I found the listing again, and I almost changed my mind after reading Roberts comments about the wheels, but then I Think I found the smoking gun. And please correct me if I am wrong!

Color...Incorrect regardless of what country it was built for, even in the US it wouldn’t have been blue/grey until the 63 new performance Super Major. The owner is advertising it as a 55 witch is probably correct as it still has the shutters on it.

Wheels, obviously have had at least one replacement, maybe correct...maybe not.

Tail lights, this one I cannot answer. The brackets do not appear to be there, but the fenders could have been changed, or it could have been ordered without. However I'm not sure if that was an option, Maybe Brian can shed some light on that.

Transmission brake, its not there but this could be ordered deleted.

VIN tag, This I think is proof positive that it is a not for export. The VIN tag has the ID number stamped on it, I do not believe this was done to the US export tractors as they did not have to be registered to run on the roads. Of all of the Majors I have the only one that has the tag with the ID stamped in it is my 54 not for export. The US tags should read “A FORD PRODUCT MADE IN ENGLAND CONSTRUCTED UNDER PATENTS GRANTED IN ALL PRINCIPAL MANUFACTURING COUNTRYS” (still waiting for my phone to send it to my e-mail so I can post a pic)

Check chains, I’m not sure on this ether Robert, But I do have both the long and the short ones and have been under the impression that they changed to the longer ones about mid production.

Pat

[super6954]

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

[BearCreek Majors]

OK, that shoots my theory all to hell about the VIN tags, and I have to say that not all of my older Majors even have tags anymore, a few of them are broken and missing.

So now I am back to thinking this one was an US export, and merely had the wheels changed to the UK style upon its return, and it just occurred to me the rears could be 38", these were fairly common on the early US tractors as well.

Pat

[super6954]

OK, that shoots my theory all to hell about the VIN tags, and I have to say that not all of my older Majors even have tags anymore, a few of them are broken and missing.

So now I am back to thinking this one was an US export, and merely had the wheels changed to the UK style upon its return, and it just occurred to me the rears could be 38", these were fairly common on the early US tractors as well.

Pat

Hi Pat
The tag deal is the issue on a couple I have had around to, and the motors been swapped as a few guys have found when asking for dates on the forum. I still got 1 or 2 new majors here with matching tags and motors my E27N's are correct. I think my later supers still have original motors. Need to go through casting codes and figure them out for sure .

The 38 " tires only just fit under the fenders on a major And these look to have way to much clearance more commonly seen with a 36". on some 38's I have seen the rim has an extra well in to use the major dish. The other type I have seen has longer rim mounting lugs, and not the extra well to also use the standard major dish . These are the standard 36" rims as i don't see the extra bits and the clearance issue.
looks like from the rear hub/ one of the front caps also being white in a picture and rims not having any matching visible paint, They have been swapped.
i see he has not accepted the 2 offers he's had, so there are 2 lucky people out there someplace . I wonder if those guys have seen our discussion here or figured it out to not go re offer .
Regards Robert