Latest Project - 1960 Power Major

[SkidRoe]

Here is a photo of our latest acquisition:



It sat at a local auto salvager for about the last 23 years. Engine runs great. It has a raised PTO. Picked it up for $600 and drove it on to the trailer.

I finally got around to getting some casting codes off of it, due to there being no serial number on the engine.

The transmission and hydraulics cover both date from mid-January 1960. The engine block, however, dates from February 1964. Looks to me like a factory replacement engine was installed at some point, likely in the mid 1960's would be my guess. It is fitted with a regular Simms pump.

We were able to trace back the last 3 owners, one of which was my late uncle who owned it up until 1993. The white paint was applied by the owner prior to my uncle, who claims that it was that colour when he bought it.

The biggest mechanical issue it has is that it is stuck in hi range. Body work is not bad for it's age: it has the usual rot hole in the lower left side of the cowl, and the right fender it a bit floppy. The steering wheel is a skeleton, and it turns out we do have a spare E27N one.

We are planning to do it up as a competition plowing tractor, and have a set of 6.00-19's for the front and 38" rims for the rear.

Looking forward to getting to work it!

Cheers - SR

[Brian]

Great find! She could have had a new block rather than a new engine,those blocks used to erode on the lower ring groove so we used to replace them. If she had a new block then someone did not transfer the serial number as they should have done.

Colour could be right too as Majors sent to your side of the pond were painted grey/white tin work and blue castings from around 1960. Always thought that they looked very smart and wondered why we did not change to those colours over here.

[SkidRoe]

Hi Brian,

Yes, we are pretty happy to have it. You are correct about the paint on some of the tractors sent over here, but the only ones I have seen painted the light great are what were labeled "Ford 5000 Super Majors", which were New Performance Super Majors to the rest of the world: http://www.fordsontractorpages.nl/phpbb ... f=2&t=6264

This is the only Power Major that I have ever seen around here painted like this. I am thinking that somebody decided to give their Power Major a freshening up with a later model paint job. While I too do like the later colours, we will likely be going back to the typical blue and orange.

You could be right about the block. Actually seeing one with a factory replacement block is a rare occurrence in these parts. Majors were popular enough in our area that if an engine/block went bad, you would be more likely to see one that had been replaced with a whole junkyard engine.

The engine runs really well, and seems to have more snap to it than what both Dad and I remember of the old Super Major.

My eldest daughter has taken a real shine to this tractor. This is the first tractor that she has ever driven, which now make 4 generations of our family driving Fordsons.

Cheers - SR