Lynn Busby's Mystery Super Dexta

Lynn Busby sent me the following email:

I have recently purchased a Ford 2000, 3-cylinder diesel that I believe is a Dexta, but some say it's a Super Dexta. The number on the tractor is 957E7505C. I was under the impression that this was a 64 model but according to your chart it's a 1958. Can you clarify this with me?

Well, as hard as I tried, I couldn't really clarify this. First of all, the prefix "957E" indicates a Dexta, not a Super Dexta (see Serial Numbers and Production Dates). Second, serial numbers did not end with a "C" or any other letter. Third, again the prefix "957E" excluded the possibility of this tractor being a '64. Instead, assuming the final "C" was in actual fact an unreadable number, it must have been a '61 Dexta. I explained the differences between the Dexta and the Super Dexta to Lynn, and wrote to him that it was probably a '61 Dexta.

Lynn responded by sending me a picture of the tractor which clearly showed it to be a ..... Super Dexta! But production of the Super Dexta didn't commence until '62! The one alternative left was to assume that the serial number Lynn quoted came from a replaced part, said part coming from an older Dexta. To check this hypothesis, I asked Lynn to provide me with some casting codes. He came across the casting code K14H on the tractor, indicating that the part was cast on August 14, 1962. That date allows the possibility of a Super Dexta (production began in April '62) and is also consistent with the blue/grey colour scheme of the tractor. Assuming a few weeks between casting and final assembly, Lynn's Super Dexta was probably made in October or November 1962, and later on in life had the clutch housing (which holds the serial number) replaced by one coming from a '61 Dexta.

It's not uncommon for parts to be swapped between tractors. The lesson to be learned from this story is that the serial number alone does not guarantee the tractor's year of production. For a reasonably accurate estimate you should also check a few casting codes, and compare the results with the type of tractor (Dexta, Super Dexta, with or without differential lock, with or without Minimec fuel pump, with or without added revs to 3000 rpm, etc etc) and the colour scheme.

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