Retro Mondays: Massey Ferguson 1150

The Massey Ferguson company began with a merger of then Massey Harris and Harry Ferguson Company. The name given was the Massey Harris Ferguson Company in 1953, but in 1958 the name was shortened to Massey Ferguson. The company is still in existence under the umbrella of AGCO Corporation out of Duluth, Ga and is still a major player in the agricultural equipment market around the world.

Massey Ferguson 1150:

In 1967 all the major agricultural players in the United States were making a push for a 2wd tractor with over 100 hp. John Deere had the 4020, Allis had the D21, IH had the 1206, but Massey didn't have one until the 1150. The 1150 was Massey's answer as a large row crop tractor. Produced for 6 years from 67' to 72', the tractor sold over 21,000 units, 21,958 to be exact. This tractor was modeled after the model in the Massey line, with the red hood and the silver belly and wheels. The distinct body lines were shared in all the equipment from Massey including the lawn and garden tractors of the time. 

What makes this tractor unique is the motor, it was a Perkins V-8. This motor made 146 hp and put out 135 hp at PTO and 120 HP at the draw bar. The motor had a cubic displacement of 503 and was a 16 valve motor. 1150 had a transmission called Mulit-Power. This transmission was a common place among Massey tractors of the day and gave you an added High Low option to your transmission, but only offered engine breaking on the High side of the Multi-Power and free wheeling on the Low side. Which this feature was great for hauling loads down a hill, but you would burn the transmission out if you tried to switch going down the hill. 

MF 1150 Stats: 

Years Produced: 1967-1972

Engine: 8.3L 8 Cyl Perkins Diesel

Engine HP: 146

PTO HP: 135

Draw bar HP: 120

PTO: Independent

PTO Type: 540/1000

Weight: 13,370# to 22625#

Chassis: 2wd

Steering: Hydro-static

Brakes: Differential Hydraulic Disc

Cab: Optional

Fuel Capacity: 50 Gal

Serial Numbers:

1967: 9B10001

1968: 9B14693
1969: 9B18673
1970: 9B23486
1971: 9B28238
1972: 9B31959

Foreign Friday: Chamberlain 4490

In order to cover tractors that come from across the world, I am going to take Friday's post and focus on foreign tractors and companies. Today I am going to focus on the Australian tractor company Chamberlain and in specific the 4490

Background:
Chamberlain Tractor Company was founded by A.W. (Bob) Chamberlain in the 1940's, with encouragement from the Western Australian Government the tractors were produced in a former munitions warehouse in Welshpool. The first tractor to roll off the assembly line was the 40K in 1949. In 1955, the company went from producing tractors that ran on kerosene to those that ran on diesel fuel. To promote this change in the Chamberlain line, they entered a converted tractor in the Redex around Australia rally. They called this tractor "Tail End Charlie."
In 1970, Deere and Co purchased a controlling share in the company. In the 80's Deere bough the remaining shares and thus formed the Chamberlain John Deere Company. By 1986, demand had dwindled and John Deere built the last tractor with the Chamberlain name that year. After that Deere started to import models from the U.S. to Australia and started manufacturing tractors under the John Deere name in the old plant.

Chamberlain 4490:
In a last ditch effort in 1985, the John Deere owned Chamberlain company decided to release a new line of tractors, but this time instead of the standard yellow in the past, they had a familiar paint job of John Deere Green and stickers that resembled the Deere brand in the US.

Chamberlain 4490

You will notice in the picture above that the 4490 shares some of the features of a 4450, like the fenders, decals and the pressurizer roof used on the Sound Gard Body. If you look closely at the engine that is indeed a John Deere 466 c.i. motor also used on the 4450. 

Chamberlain 4490 4x2 Chassis

One of the distinct Chamberlain characteristics that you notice at first is the wider than normal rear tires which are also fairly short for the width, at least compared to those in the United States. Also, the front end sticks out quite far from the front axle, which is different from John Deere's of that era, well unless you have an auxiliary fuel tank on your John Deere. Chamberlains look much like the old Ford TW's of the 80's on how the front end sticks out over the front axle.

Chamberlain 4490 4x4 Chassis

4490 Stats:

MFG: 1985-1986

Location: Welshpool, Australia

Total Built: 250

Weight: 13,779 to 14,319 lbs

Engine: Deere 7.6L (466 c.i) 6 Cyl Diesel

Engine HP: 137

PTO HP: 129

Chassis: 4x2, 4x4

Similar John Deere: 4450

Retro Mondays: 1206 International

As many that read this blog can tell I am first and foremost a fan of John Deere Green, but I do like tractors in general and one tractor that I like from the enemy camp is the 1206 International. This tractor, which debuted in 1965 to combat Deere's "New Generation of Power" was International's first attempt at a Row Crop tractor with over 100 hp.

IH Farmall 1206 Row Crop

This tractor was sold in three variations: IH 1206 (Standard), IH Farmall 1206 (Row-Crop/Pictured Above) and the IH 1206 Wheatland (Pictured Below). The IH 1206 Standard was much like the RC and the Wheatland version, in that it had the same motor and power qualities, but this tractor sat closer to the ground and was used for utility applications and the front axle is fixed. 1,289 were produced.

The IH Farmall 1206 was the most common of the variations with 8,400 built in three years. Row Crop tractors allow the owner to adjust the width of the front and rear axle to different row widths. The Wheatland version was intended for areas where row crop farming wasn't a big deal. Know for their big swooping fenders and larger platforms, these tractors have a distinct look all on their own.

IH 1206 Wheatland

What stands out to me is the fact that this tractor has white wheels and the white grill, which really makes this tractor stand out. If I could own one I would but with them bringing nearly $25,000 at auctions I may have to stick to Ertl toys for the time being.

1206 Stats:
Mfg: 1965-1967
List Price: $9,450 (1967)
Drawbar HP: 99
PTO HP: 110
PTO: 1000 rpm
Engine: 5.9L Inline Six Diesel
Chasis: 4x2 or 4x4

Serial #s IH1206
1965: 7501
1966: 7772
1967: 8492

Serial #'s Farmall 1206
1965: 7501
1966: 8626
1967: 12731