A 32-year-old Massey Ferguson 135 tractor that has spent the last dozen years as an exhibit in the company museum is being auctioned at Cambridge Vintage Machinery Sale on October 14 at Sutton, Ely. The money raised will go to FARM-Africa which works in partnership with marginal farmers to help them build sustainable livelihoods on their land.
The MF 135 spent the first 20 years of its life as a hire machine in southern England. It was then purchased by Massey Ferguson in 1994 for a special exercise to test and promote its range of rehabilitation kits. The tractor was completely stripped down and rebuilt. and, in the process, was converted from a UK-specification cab tractor to an export specification footstep version. In line with the MF rebuild concept, the machine was updated with the latest components including new-regulation shell fenders. The objective of the rebuild exercise was to check the rehabilitation kit in terms of content and quality and then to use the machine as real-life example of tractor rebuild in action.
“We are hoping the tractor will make a significant sum at the Cambridge sale which is conducted by Auctioneers Cheffins who have kindle agreed to sell the tractor free of any fees or commissions,” says Jeremy Burgess, Massey Ferguson Director Licensees. “The tractor’s history as both a working machine and an exhibition piece gives it a an interesting provenance and offers a unique opportunity to own a machine from the famous Banner Lane collection.”
Proceeds from the tractor will go to FARM-Africa’s Agricultural and Environmental Education Project in Tanzania. The aim of the project is to make agricultural education more relevant to rural school pupils. Most primary school leavers in Tanzania will become farmers but the nature of the school syllabus means that pupils learn little of practical use to apply when they leave education. FARM-Africa provides a range of agricultural inputs and teacher training to help tackle this problem. This includes assistance for each school to establish a demonstration plot in the school grounds. “
“We believe that this project to educate the next generation of farmers in Tanzania is in keeping with the Massey Ferguson training philosophy which has been a cornerstone of our company ever since founder, Harry Ferguson set up his School of Mechanised Farming in the late 1940’s,” says Jeremy Burgess. “It also truly reflects the role that Massey Ferguson tractors have played in feeding the world’s population.”
“The Cambridge auction is one of the most important in the tractor enthusiasts’ calendar,” he adds. “We hope for a really good turnout to raise as much money as possible for this worthwhile cause.”
One of 270,000 MF 135 models built at Massey Ferguson’s tractor plant in Coventry in the 1970s, the machine up for auction was totally rebuilt using genuine Massey Ferguson parts which are still widely available through the Massey Ferguson 10+ Parts programme.
One man who will be keenly watching the bidding is Neville Walsingham who was responsible for the MF 135’s rebuild in 1994. It took him 21 man-days to strip the machine down to its components, inspect their condition and rebuild it using a tractor rehabilitation kit.
