Vintage Scene JulyAug 2023_Layout 1 02/08/2023 20:53 Page 8
A visit to Sam McMullan's shed to hear about his TED 20 by Willy Carson ew tractors have had such an impact on world agriculture as Harry Ferguson’s most famous creation, the TE 20. It first appeared in 1946 powered originally by an American Continental Z120 petrol engine which was used as a ‘stop-gap’ unit the new Standard Motor Company engine, originally designed to power the Standard Vanguard saloon, became available. The version thus equipped was known as the TEA 20 and over the following years several other models, including the TED 20, appeared in the sales brochures. Launched in 1949, the TED 20 was designed to run on tractor vaporising oil (TVO), a cheaper fuel with a lower octane rating. Engine modifications included an increase in cylinder bore from 80mm to 85mm which took the capacity from 1850cc up to 2088cc while the compression ratio was lowered slightly from 5.7:1 to 5.1:1, all of which meant that the power was increased slightly from 24hp to 25.4hp. The price for a new TED 20 in 1949 was £335.
F
This would have been a familiar sight on the roads in the 1950s.
Many Ferguson TED 20s were sold to small, one tractor, family farms where they were much more than just a list of dimensions and statistics; they became part of the history of the farm and the focal point of many memories. First registered in Shropshire in 1953, KAW 606 was brought to Northern Ireland by Hazletts of Moneydig, agricultural machinery dealers near the market town of Kilrea. Hazletts sold the tractor to Hugh McReynolds who had been farming since the era of Clydesdale horsepower. His first tractor was a Ford Ferguson and having adapted to this modern technology, he decided in 1956 to update his farm mechanisation with Ferguson’s tried and tested TED 20. His enterprise had grown to sixty acres on both the home farm and an out-lying property where the McMullan family rented the dwelling house. Sam McMullan remembers how this rural setting influenced his childhood, “I used to run about the farm when I was growing up. When I was five years old I was sitting on the mudguard while Hugh was lifting haycocks with a buckrake and carting them up to where the haystack was going to be built. He must have stopped the tractor
The brass bonnet badge raises a few eyebrows among the purists but it’s part of the tractor’s past. 8
August/September 2023
on a slight mound because when he set the buckrake down, my foot was trapped between the top arm and the back axle housing. I spent the rest of that summer on crutches but Hugh promised me that I would be driving the tractor for the next haymaking so that eased my discomfort a bit. The next year Hugh brought in a man with a baler at hay time and I drove the tractor, towing the trailer while the bales were built on behind. After that I learned to cut hay, spread dung, plough, disc and other farm work. It seems strange to think about it now but Hugh had learned his farming behind a horse and if the top of the gearbox was mucky he would have to scrape off the dirt to read the gear positions and I suppose it was easier for a young chap to learn the new ways. I have many memories of that part of my life; it was a great time of learning for me.” Sam left school and started work as a driver’s mate on a meal lorry. Eventually, in the 1970s he found himself behind the wheel of a delivery lorry, driving all over Northern Ireland until he retired. During that time
The dash mounted intake appeared along with 12v electrics in 1951.
Call 01295 404099 to advertise or email advertising@vintagescene.co.uk