I thought that it would be worth while starting a thread on FAMILY TRACTORS.  So here goes and I hope many will join in.  I'll start it off with what is now my son's 1948 TEA Ferguson tractor serial number 39615.  My Dad bought it new in 1948 so I have a long memory on this one.  I have driven it for hundreds of hours on a wide range of tasks.  I remember it being delivered and unloaded in the farm yard in June 1948 round about my birthday.  It had many engine overhauls in its hard life and Dad had a Howard reduction gearbox fitted - slower that the Ferguson Epicyclic box that became available for use on the side mounted balers etc and the tractors that were driven to the south pole.  The Howard gearbox enabled slow speeds for such tasks as planting lettuce and cabbage.
John

I can join this thread.  I have two tractors that my Grandpa Bush bought new.  A 1951 Massey-Harris 44 GR that Grandpa always called "Old Sam", and a 1953 Massey Ferguson 35 gas. 

Attached are a couple of shots of Old Sam, one taken during the photo shoot for a feature article in Antique Power Magazine, and the other from the Great Planting by Massey-Harris.  Old Sam has been to many Massey shows around the country since 1993.

Also attached are a couple of shots of the MF 35.  A scan of an old photo taken with my Grandpa in 1975, and the other taken here at the farm mowing around the corn field a couple of years ago.  The MF 35 hasn't been to any shows but it gets plenty of utility work here around the farm.

JB

My second offereing on this thread is my 1958 M-H 744 D tractor ser no J17162T . I claim this as a family tractor because I loaned it to my Dad and uncle for about 10 years to power the fan on their grain drier because they had no 3 phase electricity on the farm.  In this role it worked 24 hrs a day for about 6 weeks each summer  It is powered by a Perkins P6 six cylinder diesel engine. Prior to thie I had loaned them my MH 55K - the 744 proved much more economical on fuel!!  It was purchased new by the nearby Caernarvonshire Agricultural College and subsequently was owned by several farmers before ending up in a nearby scrapyard.  It was fitted with a loader carrying scrap cars about - clearly its days were numbered.  I bought it and had the loader taken off which reduced the price.  I later purchased a replacement Perkins reconditioned engine in very good condition and it has done only limited hours since.  It is a magnifincent starter on cold mornings albeit with 2-3 minutes of smoke not unusual for this engine.  The tractor is based on the US 44s but fitted with heavy cast iron front and rear British wheels, plus rear wheel weights which give it massive pulling power.  A very good friend used to drive the 744 when he worked there and recalls many "events" with the tractor including getting  a hydrauic plough under rtree roots and when raising it would lift up the front of the tractor.  It was fitted with an M-H optional extra 3 point hydraulic hitch made by Adrolics of Scotland for M-H.
John

Can it really be true that only myself and John Bush have family tractors?  I don't think so!!  I have more to put on this thread but it would be nice to have some company.............

John

My grandfather farmed in Monkton (VT) near the Starksboro town line on the States Prison Hollow Road.  It was his father’s farm as well.  While on the farm my grandfather also sold Massey-Harris equipment and Gulf Oil products.  Through his dealership he ordered 2 GP’s, one which he kept and the other he sold.  When my grandfather acquired the GP it was the only tractor he used on the farm for many years.  My grandfather eventually added a Massey Harris “81”.  Before the GP he had an “old” Case.

My father recounted that my grandfather would drive the GP over to “Gramp Carpenters” (father-in-law) farm to help him out.  Frequently in fields where possible, sometimes in roads.  Gramp Carpenter lived at the David Russell farm, about 5 miles away.

My uncle took over the farm at one point and operated it for several years and continued to use the GP.  My uncle eventually sold the GP to Randall French, another Monkton farmer, and it left the family.

Randall French eventually traded the GP in at a local John Deere dealership.  It was added to their collection of vintage tractors.  It was eventually sold when the owner of the dealership passed it on to his sons.

Around 2000, my father went with a nephew to look at some tractors that the nephew was interested in.  The nephew was a collector of John Deere equipment and going to go look at some Johnny Poppers.  He suggested that my father might be interested in going along as the person also had an old Massey Harris for sale as well.  The Massey for sale was a GP.  My father was pretty excited to see it and took the serial number wondering if it had gone thought my grandfather’s dealership.  He then went to see my uncle, who had my grandfather’s business books for the dealership when he was on the farm.  When they looked to see if the GP was one sold by my grandfather, they discovered that it was the one he kept and used on the farm. 

My father bought it.  My father took the wheel drives apart, cleaned, repaired them, and reassembled them.  He also cut new felt gaskets for the wheels.

My father recently moved and down-sized, leaving no room for a Massey Harris 44, which he sold or the GP.  I was given the GP and am now the 3^rd generation caretaker.
 

I never had the chance to purchase our family Massey Harris 44 as it went to my older brother who restored it and used it  on his small farm.  It was actually brought to the State show in Higland this year.  It is in need of a restore as the paint has faded pretty bad but still a work horse of a tractor.  

Thanks to the last two contributors for kick starting this thread again.  A great story on the GP.

Here is my next contribution - a single front unstyled Challenger.  Yes it is atypically red and always has been.  I have known this tractor for almost 80 years.  It belonged to my great uncle who had bought it second hand.  We are aware of a few unstyled Pacemakers and Challengers that were turned out red..  The tractor was sold off at his retirement sale and went to a scrapyard to be bought by a farmer collector.  We lost track for it for many years but eventually found out where it was and managed to buy it back.  Absolutely nothing had been done to it in this time but it had been stored dry.  The front tyre was burst so we replaced that.  The rear tyres were originals and dead flat but blew up immediately without any cracks and are still good to this day - a testament to the quality of the tyres of the day..  A clean up of the magneto and we easily had it running and it is still a good starter to this day.

My great uncle used this tractor particularly for baling hay and straw with a big 4 wheel in line Jones Lion baler - it weighed about 3 tons and was powered by a David Brown Cropmaster engine.  He particularly favoured this tractor for the job because the front wheel ran on th swath and compressed it down ready for the baler running in line behind..  He had a fleet of 4 wheel trailers to pull behind the baler so the bales went straight on to the trailer to be stacked by an on board man.  All very effuicient.

John

Well, here's mine. 1950 Massey Harris 22, bought new by my Grandpa, Mason Riley, Owned by my Father, Bill Riley and now I'm the proud owner. Restoration comleted in 1995 and it now is used for rides with my grandchildren and parades. 

nice looking tractor and I am sure that it brings  a lot of enjoyment

John Farnworth,

I'd contribute but none of my tractors are family tractors...I'm the sole buyer and collector of tractors in the family, haha. I told my brother if I die before he does, then they'll passed on to him...so I guess at that point they'd be considered family tractors...but until then...