Cheffins to sell John Simpson tractor collection

The latest collector of vintage tractors to call on the auctioneering services of Cheffins is John Simpson of Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, who is selling off a collection of tractors and spares this month.

There is no single focus to the collection although the largest make represented is Fordson with a sprinkling of Massy Fergusons, John Deeres and Cases, plus a large assortment of parts including David Brown bodywork.

Air Force Fordson

Of the many Fordsons available, one in particular stands out, a 1942 ex RAF tractor tug which is fitted with a rudimentary cab to offer some shelter when working on the windswept airfields of eastern England.

Fordson RAF — 1942 Fordson N Industrial petrol/paraffin Tractor Reg. No. EMB 275. Fitted with aviation cab and underslung exhaust

Field Marshal firing on one

The single-cylinder two-stroke diesels of the Field Marshall range struggled on until 1957 when competition from multi-cylinder four-strokes became just too much much for them, a fate suffered by Lanz at the same time.

Field Marshall Cheffins Simpson — 1947 Field Marshall Series 1 diesel tractor. Serial No. 2862. Starting a Field Marshall was always a process requiring special ignition papers or firing cartridges

Row crop Case

Multi-cylinder tractors were the norm in the US with the Case D series enjoying a lengthy 14-year production run. The DC – 4 variant had a wide front axle instead of the original tricycle format.

Case Cheffins Market Rasen — 1943 Case Model DC4 petrol/paraffin tractor Serial No. 4901350DC. Straight petrol would have been the more normal fuelling arrangement in America

Ransomes revolutionary combine

Ransomes launched its futuristic Cavalier model in 1966, the chief feature of which was a dual drum arrangement where two cylinders operated against the same concave, the smaller one removing 25% of the grains, enabling the main thresher to be more effective on the rest.