The Following Pages were originally painstakingly created by another valued member of the online tractor community. Dan Dibben started this fantastic tractor resource several years ago. Recently Dan’s webpage went offline, as did his email address. I don’t know what happened, but I thought it was a shame to let all his hard work go to waste. I found copies of his web pages in the AOL Archives and decided to put them here. I take ABSOLUTELY NO CREDIT for the creation of this information. I hope you find it useful.

Ford Tractor Information and Technical Specifications 1953-1964

An Abbreviated History of the Ford Tractor

Henry Ford's experimentation with small agricultural tractor design culminated in the production of the "Fordson" tractor in 1916.  Over 750,000 Fordson tractors were produced from 1916 to 1946.

Harry Ferguson patented the "Ferguson System” for small agricultural tractors in 1926.  The Ferguson System is a hydraulically controlled three-point hitching system for implements drawn behind the tractor.

On November 3, 1938, Harry Ferguson demonstrated the Ferguson System to Henry Ford on the grounds of Fair Lane, the Ford family estate.  On November 8, 1938, Harry Ferguson entered into an agreement with Henry Ford to produce and market a new tractor.  The agreement between Henry Ford and Harry Ferguson began an era of innovation in small tractor technology, an era than began with the production of the "9N" Ford tractor in 1939.  

Based upon the frameless design of Ford engineer Eugene Farkas, the task of actually designing the 9N was assigned to a team of Ford and Ferguson engineers under the general supervision of production chief Charles Sorenson.  Adolph Eckert designed the "L-head" engine.  Harold Brock designed the transmission.  Irishmen Willie Sands and John Chambers, members of Ferguson's design team, worked on the hydraulic system. Chief of styling Eugene Gregorie did the preliminary work on the appearance of the 9N.  Edward Scott of the Rouge Plant finished the design of the 9N.

The relationship between Ford Motor Company and Harry Ferguson essentially ended in 1946 when Henry Ford II assumed control of the Ford Motor Company.  Ford's use of the Ferguson System in the design of the 1948-model Ford tractor led Harry Ferguson to sue the Ford Motor Company for $340 million in patent infringements.  In 1952, Harry Ferguson was awarded close to $10 million because of his lawsuit.

A New Design

The design of the 1953 "Golden Jubilee" model Ford tractor is the direct result of the Ferguson lawsuit.  The Golden Jubilee features the Ford-designed "Solid System" hydraulics, the 134 cubic inch overhead valve "Red Tiger" engine, and a completely new style that reflects the aerodynamic design favored in the early fifties.  One of the more obvious changes from previous N-series Ford tractors is in the design of the grille and emblem. The grille retains the vertical elements of the 8N; the wider center bar is eliminated.  The new front emblem on the Golden Jubilee, designed by Edward Pinardi, features a round, "headlight" design that became the hallmark of Ford tractors until the early 1960's.

The Golden Jubilee/NAA Ford tractor shares many parts, specifications, and features with the earlier Gray Line Ford tractors (the 9N, 2N, and 8N).  The post-1954 Hundred Series Ford tractors also share many parts, specifications, and features with the Golden Jubilee/NAA, giving the Golden Jubilee the distinction of being the transitional model Ford tractor, between the earlier N-Series Fords and the later Hundred Series Fords.

All text and illustrations, unless otherwise noted, © 1998-2001 Daniel Dibben

All photographs submitted to this Web site become the property of the author.

Text, illustrations, and photographs may not be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author.

The author of this Web site acknowledges that some words, model names, designations, and illustrations incorporated into The Vintage Ford Tractor Resource may be copyrighted or may be the property of the trademark holder.  The author intends that these words, model names, designations and illustrations be used for educational and informational purposes only, in accordance with Title 17, section 107 of the United States Code.  The author expresses no proprietary claim to these copyrighted or trademarked words, model names, designations, or illustrations, nor expects to profit from the use of this material.