A CLASSIC tractor formerly owned by the Huddersfield Corporation is to go under the hammer.
The 60-year-old council vehicle is no ordinary tractor as since it was restored it has won both the prestigious Pennine Tractor Run and the Carriage House Commercial Vehicle Rally.
Owners of the 1952 Ferguson TED20 tractor are expecting it to sell for between £3,300 and £4,300 at a Bonhams auction in Harrogate today.
A spokesman for Bonhams said: “It is believed that Huddersfield Corporation took delivery of a solitary Fergie for use by its parks and gardens department and following careful research the tractor has been refurbished in its livery, complete with coat of arms faithfully reproduced by hand.”
The tractor – which has the word ‘Huddersfield’ emblazoned on its side, just above Huddersfield Corporation’s coat of arms – is described by Bonhams as “a must-have accessory for the enthusiast farmer or farming museum”.
Between 1946 and 1956, Ferguson built 517,651 TE tractors in various versions.
The auctioneer says the Huddersfield TED20 tractor is a petrol/heavy oil model.
Tractors were comparatively cheap to run in 1952 when the Huddersfield Fergie model was built.
At the time a gallon of petrol cost four shillings and tuppence three farthings (or about 21p in modern money).
