Ferguson Dealerships in Canada

Does anyone know if you could choose whether to buy a U.S.To or a U.K.Te.Ferguson tractor in Canada in the early 50s? Thanks.

That is the sort of question we need to ask the old dealers... before they can't answer anymore.
Could the buyer choose? I will bet no. Could the dealer ask for US made if he can't get enough UK made TE's in inventory? I would bet yes, but that would have probably gone thru Ottawa, upsetting some apple carts on the way.
After the war, all 'Empire' now 'Commonwealth countries' had to buy English made goods if at all possible before importing from other countries- like the US. When did this end for Canada? late 60's? As far as private sales, I don't think there was a tax or duty on agricultural goods since the war of 1812 ended.... but a boxcar full of fergies??? I dunno bout that...
Got to remember Massey Harris 'owned' Canadian agriculture for 100 years before that, and before the merger, I would bet anything Ottawa did to help Harry Ferguson - like let duty free TO20's and 30's in unrestricted numbers? was considered treason! Even in the states, the corporate choice of which dealership would remain open- wow.
And I have an 'imported into Canada by Massey-Harris-Ferguson LTD' 1955 TEA20-85. And that was nearly 300 miles south of the border, and I was told it had been there since the get go.... it seems if a buyer wanted a brand new but older grey model rather than a 35 or 40, it would have been a TEA that came from UK to Canada then into the US.
Well, you gave yourself a heck of a homework assignment!!

My 72 year old friend Dick could answer this question as his family was a dealer just south of the border by 20 miles. He's talked about buying train cars of tractors that came in by way of Canada as well as some tractors that were imported across the border that one dealer paid the other cash for. So much more was possible back then prior to the advent of computers and electric records.

Thanks for your responses. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada & most of the Fergie's here are TE's up until 1955 then there seemed to be more TO35's. I would think most of the Fergie's in the U.S. would be TO's & yet Yesterday's Tractors have an excellent supply of TE parts & they don't ship to Canada. Yes it would be interesting to hear from people who actually ran Ferguson dealerships in the early '50's. I was born in 1954 so I never got to see a Ferguson dealership.

I spent some time in Saskatchewan in the 40s and 50s. I think the most popular tractor was the John Deere, and I think, I can safely add, "by far". On the other hand, all brands were represented. Massey 44, Oliver 70, Case LA, Minneapolis U, etc. The Farmers' Co-op sold Deutz tractors. The "Long Horn" Fordsons made an appearance, but not in great numbers. Electrification didn't reach all of the rural areas until about 1958, so diesels were pretty uncommon because cold (very cold) weather was a problem. Small family farms made do with horses for light chores. There was a spate of English cars, too. Hilmans and Austins, primarily, and more rarely the Ford Anglia. By about 1949, the waiting list for rationed vehicles was about gone. Except for VW, imports really fell off. Canada had its own assembly plants for most US makes, and became the exporter to all the British Commonwealth, many with Right Hand Drive.

According to my fathers story's the 9n,2n ford fergusons were very popular in our area for the little farmer,including our farm, we still own the 2n my father bought used in 1948. For the bigger farmers massey harris was king & latter massey ferguson untill about the mid seventys. All other brands were also represented.My father passed away in 1998

(quoted from post at 19:18:03 11/11/15) Thanks for your responses. I live in Saskatchewan, Canada & most of the Fergie's here are TE's up until 1955 then there seemed to be more TO35's. I would think most of the Fergie's in the U.S. would be TO's & yet Yesterday's Tractors have an excellent supply of TE parts & they don't ship to Canada. Yes it would be interesting to hear from people who actually ran Ferguson dealerships in the early '50's. I was born in 1954 so I never got to see a Ferguson dealership.

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That is because Harry Ferguson imported a lot of TE-20's for dealers to sell here in the U.S. until they got Harry Ferguson Inc. in Detroit up and running. Oddly enough the old man at the Massey dealership next to my house has been working at the dealership since 1955 or 1956, and he has never seen a TEA-20 or any of the variants. Only TE-20's made it to this area. My family had one they bought back then.

my dad bought a new 1955 TO-35 from a Ferguson dealer in Montgomeryville pa. it was owned by a fella named Ted Grauer. he has long since passed and so has the dealership. the property is now a Red Lobster. I remember my dad saying that Ted had been "gassed" in WW1.

my grandfather purchased a Ferguson in the early 1950's and it was made in england.