TEA-20 Engine serial number

Morrie

Member
This message is a reply to an archived post by Charles in Aus. on February 13, 2018 at 03:54:54.
The original subject was "Re: TEA20 Engine serial number".

Hi Charles saw your name on this post & remembered we had a few converstions re Hour meters etc quite a few years ago -You had a great one on your tractor -Ran across this fergy with the Epicyclic Gearbox and remembered you had a bit of information on them ? This one has a serial no of 804 -I know your state probably had more of these for the small farmers so are there any others that I could contact re info or how many actually were installed in Australia ? This Tractor is a 1948 TEA 6 Volt still in reasonable condition Kind Regards Morrie


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Hello Morrie , you're lucky to have caught me as I have just returned from two months away .

These epicyclic gearboxes are as scarce as hen's teeth , they are almost the ' Holy Grail ' of accessories as far as the TE20 tractors are concerned , they were very expensive to buy and fit in the day as well , less than a few hundred were ever sold , at least here in the Southern states . They are infernally complicated beasts and were difficult to fit . I have seen a few listed for sale over the years and invariably they are missing vital components especially in the hydraulic area , other things such as the elongated brake rods to compensate for the extra length are usually missing as well . The cost of one in operating condition is usually much more than a fully functional FE or MF35 that has the same function and with more power . I lusted after one for many years but since buying my FE35 Grey and Gold I am very happy with what I can do with it around the farm . Driving a TE20 with the epicyclic box fitted isn't much fun either .
The majority of these units were sold and fitted to tractors in Tasmania for use on hillside potato farms , some were used in Victoria for the same reason and also for use in apple orchards near Redhill and Sommerville .
If one came up for sale fitted to an existing tractor I certainly wouldn't say no , but to buy one removed and possibly incomplete is asking for disappointment .
There are alternatives as well , the Howard reduction gear box for one and of course the vastly superior US made Sherman and Hupp units that gave faster road speeds and much lower cultivation speeds at a flick of a lever .
 
Thanks so much for your reply Charles & hope you had a great break while away ! The Grey & Gold are a beautiful tractor ..one of my mates has one fully restored & certainly are something special with the gold paint -You have something unique with that one !
There is a well documented restoration of a Diesel Ferguson in Tasmania that has the reduction gearbox fitted -Another in WA that is also fully restored ..an Old bloke I know in NSW - just finished talking with him tonight about the one he has tucked away in his shed !
I found this one only an hour away & in an area very unlikely to be used in a market garden operation so at a loss why it turned up where it did .Has only been used for light property maintenance .Have a mate who has a standard 6 volt & serial numbers are only 15 apart so both are local tractors all those years .It is in surprisingly good condition ..hydraulics / steering / show very little wear -Original mudguards without a dent so generally not flogged or abused as so many old tractors are -Engine is tired but still starts on the button -Has had new tyres replaced not long ago
The Epicyclic gearbox works perfectly & a very clever arrangement - can be used almost like an automatic in the Low range with live hydraulics - Am hoping the last owner can help me with past history but not confident after so many years have passed
Good to hear from you & hope to talk more soon Regards Morrie
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Amazing ! What a find , I had heard that these gearboxes were fitted to tractors used for grain and sugar cane handling as well , that might explain the presence of a few in one district .

I hope you've grabbed this one with both hands and run Morrie !
I find the fact that they are fitted to six volt tractors even more intriguing and do wonder if they were fitted to them much later in their working life .
If you ever do any work on the unit I would be really interested to see some photos .
Well done .
 
Was very lucky to find this on a working tractor Charles, as from your comments buying one removed from a tractor is fraught with peril -There is an English Facebook site that as a lot of good posts from collectors etc you might enjoy so enclosed the link .Saw a recent post from someone who has the gearbox but missing parts so must be so disappointing
Re my last post ..The 6 v tractor my Mate has is just a standard gearbox ..sorry to confuse ..I mentioned it because the serial numbers were so close so probably both local tractors and have stayed in the region ever since -My research shows that neither the Howard or Epicyclic Gearboxes were fitted as standard & were a Dealer fitted option -mine seems to have been in the tractor for a long time & seems to work beautifully -Have a very good mechanic mate who has worked on Fergusons all his life & never run across one so hope I don't have problems as repairs would be impossible to find
Found these images of how they were constructed & a very clever piece of engineering Cheers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/334994193187791/?multi_permalinks=1852138351473360&notif_id=1524476408211827&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif
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