Any David Brown collectors here?

rrlund · Dec 22, 2015

I've kinda been keeping an eye open for a 62 or 63 990 to make over as an Oliver 600. I came across this advertised as a 990. I sent the picture to Peter Williams at David Brown Parts Ltd in England. He said it not a 990,but a fairly rare 950. He said these were only built between November of 58 and September of 59. I'm not interested if it's the wrong model,but if it's rare,I'd like to see a collector get it.

CL ad

max-nz · Dec 22, 2015

tractor is a 950 990 had crossflow cylinder head & implematic hydraulic control there are still around in new Zealand on [trademe .co.nz] check to make sure it is live drive. max

MJ in the UK · Dec 22, 2015

Hi Randy, my good friend Peter is spot on. In the late 1950s DB was having problems with the 900 models but the 950s were still in the pipeline as they had not perfected the Implematic hydraulic system with depth control. So to fill the gap in 1958 the introduced the T&U series with the old 900 hydraulics. The tractors are easley recnised by the lack of the deeper bonnet over the fuel tank and we have a few in preservation here in the UK. Last Sunday I had to go to Holmfirth to collect a kitten with the wife so we went another 2 miles down the hill to Meltham to take another look at the tractor factory as it is now a carpet warehouse. We went through the main gates into the yard to were all the tractos used to be parked waiting delivery. The road from Holmfirth to Meltham is up a very teep hill and they would randomley take new tractors off the assembly line and send them up the hill for testing. Holmfirth is the town where the TV program Last of the Summer Wine was made. If you want any more info on all things DB just contact me Michael Hart, ex DB dealer salesman not forgetting a Merry Christmas to you tractor guys your side of the pond. MJ

NY 986 · Dec 22, 2015

I remember the 990's from the 1970's. They were on some farms and turned up with some contractors mowing right-of-ways and light construction. I don't know that they were the best made tractor from what I recall. I think they sold because they were priced less than a Ford or MF.

rrlund · Dec 22, 2015

There was a 1956 900 gas advertised here for a while. I had never seen a DB gas before,except for the 850 that I have here as an Oliver 500. Peter said those 900s had some big problems and advised that I stay away from it except as a collector tractor.
The ad is gone,so somebody must have bought it unless the ad had been up for so long that it expired. There seem to be quite a few of the ones that were sold in Canada showing up here in Michigan. The one in the picture is just what I'm looking for,but it's still across the bridge in Ontario. Somebody has taken off the dynamo and replaced it with an alternator,otherwise it's a nice straight looking original tractor.

rrlund · Dec 22, 2015

They sold the heck out of those things around here. Peter said they targeted former Ford dealers when they first started selling them here. He said they went to the brown and white color scheme because a lot of Ford dealers had been Bolens (I think he said) dealers too,so they painted the DB's that color to match the smaller tractors that they were already selling.
The 885s and 990s were quite popular loader tractors. You still see them popping up on consignment auctions and sticking out of buildings here and there. Like anything else,they seemed to get better and better over time.

Tech 7 · Dec 22, 2015

The local dealer near where I grew up was one of if not the largest marketer of DB in the province of Ontario. Almost every farm it seemed had a DB when I was a kid.
There were lots of red 990's White 990's White 880's and the odd 770. I do remember 950's as well.
They were tough, economical and cheap. I blame my less than perfect hearing to listening to those square cut transmission gears churn away under the seat a lot of years ago.

rrlund · Dec 22, 2015

One of the neighbors here bought a new 770. I wish I could find a nice one. He said when he got rid of it,it still had the same fuel in it that came in it when he bought it. LOL

RGMartin · Dec 22, 2015

A 770 is one that you want to look at but not use. Too many parts on it only fit a 770. Cute little devils though, have had a few. 2 were grey market imports. One came with a German language data plate, another one had French. I knocked one over the head to get parts. I have a fair bit of it left here.

Bruce from Can. · Dec 22, 2015

We had a 950 DB years ago , good old tractor but, poor 3pth.

rrlund · Dec 22, 2015

Did yours have one of these draft sensing center links? I wish I could find one. Mine didn't have one when I got it.

Bill from Scotland · Dec 22, 2015

Now if someone has a David Brown 50D then that would be interesting.

J. Schwiebert · Dec 22, 2015

Hey there! I would like to talk to you about David Brown tractors. How can I contact you?

Bruce from Can. · Dec 22, 2015

Yes that looks like what our tractor had. We gave up on the 3tph, and pull a 3-14 Oliver plough with the rooster comb lift. This was a match made in heaven. Dad took the pth arms right off in the end . I traded the old Db in , in 1984 on a brand new IH 584 . Dealer gave me $1000.00 for it , my new 584 cost $11,900.00. I felt like I was on top of the world. Pop could hardly believe the deal I got.

centash · Dec 22, 2015

You must be near Walton, ON. They sold a lot of DBs. A bit of history---Canada had many ties with GB over the years, being a Commonwealth country. As a result, GB felt Canada should buy more from them, hence the presence of Dbs, Envoys, Vauxhaul cars,Avro aircraft etc. over here. These products were of acceptable quality, but for the most part, could not quite match domestic products. Later on, in the 70's, there was a push in Canada to purchase the English models of the Ford 3000 4000 5000 series, again, they were a bit cheaper, mainly because of trade pacts between commonwealth countries. Yes, they sold a lot of DBs, Nuffields, Leylands etc. over here mainly because of the price, and 20 years later these same tractors were in the skid row section of the dealers yards, whereas the MF, Olivers, Cockshutts,JD, IH etc. were still working. Even later, in the 80's, Russia tried to start a trade deal between Canada and Russia--we sold them a lot of wheat,( some of which was never paid for) by exporting Belarus farm tractors. I recall a backlash that originated in Western Canada when this concept was floated by. Thank God THAT never happened...

Ben

JerryS · Dec 23, 2015

Centash, what do you mean by "...the English models of the Ford 3000, 4000 and 5000 series"? I have a reason for being curious.

Robert Major · Dec 23, 2015

Yes Bill I bet you'd love to buy one of those David brown 50D 's in North america for about $3000 and kinda forget to mention it was worth about 40.000 pounds or so restored when you got it back to England L.O.L.

Traditional Farmer · Dec 23, 2015

I have a 780 I rake hay with,very easy on fuel and pretty smooth operating.

Bill from Scotland · Dec 23, 2015

Well Robert to be honest Im more interested in the US models for my own collection and seldom if ever sell a tractor once bought. Last tractors I bought were Case 900 and International 660 so Im sure you know they wouldnt sell for what they cost me to get them to Scotland but as I said I like big US diesels. As for DB 50D I think there are two in my area and there are another couple in Ontario none of which Im interested in buying. What I would say is that Ive always been intereted in Fordson e27n P6 tractors which you guys had a good number of in Canada which you already know as I think this is a model you chase yourself.
Bill

MJ in the UK · Dec 23, 2015

Hi Randy, Implematic depth control top link. Find a few over here but unable to find anybody supplying the cable unless Peter has found a supplier recently. MJ

MJ in the UK · Dec 23, 2015

Hi Randy, that red 990 is a later one with the fabrecated front axle. the early ones had a front axle like your 850. I am not sure if DB were still sending the red 990s as Oliver 600 when they were on the later front axles. The later axles were fitted from April 1963 onwards the same time as they lengthened the bonnet and put the battery in the front. MJ

MJ in the UK · Dec 23, 2015

You can contact me on here or Email me on [email protected] I am getting deaf in my old age so the phone is getting difficult. MJ

rrlund · Dec 23, 2015

I don't know if you can tell from this picture or not. They only made about 400 of the Oliver 600s. They were sold in 1962 and part of 63. They all had the batteries next to the seat from what Peter told me.

centash · Dec 23, 2015

These were Ford tractors that were built at the Dagenham plant in England. They were almost identical to US built Fords---grilles, fenders,, tire size and rims were the main differences, Lucas electrical systems,some front axle differences etc. Some local farmers unions were assisting with sales in order to save their members some money. IIRC, it went on for only a year or two. I don't recall MF being part of that, but there certainly were British built MFs sold here.

Ben

rrlund · Dec 23, 2015

My cable is good,I can pull it and it makes the rockshaft move,I need a link though.

RGMartin · Dec 23, 2015

MJ, I don't think we ever had any new red tractors sold here. All the red(hunting pink) ones I have had came in through Canada, or as a used grey market machine from Europe.

JerryS · Dec 23, 2015

Thanks, Centash. The reason I asked is that I just bought a Ford 4000 3-cyl. gasser. I am the third or fourth owner. The guy I bought it from said he was told by the previous owner that it had been "a row-crop tractor in Canada" (which is a long way from east Texas). How would I learn where the tractor was built?

JerryS · Dec 23, 2015

Forgot to mention: mine is a '69 model.

centash · Dec 23, 2015

Pretty sure it won,t be a UKTractor, since they were almost always diesels. You should be able to find. FOMOCO on the castings, serial sticker under the hood, non UK accessories like electrical, should say made in USA on the gearshift label. Ben

JerryS · Dec 23, 2015

Thanks, Ben.

Any David Brown collectors here?

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