Long

IrvIA · Mar 17, 2013

I went to a machinery salvage yard here in central Ia on Saturday and saw this little guy. I've seen a few Longs but know nothing about them. The owner was out getting another tractor so I don't know what he wants for it. Does this one melt anyones butter?
Irv

Justin SE IOWA · Mar 17, 2013

Irv the tires look almost new on it! Is that in Colfax?

retired farmer · Mar 17, 2013

Not unless it is green and has John Deere wrote on it.

IrvIA · Mar 17, 2013

Teubel Salvage in Drakesville.

IrvIA · Mar 17, 2013

Anyone got any idea about what year this would be? I guess, come to think of it, I don't know where Longs were made.

samn40 · Mar 17, 2013

I never knew the BMC(British Motor Company or Nuffield) made tractors for Long. I thought their tractors were all made by Zetor. This tractor is the result of Harry Ferguson Research. The company set up by old Harry after he split from MF. A few of the prototypes were painted grey! Out of 6 prototypes 4 are still known to exist and were worked up until about 4 years ago. The tractor finally became the Leyland 154 before being sold to the Turks(I think) to be sold as the harvest gold Marshall 154. I would snap it up as a nice rare collectors piece.
Sam

IrvIA · Mar 17, 2013

Sam, are you saying that the tractor we're looking at was made by a company of Harry Fergusons?

IrvIA · Mar 17, 2013

Sorry Sam, the pictures hadn't come through yet when I looked at your reply the first time. I see what you mean now.
Irv

samn40 · Mar 17, 2013

No, the prototypes were made by Harry Ferguson Research to the ideas of the Nuffield tractor division, later known as BMC. The idea was to make a cheaper compact tractor than anyone else as an entry market tractor for small farmers, who at that time may still have been using horses. Most of the tractors found their way into golf courses and school playing fields to mow grass....A market now domineered by Kubota ( another Ferguson protege)
That is the most original looking tractor Ihave seen in many a long day! Iwould guess them are the original British made Goodyear tyres with the diamonds on the side? Look at the clutch pedal it has only done about 500-600 hrs work!
Sam

IrvIA · Mar 17, 2013

Thanks for the information. Very interesting stuff that I never knew about Harry. I took a lot of pictures of everything in the yard and didn't really look close at anything, but now that I look at it, that front axle assembly sure looks familiar.
Just what type of engine is that? A BMC or Nuffield or ???
It looks like it has set for a while and the boots on the gear shifts are both shot so I'm guessing a lot of water in the trans

Irv

LA in WI · Mar 17, 2013

Irv,
I don"t know where Drakesville is, but if the owner will sell it and you don"t buy it, let me know his price and where that town is. Tires look great. Find out what kind of shape and brand the motor is.
LA in WI

IrvIA · Mar 17, 2013

I think MY butter just melted!!! I'll check it out tomorrow!! I'm getting ALL excited now!

Bill(Wis) · Mar 17, 2013

Maybe that was all the work it was capable of.

samn40 · Mar 17, 2013

Water in trannys does not worry me as long as they are sitting not working. The water sinks to the bottom and the oil stays on top keeping out all air and thus keeping out the rust. It is only when it has been sitting so long that the oil is all washed out and the water has evaporated some that you get rust.
Sam

Loosehandle · Mar 17, 2013

Raked hay for a neighbor with one of those,only it was blue.
Was diesel exhaust was piped under the seat,about gased me!

Dr. Walt · Mar 18, 2013

IrvIA:

Point of information: In the book "Antique American Tractor and Crawler Value Guide" by Dean and Swenson they list a Long Manufacturing Company in Tarboro, North Carolina that made a tractor called the "Long Model A" in 1948-1949 .

Doc

showcrop · Mar 18, 2013

(reply to post at 18:42:37 03/17/13)

It was some time ago, but I believe that I read that Longs were originally built somewhere in the South East, maybe Arkansas. Then production went overseas. That one does have the Euro look but certainly older.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 18, 2013

Most Long Tractors were Fiat built in Romania at the UTB factory the 995 was an English built tractor the big ones like the 910 were Zetors.Other than the old Long model A none were US built.

rrlund · Mar 18, 2013

I think these Longs came first.

smallercrawler · Mar 18, 2013

Long had a plant in Tarboro, NC for several years. Believe another maker is using the old plant to make CUTs, not sure if remnants of Long exist.
Note: New info suggests that plant may actually have been for ASSEMBLY/DISTRIBUTION of imports rather than for ground up MANUFACTURE of domestic machines??

smallercrawler · Mar 18, 2013

Loosehandle, your comment made me chuckle, friend used to growl about his Long's exhaust trying to kill him. Now that you mention it, all Longs I've seen were blue/grayish, and were wide front, looked somewhat like n-series Fords. In mid 90s saw a Long crawler (Dsl/3PT/PTO/~35HP) at an auction, declined, as it had been a spray rig and was covered with all kinds of unknown residue. Later met a Long rep (from Tarboro) and asked him about crawler availability and was told none had ever been made! Should have bought it, I'd have had the only one NEVER made??

Traditional Farmer · Mar 18, 2013

They used to add their sheet metal there I have heard.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 18, 2013

That tractor used the Timkin rear like a Cockshutt
30 which could be bought as a unit and the A was similar in front to a Wards

ShadetreeRet · Mar 18, 2013

No THAT'S the Long I remember seeing at a Demo day when I was a kid about 1949! I think it stuck in my mind because of the color scheme.

ShadetreeRet · Mar 18, 2013

Looks a heckuvalot like a Ferguson! Don't think I would be comfortable with the fuel tank directly under my seat though. I did notice the reduction gears on the rear axle.

smallercrawler · Mar 18, 2013

TF, I appreciate your mention of the Fiat/Long connection. I had mentioned a small "Long" crawler spray rig that was "denied" by a Long rep in a post below. After reading your info and looking at Fiat ag crawler pix, it"s very possible that what I saw was actually a Fiat in Long blue paint. Thanks again for helping explain it, it"s always kind of "bugged" me.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 18, 2013

Long sold Fiat crawlers that were the crawler model of the 445 tractor,I've seen a couple pretty neat machines.

Anonymous-0 · Mar 18, 2013

Do some research. It looks like a Nuffield to me. If so, it would make you a very nice little tractor. Tom

Anonymous-0 · Mar 18, 2013

Whatever it is, it looks too good to be sitting in a boneyard.

scotc · Mar 18, 2013

Long bought tractors wherever they could. I think it was the 5050 Allis that they sold. Also some of the later Ford utility tractors, Lamborghini, they weren"t too picky.

Tarboro was used for final assembly, but they closed and sold off North American operations about 5-6 years ago. I think Montana bought them out.

Long

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads