Massey Ferguson is an agricultural machinery manufacturer, established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of Northern Ireland. It was based in Coventry then moved to Beauvais in 2003 when the Coventry factory was shut down.
History
Massey Manufacturing Co.
In 1847, Daniel Massey established the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory in what is now Newcastle, Ontario. The company made some of the world's first mechanical threshers, at first by assembling parts from the United States, but eventually designing and building its own equipment. Daniel Massey's son, Hart Massey, renamed the enterprise the Massey Manufacturing Co. In 1879, the company moved to Toronto and it soon became one of the city's leading employers. It was located on King Street West at Strachan Avenue, occupying the former Toronto exhibition grounds, the site of Toronto's Crystal Palace, just south of the Provincial Lunatic Asylum and north of the Central Prison. The huge complex of factories, consisting of a 4.4-hectare (11-acre) site with plant and head office at 915 King Street West (now part of Liberty Village), became one of the best-known features of the city. The company expanded further and began to sell its products internationally. Through extensive advertising campaigns, it became one of the most well-known brands in Canada. A labor shortage throughout the country also helped to make the firm's mechanized equipment very attractive.
A. Harris, Son & Company 1857 marked the purchase of a foundry by Alanson Harris near Beamsville, Ontario which he put to use for the creation of farm implements. Beginning machinery types included hand rakes and pitch forks. In 1863, he welcomed his son John into the business, thus forming the business name, A. Harris, Son & Company. In 1871, John Harris acquired the rights to the Kirby mower and the Dodge rake for distribution in Canada from the D.M. Osborne and Company of Auburn, NY. A move to Brantford took place in 1872, and the company's marketing reach spread beyond Ontario to the western Canadian provinces.
Massey-Harris Limited
In 1891, the Massey Manufacturing Co. merged with A. Harris, Son and Company to form Massey-Harris Limited, which became the largest agricultural equipment maker in the British Empire. Massey-Harris made threshing machines and reapers, as well as safety bicycles, introducing a shaft-driven model in 1898. In 1910, Massey-Harris acquired the Johnston Harvester Company of Batavia, New York, making it one of Canada's first multinational firms. Hart Massey's sons Charles, Walter, Chester and Fred became closely involved in the business and eventually took over its operations. They were the last generation of Masseys to run Massey-Harris. President Vincent Massey left to become a minister in the Mackenzie King government. In 1927, an unsolicited takeover offer from an unnamed US purchaser precipitated a power struggle for control of the firm. The US bid was turned down, and control remained in Canadian hands with the sale of the Massey's stock for CA$8 million to Thomas Bradshaw and J.H. Gundy of Toronto. Members of the family accomplished other things in business. Vincent Massey later became Governor General of Canada. Raymond Massey became a noted actor in American films. The Massey family used its fortune to improve the city of Toronto and many institutions including the University of Guelph, University of Toronto, Upper Canada College, Crescent School, Appleby College, Massey Hall, and Metropolitan United Church were partially financed by the Masseys. The company's early tractor models included the 20 horsepower Massey-Harris GP 15/22 (1930–36), 25 horsepower 'Massey-Harris Pacemaker' (1936–1939), 35 horsepower Model 101 (1938–1942), Massey-Harris Pony, Model 20, Model 81, and Model 744. Grain harvesting was revolutionized by Massey engineer Tom Carroll in 1938, with the world's first affordable, mass-produced, self-propelled combine— the No. 20. It was too heavy and expensive for extensive mass production, but served as a guide for the design of the lighter and less costly No. 21, which was tested in 1940 and put on sale in 1941. The Massey-Harris No. 21 Combine was commemorated with a Canada Post stamp on 8 June 1996. Massey-Harris also produced one of the world's first four-wheel drive tractors. E.P. Taylor, one of C.D. Howe's dollar-a-year men, joined the board of directors in 1942, and Eric Phillips joined management in 1946. The company became one of the prime jewels of the Argus Corporation. The final generation of Massey-Harris tractors, introduced immediately after World War II, included the 25-horsepower M-H 22 series, the 35 horsepower M-H 33 series, the 45 horsepower M-H 44 series and the 55 horsepower M-H 55 series. In 1952, the M-H 22 was replaced by the M-H 23 Mustang. In 1955, the 30-horsepower Massey-Harris 50 was introduced after the merger that created Massey-Harris-Ferguson. It was based on the Ferguson TO-35 and was also produced as the F-40 for Ferguson dealers. The MH-50 was available in several configurations: utility, high-crop utility, or row-crop with a choice of single, tricycle, or wide adjustable front ends. In 1956, the M-H 33 was replaced by the MH 333, while the M-H 44 was replaced by the M-H 444 and the M-H 55 was replaced by the M-H 555. The tractors were commonly known as the "triple series" and were mechanically similar to their predecessors, however they featured new styling which included a slightly different hood design, chrome trim on the grill and hood, and a different color scheme. They were also available with power steering, live power take-off (PTO), and hydraulics. The Massey Harris triple series tractors remained in production until 1958.
Military contracts During World War II and afterwards Massey Harris undertook a number of contracts to produce tractors, tanks and self-propelled artillery vehicles for the United States Armed Forces. Vehicles produced by Massey Harris include the following:
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