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Calling tyresntracks - PHOTO KFD Major

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David in Wales

09-19-2007 13:40:42

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In the early 1950's there was call for narrow and lower tractors to work in the orchards & hop fields mainly in Kent county in the southeast of England.
The 4 Fordson dealers in that area formed a company KFD = Kent Ford Dealers with one of them Stormont Engineering building these specialist tractors. The 4 dealers sold them dirrect in their area to orchards & hop farms; and Stormont sold them at wholesale price to other Fordson dealers in England & Wales. They made a KFD68 which is a lowered version, and a KFD54 which was lowered & narrowed with shortened rear axles.
Mine is a KFD68 which has a cast fixed front axle which is swept back to reduce the turning circle, and is on 28 inch rear wheels (normal Major on 36 inch. The rest of the tracor was basically as a normal Major. The KFD54 is narrowed down to 54 inches wide, with a single brake pedal, the steering brakes operated by handle up the side of the fenders like a crawler brakes. They are weird looking.
Production was 1952 to 1957, 300 to 500 built but no records exist today. I have contacted the old works manager & mechanic who built them who have provided me with some original works photos. I have found there are about 30 still in existance today.
1957-63 Stormont built narrow Dextas & Super Dextas for Ford who sold them to the dealers as a Ford product.
This is my KFD as found - looked better than it was when we stripped it down. Took a bundle of money to rebuild to this condition.
If you are interested in more photos, email me on dinas@arepo.com and I will email you photos.
David

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David in Wales

09-20-2007 00:45:00

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KFD production info - tyresntracks in reply to David in Wales, 09-19-2007 13:40:42

I published an article in a tractor magazine asking for serial numbers & locations promising the owners I would not reveal their details. I was told of about 30 surviving tractors. They sold most of the production in the early years which met the demand, then sales fell off and they only sold a few each year.
Mine is April 1954 serial no. 189. I have seen no. 190 which wasnt built until October 1954.
The majority were sold into the apple orchard & hop growing areas. Some of the lowered 68 models were sold into the hill areas of Wales and the Southwest of England becaus they were more stable on banks. But they had lower drawbar height and the hay would bunch up under the drawbar when baling big swaths of grass. Over the years some got converted back to normal height by replacing the front axle and fitting 36 inch rear wheels. A few people still have their axles & wheels in the junk pile but the tractors were sold off years ago.
My tractor came from a hill farm about 20 miles north of here. It had been tipped over into a ditch and the tinwork was too badly rusted and bent to be salvaged, so its all new. They also built a few model KFD64 which were based on the industrial majors with single brakes and no 3 point hitch. They fitted a snap coupler in place of the drawbar & horizontal exhaust for working inside factorys pulling trailers around. Ford bought some to use inside and around their car & truck plants. These are rare, Ive only found 3 survivors.
David

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tiresntracks

09-19-2007 22:39:18

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Re: Calling tyresntracks - PHOTO KFD Major in reply to David in Wales, 09-19-2007 13:40:42

David,
Thanks for the picture and the information. Very interesting. Have you seen any of the other 30 that are left? Are any of them restored or in running condition?

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