Ferguson TE20 Tractor & Gliding Clubs
 

A question here to those in the Gliding Community. Are any gliding clubs still using Ferguson TE20 tractors or varients for ground movements, or ar they now confined to collectors or museums thesedays?

I think golf buggies are the preferred way to move club gliders around these days - tractors are largely confined to mowing the grass and towing the winch these days.

I remember a glorious 2 weeks on the Long Mynd in 1970 where the old grey Fergie was used to recover the winch cable back to the launch point and to chase the sheep off the landing strip.

Bit bumpy chasing the sheep away and battery acid splashed out of the battery with no caps on the cells and rotted holes in my 59/- Levis.

Our club certainly had a Petrol Fergie many years ago,I drove it quite a lot in 1971 ish when up visiting local family relly's.
We use the little Diesel Kawasaki Mule 4x4 buggies these days for glider retrieves ,presumably until they are legislated out,we have a couple of LR/LR disco's for cable retrieve and moving the winch etc.
I drove many tractors at various clubs between 1969 and 1996 - I always had a soft spot for the little Fergies :).
One of my old clubs used a dumper truck for cable retrieves - now that was a heap LOL

They were great for cable retrieves. Just enough power to pull two cables and not enough to do much damage. Fenlands club at Marham had five Fergies at one point.

There are plenty still used by vintage tractor enthusiasts and those with small paddocks to mow, not really powerfull enough to mow a gliding field and a 4x4 better for towing cables.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f8150b92ff.jpg
Like this one.....

Lovely Pic there Hotwot - where was it taken ??

@longer ron - Challock 1971 - summer course

Many thanks Hotwot - one of the many clubs I have never visited.
We were planning a trip down south in 2020 to visit lots of places and also friends - but of course it never happened.

rgds LR

I saw the picture and guessed Challock. I was there for a summer course in 1978 getting to know Kermit. Is it still flying?

Husbands Bosworth have at least one old tractor, can't remember the make, last time I was there, they had two when I started gliding in the 80s..presumably one has bought the farm..

2hotwot Thanks for posting that picture.

Although I've never been there, and almost certainly never will, it's evocative of an earlier, simpler, and 'cleaner' time. No cones, no high-vis, unashamedly brown clothing, and clearly a group of people who've got together to enjoy what they do without the 'benefit' of others getting in on the act.

And a couple of old tractors to boot - although perhaps not so old in 1971. In case anyone's interested here's proof they look much the same on this side of the world, I later sold this to get a Fordson Major that we used to tow a C-47 around a local airfield...


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....fb46851e4e.jpg