Shane McGann has made one child’s dream come true by inventing a handmade mini Massey Ferguson 135 tractor.
The Co Longford native produced a replica mini Massey Ferguson 135 from a ride-on lawnmower and a slurry tanker from an air compressor tank.
Ireland Made, which captures stories of Irish transport past and present, highlighted the invention on its Facebook page in recent days.
According to the page, a 2007 Murray ride-on lawnmower with a 344cc single-cylinder was the donor vehicle.
McCann undertook the following work:
- Removal of cutting deck bonnet and rear wings;
- Fabrication of a new bonnet;
- Wings in the style of a Massey Ferguson 135 fitted;
- Rollbar, two headlights on the grill;
- Sidelights on the front and back of mudguards;
- Modified exhaust to make an upright stack;
- Large grip tractor wheels to the rear;
- Painted chassis in Massey Ferguson grey and Massey Ferguson red applied to the panels.
The page also states that the slurry tanker began life as a compressor. Work to covert it included:
- Stripped down the compressor and cut off all mounting brackets;
- Made up a chassis consisting of two lawnmower wheels and a drawbar;
- Mounted tank to the chassis;
- Also, mounted the head of the compressor on the drawbar to resemble the vacuum pump made up of hangers for carrying the pipe.
“With simple mechanical construction and high reliability, the Massey Ferguson 135 was popular across the world,” the page outlines.
About Massey Ferguson
“Production ran from 1964 to 1975, and several hundred thousand were produced. The original tractor had a 45.5 horsepower (33.9 kW) engine, and every child wanted to own a 135 when they grew up,” the page added.
Henry George ‘Harry’ Ferguson was an inventor and engineer, born in County Down, whose name lives on in the name of the Massy Ferguson company. He is remembered as the creator of a modern agricultural tractor and its three-point linkage system.
Photo: Kevin Reid
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