Thomastown Classic Steam and Vintage Club in one of the Irish Vintage Society clubs to have dedicated long hours bringing a 'Little Grey Fergie' back to life, as part of the as part of the AXA Vintage Series competition, in association with Agriland.

The competition is being held to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the start of production of the 'Little Grey Fergie' tractor in 1946.

According to the Thomastown Classic Steam and Vintage Club members, this project was very community-based, with several people having provided help to revive the iconic grey tractor.

Michael Ryan said: "I knew it (the tractor) wasn't in great condition; we did a bit of work on it just to get it going, moving about five years ago.

"Beyond that, I hadn't seen it, but when the opportunity came up to do this, I rang the owner, Jim O'Connor."

Ryan asked O'Connor if the club could use the tractor for the restoration competition, on the condition that it would not have to finance the refurbishment.

"Thankfully, Jim was in a position to buy the parts so I sourced the parts for him," Ryan added.

Tractor's history

Designed by Co. Down native Harry Ferguson, the Ferguson TE 20 tractors were manufactured in Coventry, England.

Tens of thousands of the machines have come to Ireland since the beginning of production in 1946, and the tractor was pivotal in the shift away from work horses.

Known for its revolutionary hydraulic three-point link at the rear, the machine and its implements became favourites amongst Irish farmers for their lightweight, affordable, and durable designs.

While Ryan did not know the entire history of this tractor, he mentioned that the machine, along with some documents and additions, had been in the possession of O'Connor for at least the last decade.

"Jim has the original registration, we have the registration number, so that's all we have to do now (get the tractor registered).

"I believe it was constructed in 1955, but don't hold me to that," Ryan laughed.

He also displayed the collection of tools from the original toolbox that they had also restored and kept with the tractor.

These included an original grease-gun from the machine, a hose, and a spanner that had marking on it - originally used for measuring in the field as well as a makeshift dipstick.

The Ferguson 20 came without a fuel gauge, so this tool was an effective way for the operator to see how much fuel remained in the vehicle.

The hose was designed for use with a flat tyre. If a tyre went flat, operators would simply unplug a spark plug, and replace it with the hose.

They would then connect the hose to the tyre, which would draw compressed air from the engine's cylinder.

However, this had potential to insert unburned petrol vapour, combustion gases (such as carbon dioxide and traces of carbon monoxide), and oil mist from the cylinder.

The potential presence of condensed petrol vapour within the tyre made it an explosive risk. Had the tyre overheated or been damaged, there was a chance of a dangerously violent explosion.

This was an accepted risk at the time, mostly due to operators not being fully aware the extent of which this practise was dangerous.

Ferguson restoration

Jim O'Connor had initially set a budget for the project, to which the vintage club members restoring the tractor attempted to keep.

However, according to Michael Ryan, they easily "blew past that" budget, and eventually by the end of the project had climbed to more than double the initial budget.

Ryan spoke graciously of O'Connor, saying: "Jim never faltered, we owe him a great debt of gratitude."

The tractor required considerable work done to it, with the block and thermostat housing being cracked. Additionally, the radiator was also in need of repair.

"It was pretty demanding at some stages," Ryan stated.

The Thomastown club members only noticed the crack in the block after completing the other refurbishments.

Ryan said: "We got that sorted and Toss (Thomas Kane) was the main man to get that sorted.

"Now she's sealed 100%, if there is such thing as 100%, maybe it's 99%".

"There's certainly 80 concentrated full, full-time hours invested in the tractor," he added.

Community aspect

Ryan drove home the community aspect of it by naming some key individiuals that worked on the Ferguson tractor.

"Toss is the chairman of the club, so we brought it home to Toss' shed where we spent many a night and a day working on it.

"Tom McGrath, myself, TJ (Kane) and Toss' nephew Eoin (Murphy) were in the shed. We each had bits of information required for the restoration.

"Tom was the mechanic, I had to restore the Ferguson originally so I was very familiar with it, Toss did the spraying, we all did bits of it".

Ryan likened the experience of the restoration to that of a men's shed.

"It wouldn't be possible to do up these tractors without voluntary work, but this tractor wasn't a big job for any of us because we all enjoyed it.

"But that's not the point, it's like a men's shed, people just go and get things done," Ryan said.

He explained that the Thomastown club sent an invitation to get involved "out to anybody that was that was available to help out".

Members actively involved in the restoration understood that not everyone would be able to dedicate time to the project, however, Ryan pointed out that those who did thoroughly enjoyed the social aspect of the work.

He said: "It wasn't financially viable for the club to be honest, but it's more of a passion project.

Ryan praised Jim O'Connor for his backing of the project, describing him as a "very proud man" in regards to the tractor.

"Jim will take that to different shows for us, he's really delighted with it.

"I wish the other clubs the best of luck and we'll see them on the day," Ryan added.

This series is brought to you by Agriland and sponsored by AXA Insurance.

The competition was organised by The Irish Vintage Society Clg. and will be judged at its All Ireland National Vintage Rally 2026.