Massey Ferguson, the maker of farm tractors, can trace its history to 1847 when Daniel Massey built and sold farm equipment in Ontario, Canada. Massey teamed with Alanson Harris in 1891 to expand into the farm implement market.

Harry Ferguson

By 1920, Harry Ferguson, independently of Massey-Harris, developed the Ferguson System, a three-point hitch that advanced tractor design by incorporating both the tractor and the implement as one unit, according to ssbtractor.com.

Ford Partnership

By 1938 Ferguson teamed with David Brown to offer the system to Henry Ford to use on his tractors. The nine-year partnership was rocky and fell apart after Ford's death in 1947, according to ssbtractor.com.

Massey Ferguson

Ferguson joined the Massey-Harris Company in 1953 with the three-point hitch Ferguson System as their marketing strength.

Name Change

Massey-Harris-Ferguson Ltd. shortened the company name to Massey-Ferguson in 1958 and went on to develop the MF35, the first Massey Ferguson tractor, along with the larger MF135.

International Expansion

The new company quickly expanded its market reach to the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and the rest of Europe.

Sold

Massey Ferguson was sold in 1995 to the United States-based AGCO Corp. Massey Ferguson, based in Duluth, Ga., continues to build tractors for AGCO, as well as Iseki and Challenger tractor and farm implement companies, according to masseyferguson.com.

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