Twin Super Major Tractors Turn Heads

Twin Super Major Tractors Turn Heads Pat Peeters isn’t afraid to say, “I’ve got a bad affliction for Fordson Super Major tractors. My parents owned them, and so did my grandparents and all my uncles. I really grew up with them, and now I have 15, probably one of the premier collections in the U.S. My cousins have the ‘bug’ almost as bad as I do.” In his stable of rare and hard-to-find Super Majors, two are hitched in tandem, creating a real head-turning pairing at tractor shows. “The original coupling of two Fordsons was done in the 1950s by a farmer in Essex, England,” Peeters says. “Then Essex Fordson dealers Ernest Doe & Sons built an improved model in 1958. It was originally called Doe Dual Drive, then abbreviated to Doe Triple-D. Four of them made it to the U.S. and were sold as the Doe Triple T.” The first Triple-D produced about 100 hp, and later couplings produced 130 and 150 hp. Peeters reports that he tried to buy one of the two remaining Triple-Ts sold by Ralph Christenson of South Dakota from collector Don Hagstrom in Colorado. “The price was quite high for just a hobby and show tractor,” Peeters says. “So I let it go to a buyer from England.” Later, he learned that Hagstrom owned what was left of a tandem Christenson had built before he became the Doe dealer, and that Hagstrom was willing to sell it. All that remained was the coupling frame Christenson had made. “That was a great opportunity,” Peeters says, “because I already had two Super Majors that would work perfectly to put a twin-tractor like Ralph’s back together.” Peeters used Ralph’s frame to couple his Super Majors and build his own Triple D. “After the first assembly, we removed and rebuilt the engine on the front tractor, made new steering cylinders, then installed an orbital steering assembly,” Peeters says. “We made clutch and brake assemblies, then tore it back apart for other updates and restoration, including new tires and paint.” The tractors are joined by a pivot frame resembling a lazy Susan on the rear of the front tractor. Peeters drives the twin using clutch, throttle and brake controls from the back tractor operator station. “It has a very sharp turning radius,” he says. “We pull a Kverneland 5-16 bottom plow with it. It’s always a crowd favorite at tractor shows.” Although Peeters doesn’t farm, he’s been a fan of Super Major tractors for more than 35 years. “When my dad passed away, I acquired his 58 model. I also have the 58 model my grandpa owned. They’re identical tractors, right down to the serial numbers, both built in 1958. One ends in 28, and the other ends in 82.” His Super Major stable also includes a County Super 4, a County Super 6, and a Selene 4-WD with a GMC military axle and transfer case. One of his Majors worked on the Alaska Pipeline in the 1960s. He has a County row-crop model, one of only 100 built. He acquired an E27 Major with a Perkins engine from Canada because those models were never sold in the U.S. Some in his collection are restored, while others have their original patina. “As a kid, I used to work with Majors around the farm and always enjoyed them,” Peeters says. “Now I have a large collection and can put them to work out the back door, plowing or doing other farm work for friends.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Pat Peeters, N8479 County Rd. T, Bear Creek, Wis. 54922 (ph 715-863-9114).

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