The Massey-Harris Model 81 was a two-plow small-farm

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

built by Massey-Harris (later

Massey Ferguson Massey Ferguson is an agricultural machinery manufacturer, established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of Ireland. It was based in Coventry then moved to Beauvais in 2003 when ...

) from 1941-1948.Pripps, p.72. Introduced to replace Massey's General GG, the 81 was paired with the Model 82 (which used

kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...

, or

tractor vaporizing oil Tractor vaporising oil (TVO) is a fuel for petrol-paraffin engines. It is seldom made or used today. In the United Kingdom and Australia, after the Second World War, it was commonly used for tractors until diesel engines became commonplace, es ...

, as it was known in Britain)Pripps, p.131. and was very similar to the Model 101 Junior, which first appeared in 1939.Pripps, p.61. It was offered in standard-tread and row-crop versions, as was the Model 20 that followed it. The Model 81 was joined in 1946 by the Model 20, both of which survived in production until 1948.

Pricing

With a base price of around C$800,Pripps, p.79 cap. it was competitive with the C$900

John Deere Deere & Company, Trade name, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, Transmission (mechanical device), transmi ...

A. and less than

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

and Ferguson-Brown models of the period.

Weight

The bare weight without ballastPripps, p.78. was 2,600 lb (1,170 kg), some 1,100 lb less than the contemporary Model 30.

Engines

The 81 used the same 124 in³ (2,031 cc)Pripps, p.104. engine of the 101 Junior, while the 82 used a 140 in³ (2,293 cc) model. The 124 in³ was rated at 21 hp (15.7 kW) at the belt, and was manufactured by

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

, like all Massey-Harris tractors at the time.

Use by Royal Canadian Air Force

The

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

used blue-painted standards as

aircraft tug An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, in a few cases, direct downward thrust from its en ...

s, out of under 2,600 standard-tread 81s made.Pripps, p.74.

Pricing

Weight

Engines

Use by Royal Canadian Air Force

References

Sources

Further reading