NEWS RELEASE
www.masseyferguson.com
3rd November 2014
CONTACT:
Campbell Scott
Director Sales Engineering & Brand Development
Tel: +33 34411 3525
Email: Campbell.Scott@agcocorp.com
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Antarctica2 echoes Sir Edmund Hillary’s 1958 expedition
to the South Pole by tractor
The 2014 Antarctica2 mission to take a tractor to the South Pole emulates the
achievement of explorer Sir Edmund Hillary who led the first mechanised expedition to
the South Pole in 1958 using a fleet of Ferguson TE20 tractors.
In 2014, 56 years since Hillary’s journey and 56 years since the birth of the Massey
Ferguson brand, an MF 5600 tractor will make a similar trek across the ice.
On January 4 1958, driving 28hp TE20 tractors, Hillary’s team became the first overland
explorers to reach the South Pole since Captain Scott's expedition in 1912.
In his now famous telegram he told the ‘Massey-Harris-Ferguson Farming Company’:
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“Despite quite unsuitable conditions of soft snow and high altitudes our Fergusons
performed magnificently and it was their extreme reliability that made our trip to the Pole
possible. Stop. Thank you for your good wishes = Hillary”
At the time, the press described this as the ‘The Last Great Journey in the World’,
although the expedition’s official title was The Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic
Expedition 1955-58. Led by Englishman, Sir Vivian Fuchs, its aim was to be the first to
cross the continent overland – 50 years after Shackleton’s ill-fated attempt – while
gathering scientific data.
In common with Shackleton, Fuchs’ plan was to make the journey from each side of the
continent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea with teams including men from Britain,
New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
Hillary led the New Zealand team and their primary role was to set up depots and stash
supplies of fuel, food and equipment in a line towards the Pole.
It was this supply work which first brought Hillary into contact with the Ferguson TE20s.
The tractor had already established itself a good Antarctic reputation in 1954 when one
tractor worked for 565 hours without the need for a single repair after arriving on the
continent on February 13 in temperatures of minus 10° C.
When faced with unloading and transporting 500 tonnes of stores across 16 km from
the ship to his base camp, it is not surprising Hillary turned again to the ‘Fergie’ “For
unloading the ship it was necessary, of course, to have vehicles. Our problem was
overcome by the generosity of Massey-Harris-Ferguson in the UK and their agents in
C.B. Norwood in New Zealand. These firms lent us five Ferguson tractors modified to
operate in snow conditions,” he wrote.
The tractors were fitted with full tracks and an extra wheel on each side. The tracks
were easily removed so that wheels could be used when conditions allowed. In addition,
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the tractors were painted red (as opposed to the normal Ferguson grey) to make them
easier to spot in the snow.
Hillary’s journey across Antarctica traversed deep crevasses in the snow and ice.
Eventually the team reached Depot 700 on 15 December 1957 – despite nearly losing a
tractor down a crevasse. It (and its driver) was only saved by the roll-bar jamming
against the wall of the ice and holding the vehicle up.
In reaching this destination, Hillary’s primary role was complete. He had left behind him
fully-stocked supply depots stretching all the way back to Scott base – ready for Fuchs
and his team. However, he resolved to go south-west to get clear of the crevasses and
find a safer route to Depot 700 for Fuchs. Then “fuel and vehicles permitting and if the
Trans-polar party required no more assistance,” he would set off for the Pole or meet
Fuchs if time allowed.
On December 20 1957, he left Depot 700. By skirting around the crevasses he cut a
new route for Fuchs. The team carried on for a further ten days – at times struggling
through crevasses and thick snow at a crawl. By January Hillary was on his way to the
Pole. Just after midday on January 4, the team drove the last few kilometres though soft
snow to arrive at the American South Pole Station.
On reaching his destination, Hillary commented: “Our Ferguson's had brought us over
1250 miles (2000 km) of snow, ice, crevasses and blizzard to be the first vehicles to
drive to the South Pole.”
“It is a measure of the intrinsic reliability of the tractors and the ingenuity of the
Ferguson engineers that the tractors operated without fault throughout the journey,”
remarks Campbell Scott, Massey Ferguson Director Sales Engineering and Brand
Development. “This approach is locked into Massey Ferguson’s engineering DNA and
we continue to focus on producing straightforward dependable machines which can
work anywhere in the world.”
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One of the actual Ferguson TE20s (named ‘Sue’ by the team) used on Hillary’s
remarkable expedition now resides in the Massey Ferguson Technology Centre in
Beauvais, France.
Leading industry partners supporting Antarctica2 include Massey Ferguson, Trelleborg,
Castrol, AGCO Finance, AGCO Parts, Fuse Technologies and MechaTrac. The
expedition will attempt a 5000 km round trip to the South Pole November 2014-January
2015.
www.AntarcticaTwo.com
#BelieveInIt
ends
About AGCO
AGCO (NYSE: AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of
agricultural machinery. AGCO supports more productive farming through a full line of
tractors, combines, hay tools, sprayers, forage equipment, grain storage and protein
production systems, tillage implements and replacement parts. AGCO products are sold
through five core machinery brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson®
and Valtra® and are distributed globally through approximately 3,100 independent
dealers and distributors in more than 140 countries worldwide. Founded in
1990, AGCO is headquartered in Duluth, GA, USA. In 2013, AGCO had net sales
of $10.8 billion. www.AGCOcorp.com
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