Ignacio Saenz de Camara
Before we put ourselves at the controls of this tractor ebro Diesel 44It is worth doing a little history. For millennia, farm work was carried out with the use of domestic animals. The horses, mules and oxen provided the necessary strength to till the land, in addition to carrying the fruit that was collected from the farms during the harvest.
Animals were also used to draw water from wells, or to pull implements such as the plow. In contrast, more skill-intensive roles required human labor, which was sometimes arduous and arduous work.
In this sense, the progressive development of mechanics helped to reduce the physical demands. An example of this was the appearance in 1875 of the Gilpin plow, which had a seat and allowed the farmer to work more comfortably.
AGRICULTURAL MECHANIZATION BEGINS
With the invention of the steam engine in the XNUMXth century, the mechanization of mining and transportation began. And little by little, that of agricultural work in the most developed countries.
Around 1880 the first agricultural tractors began to be designed. Equipped with a steam boiler, they were heavy and used coal as fuel. These vehicles performed well in the vast American fields.
Already at the beginning of the XNUMXth century, the much lighter tractors with a gasoline engine had a better commercial outlet. Not surprisingly, its economy and productivity was clearly superior to that of draft animals.
In 1922, the German firm Benz-Sendling created the first tractor with a diesel engine, whose better performance and greater robustness was completely imposed after the Second World War.
Meanwhile, agricultural mechanization was advancing in the United States and in the more advanced countries of Europe.
However, in Spain the process was slower. It first affected farm implements, with national manufacture of reapers, binders, winders and threshers, as well as stationary engines fueled by gasoline or oil.
THE DECREE OF 1953
It is also true that Ford Motor Ibérica began in 1921 to produce Fordson tractors at its factory in Cádiz, before moving its factory to Barcelona in 1923.
In Barcelona he continued to build tractors, but Fordson production in Spain was carried out according to demand. In this sense, the best years of sales were in the period from 1926 to 1932.
Later, between the turbulent years 1934 and 1935, plus the Civil War and the postwar period, it was not until well into the XNUMXs that the pillars of the massive motorization of Spanish agriculture were created.
The judicious blue-orange contrast, a hallmark of the primitive Ebro tractors.
In view of the delay that Spain had in its agrarian mechanization, in October 1953 the government gave permission to Ford Motor Ibérica to build a tractor factory.
However, the North American firm wanted this factory to also assemble cars, something that the government did not accept after SEAT was created and the FASA-Renault factory in Valladolid was also active.
Faced with the official refusal, Ford sells its shares in the subsidiary to a group of Spanish shareholders. This means the creation of Motor Ibérica SA in May 1954, which will have the collaboration of Ford for the production of tractors and trucks.
The gear and the pin. Motor Ibérica adapted the Fordson shield for the Ebro.
The new leaders move fast. And just as in England the nickname of the River Thames (in English, Thames) is used as a brand for its vehicles, Motor Ibérica registers the Ebro brand, in honor of our mightiest river.
The first Ebro tractor came out of the Barcelona plant on Avenida de Icaria in May 1955. Like the similar British Ford New Major, it has a 4-cylinder engine, 38 CV and a displacement of 3,6 liters.
In the following years, the Ebro tractors were advancing to the tune that marked the improvements made in the English Ford tractors. Thus, throughout the decade the Ebro saw their power progressively increase to 42 and 44 hp.
OUR EBRO DIESEL 44 TRACTOR
The recently restored example that we have had the opportunity to photograph and drive is manufactured in 1961. Unfortunately, years later, the bureaucracy forced to replace its original number plates with new ones with the letters VE and different numbers.
This Ebro Diesel 44 tractor has a 44 CV engine -hence the name-, which began to be installed in 1959. Its original contrast between the blue of the bodywork and the orange of the wheels makes it well visible in the field, in addition to distinguishing it from the competitors of the time.
Most of its components were of national manufacture, achieved after a Spanish company obtained the license from its British or North American producer.
But as always, there are exceptions to the rule. And that happens with a good part of the electrical system, supplied by the English firm Lucas.
To get on the metal seat, the easiest access is from the left side, saving the clutch pedal, while with one hand you grab the steering wheel.
ALREADY INSTALLED
Once the position on the seat is taken, it takes a while to see all the controls that surround me. For starters, the black pasta steering wheel, to the right of which is the hand throttle.
Beyond that you can see that kind of black fungus, which is the air inlet to the engine through its corresponding filter.
And in the foreground, the clocks of the water thermometer and the oil pressure gauge that make up the bare instrumentation.
Between the legs is the gear lever, the diagram of which is engraved on the cast iron floor. And under the diesel tank, a metal wall houses the ignition key, the work light switch, the gearbox and the stop handle.
Next to the clutch pedal, on the left side is the black engine start lever, almost attached to another flat lever that activates the rear cardan power take-off.
Moving to the right side, in front of the foot accelerator is the double brake pedal. As desired, the two rear wheels brake at the same time, or independently the one on each side with the simple turn of a plate that joins both pedals.
Below is the belt pulley, which can operate at two different speeds. During the harvest of wheat, barley or oats, It used to be used to move the thresher. And under the seat, the lever that controls the drag bar.
1- The two-speed pulley, designed to transmit force through belts.
2- Under the central gear lever, the indelible diagram of the gears.
STARTING THE EBRO DIESEL 44 TRACTOR
I turn the ignition key to the first position, which instantly turns on the red light on the dashboard. And just by pulling the left lever, the starter motor chimes for a couple of seconds and the veteran diesel engine begins to purr.
I put the first gear into gear and as I released the clutch the Ebro began to move at a very slow pace. In fact, in first gear and at maximum power, this tractor rolls at a quiet speed of 3,34 km / h. Of course, with great drag force.
The elevated position, plus the absence of the typical cabin that was put to protect it from the cold and rain, puts the environment under complete visual control. In any case, I prefer to continue to familiarize myself with its controls.
With a length of 3,30 meters, one soon adapts to this single-seater with tall and thick wheels. To begin with, you have to get used to a very hard steering when stationary.
Since the gearbox is not synchronized, in the low gears it is necessary to stop, engage another relationship and leave again. The power of the engine is such that up to fourth gear can be started without much difficulty.
On the contrary, in seventh and eighth it makes sense to perform the double clutch maneuver. And at speeds above 10 km / h it is noticed that the direction is becoming imprecise, which forces you to handle the steering wheel with continuous attention.
AGILE TURN
As soon as our Ebro Diesel 44 tractor is rolling, the steering becomes smoother. It is then that I can see how easily it moves, with a turning radius of only 4,6 meters.
And in the event that you only press the brake on one side, the aforementioned turning radius remains at 3,9 meters, already quite close to the length of the vehicle itself.
At a leisurely pace and on the muddy road from a morning storm, the driving is pleasant. Even knowing that a tractor driver would rarely move it if it weren't for some kind of work.
Thanks to the angle taken by the front wheels, the Ebro achieves a turning radius of only 4,6 metres.
And it is that there is the great difference of an agricultural tractor with a tourism. In that it is a machine designed to carry out an infinite number of jobs, from towing a loaded trailer, working with the bisurco or share and moldboard plow or provide strength to a spreader.
So many were his tasks well resolved, that his arrival meant the emigration to the city of a not inconsiderable percentage of the rural population. And it is that so much manpower was no longer needed in the field, nor so much draft animal.
TECHNICAL SHEET EBRO DIESEL TRACTOR 44 FROM 1961
• Displacement: 3.611 cm3
• Power: 44 hp at 1.600 rpm
• Gearbox: Manual, 8-speed with reduction
• Traction: Rear
• Brakes: Two rear drums
• Tires: front 6.00-19 and rear 16.9-30
• Deposit capacity: 68,25 liters
• Long wide high: 3,305/1,650/1,651m
• Tracks/Batallto: 1,500/1,300/2,032 m
• Curb weight2.360 kg
• Maximum speed: 21,2 km / h
• Average consumption: 4 l/hour
THE SUPER EBRO
In 1961, the range of tractors from Motor Iberica SA It is expanded with the Super Ebro model. The new model retains the same displacement in its engine, but the power increases to 52 CV at 1.600 rpm.
Likewise, its aesthetic has new features that the Fordson Super Major, presented in 1960, had already premiered in the United Kingdom, although not including the two headlights embedded in the front grille.
One of the most important improvements to the Super Ebro tractor was your new hydraulic system, that allowed to automatically regulate the height at which the different implements worked.
On sale at a price of 175.000 pesetas, since 1964 its power had been increased to 55 CV at 1.800 rpm and its production in Barcelona continued until 1972.
By chance of fate, the Super Ebro coincided with the economic rebound. And its competitive price, plus its robustness and wide distribution and assistance network made it the most popular tractor in Spanish agriculture.
In fact, it is still used in ancillary tasks, such as pumping water from wells or rivers to irrigation facilities. And it is that according to many farmers, if it is maintained well, its engine ends up being practically indestructible.
WILL IT BE OUT OF SHAME?
There are currently three specialized paper magazines in Germany for historic agricultural vehicles. Their names are "Schlepper Post", "Oldtimer Traktor" and "Traktor Classic". And that Germany seems to us an eminently industrial country.
Closer, in France, the publications "Tractorama", "Tracteurs Retro" and "Tracteurs Revue" give full information on the matter. Both the tractors and other machinery from years ago and the events that are organized throughout the country.
And the same is true in the United States and the United Kingdom, where they also proudly keep the memory of their agricultural tradition.
Instead, in Spain we only have isolated efforts, that enough is given the general indifference. Our trade magazines only talk about ultra-modern tractors.
Only the desire of the few collectors, as well as a few private museums, prevent our industrial heritage from the agricultural sector from being lost and completely forgotten.
At this point, I doubt if it will be out of shame to acknowledge a rural past. Or simply out of sheer contempt for the ignorant, as when sports car fans here underestimated the Alpine A-110 berlinets.
Gold opportunity for the smartest to buy them at reduced prices and export them to distant markets, with the logical commercial gain.
