Note – this article is only relevant to tractors supplied within the U.K. although some cabs mentioned may have been fitted to exports. Broadly speaking, tractor cabs fall into three categories; Weather cabs just protected the driver from the elements to a varying degree. Many were simply a light metal frame supporting canvas, the only glass being in the doors and the windscreen. Others were of metal and/or fibreglass construction. Safety cabs became a legal requirement on new tractors in...

1966 is generally recognised in the UK as the beginning of white David Browns, as this is when they began to appear on British farms. However, the evolution of this is rather more complicated than it initially appears! As we will see, it wasn’t precisely aligned with the introduction of the Selectamatic hydraulic system. Canada was a good market for David Brown in the 1950’s, but they had yet to reach over the border into the USA, except in a small way during the early 1960’s. As the size of...

Most early 4 cylinder David Brown diesel engines used a 3 5/8 inch bore, the exceptions to this being early Cropmaster Diesels, 25D’s and 850’s. Consequently, new 3 ½ inch pistons were discontinued many years ago and they have never since been manufactured; if new pistons are needed, the standard procedure, as advised by David Brown, was to convert the engine to 3 5/8 inch bore. The appropriate pistons, complete with rings, can be found on our website, part number E3922. E3922 - Piston,...