A Minnesota farmer and his new Massey Harris ’44. The ’44 was made for almost ten years through the late forties and early fifties, and from the pictures in this set I’d say this is on the later end of the timeline. The powerlines are one clue — unless he’s not at home in the picture, but there weren’t power lines on the farm in earlier photos. The attachments on the sides, just above the front tires, are interesting — I’m not sure what they’re for. Weights? Some pictures of a ’44 have a bucket on the front (and note the headlights moved to the fender, to avoid being knocked off), could it be that? Who knows, but he sure looks proud of his new tractor.
see also: hard data * Massey [Harris|Ferguson] history * Massey-Harris Park, Toronto * MH in the 50s
The brackets above the front wheels are the mounting brackets the cultivator mounts to. I drove one of these tractors as a teenager in the late 50’s and early 60’s. I have my own Massey Harris now, in fact I own a 1955 44-Special and a 1958 444 Massey Harris.
This picture has got to be from the mid 50s or later because the Massey Harris 44 in the photo clearly has Massey Harris 444 hood on it. The 444 didn’t come out until 1954. It also has an aftermarket wide front end.