David Brown VA-Baureihe
2 models in this series
David Brown VA range 50 D and VAD/1 C Cropmaster – tractors from Meltham in the 1940s: four- to six-cylinder diesel engines of 25.7 to 37.3 kW, 1,542 to 2,616 kg
David Brown's VA range was built in the 1940s at the Meltham works near Huddersfield and formed the stage preceding the later Cropmaster; the register lists here the 50 D and VAD/1 C Cropmaster types, whose designation already points to the transition to the Cropmaster naming. The models carry diesel engines with four to six cylinders.
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The register lists here 2 versions with 25.7 to 37.3 kW from engines with four to six cylinders and 2,713 to 4,061 cm³ displacement, weights from 1,542 to 2,616 kg, lengths from 2,981 to 3,423 mm, widths from 1,619 to 1,880 mm, heights from 1,499 to 2,134 mm and a rated speed of 1,800 rpm.
As the predecessor of the Cropmaster, the VA range stood at the transition from pre-war to modern post-war farm machinery in Britain and competed with Fordson and the first Ferguson tractors; with this range David Brown established itself as an independent British tractor maker with growing export business.
Buying one of these early post-war models used, the condition and tightness of the diesel engine, rust on the bodywork and mudguards, and the condition of the clutch and gearbox, heavily strained in the simple mechanical designs of the time, all matter. Spare parts are available through specialist vintage-tractor dealers and clubs for historic David Brown machines.
Sources: SpecCodex register, model data: David Brown VA-Baureihe
Models
Tractor in 3D section
Turn the model, look inside and click an assembly — each one is explained.
