He has 24 tractors (including other brands), two bulldozers and three County crawlers.
While he admits he isn’t great at the bodywork side of things, he is more of a mechanical engineer and thinks nothing of swapping engines in and out and looking after the mechanical side of his machines.
After driving a Fordson E27N with a Perkins P6 engine as a teenager, Benton developed a liking for this classic engine.
He has a 1949 Fordson E27N crawler, complete with a factory-installed Perkins P6 engine.
“I bought it pre-Covid from a deceased estate in Levin, so I don’t know too much about its history.”
Factory-installed Perkins P6 engine. Photo / Catherine Fry
The crawler is a County CFT (County Full Track) built on a Fordson E27N skid unit.
“It has a 4.73 litre Perkins P6 diesel engine with around 50hp.
“It has three forward gears and one reverse.
“There were two first and second gear ratios available, and this one has the slow version.”
The crawler would have carried out discing, ploughing and general cultivation in areas that were too wet for a tractor to work.
Roger Benton with his 1949 Fordson E27N crawler. Photo / Catherine Fry
A bulldozer blade attachment was available, and the crawler has a three-point linkage system.
Benton has hitched it to a trailer plough and ploughed with it.
“There’s a belt pulley on the side so with a belt fitted, the crawler could run as a stationary engine for threshing mills, cow sheds, water irrigation and similar tasks.”
The nostalgia of a dashboard from yesteryear. Photo / Catherine Fry
Benton said his crawler would have been expensive in its day.
He said, compared with what was available pre-World War II, it was advanced technology, as wars create innovation through necessity.
Large tracks for manoeuvring on wet ground. Photo / Catherine Fry
Benton is a member of the Waikato Vintage Machinery Club, where he is an active participant in their social outings.