Four rare Doe tandem tractors secured top prices at a recent vintage machinery dispersal auction hosted by the well-known UK-based auction house, Cheffins, on Saturday 18 May.

Topping the sale was a 1964 Doe Triple-D which sold for a staggering €81,876 (£70,000) plus commission.

The sale, which was being held on account of Johnson Bros, Worcestershire, comprised six Doe tractors, 76 Ford, Fordson, John Deere, Massey Ferguson and Field Marshall tractors.

A large percentage of the lots on offer were in original condition.

Described as in fully original condition with 6,650 hours on the clock, the 1964-built sale-topping tandem tractor combination was fitted with a front belly plate, Fritzmeier cab, wheel weights and rear linkage, and retains its original engines.

The second highest-priced lot was also a Doe Triple-D tandem tractor, this time a 1963 model in original condition fitted with rear linkage and rear wheel weights. This example sold for €70,180 (£60,000) plus commission.

The third highest price was paid for a 1967 Doe-130 tandem tractor, which sold for €52,635 (£45,000) plus commission.

This particular unit is believed to have been split at one point and later converted back to a tandem tractor, albeit not as the original pair.

The fourth highest price was paid for an early example Doe Triple-D, believed to be a Power Major Dual Power version, number three of six units ever built.

While the tandem frame is original, the two tractor units are replacement units. It sold for €49,126 (£42,000) plus commission.

Other lots

A rare 1967 John Deere 5010 2wd model displaying 3,515 hours was sold for €25,732 (£22,000). A 1975 Ford 7000 displaying 4,421 hours and equipped with Dual Power and Load Monitor sold for €22,223 (£19,000).

The idea was to link and articulate two tractors via a turntable and two rams to effectively double the horsepower output

A Ford 7000 with 4,525 hours displayed and complete with a Scandinavian cab sold for €15,205 (£13,000). Commission on all tractors was charged at 6%, plus VAT.

Doe tractor background

Doe tandem tractors were built by UK-based Fordson dealers at the time (now New Holland), Ernest Doe & Sons, based in Essex.

The Doe, probably the most famous of all Fordson conversion, was the brainchild of George Pryor, a local farmer to the Fordson dealership at the time. Pryor had been in search of more power to work the heavy land.

With tractor horsepower much smaller then, the idea was to link and articulate two tractors via a turntable and two rams to effectively double the horsepower output.

The first model, which was effectively the amalgamation of two Fordson Majors, appeared in 1959 and was dubbed the Doe Dual Power. The following year, improvements had been made.

In the 1960s, the Doe-130 was launched as a replacement to the Triple-D.

It was based on the Ford 5000 platform and featured 130hp, as well as improved control and synchronisation of the two skid units.

By the end of the 1960s, several manufacturers had developed single-engine tractors capable of producing over 100hp, which inevitably led to production of the Doe ending soon after 300 units were built.