Universal Hobbies

The Doe Triple-D or Doe Dual Drive is a make of tractor produced by Ernest Doe & Sons in the 1950s and 1960s in Ulting Essex. It's two engines and 90 degree articluation made it one of the most unorthadox tractors ever built. more...

Home
Action Figures
Beanies
Construction Toys & Kits
Diecast & Vehicles
Anson
Auto Art
Bang/ Box / Best
Benbros
Britains
Brooklin
Brumm
Budgie
Burago
Cararama & Hongwell
Charbens
Code 3
Collections/ Bulk Lots
Conrad/ NZG
Corgi
Crescent
Danbury Mint
Detail
Dinky
Dragon
EFE
Eligor
ERTL
Exoto
Ferrari
Franklin Mint
Gearbox
Guisval
Herpa
HotWheels
IXO
Jada
Jadi
Joal
Johnny Lightning
Kinsmart
Kyosho
Lledo
Lone Star
Magazines/ Books/...
Maisto
Majorette
Matchbox & Lesney
Maxi Car
Micro Machines
Minichamps
Muscle Machines
NASCAR
Newray
Norev
ONYX
Other Diecast & Vehicles
Oxford Diecast
Polistil
Revell
Rio
Road Champs
Road Signature
Saico
Schabak
Schuco
Shell Classic
Siku
Solido/ Verem
Spark
Sun Star
Teamsters
Tekno
Tomica
Tonka
Tri-ang
Trofeu
Unbranded Vehicles
Universal Hobbies
Vitesse/ Quartzo/ City
Welly
White Metal/ Hand-Made/...
Toys & Games
Wargames & Role-Playing

Development

During the 1950s farmers in the United Kingdom in need of high power tractors had few options. Essex farmer George Pryor developed an ingenious solution to the problem by creating his own tractor. He did this by purchasing two Fordson tractors, removing the front wheels and axles and linking the two by means of a turntable which provided the steering action powered by hydraulic rams. This left him with a double engined four wheel drive tractor capable of producing more power and outperforming any of the conventional tractors on the UK market at the time.

Commercial production

Local Fordson dealers Ernest Doe & Sons agreed to build an improved version, the first one was completed in 1958 and called the Doe Dual Power, later changed to Doe Dual Drive and abbreviated to Triple-D.

The first Doe Triple-D used two Fordson Power Major units producing 100 hp (70 kW), the later Triple-D 130 used two Ford workmaster tractors increasing the power output to over 130 hp (97 kW) and the Triple-D 150 was based on Ford Force tractors producing 150 hp (112 kW).

The vast majority of Triple-Ds were sold in the UK, but a number were exported to the United States and elsewhere.

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage with the Triple-D was the lack of suitable implements for such a powerful tractor, this meant that Ernest Doe & Sons also had to develop and build a range of implements to sell with the tractors.

Other disadvantages stemmed from the use of two engines, this made controling the tractor more difficult because of the need for two gearboxes. There were two engines and gearboxes to maintain and repair and the probability of breakdowns was increased.

End of production

By the late 1960s several companies had developed single engined tractors capable of producing over 100 hp (70 kW), this competition put the Doe out of production after over 300 had been built.

Legacy

The Triple-D often makes appearances at agriculural fares such as the Epworth Festival of the Plough in Epworth, Lincolnshire and LeSueur, Minnesota Pioneer Power Days show where it is always a crowd favourite, popular due to its unorthadox build.

Triple-Ds are worth a great deal due to their relative rarity, even unrestored Does can demand extremely high prices at auction

Read more at Wikipedia.org