I want to do a video of this tractor. It was made in Brazil from 1960 to 1967. I haven't found much information on it and tractordata.com only don't have much either. I do know it had a 4 cylinder 44 hp Perkins diesel and had a dual range transmission giving it 8 forward speeds and 2 reverse. Does anyone have any more info on this tractor? I know it isn't a N-series, but the tractor intrigues me, so I am trying to find out as much as I can.

Thanks.

Terry, I cranked up ChatGPT and got this response:

What it was

Model: Ford 8-BR (often written “8BR” or “8-BR Diesel”)
Built: ~1960–1967
Where: Ford plant in the Ipiranga district of São Paulo, Brazil

Claim to fame: Widely regarded as the first wheeled tractor manufactured in Brazil, not imported, and a major milestone in Brazil’s agricultural mechanization.

Government policy (Plano Nacional da Indústria de Tratores Agrícolas, 1959) pushed for locally built tractors; Ford responded with the 8-BR, launched officially in Brasília on 9 December 1960.

Production & numbers

Start of production: 1960

Initial run: Sources differ slightly—one Brazilian industry guide cites 37 units in the first run, while another article notes 32 units in 1960, with total production exceeding 10,000 units by mid-1960s.

Most references show the model years 1960–1967.

So if you see a 1964–66 Ford 8-BR, you’re right in the sweet spot of its production era.

Engine & drivetrain

Different sources give slightly different numbers, but they agree on the basics:

Engine: Perkins 4.203, 4-cyl diesel, about 3.3 L displacement

Rated power:

TractorData: ~44 hp (engine)

Brazilian sources: around 56 CV (metric hp) for the same engine, likely using a different rating standard.

Drive: 4×2, rear-wheel drive

Transmission: commonly described as 8 forward / 2 reverse gears, with a 3-point hitch hydraulic system suitable for plowing, planting and general farm work.

Size & capability

Typical figures from spec sites:

Weight: around 2.2 tonnes (about 4,800 lb)

Adjustable track width: roughly 1.32–1.63 m, so it could be set up for row crops like corn, cotton, coffee, etc.

Brazilian sources quote field capacity on the order of 3,500 m²/hour and fuel use around 4.7 L diesel/hour under typical work.

Appearance & “Verde-Amarelo”

You’ll see 8-BRs in both blue and green/yellow liveries today:

Early literature and several Brazilian articles emphasize the green and yellow (“Verde-Amarelo”) paint scheme, matching Brazil’s national colors and reinforcing the “first national tractor” theme.

Many surviving examples have been repainted Ford blue, which is why a lot of restored ones online look like a mid-’60s European Ford rather than the original patriotic scheme.

Why it matters

For Brazilian agriculture, the 8-BR was a big shift:

First time many mid-sized farms could buy a locally built diesel tractor with local parts and service, instead of relying on imports.

Helped accelerate the move away from animal traction on medium farms, especially in row-crop regions.

In collector circles today, it’s considered a historic and somewhat rare “primeiro trator nacional”, so decent survivors in Brazil show up in auctions and vintage-tractor blogs and often get marketed as “raridade” in ads.

Good sources if you want to dig deeper:
TractorData – Ford 8BR: concise English spec sheet (years, engine, basic configuration).
Frota News & Click Petróleo e Gás articles on the Ford 8-BR: rich Brazilian-Portuguese history write-ups with production context and period photos.
“Tratores Antigos” blog: restoration stories and old photos of 8-BRs working on Brazilian farms.

Thanks, Ed. From the source I found, it was the best selling tractor in Brazil until Massey Ferguson built a plant in Brazil and started selling tractors in 1963. Other manufacturers followed, so Ford ended production in 1967.

I also seen images and videos of the 8-BR in red. The blue color makes sense, but I also wonder why the red.