The Ford Golden Jubilee (NAA)
Released in 1952 as the 50th Anniversary Golden Jubilee, Ford's latest tractor debuted with a completely new streamlined 50’s style silhouette and startlingly large round hood emblem, often reffered to as the “Cyclops Medallion”. Superficial changes aside the tractor was Ford's answer to the outcome of the Ferguson lawsuit. No longer able to use the Ferguson Hitch System Ford needed to produce a tractor using hydraulics designed by his own engineers. (Engineers who must have had at least an inkling that Ford would lose based on the rapidity with which they brought the Jubilee to market following the settlement.)
Unlike the N Series tractors, the Jubilee underwent relatively few changes during its short production life. However, in an interesting twist that frequently confuses many tractor owners the same tractor was re-released in 1954 as simply the NAA. NAA was the Ford designation for (N) tractor, (A) utility, (A) gas. In essence, all Jubilees are NAA’s but not all NAA’s are Golden Jubilees. By removing the insignia “Golden Jubilee 1903-1953” from the hood emblem and replacing it with a circle of stars Ford effectively created a new model and untold confusion and headaches for owners and dealers alike.
Collectors and purists will tell you that the Golden Jubilee sometimes referred to simply as the Jubilee or NAA is not technically a part of the N Series and was instead a transition between the N Series and the Hundred Series tractors occupying its own special niche. A placeholder if you will between old and new. Most folks however tend to tack the NAA on to the end of the N Series like a lost sibling. Whether you hold strictly to the Jubilee as a separate species or gently fold it in with the N Series makes no real difference when it comes to the basics. The sole purpose of the NAA/Golden Jubilee was damage control following the Ferguson lawsuit.
The Jubilee came equipped with a redesigned 3-point lift cover, a vane style hydraulic pump and a new hydraulic system dubbed “Live Hydraulics” by Ford. As long as the tractor was running, you had control of the hydraulics. Older systems, including Ferguson's, required you to have the tractor running, the PTO shaft in gear and the clutch engaged to use the hydraulic system. Another distinct feature of the Jubilee was a 4 cylinder, 134 CID overhead valve engine with cast alloy sleeves and a 6.6:1 compression ratio. Known as the “Red Tiger” - a name no doubt designed to evoke images of victorious WWII flying aces - the engine was a step up in power and performance.
