Issued 1964-66    Length 108mm

This model was the first tractor which Budgie made and it was based on an Italien Fiat vehicle. Fiat tractors were unusual in Britain in the 1960's so it was an interesting choice.

One of the features of Fiat tractors was that they were always coloured bright orange. The Budgie Toys Tractor comprised two castings, the engine section, and the rear mudguard and seat unit. These were rivetted together prior to painting. There was no base so the model number was directly set into the casting with 'A Budgie Model' being up inside the engine. A white plastic steering wheel was added to complete the detail.

The shovel arms were fixed to the Tractor by a couple of lugs on each side of the engine just in front of the steering wheel and were supported by hydraulic rams. The plastic cylinders of the rams were secured to the Tractor at the lower end by a long pin passing through the engine. Painted a metallic blue, the lifting arms and the shovel bucket at the front had quite good play value, especially as the angle of the bucket could be adjusted using nodules cast on each side.

Rear wheels for the Tractor were always large black plastic (although of a slightly different design on the two variations) but the front wheels were plain black plastic on early models and silver plastic wheels with tyres on later ones.

The Tractor with Fork-Lift Shovel came in two types of box, a yellow end-flap type (B4) or in a blue & white open-sided window pack with an illustration on the base (C2).

The Tractor with Shovel is a scarce model but was sometimes included in Budgie Gift Sets so it does turn up occaisionally. The early models with all black plastic wheels are rare. The boxes and blue & white packs are also hard to find.