Ford 1976

Lincsman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
If the chalk ground was wet, you could get embarassed by the 6700. If you were drilling uphill, it would come to a stop as soon as you put the coulters in and then you would find yourself going backwards, so it was time to clean all the coulters out and go round again at speed to gain enough oomph to keep going. I had a very hairy moment when a rotospreader jacknifed and kept pushing me over the brow of a steep drop, but luckily the hedge got in the way.
They didn't pull as well as the downmarket IHs we had at home although the cab was vastly superior.
A lot depended on the tyres in those days, fitting new radials transformed them.
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
A lot depended on the tyres in those days, fitting new radials transformed them.
images
Klebers were the first radials available in those days. The first few sets of them we had lasted for ages. Later sets used to crack inside and then start to nip the tubes - not a problem we ever had with the first ones.
 

jf850

Member
Location
Co laois
Could you put the front axle on back to front , or the right way round , to make it LWB or SWB?
Maybe I am raving.
A brother in law bought a nice 7700 about 30 years ago. Put a Turner 545 side shift on it. It was on 16.9x 34 when we went to buy it . But he got them swapped for a pair of 18.4 x 38s. He only kept it 1 winter , as he found he was better off driving someone else's machine.
 

yellowbelly

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
N.Lincs
Could you put the front axle on back to front , or the right way round , to make it LWB or SWB?
Maybe I am raving.
Perfectly sane(y)
The front axle could be reversed (made possible because of the hydrostatic steering ) You just removed the front tombstone and put the front pivot pin in the rear bush. The steering rods were then at the front instead of the back IYSWIM.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
This area was awash with Fords way back when. The neighbours have a 1976 R reg 6600 with a Duncan cab - biggest reason being to accommodate the mid mount Econ hedgecutter it inherited from it's 5000 predecessor. It's done about 20000 hrs, mostly with the same operator, and is still backup for it's 7840 stablemate now.

They also had a 1977 S reg 6600 with a q cab, it left maybe 10yrs ago with well over 10000hrs for a 6640. It had a bit more removable mid mount Econ hedger in it's early years, then a loader in it's latter years. Both 6600's had a short motor apiece.

Next came a 2wd 7600 on a W reg, q cab again. Proper poky tractor, we used to hire it to power harrow and lead spuds. It's done a lot of work, used to drill a lot on dual wheels with a 4m MF30. It's mowed, carted, drilled and cultivated, and was buck rake tractor for a good many years. Has spool levers on cables and a gearstick extension, and 10"wide front wheels. Still drills several hundred acres of beet with a 6m drill, and bosses the feeder wagon, carts silage and does general back up. 14000+ on the clock. Two short motors iirc, but little else.

1981 saw a fleet flagship, a 7600 4wd - wheel weights, 16.9r34's, it was heavy cultivations and forager tractor. Left for a suntan with the 6600 (all these on the same farm) and a 7840 took it's place. Bet this is the one they wish they'd kept. It had a short motor too!

Following an apalling MF550 in 1977, and the neighbours good run of 3,45&7000's, then the 6600's, dad bought a year old 4600 in 78. No power steering, no spools, just tipping pipe, but had a q cab, with that peculiar single back window with the big ally shelf on the bottom - I've only ever seen it on 3&4600's. This one still had the original engine when it left in 2001, but wasn't a particularly loved tractor - it jumped out of 2nd gear, the doors flew open, and the steering wheel pulled your arms off. It was spray and fert tractor for a few years in the early 80's, used to roll and drill on cage wheels. It used to eat hour clocks, but I reckon it had only done 6000ish when it left. No dual power, unlike the neighbours fleet.

Still, it wasn't all bad, and we got a 1979 V reg 5600 to join it at a year or so old. It had one of those flat bar weight baskets, 750 front wheels, proper q cab and a wireless that worked! Gained a 6610 engine at about 2000hrs when the original went porous, but I'm struggling to remember it ever needing surgery. It's still here, nearly 11000hrs recorded, and a lot not. It was the 'big tractor' once upon a time, heavy cultivations, light cultivations, taty work, sprayer tractor with a 12m Hardi LX1000 for about 10yrs doing everything (it took over from the 4600 in the mid 80's when the taties expanded, and a 1000l sprayer replaced a 600lt one) and still sprayed the beet up to 2yrs ago. Spent a long time in front of a 3m Maschio HB power harrow (14 rotors!) and on an irrigation pump in the early 90's when we first came here. It went to ploughing matches for 10yrs, (may still again when the kids get grown up!) It gained a loader for a few years, and now scruffles beet, runs a flail and powers the log splitter/sawbench (its the only tractor to do any work today!) No dual power though, and had a head gasket about 10yrs ago. Its cosmetically not the smartest, but mechanically good, though the brakes arnt what they once were.

Another neighbour in the village had a hard worked R reg 6600 back in the day, it was a do anything tractor, in its latter years it had a big diesel tank on the front and ran an irrigator pump. Q cab.
 

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Roy Stokes

Member
Location
East Shropshire
Great feedback on this thread. Love the 600 series as we were always Ford at home but when I first used the 2140 with SG2 that in my opinion was a step up. Flat floor and single piece rear window. Engine more gutsy than the dear old 66 probably due to the turbo

2140 was the tractor that turned my head from Ford
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
Yes 1976 was the year you could get a 5000, 6600 pre Q, and 6600 with the "world wide Q cab" as it was known all on the same P reg... I remember seeing the first 6600 Q at the Ford dealers I worked for back then. What a transformation it was, quiet cab with heater, radio, flat deck, opening back window, 2 speed wiper with washer and at the time what seemed to be daft front opening doors. I recall everyone saying how tall they were and how they'd never fit in that shed.... I don't think there has been any change in tractor design so prominent since the Q cab revolution of all makes.

Any pics from back in the day Ray?
 
Orra Loon
The prices in June 78 were:
2600: £5400
3600: £5800
4100: £6300
4600: £6700
5600: £7300
6600: £7600
6700: £9300
7600: £9600
7700: £11000
8100: £12500

Thanks very much , very interesting and I wasn't too far off with my thinking.

Quite a jump in price between a 6600 and 6700 ! For a flat deck floor....

He must have wanted a better place for the dog to lie! It was a very comfy cab to spend a day in and I will allways remember rolling grass and hearing we had gone to war with the Argies on the 67 wireless - 11 years old and happy days.
 

Ray

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
N.Yorkshire
No pics sadly when they were new, in the days I was fixing em full time @Spud , although there's one or two 5000's and such here now. I'll see what I can rake up.

I think that 7600 4wd you speak of would be a Schindler conversion carried out by Yates if I'm not mistaken. They fitted quite a few of these when I was with them. They had a much tighter turning circle than the offerings of County and Roadless of that time, and Ford themselves had nothing to offer on that size tractor until the 10 series...

And IIRC the 6600 Duncan will have a Turner hydramower 15 mid mount rather than the Econ... Can you tell I'm a bit anoraky when it comes to hedgecutters?... Especially mid mounts??...:rolleyes::geek::D
 

essexpete

Member
Location
Essex
If the chalk ground was wet, you could get embarassed by the 6700. If you were drilling uphill, it would come to a stop as soon as you put the coulters in and then you would find yourself going backwards, so it was time to clean all the coulters out and go round again at speed to gain enough oomph to keep going. I had a very hairy moment when a rotospreader jacknifed and kept pushing me over the brow of a steep drop, but luckily the hedge got in the way.
They didn't pull as well as the downmarket IHs we had at home although the cab was vastly superior.
The Nashers struggled to do a days work on the little tank of fuel.
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
No pics sadly when they were new, in the days I was fixing em full time @Spud , although there's one or two 5000's and such here now. I'll see what I can rake up.

I think that 7600 4wd you speak of would be a Schindler conversion carried out by Yates if I'm not mistaken. They fitted quite a few of these when I was with them. They had a much tighter turning circle than the offerings of County and Roadless of that time, and Ford themselves had nothing to offer on that size tractor until the 10 series...

And IIRC the 6600 Duncan will have a Turner hydramower 15 mid mount rather than the Econ... Can you tell I'm a bit anoraky when it comes to hedgecutters?... Especially mid mounts??...:rolleyes::geek::D

Your probably right re the 7600, its been gone a while now (sadly) but I'm sure it was indeed a schindler axle, and certainly it was a Yates supplied tractor. (Ours were both from Bushels)

I'll have a look at that hedger next time I'm up there, but I'm sure its an Econ...though I'll stand corrected, its not something I've got many anorak points on....:sorry:;):confused::cool::eek::rolleyes::unsure::scratchhead:
 

Ray

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
N.Yorkshire
Your probably right re the 7600, its been gone a while now (sadly) but I'm sure it was indeed a schindler axle, and certainly it was a Yates supplied tractor. (Ours were both from Bushels)

I'll have a look at that hedger next time I'm up there, but I'm sure its an Econ...though I'll stand corrected, its not something I've got many anorak points on....:sorry:;):confused::cool::eek::rolleyes::unsure::scratchhead:
Ah yes.. it could have been Bushell's now you come to say.. I have the very last tractor they ever sold here before they ceased trading, and the very first I bought new in 1989.. a 7610 4wd SQ c/w crash type gearbox as found in 6600 / 6700 etc... Although I never did get the pewter model supplied with new Fords of that time, I reckon that must have gone with one of their staff as they were packing up..
 
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8100

Member
Location
South Cheshire
Was Oakleys a Ford tractor dealers the name seems to ring a bell ?. First day i was let loose on a 7600 i got tangled in a tree first run round the field rotovating and broke the exhaust off :oops:
 

timff

Member
Hi 8100
Not sure about Oakleys, but Oakes Bros of Hungerford is who you might be thinking of? Supplied Ford, Farmhand etc...
 

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