RELEASED in 1975, the Ford 600 series, known in house as the 7A1 tractors, replaced the outgoing 1000 tractors. Much fuss is made about the 7600, which took over the reins of the famed 7000. And this fuss is rightly due pushing out just over 100hp from its spritely turbocharged engine, the ‘76’ was a capable pocket rocket. The gap between its stable mate, the Ford 6600 was a significant 20hp, the difference in the price tag also significant!
In fact, the ‘66’ is a little bit of the unsung hero. While the 7600 was the tractor the 6600 aspired to be, it was a very strong seller and actually sold in greater volumes. Powered by Ford’s own 4.2L (and a later PowerPlus 4.4l) engine, the 6600 produced a useable 78hp, on a small and nimble lightweight frame, tipping the scales at 3.3 tons.
The 6600 was similar in stature to the 5000 but with the grill painted black and a change of decals. In fact, in its first year of production it was fitted with the same ‘Fieco’ cab making it hard to distinguish. However, the groundbreaking change was the introduction of the Q-Cab, or ‘bubble’ cab as it was affectionately referred to.
Providing new heights in driver comfort, the Ford Quiet Cab reduced noise levels to 85d, enough for the operator to listen to the radio – which was a factory option! Reduced levels of vibration, wide opening doors, excellent visibility and a good control layout as well as optional air conditioning. Other features included a sun visor, rear view mirror, two speed wiper and a padded tool box which doubled as a passenger seat.
Two floor mounted levers between the operator’s legs control the constant mesh gear box. The shorter lever providing the high and low range with the longer lever used to select 1-4 and reverse. Ford’s optional ‘Dual-Power’, provided an on the move, clutch-less splitter which doubled the gears in each range. According to Ford, when operating in Hi Dual Power, the driver simply pulled back the lever on the right of the console to Low which decreased speed by 22% and increased pulling power by 28%.
The 6600’s were not without their flaws however. Ford’s engines were notorious for going porous, most of which were replaced under warranty and can be identified by the criss-cross pattern on the engine block.
Rust around the front window seals is another common issue as well as other areas of the cab which can be prone to corrosion.
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