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.

However, Ford did not neglect market for a lower horsepower tractor and complimented the 7600 and 6600 models with the 3 cylinder 2600,3600,4100 and 4600 models. These tractors benefitted from the 8 speed dual power constant mesh gearbox as their larger siblings, as well as the Q cab. The 4600 and 4100 offered a fully independent clutch, while the smaller 2600 and 3600 relied on the 2 stage 11” clutch which still allowed for no stop working.

Developing 47hp from its 2.9 litre engine at a lowly 1200rpm, the 3600 has on an oil flow of 31l/min and can lift almost 1.3tons. The 3600 was similar in stature to the 3000 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 ground breaking 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. However, rust around the front window seals is a common issue as well as other areas of the cab which can be prone to corrosion.

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%. However, rust around the front window seals is a common issue as well as other areas of the cab which can be prone to corrosion.

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