Ford Tractor

davh55

Member
Thanks for all the info on the front end exchange for the Ford 601 and 901. I have an old 601 and was looking at a 901 with narrow front. I do not have live power PTO on the 601 and the 901 does. Just considering my options. Thx. davh55
 
The front ends won't swap but the 901
transmission is a direct swap into your
601.
If you do this make SURE you also get the
flywheel, clutch and block plate that goes
with the transmission.
 
And reason why you don't want a
narrow front? I have a NF 960 and
a wide front 640 both are
perfectly safe,if you are. But
that 960 sure is easy to steer.
Wide fronts come up for sale
fairly often and are cheap. Never
swapped one. I search nation wide
for stuff using Onecraigs. Kevin
in Central AL
 
Just go ahead and buy the 901. You can always still look for a wide. They are out there. As stated,a narrow is perfectly safe. The idea tha wide is 'safer' is mostly an optical illusion. They both pivot at the front,only the wide 's pivot point is 2 ft higher.Haveing a second tractor is pretty handy. You can rake with the 601 and bale with the '9'You will find other uses/reasons to have a second tractor available..Never hurts to have an extra tractor.
 
(quoted from post at 07:56:33 11/21/17) Just go ahead and buy the 901. You can always still look for a wide. They are out there. As stated,a narrow is perfectly safe. The idea tha wide is 'safer' is mostly an optical illusion. They both pivot at the front,only the wide 's pivot point is 2 ft higher.Haveing a second tractor is pretty handy. You can rake with the 601 and bale with the '9'You will find other uses/reasons to have a second tractor available..Never hurts to have an extra tractor.

Actually studies by qualified engineers say that narrow front tractors are not as safe. The biggest concern is downhill with something behind the tractor like say a baler and hay wagon/loaded silage wagon W/WO a chopper, maybe a corn picker and wagon and in turning at speed. Your pivot point theory is just that, a theory. A narrow front pivots and there is no stopping it while at a certain point the WF has stops built into it. They don't pivot 90 degrees. That doesn't mean a WF won't roll, just harder to make em roll.

Rick
 
Yes in the narrow can be more tippy. However,if it's too steep for a narrow,it's too steep for a wide. Yes you are right about the 'stops' on a wide catching you. I've actually had that happen.I don't like to 'advertise' that fact,because it can give one(an inexperienced operator) a false sence of security
 
I don't see how some of you guys get by without tipping your lawn mower over. My lawn mower is very high and narrow and tippy yet I have never tipped it over. You just kinda have a
natural "feel" for when it is getting to steep. The same feel when walking through a road ditch. Instinct tells you're body how far to lean forward when walking up a ditch bank.
You do it without even thinking. I have that same feel when farming on a steep hillside. I instinctively know my limit. I thought everyone did.
That being said, folklore in the neighborhood has it that two young brothers were curious how fast they could drive the car around a tight curve in the road. So they went five mph
faster each time. Rolled the car at 45 mph. Conclusion was you have to go less then 45.
 
I've been running NF and WF tractors on steep land now for about 60 years and the center of gravity makes way more difference than what front end is on a given tractor.
By the times the pivot reaches a stop on the axle on most farm tractors with WF ends the tractor has already turned over.
 

We had a WD Allis and a brother had a 660 Oliver narrow front, their added height made them much more prone to tipping over than our standard profile tractors. Dad nearly tipped the WD on a hill side when he ran over a small rock with the uphill tire, brother nearly tipped the 660 when he slid it sideways into a muddy rut.

I have several neighbors and friends that have had narrow front tractors over the years that never had a tipping issue or near tipping issue they talked about, but saying a narrow front tractor is as stable as a wide front would be the same as saying a old Honda 3 wheeler is as stable as the 4 wheelers that replaced them.
 
My thoughts on this.....God makes yer butt pucker to let you know you gotta stop......or gives you a wife to tell you! Lol
 
I want to join in the discussion, I have both tricycle, track, and utility and have worked steep hillsides for years. I take caution when any tractor slides down hill. I also look for stumps and rocks on the uphill side and look for holes on the lower side. I think the utilities are a bit safer from a side roll but the utilities are quite prone for turning over backwards due to mounted implements and shorter length. I mow pond banks with any tractor I own. 986 IH, 574 IH. 165 MF. B Farmall. I would use sane caution with my 450 John Deere Crawler or the D7 Cat I sold. To hear some talk you would think that after a march wind all of the tricycles would roll over.
 
Don?t know where you live but I have a wide front
end off a 961 I don?t really use anymore.

Vito
 
Just look at them and you will see that the 901 has cast frame rails from tranny forward to fasten front end to. the 601 does not have them and the axle is supported by the front of the oil pan and nothing from back end of engine.
 

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