Ford 6000 recall.

DFZ

Member
I was wondering how the ford 6000 recall worked. Was the entire tractor returned to factory, or was any
work done at the dealership? Shipped whole or were the tires and centers removed? Or was just the
transmission shipped, and the dealership removed axles and engine?

Just wondering.
 
As I understand, both. Tractors were reworked at the factory as well as the dealerships. And far more than the transmissions were redone. Pretty much everything except the radiator cap was overhauled. OK, I exaggerated a little, but not much. I have a copy of the rework instructions and not much wasn't completely gone through.

As I reflect on just how big of a flop the 6000 was when it first came out, I can only assume that there was immense pressure on the engineers to get something out there to respond to the New Generation Deeres (3010 & 4010). That can be the only reason I can think of that they would rush something like that into production without more pre-production testing. You would think they would have learned their lesson after the SOS flop (it had to have been rushed as well), but obviously they didn't. It must have cost Ford a pretty penny.
 
Fords always seemed to rush things in their later years too. Here in the UK the Ford X Series had to be rebuilt by both dealers and factory, plus sub-contractors like South Essex Motors and County Commercial Cars, when they were first introduced in 1965/6. I spent most of 1966 and 1967 fitting crankshafts, balancer gears, clutches, hydraulic pumps and PTO packs in that range. The best tractor and the least trouble was the Ford 4000.
 
My dad was a dealer when the SOS came out. It was a nightmare! He liked the concept and pushed the SOS. They started failing and there was no technical or parts support. He tore the first SOS down with no overhaul manual, saw the problem, called for parts and none were available. I understand all those 6000 engineers lost their job and went to Deere. Also, I remember him talking about the diesel engine that came out in that era. It vibrated so bad the headlights shook! Everyone he sold had to brought in and the balancer installed. Then the air cleaner on the diesels had to be changed. After all that, we still farm with Ford/New Holland.
 
Bern, I sure would like to have a copy of the rework instructions for the original 6000. I have an original red 6000 that was never painted blue. I thought it may have missed the recall but I've pretty much changed my mind. I figure a dealer rebuilt it and that why it didn't get the blue paint. I've had it almost 40 years, it still runs, and I carry it to a show most ever year. I have a couple of 6000 parts tractors, an early model blue one, a Commander and my son has 2 Commanders. I installed a 6000 diesel engine in a Mercury Cougar in the early '70s and drove it 200,000 miles.
Jim
 
E-mail sent.

I'm sure the transplant in the Cougar worked out well, and would have been a better application for it anyways, since the 6000 diesel engine is nothing more than a warmed over 1950s-vintage gas passenger car engine.

I'm guessing you didn't keep the cast iron oil pan but rather found a tin one?
 
(quoted from post at 11:43:44 10/30/22) Bern, I sure would like to have a copy of the rework instructions for the original 6000. I have an original red 6000 that was never painted blue. I thought it may have missed the recall but I've pretty much changed my mind. I figure a dealer rebuilt it and that why it didn't get the blue paint. I've had it almost 40 years, it still runs, and I carry it to a show most ever year. I have a couple of 6000 parts tractors, an early model blue one, a Commander and my son has 2 Commanders. I installed a 6000 diesel engine in a Mercury Cougar in the early '70s and drove it 200,000 miles.
Jim
I'm gonna stick my nose in here and say that I would keep that original red 6000 until I died.
 
Actually the Cougar was my second try. I first installed it in a Mercury Marauder and I took several shortcuts which did not turn out well. One of the shortcuts was a stamp-steel oil pan, another was a flywheel from a 223 cid six cyl. truck engine. After a broken crank and #2 main bearing web crack, I ordered a new block and crank and installed it in the Cougar with the cast iron oil pan and a new shop-maid flywheel of equal weight as the original 6000 used. It would easily get 35 mpg on a trip, 30 being the lowest and the best I recorded was 42.9 mpg. There was always a crowd looking at it when they had an opportunity. It made its way from its home in Northeast Alabama to Canada, Colorado several times and California once. At 2100 rpms it would run 70 mph and 2400 it would run 80. I had the governor set at 2400 and never turned it higher than that.
 
Broken cranks and main bearing web cracks are known issues in the earlier blocks. I have a service bulletin that speaks to the latter. Running it with the stamped steel oil pan had nothing to do with that issue.

I'm surprised that you put the cast pan on it. That was a significant weight penalty right there!
 

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