Ford/steiger FW-Baureihe
2 models in this series
Ford/Steiger FW series: articulated 4WD tractors built by Steiger in Fargo for Ford, FW-40 and FW-60 with 220 to 250 kW from the eight-cylinder engine, around 13.9 t operating weight, 1970s/80s
The FW series grew out of the partnership between Ford and the American specialist Steiger Tractor of Fargo, North Dakota, which from the mid-1970s built large articulated four-wheel-drive tractors of its own design and sold them in parallel under the Ford name. The letters FW stand for four-wheel drive, and the type number that follows ranks the models by power class, with the FW-40 the smaller and the FW-60 the larger of the two versions listed here. Steiger remained the manufacturer of these tractors until the mid-1980s, when Ford handed articulated-tractor production to the Canadian builder Versatile of Winnipeg, which Ford acquired in 1987.
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The register lists 2 versions here with 220 to 250 kW from eight-cylinder engines of 14,801 cm³, an operating weight of around 13,894 kg, a length of 6,782 mm and a height of 3,411 mm at a rated speed of 2,600 rpm.
As articulated tractors rated at roughly 300 to 340 hp, the FW series ranked among the most powerful field tractors Ford offered on the North American market in the 1970s and 1980s, competing there with Steiger's own models as well as with Case-IH Steiger and Versatile tractors for large farms across the American Midwest and Canada.
When buying used, what matters most on these articulated tractors is the condition of the articulation joint with its bearings and hydraulic cylinders, the tightness of the drivetrain on both axles, the condition of the eight-cylinder diesel engine and its turbocharger, and the cab and electrics; drivetrain parts are still available through the Steiger/Case-IH network, while Ford-specific body parts are now only found used.
Sources: SpecCodex register, model data: Ford/Steiger FW-Baureihe
Models
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