"Trivia Time" Quiz # 2 - Ford Compact Tractors

Last week we focused on a classic, the Ford "N"-Series. Let's fast forward a few decades, to a point in time that saw North American farmers moving on from the small, efficient red-bellied Fords and were engaged in a horsepower race of epic proportions.

The demand for the used older Ford tractors was huge, especially in rural areas like Pine Plains. Once the word got out on what these tractors could do, from plowing to fence building, to pasture maintenance to snow removal, and more, there was no turning back. But these tractors were already antiques, and the industry had moved on to producing larger units- nothing as nimble, versatile and affordable as those old Fords.

Go Small or Go Home:

An Market Segment is BornAs those old bulletproof tractors began to show their age, a new market would emerge in North America, that of the Compact Tractor. It wasn't that small tractors didn't exist, they just hadn't made it to our hemisphere. They had been in use for some time in Asia, with companies like Kubota and later Kioti making smaller, lighter tractors for use in rice fields and row crop applications. These companies added four wheel drive, meaning that these comparatively small machines could, when used properly, be extremely productive. This week's quiz will test your knowledge of the many compact tractors produced under the "Ford" name. We'll circle back for the New Holland years soon.

1) True or False: Ford beat everybody else to the punch when it introduced the Model 1000, the first compact tractor sold in North America.

2) Compact tractors can be found in this type of environment.

3) Few manufacturers have offered compact specialty tractors. Ford's first and only specialty model, the 1710 Offset, was designed primarily for which application(s)?

4) Front-mount snowblowers and sweepers became far more reliable and popular when this option was introduced.

5) Which of these Ford compact tractor models is equipped with a 4-cylinder engine?

6) Ford contracted with which company to build its compact tractors?

7) The 7108 Loader was compatible with which Ford tractor models?

8) TRUE OR FALSE: Cruise control was introduced on hydrostatic models beginning with the "20" series.

9) Which seat assembly resembles seats on pre-1987 Ford compact tractors?

10) Many Ford compact tractors included a small wooden block beneath the LH step plate. While it was covered in the manual, few owners ever realized what purpose it served and most went unused. Which of these best describes its purpose?

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