The Series 10 tractors — among them the 5610 and the 7610S — were Ford machines of the early 1980s, sold before Ford bought New Holland in 1986. The film below shows a 5610 still at work. The sources used for this page describe the company, not the individual models.
New Holland Series 10 at a glance
| Origin | Ford tractor range of the early 1980s |
|---|---|
| Models covered here | 5610, 7610S |
| Ford tractor history | Fordson Model F from 1917 |
| Three-point hitch | introduced on the Ford N series, 1939 |
| Ford innovations | power hydraulics, pneumatic tyres, diesel engines |
| Ford buys Sperry New Holland | 1986, forming Ford New Holland |
| Fiat takes 80 per cent | 1991 |
| Single New Holland brand | 1996 |
| Technical data | not given in the sources used here |
| Example filmed | a working Ford 5610 |
The sources describe Ford and New Holland, not the Series 10 models; their technical data is left out because it is not in them.
History of the New Holland Series 10
Ford’s own tractors
Before the New Holland name reached Ford’s tractors, Ford was one of the largest tractor makers in the world in its own right. It had put the Fordson Model F into production in 1917 as the first mass-produced petrol tractor and introduced the three-point hitch on its N series in 1939; through the following decades its tractor division brought in power hydraulics, pneumatic tyres and diesel engines. The Series 10 models such as the 5610 belong to that line, in the years before the company’s tractor business changed hands.
How Ford met New Holland
In 1986 Ford bought Sperry New Holland and formed Ford New Holland, putting the Ford tractor range and the New Holland implement and harvester business in one company. Fiat took an 80 per cent interest in 1991, the two tractor ranges were brought together from 1993, and for several years the machines were sold in Ford blue and Fiat terracotta red side by side. In 1996 the single New Holland name was launched at a convention in Orlando, Florida, and in 2000 every tractor was painted blue.
The tractors themselves
The 5610 and the 7610S were general-purpose farm tractors of the class that did the everyday work of a mixed farm: ploughing, drilling, haulage and loader jobs. That they are still working today, and still called Fords by their owners, is the point of this page: these are the machines that carried the Ford name into the company that would later sell everything under the New Holland badge. The sources used here do not give their engines or production years, and this page does not invent them.
Design and features
- Ford heritage: descended from the Fordson Model F and the N series with its three-point hitch.
- Pre-merger machines: built before Ford bought New Holland in 1986.
- General-purpose class: tractors for the everyday work of a mixed farm.
- Still working: examples such as the 5610 in the film remain in use.
New Holland Series 10 versions
- Ford 5610: the model shown in the film.
- Ford 7610S: the larger model of the same series.
- Later New Holland tractors: the blue machines sold after the mergers.
The tractors that followed are on the New Holland 7840 and New Holland 8560 pages. More machines are in the New Holland section.
Video: Robert y new holland 5610
Video by rivan725 on YouTube.
Sources
- New Holland Agriculture, English Wikipedia: Ford tractor history, 1986 purchase, 1991 Fiat share, 1996 launch
- New Holland, Dutch Wikipedia: Ford blue and Fiat red, 2000 colour change
