There are tractors that have entered history and others that have written it. Among these, the Fiat 605 C, a medium-class tracked tractor which remained on the market for 15 years and produced in over 25 thousand units, a true world record for a tracked tractor
Fiat presented the new “Nastro d’Oro” series in 1968, so called to celebrate 50 years since the launch of the first tractor, the “702” model. It was made up of four wheeled tractors and as many tracked tractors, all “dressed” by Sergio Pininfarina, a pencil who certainly contributed to the success of the series. The various models were in fact highly appreciated by the market, an area in which Fiat enjoyed a 45 percent share, achieved by stemming the competition through continuous product improvements. This was also the case for the “Nastro d’Oro” series.
Already in 1970 it was in fact revised by replacing the engines, from the Fiat “800” to the “8000”, and with the launch of new models including the Fiat 605 C tracked vehicle, machines destined to become the most widespread middle class tracked vehicle ever.
Four cylinders for 56 horsepower
The new engine certainly contributed a lot to this exploit, a four-cylinder Fiat diesel series “8045” with direct injection delivering 56 horsepower at two thousand and 200 rpm, a performance which combined with a tractor mass of over 27 quintals allowed the machine to cope even with heavy soil work and therefore to be able to count on a vast pool of potential customers. Offered in two versions, the basic one 1,440 millimeters wide and the “mountain” version 1,660 millimeters wide, it found its workhorse in the latter, both for greater lateral stability and for better flotation and superior traction capacity, plus induced by a mass that is approximately a couple of quintals higher than the basic version.
Convenient and safe
However, both were characterized by great construction simplicity and boasted transmissions suited to the performance of the engines in terms of robustness. This quality was the prerogative above all of the clutches, controlled by a “dead center” lever clutch, a classic of Fiat production, which was not only comfortable and safe in operation, but served a group characterized by a friction surface almost double that of the competitors, the clutch being of the twin-disc type and 10 inches in diameter instead of the 11-inch diameter single-disc groups proposed by the majority of the competitors.
The clutch therefore allowed for easy and safe management of the transmission, a gearbox with six forward and two reverse gears which achieved speeds between one thousand and 700 metres/hour and almost 11 kilometres/hour.
Fiat 605 C, four gears for the open field
The first four gears were designed to cope with heavy work, the fifth allowed quick revisions while the sixth looked mainly at transfers.
Also designed for tools
A bevel gear pair transmitted the driving torque to the steering clutches, equipped with eight discs on each side which in turn discharged it onto cascade reducers and then onto six-spoke toothed driving wheels. The independent brakes also acted on the steering clutch drums while the tracked carriages each had five support rollers and one support roller. In fact, a simple but efficient kinematic chain was supported by a power take-off transmission which made 56 horsepower available both directly and by mounting a pulley. In fact, it was enough to open a cover located above the PTO terminal to access a specific transmission. It should be underlined that although the “605 C” was designed like all tracked tractors to tow tools, it still made a three-point hydraulic lift available as an accessory.
Price ok
It cost 257 thousand lire and by adding another 21 thousand you could also get an additional distributor for remote controls.
The lift was powered by a hydraulic pump capable of achieving a flow rate of more than 16 litres/minute and boasted a capacity of 14 quintals, a performance which recommended the application of front plate ballasts. Initially the group did not have controlled effort but only the floating and controlled position functions but later it also gained the first functionality. Thus conceived, the tractor immediately achieved great success.
Practical, not revolutionary
It didn’t propose anything revolutionary, but it adapted to any type of work with extreme ease. It was powerful, not excessively heavy, it handled easily and was economical in fuel consumption. It also offered an interesting price/content ratio with a 1973 price for the “Montagna” model of just over three million lire. Precisely to maintain this sector leadership, in 1973 Fiat made several improvements to the car including an increase in power to 60 horsepower and maximum torque to almost 19 and a half kilograms. For this reason the gearbox was also strengthened and the friction material of the steering clutches was improved. The manifold and exhaust pipe were also enamelled in dark brown and a new “Fiat” logo was introduced with the classic black inclined diamonds.
Thanks to the good price/performance ratio, the new version managed to keep up with the Landini “6500 C” and the Massey Ferguson “174 C” whose engines delivered 67 horsepower, but it was clear that the “605 C” would sooner or later also have to increase its peak performance.
Upgrade of engine in 1979
Also Super version
The company then got to work and in 1979 launched the “Super” version, credited with 66 horsepower delivered at two thousand and four hundred rpm and almost 22 kilograms at one thousand and four hundred revolutions. The box-shaped spars of the track trolleys were also filled to a “full profile” and this led the mass of the “Mountain” version to exceed 32 quintals with the lift.
By virtue of the increased nominal engine speed, the speeds achieved by the six gearbox ratios increased by nine percent, all changes that made the “605 C Super” the point of reference on the market, remaining so until 1985 despite the fact that in 1982 the “Nastro d’Oro” series crawler tractors had been replaced by the “65” series. Everyone except him who continued to rack up sales for another three years during which he also proposed himself with the brick-coloured livery which had replaced the orange since 181.
Record of Fiat 605 C
The production data for the “605 C” are not available, but it is known that in Italy more than 20,000 were registered in fifteen years, a figure certainly lacking as not all tracked tractors are historically registered with the Uma, Agricultural Engine Users, and equipped with license plates. For some years it was also the most registered tractor ever in Italy and was also sold in Spain, Portugal, Greece, North Africa and North America, particularly in California. A realistic but unofficial production volume could therefore correspond to around 25 thousand units, vehicles to which must however be added those assembled under license in other countries. It is therefore no coincidence that even today it is easy to see “605 C” vehicles at work, vehicles which are also available on the market complete with documents for around 10 thousand euros.
Autore: Massimo Misley
