Ford Excavator

Hadn't ever seen one of these before,
Heard they were from a European company Ford bought named Reicher from France. Anyone know any about these beasts? I literally was shocked to see it had to get off the highway and nab a picture, while I thought I knew obscure excavators I'd never run into a Ford before....

Kind of looks like a MF or International from that vintage.... Although that might be more a European style than anything....

Thanks for your efforts!! I've never seen one either. That's some nasty looking terrain there, is that typical of the area?

It's in Idaho, Idaho has a lot of old lava flows, and this one is located in a rock pit for lava rock apparently (big sign says ROCK FOR SALE), also a Thomas forklift (which looks to me like a rebadged Lift All) and a International TD6 looks like in the rock pit... Lava isn't typical of Southern Idaho but it sure isn't atypical...

Turns out I mispelled the original French Company, Richier, don't know if that really helps any though lol

Here is some information on Richier.
http://technique-tp.leforum.eu/t71-RICHIER-FORD.htm
According to this they were bought by Ford, they sold it to Poncin and then it was shut down..?

Found this from Tractors Wikia

Ford excavators were sourced from the French company Richier s.a., in which Ford bought a controlling interest in 1972, in 1974 new redesigned models were introduced. Between 1972 and 1976, the excavators were sold as Richier in France and as Ford outside France until 1976 when the Ford name was applied world wide until Ford sold the excavator manufacturing operations to Sambron in 1979 or 1980, but continued to sell excavators under the Ford name afterwards for a while. Under Ford ownership production was at Charleville, but Sambron moved it to L'Horme near St. Etienne, France

Click to expand...

Although it could have been sold back to Poncin, unless you mean Poclian which I could see that too....

Thanks so much for the information and for the link to that forum, registered there, and can't wait to get activated to ask a few more questions on them like what sort of pumps and engines they used... I'd almost assume Ford engines, but I'd be more inclined to think Perkins like the MF excavators... Any help is greatly appreciated...

Again can't wait to be on that forum, I'm guessing you are? Hopefully people pardon my French which while never great was better back when I was fresh off taking 6 years of it and not five years removed from the last time I worked on it lol

Thanks again for the information!

You're welcome. I'm not on that forum, I saw your post and (wrongly!) assumed you didn't speak french so I looked it up.
Good luck with your quest!

langehaas : Do you know if Richier made the Ford A series wheel loaders as well? Ive heard that they were Not an actual Ford produced product.

woo hooo for Ford excavators, wish they had the double boom cylinder instead of single, otherwise if I could have found one I'd be the proud papa of owning one I sure like the heck outta my A64 loader. It looks like they have the exact cylinders and the engine I'm sure is the same. (why change a good thing) BRAVO FORD! too bad they just didn't have the $$$ backing and the popularity backing. Is that why they no longer exist? Did they ever make dozers and other sorts of heavy equipment.

Ford

Heres a couple youtube video on these things http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfPTiRxC_wU and another http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SlChY32MPs

61BG: Sorry, I don't know anything besides what I read on that link I posted

It is mentioned there that Ford only produced tractors and that they came with a line of wheel loaders after taking over Richier. There's a picture on there with a Ford A62, 64 and 66, but no picture of the same type branded as Richier, so who knows...

I know a bit about them per richer they were oleomat and manufactured in Paris France

The offices are still open and parts are available

Some machines ran a ford engine not a great option as they tended to overheat and lacked power

Other models had a Perkins 4108 engine again not the best engine

I have seen some of these machines with a 6.354 conversion which was a huge success

After ford stopped making machines fiat allis and fiat hitachi was the companies next venture followed by fiat kobelco and then new holland kobelco

Hope that helps

had a h44 it had the same engine as the ford 7610 turbo it had good power heavy machine