There is a lot to like about Fiat Winner F130 tractors. The engines are excellent, the overall design is good and the tractors will be reliable if you can live with a few well-known problem areas. In fact the only real downsides are the somewhat indifferent gearbox and electrics
The Winner series was the last true Fiat tractor designed and developed by the company before the formation of New Holland. First launched in 1990, the range initially spanned 72kW/98hp to 96kW/130hp, with the biggest 103kW/140hp F140 coming later. Buyers of early Winners may well have thought they were onto a loser. Underneath the natty styling was a basically sound tractor that turned out to be plagued with irritations. Frankly some of the early F130s were pretty dreadful. What saved the day was that performance was, and remains, good.
The biggest plus is the engine. Owners we spoke to all agreed that it just keeps on pulling, its torque really showing up on slopes and in difficult soils. As far as reliability goes there are no real engine problem areas, but some early F130s did have troubles with the CAV injection pump. Bosch units were fitted later and these are less likely to give problems in this particular application. But having said that, there is a small electric switch in the system which can fail occasionally, cutting off the fuel supply.
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