IH Gas Engines - Later Model Tractors?????

Bill VA · Jun 29, 2016

Scanning some craigslist adds at some IH model 706, 806, 756, 856, etc type tractors. It appears the gas models are a goodly amount lower priced than diesel - understood.

Hard to find a good word on a GAS Deere 4020 or 3020 powered tractor.

What about IH gas engines in the above IH tractors? Were they good, are they finicky and hard to stay tuned and running - especially on today's gas? Hard to start, cold or hot? Parts support? Are these IH gas engines durable/rebuildable? Easy to work on or a pain/knuckle buster? Thrifty or thirsty?

What was the last year/model/series offered in gas?

What is the good, bad and ugly on late model IH gas engines for tractors.

Just curious.

Thanks!
Bill

Janicholson · Jun 29, 2016

The IH engines in the range you describe are all pretty much reliable. As with any engine, maintenance is critical to longevity. They can be expected to make 7 to 10Khrs regularly. There is nothing especially prone to failure. They do need low ash oil (.5%) Jim

DeltaRed · Jun 29, 2016

According to Tractorvet,they need premium gas to run 'right'. Low ash oil is best/prefered.They tend to be a bit thirsty,but since you are not spending all day/every day pulling a plow/hard farming,should not be an issue.IMHO,the IH gas engine is as bullet proof as their diesels.

sd pete · Jun 29, 2016

The later Gassers here were 656 and never heard a complaint about them. I never seen a 806 or 756 gas so can't say anything about them.

Charlie M · Jun 29, 2016

I worked for a guy one summer who was plowing with an Oliver 1850 gas - 5 bottom plow if I remember correctly. Put in 40 gallons to get started, 40 gallons at lunch and 40 more after supper. Gas was $0.25 per gallon at the time.

NY 986 · Jun 29, 2016

From what I have seen quite a few never saw premium gas or low ash oil when they were sitting for sale along the roadside. Make sure these questions get asked when looking. I know a diehard IH guy who has a 756 gas and know that the tractor has done less work in recent years due to being on the thirsty side. See JD Sellers recent thread on 4020 gas tractors on the main page. Just like with most tractors better results are achieved when reading an owner's manual or shop manual on these somewhat rare tractors.

fastfarmall · Jun 29, 2016

The bad news is that IH quite making low ash engine oil, i was just at my local IH Dealer yesterday, and asked, It is a Titan store. But who else makes low ash engine oil?

CenTex Farmall · Jun 29, 2016

Nearly any oil you randomly grab off the shelf these days falls into the "low ash" category due to requirements of modern emission equipment.

dhermesc · Jun 29, 2016

Agreed, several 656 gassers in my area too - the larger tractors where/are mainly diesels. There's a few 856 gas units roaming around but they never did see much use even when new - usually purchased by small time farmers which kept the hours down.

OldFarmall450 · Jun 29, 2016

Charlie that reminds me of the IH twin axle 15yard dump truck we used in road work in the 80s. It had the HUGE IH V8 gas engine, 3 speed axle 5 speed trans. Had twin saddlebag tanks, 50Gal I think. We used both tanks a day making short hauls of waste dirt, and had to fill up before Q time sometimes.

Dad had a friend who pumped oil leases and we bought 5gal cans of drip gas for $2.00. Our JD model A ran real good on it, started full, filled up at lunch and before supper, pulling a 4 bottom plowing about 6 inches deep or she'd get hot. About 30 gals a day. Pretty thrifty.

The Nebraska test says my 450 uses 4.8 gals/hr on the belt pulley, I cant imagine pulling a plowing is any better. Sounds thirsty to me!

Married2Allis · Jun 29, 2016

Looks like Nebraska tests show the 706 gas at 9.5hp hr/gal vs. the 706 diesel at 12.5 hp hr/gal. Had a 460 gas that was also thirsty.

Baelee05 · Jun 29, 2016

They were good engines for their time. When those tractors were new and got worked hard the gas was a lot different and they would go 6000 to 8000 hours sometimes without an overhaul. Now with 93 Octane about the stoutest you can find, it makes things a little more dicey on the 6 cylinder gassers. Unless you are plowing, or doing some other task that really works the snot out of it you will probably be okay. I've played with some of those over the years and never had any issues. If you run 87 octane gas and work them really hard a 706 will score and melt pistons pretty quick. As far as I know no one has really come up with a way to prevent this. Sorry for the long answer but they were very good engines when they were new.

Highwayman · Jun 29, 2016

We still run a 560 gasser on the mixer wagon everyday
Not too bad on gas of course it's not getting the snot pulled out of it either. Beauty is ease of starting in cold weather without ether or having to plug it in.

Rex Simpkins · Jun 29, 2016

Any oil marked CJ-4 should be lower ash than IH low ash. I think all new diesel oils are really low ash.

fastfarmall · Jun 29, 2016

ok, thanks guys

kub6040 · Jun 29, 2016

We worked a 340, 460, and 856 gas burners farming and the 6 cylinder' s were thirsty but didn't give much trouble , the 806D was more economical but more costly to overhaul and harder to start than gasser' s,not hard to start just took more battery . If I were going to buy one it would depend on what I was doing with it as to whether I would want gas or diesel .

agonair · Jun 29, 2016

CIH oils are made by Viscosity Oil in Joliet, IL. Low Ash is on the website. Your dealer must not want to carry it.

RBoots · Jun 29, 2016

We have 2 674 gas tractors. They use the C200 engine, a 4 cylinder. They like to Rev to make their power, 72ish? HP. Parts are cheap, but they are a parent bore block, and have a balancer in the bottom. Not finicky, always start well hot or cold down to -15 F last winter to plow the driveway. Run smooth, but I think asking that much HP from that little 200 CI engine is what makeS it so thirsty, as they are hard on gas!

CenTex Farmall · Jun 29, 2016

Agree, this is what my research showed

BarnyardEngineering · Jun 30, 2016

"Quit making low ash?" BULL PUCKEY!

I just bought a pail about a month ago off an entire pallet of Low Ash 30. Dealer didn't say a word about it being discontinued.

Janicholson · Jun 30, 2016

Ash in many brand name oils is between .75, and 1.5%. IH low ash is .5%. Amsoil is less than .05%. I think if the engine is equipped with modern design valve seals, it will be fine with brand name. If not, I would use the recommended .5% or less oil. Jim

Bill VA · Jul 2, 2016

Thanks for the info on the IH gas engines.

One more question -

I gather tractors like the 756, as an example, had a German Diesel engine, would the gas engines for these IH tractors be German or American?

Thanks!
Bill

Jim Becker · Jul 2, 2016

(quoted from post at 18:59:01 06/30/16) Ash in many brand name oils is between .75, and 1.5%. IH low ash is .5%. Amsoil is less than .05%. I think if the engine is equipped with modern design valve seals, it will be fine with brand name. If not, I would use the recommended .5% or less oil. Jim

rom what I have seen, all the modern oils seem to be at 1.5% or less. Diesel CJ-4 has been around for about 10 years and has a limit of 1.0%. Synthetics typically start with 0% ash content in the base oil and most end up with a near zero content.

Of course, if you dump in a ZDDP additive, you completely blow the numbers anyway, voiding this whole discussion.

IH Gas Engines - Later Model Tractors?????

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