Old IH dealerships

Are their any left that can read a book and order a part for this 50 and 60 vintage equipment?

Yes. Aldermans in Lennon, MI. Just a few hundred feet north of Steiner's warehouse. Most of the time when they DO find it the part is so expensive that I end up going to a salvage yard.

You can get most any part with the exception of sheet metal, cast pieces, etc from your nearest CaseIH dealer. All you need is a parts book. Give the dealer the number you want, in a couple of minutes his computer will tell him if it is available. Most other new parts are from Steiner, Bates, etc. Wengers carries most used parts. The best place for used parts is a salvage yard called Steel Wheel Ranch. Mike, the owner probably knows parts more than any other location. I have bought a LOT of parts from him in addition to three tractors. As to CaseIH dealer's it is important to tell the dealer what you want instead of giving him a weak description and expect him to be able to find it -- Use the number, just as easy to find parts for a 1950 tractor as a 2014 model. He likely has to order them but they can be had in one day to a week.

Dave, have you tried Harvey Gross? He is up the road from Alderman's about 6-8 miles. Has a lot of used IH and some Deere too. Quite reasonable on used parts.
I also use J.P. Tractor Salvage in Fredricktown MO. They are very reasonable and knowledgeable as well.
As for new parts they are all higher than a kite.

Ring me toll free....855-934-2388. I've been there, done that. and wrote the book(s) to prove it!

Having part number(s) before calling is appreciated too!

Where are you located? In central Illinois Beatty's can.

Also try Rice Equipment and ask for Gordon. He has the books memorized for IHC tractors since the Regular!

Thanks for all of the replies, I appreciate it.

Pretty much anything you can still get through CaseIH will be in their computer, I'd imagine. Otherwise you'd never be able to order it.

Have you tried looking at the online parts books at partstore.caseih.com?

Ken,

Good hearing from you.

(quoted from post at 12:54:34 10/24/14) Pretty much anything you can still get through CaseIH will be in their computer, I'd imagine. Otherwise you'd never be able to order it.

Have you tried looking at the online parts books at partstore.caseih.com?

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Unless CIH has changed something recently, there most definately are parts currently available from CIH for machines that have never had their parts books digitized, and probably never will. Somebody has to dig out the books or fire up a fiche machine because they aren't in CIH's online catalogs, and again, unless something has changed, the dealer won't have access in their computer system to view parts catalogs for machine models above and beyond those models that the public can view.

There are many occasions where newer machines (who's catalogs were digitized) share parts with older machines (who's parts catalogs were never digitized) and those parts are still available. The possibility exists for a few part numbers or substitutions for those numbers still being available that were used before the McCormick and Deering lines were fully joined together because the parts were used on other equipment for several decades afterward.

There are parts sitting on dealers' shelves across the country that are NLA from CIH. Dealers have access to see what's in other dealers' inventories. CIH could probably care less if parts that they've already been paid for ever find a home, especially if they are non-returnable, but a customer in need of a part very well could put it to good use and a dealer that has one would sure like to sell it. As CIH kills off older dealers that have been around for decades, the opportunity to stumble upon a dealer that has a needed part that has been discontinued for an older machine becomes less and less so.

Pretty much any contract dealer can order from the Parts Depot or VPI. They'd sure like to blow the dust off of some of the parts on their shelves and put them to use.

Somebody, somewhere, somehow has to come up with a part number to at least look for the part, though.

Occasionally a superceded number is missing or other errors exist in the computer. Errors and omissions exist in books and on fiche, too. It isn't an error or omission until someone finds out it's an error or omission. It doesn't hurt to double-check with some additional or older reference material when something seems odd.

Not finding a part necessary to keep a machine in service will definately curtail any potential future sales of parts pertaining to that machine if it ends up in the fencerow or melted down to be turned into new Chinese junk disguised as useful items. A dealer that fails to make an effort to locate a part may cause a customer to look to another dealer or look at other colors in the equipment rainbow when the day comes to replace that machine or buy anything else.

AG

(quoted from post at 01:03:50 10/25/14) Somebody, somewhere, somehow has to come up with a part number to at least look for the part, though.

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AG pretty well covered it with his comments. His point about coming up with a part number is key. If you want parts for something they quit making 60 or 70 years ago, you need to expect to put some effort into the search. You need to be the one that has the ancient parts catalog for whatever you are trying to repair/restore. Many parts catalogs aren't that hard to find, but don't expect the guy at the parts counter to have one within arms reach. Many implement owner's manuals have the parts in the back of the manual and there is little excuse for not having the owner's manual for about anything.

The dealers can fairly easily check availability if you give them a number. The parts system will have numbers listed that are not shown in an on-line catalog. But without a number, you are going nowhere.

To add to what Jim Becker and AG in IN stated I have recently restored a Farmall 240 (only 3600 were built) and am in the process of restoring an IH No. 11 2 point fast hitch side delivery hay rake (an unknown no. were built but very rare) and I have found parts in numerous manners for which there is absolutely no stock listed as available from any source. One example, in the parts catalog for the No. 11 hay rake the right side stripper is listed by part no. for the stripper, angle brace and the mounting hardware. Other then the hardware items the other two are not listed as available anywhere. I found through reading through the operators manual for the No. 11 hay rake the right stripper was available at the Parts Depot if you knew the kit part number of the above noted components which was yet another part no. I believe I acquired the last remaining kit still available but was able to obtain them by finding the unique kit part no. There is no substitute for part numbers when searching the planet for special parts. Those part numbers can be found in several various places and I would suggest obtaining all the printed IHC literature for any given IHC item you are thinking of or in the process of restoring. For my No. 11 restoration project I have acquired enough unique information relative to that hay rake to fill a 2" note book with the various items I have found that IH printed and provided their dealerships for sale and support functions. My No. 11 hay rake has been an eight year adventure in finding parts for a correct and proper restoration. Through various avenues I have been able to obtain almost everything needed for this restoration. I still have one open issue I am still trying to resolve which so far has eluded all the very knowledgeable folks in the IH world plus the IH archieves at the Wisconsin Historical Society which is a decal on the left fast hitch prong next to front support which is lowered for front end support when un-hooked from the tractor.
On the Farmall 240 I found numerous items still in dealer inventories across this country by just putting the part no. in a Goggle search. Also, finding a CaseIH dealership that has a passion for helping antique tractor restoration folks in their quest for parts who has access to the CaseIH dealership wide inventories pays big dividends in finding some rare and stuff in the back of the parts bins which is still being carried in a dealers inventory. Obviously to have these systems work for you a correct or superseded part number is a must, Hal.

Not many.

I have/will find appropriate manuals with parts break down for any tractor or implement project I start. I shoot a copy of the page showing pictures of parts break down and #'s. I take that to the dealership. That's the only way my IH parts dept will even attempt to look up parts availability.

I usually end up buying multiple implements and or tractors for parts.

I bought 3 IH C251 fast hitch planters, none complete and 1 borderline junk. I pieced together one very complete with fertilizer, row markets etc. A second bare bone planter only. And a pile of left over parts.

I enjoy the scavenger hunt aspect of restoring theses old machines. It would probably have been cheaper just to buy new modern equipment if I counted all my time and travel expenses.