1974vette

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I have a 54 swd9 head that has a large crack from cylinder one through three so I feel it is pretty much junk. what is the difference between a wd9 and super head? what will work? my head number is260692R4. I have heard that the 600 650 diesels have a updated head that is much less prone to cracking is there any truth to this?
 
Any of those heads should work, I have heard the same about the later heads for the 450's and up being stronger. It may be worth letting a machine shop check it out just to make sure it can't be pinned and repaired. Jim.
 
260692 up to R7 was used on those engines. Ever R number higher was supposed to be a improvement.
But any of those heads found not cracked by now is probably the better one.
They made a special head later on with some plates on the side but think you need some other parts when using it, but it would be uncommon to find one.
 
those heads with the small square plates are used on the super 9 model's up to the 650. I think they are for an added water manifold you could bolt on.
 
I found one a guy is selling as a "good" head.
number on it is 278292R1 off of a 650 would that fit?. what would a fair price be for a good head that has not been refinished? refinished?
thanks for the help.
 
278292 is the last design head made for the D-350 engines, it replaced head 260292R7 at D-350 engine serial number 11378 in a 650 tractor around the end of 57 and start of 1958.
Make sure you get all parts and levers with the head. Make sure the cross over lever is the same as yours.
Also if the tractor head came off had a coolant recovery tank on it you should try to get it, unless yours tractors has one added to it.
 
I have a few 9-series tractors and have replaced a few heads on them. It has been a real challenge to figure out the history & applications of the different heads. Here is what I think is close to being correct from information I have acquired from MBCat (RIP) on Red Power Magazine and a compilation of other information from other sites as well as my own tractors.

8101DG - Used on WD-9's up to S/N 18000.

260692R1 - Used on WD-9's after S/N 18000.

260692R2 - I have never seen one of these.

260692R3 - I have never seen one of these.

260692R4 - Used on WD-9's after S/N 18000 and Super WD-9's (like yours!).

260692R5 - I have never seen one of these.

260692R6 - Originally used on Super WD-9's. Rumoured to have a 1/8 thicker face. (I have one on my running 1955 Super WD-9--believed to be the original head).

260692R7 - I have never seen one of these, but this should have been an improvement over the previous one (as stated by D Slater). I suspect that they were developed in time to be used on the Super WD-9's, 600's & 650's

278292R1 - Often referred to as the "new style" head. This is the first head to have the 3 rectangular plates on the left side of the head. They were developed in 1958 as a replacement for all WD-9's after S/N 18000, all Super WD-9's, and possibly the 600D's, 650D's. From researching parts manuals it appears they were never factory installed on any tractors (parts manuals can be wrong, just like me!). **No additional parts are needed to use this head as a replacement for the earlier heads**. **I do not believe the rectangular plates were for the addition of some kind of added water manifold. Perhaps just access openings used during the evolving casting process at the foundry in an effort to improve the heads by IH.** I currently have this head installed on a 1951 WD-9, 1952 WD-9, 1955 Super WD-9, 1955 Super WDR-9, and a 600D.

278292R2 - Also referred to as a "new style head". I have never seen one of these. MBCat claimed it was intended to be a replacement head for 600D's & 650D's, and that it could also be used on the WD-9's and Super WD-9's.

I am continually learning about these heads so I would welcome feedback from anyone who can improve upon my notes.

Replacement heads. For a WD-9/Super WD-9, I generally won't buy any head prior to the 260692R6. I think it is difficult to find one of the earlier ones any more since so many of them got replaced with the updated heads. It makes good sense to seek out the improved (later designed) heads. I prefer to use the new style head 278292R1. It was definitely sold as an updated head for the both the WD-9 and the Super WD-9. I have ran the 278292R1 head for years on both models with no problems.

There is no difference between the head on a WD-9 (After S/N 18000) and a Super WD-9. They are fully interchangeable regardless of all of the design changes that were being done by IH to try and solve the cracking issues.

Price of a 278292R1 head? If it has been tested for cracks at a professional machine shop, I would pay approximately $1000 US with the valves and injectors. I don't like to buy a 9-series head unless it has been tested because so many of them are cracked.
 
Tony can add a couple of things.
When the change from 260692R5 to R6 was made the lower deck thickness between valves was increased from 7/16 to 9/16 the 1/8 you mentioned. Added reinforcement around 3/4 inch cored holes located between 1&2 and 3&4 cylinders on pre cup side.
Start D-350 serial 6689 in a SWD9.
Think I have info on R7 head but haven't found it yet. Change from R7 was a year or less after change to R6.
Supposed to order a bushing 144034 when replacing a R1 through R4 with a R-7.
When a 278292R1 head was installed some TD9 used some different starting linkage parts and all tractors had some slightly different studs at places. Also the cross shaft bracket was changed for more clearance with the baffle type head.
 
thanks everyone for all the help. i need to decide if it is worth putting that much money into a tractor just to have around the yard. i have another 54 super wd9 that has all the bells and whistles. this would be a good addition since the serial numbers are only different by 7. probably not a good thing to discuss with the wife!
 
(quoted from post at 15:25:17 01/25/15) Tony can add a couple of things.
When the change from 260692R5 to R6 was made the lower deck thickness between valves was increased from 7/16 to 9/16 the 1/8 you mentioned. Added reinforcement around 3/4 inch cored holes located between 1&2 and 3&4 cylinders on pre cup side.
Start D-350 serial 6689 in a SWD9.
Think I have info on R7 head but haven't found it yet. Change from R7 was a year or less after change to R6.
Supposed to order a bushing 144034 when replacing a R1 through R4 with a R-7.
When a 278292R1 head was installed some TD9 used some different starting linkage parts and all tractors had some slightly different studs at places. Also the cross shaft bracket was changed for more clearance with the baffle type head.

Hi Tony. Thanks for providing this information. I am hoping to someday put together an accurate tech article on the 9-series heads because these questions come up frequently and there is a lot of really bad information floating around. I was born in 1967 and my father used the 9-series tractors since 1952. We ran into some really difficult financial times in the 70's & 80's so we actually ended bringing dad's WD-9 & Super WD-9 out of retirement in 1982 to try and continue farming. In spite of the "tough times" it was a great experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I had a chance to actually work with these tractors for about 5 years and the "collector bug" bit me. My collecting addiction grew from those experiences.

Where I am going with this is that there is a gap in my knowledge of the 9 series tractors because I was born long after the last 650 was built. I had the good fortune of knowing some mechanics who worked on them when the tractors were new--so that has helped.

You have some great details that I have never been able to find and I welcome that sort of information. Where did you get those details? (Like the bushing, linkage changes, studs, S/N breaks, etc.). I think I have installed the newer style head 278292R1 in place of a 260692R? before and I don't recall having to replace any of the other components. It was a while ago so maybe I have forgotten something or the tractor I was working on may have had parts replaced previously that I didn't realize. I am going to study my WD-9 that is in my shop today! Anyway, I am trying to sort these things out and I really appreciate your help.
 
(quoted from post at 15:33:10 01/25/15) thanks everyone for all the help. i need to decide if it is worth putting that much money into a tractor just to have around the yard. i have another 54 super wd9 that has all the bells and whistles. this would be a good addition since the serial numbers are only different by 7. probably not a good thing to discuss with the wife!

I completely understand. Replacement heads can be expensive and hard to find. Sometimes a guy gets lucky and finds one for $200 but it really is a case of "being in the right place at the right time". I have placed "wanted" ads before without much luck. I get an occasional call where it's a tractor parked in the bush that has a head or someone is cleaning out an old timers shop and finds one tucked away. Those calls rarely load to a good head because of the common occurrence of the head cracking problem on the 9-series tractors. Sometimes the seller doesn't understand this and just wants to sell a head to make a few $$$.
 
Hello Red Mercury,

I would welcome an email from you. I have MANY
hours on a WD-9 and WDR-9 and would be interested
in visiting your collection if we live a
reasonable distance apart. Warning though - I'm
old just like those tractors !!!

Ron in MN
 
I have a 278292r2 head that is cracked also. We always had head problems on the 650. However I am looking for a replacement head for my 650 if you happen to know of one.
 

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