Driving it home next week.

It is in a locked lot so no hurry. I have no manual and not real familiar with driving a hydro yet but getting there. I was on the FD for a good while and can drive most anything but the 1660 has no brakes. PO drove it 30 miles to the auction site. I have to drive it back or hire someone for a lot of $$$ to haul it. I would like to drive it but want to be safe. I will spend a good deal of time in the lot getting used to how it works before I head out. Any tips for approaching intersections (stopping)? This is my big concern. Second would be how well they handle at road speed or should I creep along in 2? Am I able to stop completely or will it just slow down? Appreciate any suggestions, don't want to hurt anybody, myself or the machine.

Hydrostatic systems are designed to operate at full engine RPM; the forward speed is determined by the position of the lever. When the lever is put in neutral it locks the drive system valves so the machine can't move, thus the reason that there is no braking system - braking is done by the hyrostatic drive system. If you slow the engine down, the hydrostatic system will slow down accordingly, and may cause the system to overheat.

I think that there have been hydrostatic systems that failed because of being operated at low engine RPM's. Get a manual and read it thoroughly.

Once you get the feel of the combine you will get along fine on the road.

To add to what dick said. The 1660 has brakes they are not working, right? Most brakes on hydro combines do not work well. The reason they don"t work well is they never get used much and seize up or glazed over.

But watch it on the 1660 as they may seem like they don"t work and all at once they lock up. You can spin a circle real fast if one locks up. Been there done that.

You may find you can get the brakes working by just using them a little at low speeds to free them up. Or adding fluid and bleeding them.

Do not use the brakes at high speeds, just ease the Hydro lever back.

One more think the IH hydros also have a clutch.

Usually the only time the clutch is used is in a panic to stop the combine.

Never NEVER leave the hydro lever engaged and let the clutch back out. You will blow the seals out on the hydro.

If you push in the clutch- move the lever to neutral, let out the clutch and then move the lever to go.

Best if you act like there is no clutch pedal.

Gary

Since you know the previous owner and they drove it over to the auction, maybe you can get him to drive it to your place. Going down the the road with a combine is not the best place to familarize yourself with the "fine art" of combine driving.

Another thing to be aware of is this: if you go down a big hill it's good to pull back on the hydro somewhat. The hydro should hold the combine back. If the combine starts to speed up like it wants to coast the hydro is getting weak. If it is "tight" it will hold the combine back pretty well. Coasting and speeding up are not good. When you want to stop at an intersection just do what the others said. Gradually slow down and stop. You can then start up again in high and get along fine as long as you are not going up a large incline. Then it's best to shift down and go slower as it's better on the hydrostat. Mike

I'm glad you told me. I would be inclined to put it in lower RPM's to go slower. Appreciate the help, probably saved me a repair bill. PO tells me the owners manual is in the tool box. I hate reading the things...but I will.

No guts, no glory....

No guts, no glory....

I did talk to him. He said to toot the horn as I was going by his farm on the way to my place.

Mrs Dave has been pestering me on this topic. She is afraid for me taking it on a big hill. I pointed out that were were no big hills to speak of betwixt here and there. Your post was (sort of) comforting to her. Real good info for me though! Thanks!

Thanks Gary! I'll leave the brakes alone for now. The whole hydro thing is new to me but everyone said a gear drive was not the way to go in a combine so...here I am. I pick stuff up quickly. Appreciate the vote of confidence! I'll get it here safe.

The low hour 1480 I bought didn't have any brakes which was discovered after it was trucked in and the previous owner was surprised I wasn't too happy. He always used the hydro and thought everyone else operated in the same manner. The 1400 series brakes were nothing to brag about even when in top condition. Believe they were improved on the later models. One thing you should know is that the brakes are inboard and if the short driveshafts fail (splines wear out), better hope you are going slow on level ground or have a head attached that can be dropped as an anchor. Otherwise good chance you are going to hit something. Believe they had introduced grease fittings on each splined end by the time the 1600's were built. But someone needed to get down on the ground or floor to grease them, so might be a good idea to determine how much rotational slop these shafts show.

Dave:

Your worrying a lot about nothing. The brakes do work on my combines but I rarely used them on the road. Almost never to stop. You will be harder on the hydro trying to match the brakes to it when slowing down. I mainly use the brakes to steer on a hillside or turning on an end row.

I am willing to bet that I have way steeper hills than you do. I farm some slopes that are over 10% grade. I rarely use the brakes to stop with.

Have you ever driven a skid steer loader??? They are hydrostatic and do not have any brakes. The only difference is the combine has the hydraulic motor(hydrostat) driving a mechanical drive line so you have a wider speed selection.

SO FORGET that you have an inching pedal on the left side. CIH models are one of the few that have them. JD, Gleaner, and just about all the rest do not have them.

SO Run the motor up at high speed. This is the speed it is designed to run at. This way the hydrostat has full pressure and flow to not only move the machine but also to stop the machine. You shift the manual transmission setting DEAD still. So in the auction yard put it into 1st or second and drive around to get used to controlling the speed with just the hydro lever/handle. Cross your legs so you can't do anything with your feet to cause trouble. LOL

You will find that you will use second gear almost always in the field or barnyard. I almost never use 1st. Maybe some times hooking up to a header.

To the guys that say that the brakes are a safety factor for if you break a drive shaft or coupler??? That CIH machine has the brakes inboard on the side of the transmission, just like JD does too. So if you break a drive shaft or coupler your BRAKES will not work either.

The main thing to remember is that your driving a machine that weights 18,000-19,000 lbs. setting there empty, 9-10 tons. So drive it like you would a truck that has a load of that size on. Meaning your going to take off at a slower steady pace and do not run right up on where you want to stop. I am willing to bet that it will stop way faster with the hydrostat than it ever would with just the brakes, even if they where in top shape. The hydro can and will put full engine horse power into stopping the machine just like it can in making the machine go.

Do not believe me?? While your practice driving at 6-7 MPH pull the hydrostatic control handle back to neutral fast and see how fast you stop with the engine running full speed. IF the hydrostat is working right you will kiss the windshield. With a header on you can stand them up on the front axle stopping.

So my two cents worth would be to go drive it around a little bit. Then drive it home at 6AM Sunday morning. Almost zero road traffic then. So the odds of you having to panic stop or steer is greatly reduced with most of the idiots still in bed.

1. Unless you have ridiculously steep hills on your planned route, your only worry is if a splined driveshaft coupling or other mechanical part between the drive wheels and the hydro fails.

2. Be aware, if it gets parked on an incline, (hydro lever "centered" /neutral) with gear tranny left in gear and to "hold" it there, it will slowly creep down hill as oil sneaks past the internal parts of the hydro, engine running or not.

OK...I can do that. I don't think it is real likely but I will want to make sure someone has been greasing them. PO is a pretty upright sort. He listed everything he thought was wrong with it and it matched what I found pretty closely.

So maybe I should keep a couple wheel chocks on the combine? I have to tell you, the thought of leaving it parked, then looking out the window and seeing it halfway down a slope and wondering if I left it there or???? Made me laugh out loud when I read #2. As long as my truck isn't parked behind it.

Well, bless you, you comforted Mrs Dave considerably with that. I read your post to her and I think she finally got the message. Made me feel some better too! Thanks for taking the time to put that down for us! I think I know what I need to know. I told her today that one of the reasons I want to drive it home is because I spent a lot of money on it and I would like to use it a little and get a feel for it. People on our rural roads out that way are very good about farm equipment...not so much here in town. I think I will be fine. PO wants me to drive by his farm on the way. Said if I stop in he will go all over it with me. We are feeling much better about it and sure do appreciate the info.

I'll relate this experience and let you decide if you want functional brakes.

I was running a neighbors well-worn 1460 and was very aware it had no brakes. Moving it on the road with a 20' grain table. I started down a hill and it popped out of third gear.

Well, I did like anyone else would have---I steered and prayed to meet no vehicles coming around the curve at the bottom of the hill.

The owner never fixed the brakes but I always held it in gear when going up or down a hill while roading after that.

I have an 89 Ford that does that sometimes...but it has brakes. Gear drive.

Sounds like you do not have steep hills on your route. Guy that farms several miles from home was running his IH rotary between farms. Hired man knew he had no brakes. Pulling up a very steep and long gravel road hill his engine lost power and died due to plugged fuel filters. The combine rolled backwards down the hill until the operator got it cranked into the ditch. Crushed the entire backend of the combine - next stop was the combine salvage yard. Operator probably made the right decision as there was a 20 foot wide bridge at the bottom of the hill as well as the creek bed. It was amazing the damage that was done - rear hood was smashed in and chaffer and seive were crushed. He must have picked up some speed and the ditch was pretty deep. So make sure the engine is running right!!

Nice thing about it being an IH is that I have been around so many of them. I will have a good idea from listening to it and will likely feel any problems when I drive it...given that it is most of a tractor with the seat and tranny reversed! Fortunately, places like you describe are rare in the part of Michigan involved. The area between Mason and Howell is like the underside of a pancake. I'll use my head and keep things safe.