International 990 7 foot haybine opinions

Kippster · Jul 12, 2020

Hey guys, I plan on posting this over on the impliment board as well, but I thought I might get the opinions of some IH gurus over here.
I'm currently looking at an International 990 haybine with a 7' cut. I'll be using a Farmall H with a power kit to run it, so I'm not really interested in a 9' machine.
Wondering what weak points are of this machine, things to look for, what parts availabilty is like for those units, etc. Please educate me and tell me what I should know about this machine before I drop a grand on it. Thanks so much in advance guys!!!

Kippster

Brownie450 · Jul 13, 2020

We've got a 9' 990 & they are a good machine. You should
have no trouble pulling it if you have a sharp sickle.

There are 2 hidden grease zerks you have to lay on your
back to get to on the left side [PTO] of the machine.
Jim

BarnyardEngineering · Jul 13, 2020

My opinion is that it's a 55 year old piece of technology and you need to be extremely careful that you are not buying a clapped out, rusted out, worn out, ready to fall apart machine with your hard earned dollars. You can't repair much on it without exceeding the value of the machine and major parts are hard to find.

Many of the 990's I've seen have been sitting outside for a long time, and weather has taken its toll. I'm pretty sure the conditioner rolls are rubber-wrapped, not stacked, and the rubber is usually rotten and ready to peel off if it hasn't already. Often there are holes in the tinwork.

Absolutely nothing wrong with them if you can find one that has been cared for, kept maintained, and stored mostly indoors. That's the hard part.

RedRoundhead · Jul 13, 2020

I’ve had one of those, for many years. Great machines. Very
simple and straightforward.

As was stated previously, if it was a machine stored indoors, that
would be great. You won’t have to worry about too much.
If stored outdoors, like any machine, look for places were rust
may have eroded the frame.

All else being said, make sure all of the main drive sprockets
are in good shape. there is a 60 series chain, that drives both
rollers, and the reel. Those sprockets are $300 to $400 each,
and the really really big one is $900. If you want to buy them
from the dealer. I usually just cut the worn teeth off, and weld
on a new sprocket. Easy to do if you have a welder and know
someone with a lathe.

International 990 7 foot haybine opinions

Kippster

Member

Brownie450

Member

BarnyardEngineering

Well-known Member

RedRoundhead

Member

Similar threads