806/826/856 stories

swindave

Member
have you ever had, used or wanted one? ive always liked the 826,
but in y neighberhood gowing up was a 826 diesel,
but also a 806 gas and a 856 gas, just remember they didnt stay long because they used a lot of gas compared to the diesel, but both guys said they were very powerfull,
the 826 diesel just seemed so handy.
whats your story?
 
The 826 was an 'aferthought',to fill the gap between 756 and 856.Introduced in '69. Only made 2 years. It had the 358 German. I have an 826 Hydro,handy for pto work and other jobs.I dont 'farm' with it,I use 1256 and 1456 for dirtwork.856 was basicly an 'improoved' 806 with bigger engine and better shifting. Both were forces to be reconeded with in their day.If I had my choice,I think I would take an 806 over an 856,simply an 806 because an 806 has more 'cool factor' than an 856.There is something 'primal' about a turbo charged 806 with a straight pipe screaming. :)
 
I used to have an 856. It was a horse. Too 'big' for a 3 bottom(rollover) yet sometimes not quite big enough for a 4 bottom.It had a lot of 'heart'. Kind of like the M does.
 
You needed to own an oil well to run our 856.
Thing would use 3 quarts of oil a day when doing
tillage. If it ran at or below the add mark on
the dip stick, it wouldn't use any. Question is===
who wants to plow all day & take a chance on oil
problems??

Our 806 & 1066 never use a bit of oil between
changes. I always thought maybe Harvester had
problems with oil control in that engine.
Jim
 
Been around them since the 806 and 706 hit the state in then end of Aug. 63 for the Canfield fair and the first showing to the public . The man i worked for bought that one don't remember who bought the 706 and the next weekend my uncle bought the second one that hit the state. Myself i have had a bunch of 706's pass thru and a good amount of 806's . Lots of 706 gassers but never and 806 gasser . Had some 826's pass thru as for some reason they did not stick around long . Those first two the one dealer that had the display at the fair went to Rock island and picked them up . Getting off a 560 and onto and 806 back in the day was like WOW what a monster and compaired to my uncles neighbor that had a 4010 it would plum eat it alive . The 806 at my uncles place was the first tractor that could pull the tater harvester by it's self not even the 4010 could do that . The one my boss bought went three days before it got turboed way before any kits were made and mu uncles went a week as he did not want to miss a day of harvest to take it off line but when we got rain it was up at the one diesel shop that rented one of the big bays at the construction company where i worked . them boys were Horse power crazy . And had just become a dealer in a new company that made turbos .
 
I told you some about the D15 over on the AC board. Well, my maternal grandpa also had a JD3010D diesel when I was a kid-great tractor, but as I noted, he was a IHC man & 1950’s IHC dealer mechanic, so sometime in the 90’s he traded his 3010 for an 806. No clue the actual details of the trade, but it wasn’t the best. The 806 was worn out, whereas the 3010 was in good shape. Seamed like something was always breaking on the 806, and sometime in the 2000’s it sold at auction. So needless to say, my least favorite tractor is the 806.
 
I would not mind an 806 diesel and there used to be a one owner 806 diesel about five miles away. The owner passed on a while ago but I think somebody got it. When dad bought his 4010 diesel the 806's were not out here yet and were not due for a few more months. The 4010's were being clearanced at that point because the 4020's were already showing up at the JD dealers. Dad bought his 4010 including number 10 mower and F145H plow for 5,500 dollars. I've seen the invoice to know. The one IH dealer came back with a new price as to a not in stock 806 diesel after the 4010 was purchased. The 806 would have been 6,800 dollars and another 600 dollars or so for a semi-mount 5 X 16 plow for it. The 4010 turned out very well for us but it would have been nice to pull 5 X 16's down in back of the buildings and have a partial power shift to go through the hard spots. I have a feeling if we did not get the 4010 dad would have bought a 4020 synchro for 6,300 dollars as price was extemely important to him as well as nearly all the neighbors. Color was important to a certain point and no further. The 806 regardless is a highly regarded tractor in this area where I live.
 
Never really thought about owning an 806 until my 400 went to pot & it was the only thing I could find on short notice that was affordable. It's certainly a step up. Actually, there's two steps to get up. Haw haw! It is a gasser & I still don't know what is worse on fuel, that tractor or my F250 with the 460 & 7.73 gears in the rear. Some days I don't know what I'd do without the power & other days I don't know why I keep either one.

Mike
 
I think at one point that the 6,300 dollar 4020 was offered to dad with a used F145H 5 bottom plow as a package for 6,500 dollars. The dealer had 3 4010's including the one we ultimately bought and 2 4020's. I think they were trying to get their inventory down a little at that point. Regardless, I think dad was already maxed out financially at 5,500 dollars so he passed up the 4020 to keep mom's blood pressure down.
 
in 1968 grandpa bought a lease return 806. up until then dads 706 was the families big tractor. the 806 now became the chopper tractor. in 1970 dad bought a new 856 which deposed the 806 as the chopper tractor. a few years later dads younger brother put a turbo on the 806 so now it was back to the big power tractor and back on the chopper. one year in the mid 70s we had a wet fall so the 806 was on the chopper and the 856 was chained to the front of the 806 to get the chopping done. in 1976 dad got a 1086 and the 806 was retired from chopping but still did the tillage work. then dads brother got a 3588 in 1980. so the horse power race was on again. in 1986 dad got a 3394 which bumped the 3588 to secound place. in 1998 dads brother bought a stiger panther which ended the horsepower race. both the 806 and 856 have over 8000 hours and no engine or transmission work. the 806 had the ta done once and neither one have had the injection pumps off.
 
I've got both a 856 with 18.4/38 rears and 11x16 fronts and a 826 with 16.9/38 rears and 7.50x16 fronts. The 826 seems more nimble but I think it's the tire size. The 856 seems to have a little more grunt at low rpms. The 826 was ordered a little different than most. It has 16.9/38 spinout rims 2 post rops and only 1 remote.
 
We've got one of each the 806 I bought in 1978, and my brother bought his 856 about 10 years ago. Both can be used interchangeably pretty well. Thave become putter tractors in the scope of things here now. Spread fertilizer haul wagons and just pull things around with. Still use one of them to plant wheat with the drill if it is not wet. Haying is their jobs now too.
 
Ah yea NO , no more gassers . I have a big enough collection of gas pistons thank you . I am not rebuilding any more gassers or replacing any more pistons .
 
Dad bought an 806 in 1967, from a widow whose husband had used it only a year to run an irrigation pump. Tricycle front, no fenders, fast hitch. It replaced a Farmall 300 as the big tractor. What a horse! He bought a 550 5 bottom plow at the same time. A wide front came a few years later. It was the big tractor until a 1086 arrived in 1979. My brother still has the 806. It has over 12,000 hours and the engine has never been apart. Dad bought another 806 with many less hours in the early 90's, and an International 806 at the same auction. My brother has the second Farmall 806, and I have the Int 806 as well as an 826 hydro demonstrator that I use for baling. All are diesels.
 
What about 966,or even 986? they are in the same family evolution as the 806/856.IMHO,thev 826 is a different tractor,not in the same class/family as the others.
 
I'd put them together in the same family. 826 is different due to the D358 in my mind. I've done very well with my 986 and I know guys who think that the 966 is the best of them all. During that era the closest IH dealer sold more 966's than the other models by a considerable margin. I can think of several 966's sold new around here never mind a dozen miles away. Early 1970's tractors may have had an advantage as they came along during the grain boom and decent milk prices and a Farm Credit organization ready to lend on equipment.
 
Not if you can’t keep it running long enough to get to the field...yah think that was part of the why he got it, more tractor. And just the memories of little kid. I forget what was wrong the one time Dad was trying to plant a neighbors winter pasture-wasn’t running right, best I recall loud popping out of the engine or something like that (it was Diesel). Recall riding home with dad when he was ready to change implements, told him I wasn’t riding any more, but if he came home for one of the other tractors I’d go.
 
There was a856 in these parts that a custom guy had. Went around the neighborhood with a 6-16 700 semi mount plow That thing would plow in High 1st. Granted we don’t have the heaviest soil around here but we’re in hill country far from level.
We never had a 8 my grandfather would never buy the big tractors. We had a 706 instead. It got traded off in the mid seventies but I got it bacteria a few years ago. It’s nothing special, a bareback and a TA delete but I grew up on it.

cvphoto67808.jpg
 
I remember a day when I was probably about eight years old. The IH salesman came riding out the farm road to the field where we were planting potatoes on this big red tractor with a three bottom rollover plow that was dragging a McConnell clod buster behind it. At the time we had been pulling Oliver trip plows with three 14 bottoms with our Oliver 88s. Apparently the idea was to demonstrate that with this new set up, you can run all your other plows into the woods, as I recall the salesman saying. Well for whatever reason, my father and his uncle did not buy the tractor and plow. I didnt make any mental note of what model tractor it was at the time. But years later I heard my father mention to someone that theyd had an 806 out on demo one time. So that would have been as close as I ever came to one.
It was about nine years later, sometime during the winter of 72-73 that a brand new Farmall 826 diesel with a three bottom rollover plow was delivered to our farm. It was my fathers new plow tractor to replace our old, but steadfast old style Oliver gas 88. I dont know if my father considered buying an Oliver at that time or not. I do know that he had talked to the John Deere dealer who was putting up the 4000 as the competing model.
My days working on the farm ended in 1984. But there are three things about the 826 that stand out in my mind. First, it was hard to start in cold weather. Second was that it was very efficient in fuel use. Lastly, to my knowledge, it was pretty trouble free with no major repairs needed.
When my father stopped farming and had an auction of all his trucks, tractors and equipment, he decided to keep the 826 and a rotary mower to keep the edges of the farm trimmed up. It was difficult watching as the rest of the tractors, equipment and trucks were sold off. I told myself that I was not going to miss the chance to keep the 826. I told my father I wanted to buy it from him whenever he was done with it. He said as far as he was concerned, I could have it when he was done with it.
After my father passed away eight years later, I had the 826 (and an Oliver 77 that he had also kept) hauled to my place. I built a second garage at my house to keep the tractors in and serve as a shop in which I would restore them when I retired. So far I have spent most of my time working on the 77 which was in need of more repairs. I will eventually get to work on the 826. Aside from paint, light wiring, a new seat and replacement of the steering wheel, it mostly needs some new gaskets and seals to stop fluid leaks. It only has about 3800 hours on it so I hope I will not be facing any major engine work. I hope that in the future I will be able to get it to plow days and give it some workouts.
The picture included is as it was parked in my shop last year.

mvphoto66941.jpg
 
Not if you can’t keep it running long enough to get to the field...yah think that was part of the why he got it, more tractor. And just the memories of little kid. I forget what was wrong the one time Dad was trying to plant a neighbors winter pasture-wasn’t running right, best I recall loud popping out of the engine or something like that (it was Diesel). Recall riding home with dad when he was ready to change implements, told him I wasn’t riding any more, but if he came home for one of the other tractors I’d go.
 
I have had an 856 on 20.8x38's for quite a while now. Has an M&W Turbo on it. Been a very good tractor for me. Had the injector pump rebuilt 3 or 4 years ago. When it was rebuilt a friend of mine had it set up so it really isn't close to stock. Does everything I want it to do.

Also have a 966 Hydro here. Works great on our hills with the round baler. This one is on 18.4x38's. Don't think I would want to get rid of either one any time soon. Hydro's really work well for haying.
 
I had an uncle who owned an 806 diesel for a few years (maybe 8 or 10) that was used on the family dairy. It was a tough tractor. I wish they would've kept it but he ran into financial trouble. It pulled a 5-16 plow (probably would have pulled six if it wasn't for the clay here) and I cannot remember them having problems with it. Also used it quite a bit in the fall for chopping corn. I don't remember them ever baling hay with it but they may have when the 706 was down (which was also rare). It was a good line of power for a 200 acre dairy operation in the early 1990s with an 806 diesel, 706 diesel, 656, 504 and Super MTA.
 
A farmer in my area had a 826 hydro he used to pull a chain digger. He did some tiling for us with the rig. If I remember right he had two matching outfits both 826 hydros. He was tall and lanky and at 80 years old he could jump down into a trench and climb back out like a youngster. He finally dropped dead while he was bowling. What a life!
 

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