How evaluate used disk?

I bought a 986, it's warm, and I'm ready to start disking!

But I would like to buy a new disk. I'm concerned that my new 986 would feel insulted if I asked it to pull my 12 foot JD RWA disk, when it could pull so much more and get the job done faster.

I've heard the International 480 is a good, older heavy duty disk, so I'd like to try to buy one.

My question: How do you evaluate an older, used disk? What should a person look for?ˇ

How do you tell the difference between a used, but works fine/acceptable, vs a "worn out" disk? What gets worn out?

One thing is the individual discs, right? What size are they when new? What size is too small, that it doesn't disk very good any more?

For example, here's a 480 that I would consider. Can you tell anything from the pictures?

https://springfieldil.craigslist.org/grd/d/beardstown-ih-480-disk/7315149878.html

Thanks for any help!

Disc blades and bearings are the main things to go bad . Next
are bent or broken gang bolts worn out and bent hitches worn
out or bent spindles on the transport wheels

Blades and bearings.

Typically disk blades are 16-22 inches when new. It just depends, probably 20 on the newer better disks, This is one case where bigger is better....

If they wear down 2 inches they are considered wore out. I know, many people use them long after that, but they wont be cutting right any more.

Disks can come in finish models with 7 inch spacings, or more aggressive 9 inch spacing. Then you will find heavy tillage disks designed to really cut, a 12 foot model
your tractor wouldnt begin to pull.....

Paul

some disk are prone to frame failure. look for welds. some are obsolete to get parts for so stick to most popular models. hard to check for
but try to see if PO worked it with blades loose on gang bolts. that in itsself can cause it to be a money pit.

look for the obvius cracked frame. if possible check it out with blades /gangs in the raised position. try to turn each gang by hand .you check ease of turniing /noisy bearings/ bent axle. we usually replace blades with largest that fit in some room for
clearance of course.that space with

So just as no one has mentioned these two things, I
will. Take a close look at the hitch. Some discs
have adjustable hitch with a large screw apparatus,
and they can be worn or bent.. The other thing to
look for is are all of the disc scrapers in place. If
scrapers are missing your disc will fill with trash and
damp soil. Particularly with clay ground

Discs can be a lot of maintenance with changing of bearings. They wear out regularly.

(quoted from post at 11:09:09 05/05/21) So just as no one has mentioned these two things, I
will. Take a close look at the hitch. Some discs
have adjustable hitch with a large screw apparatus,
and they can be worn or bent.. The other thing to
look for is are all of the disc scrapers in place. If
scrapers are missing your disc will fill with trash and
damp soil. Particularly with clay ground

Click to expand...

I'll 2nd what Bruce said on scrapers. You can find new aftermarket scrapers for an IH 490/496 I believe but but IH discs older than that might be harder to find aftermarket/used or real expensive from the dealer if available. I bought a Krause 902 disc last December. Had to pay $36 each for scrapers from the Kuhn-Krause dealer to replace missing one. Found some "NOS" ones on Ebay later for about $16 each and changed out some worn out ones. Those I swapped I can cut new "blades" for out of 1/8" flat stock and repair.

Also adding to what Bruce said about worn hitches, some styles had large springs either for self-leveling or as part of the adjustment mechanism. If those are broke/missing, likely not available from a dealer or very expensive if they are. I had one about 36" long missing for a self-leveling hitch and luckily found one that would "make do" from McMaster Carr but could have used a heaver rate spring.

In general older IH discs are well supported for bearings, axles, spools, nuts, spacers, washers, etc back to the IH37 era (I have 3 of those). I've been robbing scrapers for those off a junk IH Fast-Hitch disc my Dad used years ago for my 37's.

I bought an IH 48 disk last fall. It did not have wings and the kid who had had replaced all the bearings, blades, and spools. It
had all of the scrapers. I pull it with my 1800 Oliver and it did a very good job. I gave $1,300 for it. The frame did not have any
cracks or breaks. The only thing is the tires are original and are cracked and weathered.
For a 986, a good IH 480 or 485 will work nicely. The 490 / 496 might be too much for it. If you want a lighter finishing disk, the
a 470 or 475 is a nice paring.

Axles that roll with a flip of the wrist....considering the length and all and checking the bearings for functional correctness. Course
you had rather not have any broken discs.

Axles that roll with a flip of the wrist....considering the length and all and checking the bearings for functional correctness, no bent
axles...of the disc gang. Course you had rather not have any broken discs.

(quoted from post at 20:49:11 05/04/21) I bought a 986, it's warm, and I'm ready to start disking!

But I would like to buy a new disk. I've heard the International 480 is a good, older heavy duty disk

My question: How do you evaluate an older, used disk? What should a person look for?ˇ
How do you tell the difference between a used, but works fine/acceptable, vs a "worn out" disk? What gets worn out?

Click to expand...

Thanks for all the help and advice on this. Here's the stuff to check, I think, from what people said:
- size of blades
- check the bearings for play, raise it, turn gang
- check frame, Look for cracks, bends and welds
- How's the hitch
- How many scrapers are missing
- Check for bent gang
- Bent spindle on wheels

Thank you!

Another question:
Do you know what size the blades were new on the International 480?

You probably dont. Because they could have been
replaced since new with larger or smaller
replacement parts. You can still feel how thick the
disc blades are. They start out fairly thick, and as
they wear get very thin. Once thin , the edges will
hammer over or split. Typical signs or wear

26 inch blades was at least one option