660 Vs. 820 / 830

R. L. Bryner · Dec 28, 2011

IH 660 versus JD 820 / 830

What are anybody's experiences and opinions with these two late 1950's heavyweights: The International 660 and The John Deere 820 / 830 ? Which was tougher, more powerful, better lugging, easier to handle and use . . . etc...

Also . . . did Deere OR IH ever have any thoughts or experiments with making one of these "Bad Boys" into a row-crop tractor? In my opinion, if either tractor would have been produced as a row crop model, it would have made a hellova nice, big predecessor to the 806 or 4010 row crop versions !!

mkirsch · Dec 28, 2011

They didn't make a row crop 660 because the chassis of the tractor was basically the same as the 560 anyway, and the planetary drives at the wheels would've made adjusting tread width for row crops difficult.

Also, the 806 was "in the oven" even before the 60 series came out.

Even though I'm an IH man, I would have to give the 820/830 the advantage in a head-to-head comparison.

David from Kansas · Dec 28, 2011

HP hrs per gal----660=14.23
HP hrs per gal----830=17.28

Kinda says it all.

David from Kansas · Dec 28, 2011

I realize these are only fuel consumption comparisons, but here is another:

IH 450=13.57 hp/hrs per gal.
JD R=17.35 hp/hrs per gal.

Power steering was not available on the R, don't know about the 450, but we are comparing a 1957 IH to a 1949-1954 JD R.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 28, 2011

What a great way to start another "color war" !! LOL !! Kind of comparig apples and oranges. 2 or 3 times as many Deeres built so many more still around. HP was in favor of the 660 and Deere was at the end of two cylinder HP spectrum. IH engine was kind of small for HP they were squeezing out and Deere lugged better. IH was a "little" more nimble.

rrlund · Dec 28, 2011

Let's just cut to the chase and say 990 Oliver.

doubleN · Dec 28, 2011

At a county fair, I saw a 660 out pull several JD 820's and 830's. That guy on the 660 might be halfway across the continent pulling that sled yet. Some JD guys went home with their tails between their legs that night. Not making this up; it actually happened.

Dr. Ed · Dec 28, 2011

Even though I ran IH for many years and like the red paint the 660 was a piece of junk, period. Nothing on it would stay in the field, engine, transmission or differential. Our dealer sold over 20 of the things and it nearly broke him. He started selling Massey Ferguson 97's because they would run. The JD R, 80, 820, 830 tractors were kind of dinosaurs but always stayed in the field until the job was done and were easy on fuel. Then Steiger and Versitile made the whole question moot.

A comparison of 806 and 4010 would be much more interesting since both were very good tractors. It was a matter of pick your color and argue.

jbp · Dec 28, 2011

HP hours per gallon didn't make much difference when diesel was 15 cents a gallon. Joe

oldtanker · Dec 28, 2011

(quoted from post at 13:59:42 12/28/11) At a county fair, I saw a 660 out pull several JD 820's and 830's. That guy on the 660 might be halfway across the continent pulling that sled yet. Some JD guys went home with their tails between their legs that night. Not making this up; it actually happened.

Lot of factors in that like if it's weighted, where......condition of the tires/fluid in tires. And don't forget the skill of the operator. Lot of old time pulls they didn't weigh the tractors but went off of the data available from the manufacturer. So a tractor pull isn't going to give up what the tractor can do in the field. Thats where the real test is! Acers per hour vs gallons per acre plus reliability. Guess that part of the reason pulls don't do much for me.

Rick

Mike M · Dec 28, 2011

It made enough differance that JD sold many tractors for that reason alone. Some saved enough on fuel to pay them off quicker or so I've heard.

Mike M · Dec 28, 2011

I saw some pictures of back in the day our county fair ran an unlimited weight class. Seems like they mostly ran the old Deere's. They built platforms below and above and filled them with all kinds of metal and alot of drilling rig bits too. Wish I had a copy of this picture.

OliverGuy · Dec 28, 2011

I second that. 990 Oliver.

Lyndon - AB · Dec 28, 2011

(quoted from post at 13:58:45 12/28/11) Let's just cut to the chase and say 990 Oliver.

I third that. Motion carried! :twisted:

Seriously though, it can go both ways. I've seen pulls where the 660 socks it to the Deere's, and I've seen pulls go the other way.

I'm looking forward to pulling in the main competition circuit this year with my 990. Make the 830 Deere guys weep! :twisted:

oldtanker · Dec 28, 2011

(quoted from post at 14:38:52 12/28/11) HP hours per gallon didn't make much difference when diesel was 15 cents a gallon. Joe

Actually it did because people didn't make as much as we do today. Lot of old farmers I knew based tractor buying decisions on 2 things. Econemy both in price and operation and the dealer.

Rick

Ferd · Dec 28, 2011

(quoted from post at 13:59:42 12/28/11) At a county fair, I saw a 660 out pull several JD 820's and 830's. That guy on the 660 might be halfway across the continent pulling that sled yet. Some JD guys went home with their tails between their legs that night. Not making this up; it actually happened.

Tractor pulls are not a reality show. It's all about traction = tires, weight distrubution, hitch height etc. Doesn't have much to do with the real world.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 28, 2011

660 didn't have a real good rep. , the jd standards were pretty durable and pulled well if you like the 2 cyl. engine, personally I like the Case dsl, engines of the day, smooth, dependable, economical and a very nice sounding engine

kruser · Dec 28, 2011

Aw come on guys,
I just want a Super 99 with the Detroit!

kruser · Dec 28, 2011

Like this guy in cIllinoiz

gordey · Dec 29, 2011

660 should beat an 830 and a 990 should beat a 660, there are a lot of other factors though.

660 Vs. 820 / 830

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