all the hate towards the 86 series ih

Thier sure seems to be alot of hate towards international 86 series on the Web! And some towards the 66 series! But my grandpa dad and I have farmed with 66 series and 86 series since 1971 when grandpa but another dislike tractor by many the 1066 hydro which to this day still works everyday on the mixer and yes the engine and tranny have been opened up but 44 years and 20k plus hours can't complain! And grandpa's 1977 1486 which done all the heavy work from 77 till 2000 when I got my 1066 the 14 has had the engine rebuilt and a new reverse gear and a ta buts over 15000 hours so can't complain! My 1066 did get a new differential and ta but I will admit my teenage years and early 20s I wasn't easy on it! And my 966 still goin Strong with 8000 hours and supposedly never been opened up! So for all the ones who say thier nothing but problems I disagree! Yea the 86 series isn't the operator friendly if you compare it to today's tractors! But in 76 I think they were a good tractor and still are!

Brian
Have you driven any of the other model tractors that are more operator friendly(comfortable) than the 66/86 series??

I have a friend that had a 986 that he asked me to operate plowing a field for him. The trans & rear remote controls are not what I'd call operator friendly. I plowed for a couple hours with his tractor then disconnected it and attached my (IMHO) more operator friendly tractor to finish the plowing. I'm disabled and find it very difficult to enter/exit the 86 cab. I could be wrong but I think the wheelbase on the 86 series is shorter than my tractor giving a rougher ride also.

The reason they RIDE LIKE A LOG WAGON is that you set ahead of the read axle . They are the same length as a 1066 but you are setting where the dash of the 1066 sets more or less and the dash and steering wheel is where the fuel tank on the 66 series sets . Ya kind of went from setting in a long nose truck to driving a old cab over and ya get the snot knocked out of ya since your getting the bumps from both ends all at once .Now you look at the cab set up on a Deere and you set over top of the read axle so you do not get the bucking bronco affect . Yes the getting in and getting out sucks on a 86 the shifters Suck and the hyd. controls suck . You can tell that the ones that designed it did not farm with it .

Dunno about the tractors you speak of but but if you want to see folks hating on a tractor just buy, or even talk about an 8N Ford.
I'll probably get a few N haters on this post just for mentioning them.

There (their or they'er. Thier?) are people who love the Corvair. Just saying.

Well my coment on the 86 series being operator comfort and friendly was for 1976 not as of 2015! Yes I have spent a lot of time in newer tractors we got a 5288 and a case mx 120! And I have spent a lot of time in jd 7330 7430 7820 and 7930!my point they were a improvement at the time! Nobody complains thier 70s factory original muscle car doesn't have GPS and xm radio or power seats!

Brian, you cannot please everyone, if you and your Dad are happy then for "you" they are a good tractor, I have gotten static for years always driving Dodges and running CASE, but I still have most of the ones I ever had and they still are my "fav's,, on this board you will get a full spectrum of "advice" on things like this,, take what you like and ignore the rest, in the end what makes You happy is what matters
cnt

In their day they had a lot of features and were a very good value (cheaper than the other similar tractors) and so they sold a ton of them.

It was the period when tractor development faultered by all companies, so whatever you had you kept recycling in the race for more pulling power, not better features.

So, they sold a ton of them but they didn't improve on them much. In the beginning they were innovative, by the end of their run they were outdated and the power got pushed up to show their weaknesses a little too much.

Very much like the 8N.... It was an incredibly innovative and inexpensive tractor in the 1930s, way ahead of its time. A deal changer. But in the 21st century, it is way, way behind the times on safety, features, usefulness. What we remember as grandpas feature rich innovative tractor is actually pretty dang crude compared to a Japanese import of today.

The 66/ 86 tractors brought a lot to the table, but were sold for too long without improvement, and got passed by. So some remember them fondly, and some remember them as behind the times - and both groups are right!

Paul

(quoted from post at 06:46:28 02/11/15) Dunno about the tractors you speak of but but if you want to see folks hating on a tractor just buy, or even talk about an 8N Ford.
I'll probably get a few N haters on this post just for mentioning them.

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Watch It!!!!! Everyone know the mighty "N" is the bestest greatest almightyest workingest strongest toughest...est...est tractor ever made!!! :shock: lol.

I've owned a 1086 since I bought it new in 1978. It was my big horse till three years ago but it's also hauled tons of manure, ground tons of feed, cultivated many acres of row crops and traveled thousands of miles pulling wagons to town and back. Today it's a loader tractor and it pulls the planter and sometimes the sprayer.

I can't say it's the best tractor in the world, but it's been OK. That cab forward design does transfer front end bounce back to the operator a bit much. I've always nicknamed it my BRONCO because of that fact. Yesterday I had the loader off for a trip to town with this tractor and quickly found out how I'd forgotten how bouncy that front end is without any weight up there. It is a fairly decent loader tractor, not the best, just decent. The shift levers on the left and hydraulic levers on the right is nice for loader work, but I did have to extend the hydraulic levers 8 inches to make them more reachable. The short hood and forward cab does get you closer to the action when using a loader. Clunky shifting? Kind of clunky but manageable if you keep the shifting linkage up to snuff and don't let the clutch out while in neutral when you are between gears. Gear spacing is not all that good but again, manageable. Doors? Yes I've done some welding on the bottom hinges but I have been in and out of those doors a zillion times. Nothing lasts forever. Speaking of doors, I detest those doors bumping myy heels when i'm getting in the cab. I do like the service accessibility of the brakes and diff lock on the rare occasion they need service. There is no need to remove axle housings, just slide a wheel out end there it is. Getting in and out of the cab could be better, especially if I have spent an hour or so in the saddle and my body has stiffened up. Those steps are not old man friendly even with extensions.

Can't complain about the engine. The tranny has been worked on a couple of times. And then there's that TA. A person should not be required to perform special tricks to try to keep the TA from taking a dump! Enough said about that!

Other tractors have strengths and weaknesses too. This is just my observations on one particular tractor I do know something about.

Most of the complaints come from young pups that are climatized to the newer, "nicer" cabs where they just sit and listen to the radio............ :>)

Allan

Actually I've seen a lot of hate from the old guys too. We ran the %$#* out of them, and got a lot of hours out of them.

(quoted from post at 09:41:17 02/11/15) Most of the complaints come from young pups that are climatized to the newer, "nicer" cabs where they just sit and listen to the radio............ :&gt

Allan

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Or from "older dogs" that actually know that a "better ride more operator friendly" was available!!!!!!

Well, I'm an old Oliver fan. However I can spend a lot of time telling you about things Oliver could easily (and should) have done better, too.

I don't know much about IH but aren't those some of the models bringing record top dollars for good low hour machines right now ? Someone must really like them to do that.

Some guys bought these tractors and tried to make a bigger tractor out of them. 1086 was a big one. Buy it and then crank the pump up and wonder why they wouldn't hold up. They usually were putting out more from the factory than what was claimed to begin with. Put someone on an IH that doesn't have a clue on how to operate a TA and yes they will fail. With proper use they will last a long time. These tractors are now getting some age on them.
Rough riding, yes they can be. Slow down a little and they aren't that bad. They weren't designed to mow hay at ten miles an hour or faster as newer discbines will allow.
I never had a problem getting in and out of them or getting caught on the gearshift. They are a tractor you either love or hate. I think you can tell how I feel. JMHO

Brian I have never been too much of an IHC fan, but I would take an 856, 1086, 1066 over any 4430 any day of the week. I know there are problems with the shifters ( climbing over them to get into the tractor) on the 86 series but that is the only major complaint I hear about with a stock tractor. the older we get etc etc.

On our farm, we use our 1486 as the heavy tillage tractor, the 5088 does light tillage, the 1086 does the planting, and the old ugly 1066 thats been around for decades is now retired to the medium duty tillage, after being the heavy workhorse for 20+ years. Yes the cabs are harder to get in and out of, but we know how to work on the 66-88 series for the most part and don't have to have someone come plug into them with a laptop. They were not depreciated out or subsidized by the govt and were never owed on. That works for the farming operation. Dad started farming with JD's and IH, and he got rid of the JD's in the 80's and stuck with his IH's. Had a couple engine repairs, all of the shifting update kits have been installed, but they are very simple reliable tractors and they work well for us.
Ross

Well, actually, the Corvair was a decent car once you fixed the (deliberate?) defects that Garbage Motors would not....
I owned and worked on many of them. A fun car that got great fuel mileage, handled well, and was driver friendly.

as others have mentioned seems like the shifters and hyd were the biggest complaints and no they weren't ideal set ups. The 88 series came too late and CASE didn't keep any of the IH big tractor line.

The other problem with them and many others in that era was .. that era. seems like alot of stuff built in the 70's wasn't built well from stereo's to cars, trucks and tractors too. for the most part Didn't matter what color.

I grew up and remain on the orange machines but have been around a few IHs. I had a neighbor that had a 986 and I would help him from time to time. Never did get totally used to the clutch on that one, was very jumpy, he had it at the shop a few times to fix and didnt seem to get any better. But he was used to it and could run it just fine. That tractor did its job and helped him get the work done and what more could you ask for?

Everybody is different, that's why there are options for people. Work at a dealership for a while, you wouldn't believe how someone can have nothing but trouble with something to the point that they trade it in, just to have the new owner love the machine and never have any issues.

Jim

The jumpy clutch could be from mushy cab mounts. IH updated the cab mounts to try to remedy the problem and it did help a little. Still works best to have the engine idled down when letting the clutch out in a higher gear. I'll still get my 10 a jumpin once in awhile pushing snow when I'm too lazy to idle it back.

Time before last I was tractor shopping I drove a few, around the year '06. HATE the transmission in them. Took somebody along on the last one that had been around them his whole life, he rode along during a test, he said I shifted better than he did, and the last one I drove was the best shifting he had ever been in. That pretty much settled it there, wasn't going to get one. Too used to the 1855, found a 2-105, got that instead. This time shopping last year, didn't look at any '86 series. Not many to look at, up around $15k with 8000 hrs+, I'd look at '88 series first had there been a good one. I spent a day round baling with a 1466 some time ago, not pleasant, and they are around $12k. I don't know if shift kits help or not, but pretty much everything about the driveline I didn't like compared to about every other old tractor I've been on. Clutch engagement, lever locations, etc. etc. If good shape and cheap, I'd buy one as a secondary, but that's about it, a person could get used to and put up with it, but with every other tractor I drove, both old and new, I didn't have that feeling of needing to adjust like I do with those. I know they are reliable, easy to work on, etc., it's just personal preference.

I agree. The 86 series should have had the 88 series transmission. The old 4+2 transmission was completely out of date when the 86 series rolled off the line and was pretty long in tooth when it was in 66 series. Much less the 3+2 that was in the 1586 tractors. The saving grace was the transmissions and engines were pretty much bullet proof (but maybe not idiot proof).

For 37 plus years I heard how much better the other brands were from various customers. I always told those who asked that I could tell them a lot more things wrong with the IH tractors than they could because I was the one doing the repairs on them. When Case came on board, same thing, well I soon found out about their problems and inconveniences. Then I worked for Deere dealer for last four years. Even worked on them old two bangers. I learned a quite a lot about them in those four years. Sure they are a good machine over all. But don't tell me they don't have the exact same kind of production problems, goof ups, field changes. I don't buy it. Biggest difference I noticed was the green owners sucked it up, paid the bill and said, good tractor. The red guys were not so forgiving. It has changed a whole lot in the last few years though and they go through service managers like chocolate candy because of customers constant bickering about problems. It all boils down to what you like. I would never sell a red tractor to a died in the wool green guy or vise versa. Does not lead to happy customer. Now, as far as jumpy clutch on the IH 86 series, if you put the latest clutch linkage package on there it usually takes care of the problem if cab mounts are good. Original linkage attached to clutch housing was not good. When it comes to all the complaints about hydraulic levers etc. I think the Deere were the worst ones. Hard to feather a load with them. And unhandy for me. Really good money maker for shop repairing the scv though. Better quit.

I've never driven the 66 series much, but I put thousands of hours on a 1086 with an Elwood MFWD when I was a kid. Dad bought it in 1989 when he was looking for a cheap manure tanker tractor. It was the biggest tractor on the farm for 7 years. The other two tractors we had were a 1965 4020 and a 1977 4430. I would own a 1086 if you gave it to me, but I wouldn't enjoy it. I have not heard much hate rained down on the 66 series, but maybe you're more tuned-in to it versus me. Here's my list of dislikes on the 86 series -

1 They're rough riding. That is compared to tractors of the day, not todays tractors. You'll think you died and gone to heaven if you drove a 1977 4430 versus a 1086 all day.
2. They're horrible to get in and out of due to a terrible step and door arrangement.
3. They had a terrible, unsynchronized transmission with the shifter on the wrong side, and an "out" or "going out" TA.
4.That TA was a deadly outfit in the hills. I can't remember which way, but either engaged or disengaged was a recipe for disaster when trying to hold a load back while going down hill...
5. They were difficult to hook up due to the fuel tank being in the way. You HAD to open the back window and lean way out to see what you were doing back there.
6. The fuel tank cap was just about as unhandy as possible. May as well open the back window and fuel it from inside the cab.

It did have a few advantages. It ran a few more RPMs at full throttle, so it spent the summer on the blower, throwing feed up a 90 foot Harvestore. If you took the RH door off, it was more convenient to disengage and engage the blower versus a deere, too. Best place for it since no one wanted to drive it...

There's a fellow in Dane, WI that has an absolute love of everything IH. He has everything from F-12s all the way up to 5488s. He has 5 or 6 1066s, but NO 86 series tractors.

My neighbor used to be die hard IH as a kid in Dubuque, IA, he's now got a varied stable, but only one CASE IH - a 7140. He says often that the 86 series sold more John Deere 4440s than any John Deere salesperson ever did...

But hey, you obviously like them. They work for you and THAT is ALL that matters. I only responded to your post to explain why I don't like them. If you're happy in the seat, who cares what I think???

Well Brian, I am sure there are tractors out there that are more comfortable, easier to use, etc....but I like my 1586. None of these issues that folks complain about seem to amount to much to me. Try spending all day out on a Farmall M...but then I liked that too!

ahh yes, I loved my '64 Corvair Monza Spyder !!
(Got it new)

They were a average tractor at best if you factor in everything. I would take a JD or Case before a 86 series. If it wasn't for the engines being top of the line the 86 series would almost be at the bottom of the list. My interest in IH ends at the 56 series and in my opinion IH did not make a tractor worth its weight in scrap after the 56 series. If IH would have just stuck a nice cab on a 66 series I think that alone would get rid of most of the complaints about the 86 series.

My neighbor has a 1086 with 40,000 hrs.He bought it new and did custom plowing.Plowed all day and my brother n law plowed all night for several weeks.It did all the heavy tillage work up into the late 80's.Then it was his feed wagon tractor until just a couple of years ago when the new feed wagons got to big. Still gets used for bunk blowing and on the bale processor.Yes its been overhauled from one end to the other but all and all very reliable.That is a lot of hard hours.I would like to get a nice 986 or 1086. Stand your ground on these 86 series lots of them still out there.I would comment about the 30 and 50 series green but will save that for another time.

(quoted from post at 13:28:00 02/11/15) .......... The 88 series came too late and CASE didn't keep any of the IH big tractor line. .................

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Better take a closer look at those tractors stating with the Magnum series tractors. There are basically an updated 88 series IH drive train with a Cummins engine and newly styled sheet metal.

(quoted from post at 18:38:39 02/11/15).I would comment about the 30 and 50 series green but will save that for another time.

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I have just deleted my response to this comment. I regretted posting it as it did not apply to the original post on this topic, though I do not regret what I said. Feel free to start a new topic regarding "30-50 series green" tractors, and I'll post it there.

I was under the impression that the 86 series was primarily a nicer cab on the 66 series tractors. I agree, if the 86 series would have been introduced in 1971 instead of 1976 they would have been the nicest cab on the market.

Was IH already having financial problems in the early 1970's?

(quoted from post at 23:09:05 02/11/15) I agree, if the 86 series would have been introduced in 1971 instead of 1976 they would have been the nicest cab on the market.

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The cabs stunk in 1980, how would they have been better in 1971? They were too far forward and/or poorly isolated from the tractor. They had poor hitch visibility while backing, poor door and step design, shifters on the wrong side, etc. Everything about that cab said "rush job". I liked it when I didn't know any better. I tended to get that tractor as a kid - no one else wanted to drive it. Once I put a few hours on the 4430, it became obvious why!