What do you think of an international 1066

R Thiesen · Oct 28, 2015

I'm in the market for a vintage style parade tractor with apx 100 hp. I will also be using it to run a Vicon conditioner mower for only 10 acres of grass.
Question 1
It was suggested a 986 or a 886 is very good tractor. Is a 1066 similar?
The 1066 I'm looking at has been used every day for the last 3 months, mostly spreading manure. The dairy farmer using it was considering buying it but is going to pass on the deal for a couple reasons. The power shift is not working and the tractor has a growling sound at higher speed. Aside from some blow by most everything works. Tractor shows 4800 hours and looks like it could be true. Starts and runs very nice and sheet metal is perfect.
Question 2
Could I buy this tractor without fixing the power shift and use it for my light work or is it a sign of future issues no matter how much work I give it?

NY 986 · Oct 28, 2015

Good tractor but subject to wear, tear, and lack of care as is any tractor around 40 years old.

tractorguy2 · Oct 28, 2015

1066 was a good tractor. I do not think IH ever made a power shift 66 series. I'm guessing, What the owner is calling a power
shift is the TA. You can use it just fine without the TA working. With less than 5000 hrs. It shouldn't have blow by. Must not
have had very good mantaince.

gbs · Oct 28, 2015

they are good tractors but unless you know what's wrong with the TA and sure the growling gear noise is just normal gear whine you may want to pass on that one

fastfarmall · Oct 28, 2015

Yes Pass

Bruce from Can. · Oct 29, 2015

I have a 966 , which is the same tractor as a 1066. But the 1066 has a turbo , and this hives the tractor
another 20 HP. This tractor has HI and LOW range with Four gears forward in each . Also four revers gears.
The power shift you speak of is a Torque Amplifier ,or TA , you can shift between HI and LOW TA at any time
without clutching to reduce the speed /speed up the tractor by about 1/2 mile per hour. Very handy when
chopping corn, etc. There is no syncro in this tranny. For cutting 10 acres of hay , and doing some parades,
, I couldn't see why this tractor wouldn't work for you. The price of buying the tractor for this limited
use would stop me more than the unknowen things you speak of . You are talking about maybe four hours of hay
cutting , and six to ten hours of idling through a parade each year, not a heavy work load. I would say if
the price is right for you , and you want it , buy it . You can get the TA fixed if you want, if you don't
fix it you still have a tractor with 8 forward gears, and very little work to do . Bruce

Kent Petersen · Oct 29, 2015

I am sure you could spend many thousands on the trans and tork i"d pass on it

rockyridgefarm · Oct 29, 2015

As a tractor, an open station 1066 is a good unit. You don't want one with a cab, though. It's getting to be a collectible model. I know a guy who has 6 or 7 of them, each one nicer than the last. Much better than any 86 series. The 86 series and its horrible cab was another nail in the coffin of IH. We had a 1086 on the farm. It spent most of its time on the silage blower because no one wanted to drive it. If you want an IH with a decent cab, you're gonna need to get an 88 series.

GeneMO · Oct 29, 2015

When we decided to downsize our operation due to health reasons, we had a 766 and a 706 with the German diesel.

We were going to keep one. Guess which one we kept?

We were not big fans of the 766. I always thought that this series of tractor was designed with them knowing that John Deere had passed them by and they were trying to catch up.

Their cab was almost an "afterthought". The steering on ours was crap and had to be rebuilt. The rings in the engine never seated and it was using a gallon of oil a day, while under warranty. They rebuilt the engine with 360 hours on it. We went on to keep it 20 some years, but finally sent it packing in favor of an older, smaller, but great 706.

Gene

RGMartin · Oct 29, 2015

(quoted from post at 22:14:10 10/28/15) 1066 was a good tractor. I do not think IH ever made a power shift 66 series. I'm guessing, What the owner is calling a power
shift is the TA. You can use it just fine without the TA working. With less than 5000 hrs. It shouldn't have blow by. Must not
have had very good mantaince.

Could be a 1066 hydro.

dhermesc · Oct 29, 2015

No. When the TA on a 1066 goes out usually it takes the "TA" and "nonTA" sides with it, meaning the tractor won't move. Its not like the mechanical TA on the smaller tractors that the "TA" side goes out and usually the "nonTA" keeps working - in some cases for decades.

I would advise against buying one with a known TA problem without knowing what the problem is - unless the tractor is almost free. If you have to hire it done replacing the TA in 1066 can be some real serious money.

What do you think of an international 1066

R Thiesen

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NY 986

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tractorguy2

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gbs

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fastfarmall

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Bruce from Can.

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Kent Petersen

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rockyridgefarm

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GeneMO

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RGMartin

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dhermesc

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