[Farmall] IH Hydro tractors (was Re: Some ads from the 8/11 Lancaster Farming (Mike Sloane)

[Greg Hass]

We had a IH 656 hydro once; bought it new. Bought it with a loader figuring 
no clutch to burn out. After about a year and a half, everything on it quit 
except the engine. Turns out everything is driven off the flywheel by a 
splined hub connected to the flywheel with 4- 5/16 bolts going through four 
strips of metal not much thicker than roofing steel and metal fatigue had 
broken the metal strips off. Cost more to fix than a new clutch. We traded 
it after three years mainly because we could not afford to feed it. We had 
it tested and under full load it used 7 gal. per hour; 1 1/2 gal. per hr. 
at a dead idle.  The hydro's were not very efficient under full load. The 
gear drive 656 engine ran at 1800 rpm.  In order to compensate for the 
inefficiency, the hydro had the same engine but it turned at 2400 rpm using 
extra fuel. On any given drawbar job, any other tractor we had (at that 
time they were all gas engines) would do the same job on half the fuel. I 
will agree that on a pto job such as baling, cutting hay or chopping corn, 
the hydro was great with its ability to go at any speed. Perhaps we would 
have been happier had it been a diesel, I don't know. I understand that the 
IH hydros are still  in demand in some of the vegatable areas to run 
harvesters that need a constant pto speed but need to vary their speed 
greatly. Many machines today use hydros, but from lawnmowers to 
self-propelled combines, most of these are machines where 75% of their hp 
goes directly to the machine and only 25% to the wheels.  This is not to 
say that hydros are not strong.  I have seen my cousins self-propelled 
chopper pull a loaded stuck semi-truck out of the mud. On the other hand I 
have seen this same chopper when equipped with rice tires and working in 
foot deep mud have the hydro get so hot it would just quit until given time 
to cool down. I still believe hydros are a great thing, but they do have 
their limits. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.
Greg Hass
  Michigan