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Just Bought 1964 Farmall 706, needs some things

M

Marie in California

New User
Hi,

I just bought a '64 IH Farmall 706, and boy is it a big brute! Has some problems though, that I must take care of before using for much. First, it has no fenders. Gotta find some and get them put on for me. Next, it takes a bit to get it into gear and keep in gear--have to fiddle around and find the sweet spot, then it goes into gear. It has plenty of power when I let out the clutch and it moves forward strong and willingly. But it will pop out of gear if I hit a bump or rough ground--the shift lever (hi/low) is what seems to float out of gear, or is caused to float out of gear. Had the clutch tested, and it's fine, so I'm expecting that the gears are just worn down to nubbins. Is this a hard and/or expensive fix?

Lastly--*what* is that lever on the left side of the steering wheel on the body of the tractor? It goes forward, it goes back. I can't figger out what it does. What DOES it do? I've got just about everything else figgered out.

Thanks for any and all help or feedback. It's a one woman operation here and I've got a feeling I'm going to need all of the help I can get....
 
the lever on the left side is called a torque amplifier. it is like a direct drive when it is pushed forward and an underdrive when pulled back. i think that it makes about a 1/2 mph difference in speed. good tractor the 706, i started farming with that and i'm trying to buy it back from the dealer that i traded it off to. no luck so far.
 
I fell in love with this tractor the moment I set eyes on it! My first (and only tractor) was an old David Brown 60hp, don't remember the model. It had its quirks, but was pretty reliable for the most part. This 706 seems twice the size and the engine sounds like brand new--starts first time every time, purrs in idle, roars like a lion when ya feed it the diesel and doesn't smoke a bit, unlike my old DB whose pistons rattled and smoke bellowed out the exhaust on startup and until it warmed up.

So that lever is some sort of direct drive thingie? I've run it both ways and it doesn't seem to roll any faster--1/2 a mile an hour just isn't too detectable. Why bother using the function at all?

Thanks for posting. Hope you find another 706--though if this one is too much for me to fix, it might end up on the market sooner than later....
 
the torque amplifier on a 706 is the same unit as used from that tractor all the way up to the 86 series. it is a two-speed transmission controlled by hydraulic clutches right in the front end of the speed transmission (the 1-2-3-4). you shift "on the fly" (no clutch needed-even under load). extremely handy feature. forward is direct drive and back is, i think, approx 1/3 reduction in gear ratio. if you can't tell that it does anything, something doesn't work. it should be a very noticeable change in speed. tough to diagnose remotely- could be as simple as the linkage is disconnected or out of adjustment, or there could be big problems with the ta unit itself.

i wouldn't necessarily jump to the conclusion that your transmission problem is worn gears. they can take a lot of use & abuse, but the shift linkage is much more trouble-prone. sounds like something isn't right in the moving parts on the underside of the transmission cover. i'm sure someone else on this board has more experience in that particular problem.
 
See, I haven"t tried using that lever while underway, but before moving forward, and that not very fast due to my paranoia of no fenders over those monstrous rear wheels. So I don"t know if it doesn"t work or does. When you say "shift on the fly," do you mean the torque amplifier lever on the left or the dual-lever set on the right for High/Low and 1,2,3,4? Not that I"m even going to try 2,3,or 4 in High before fenders--the seat bucks over rough ground, and I"ve got a lot of rough ground that I don"t want to meet my maker on. Not just yet, anyways. *LOL*
 
(reply to post at 21:29:13 06/17/10)
Click to expand...

The torque amplifier (lever on left) is to change speed on the go, without using the clutch, to compensate for a heavier load. If you are pulling a tillage implement that starts to lug the tractor down, snap that lever back and it shifts to a lower speed for more lugging power. You can also use it on other implements, baler, swather, etc. if you get into a heavier load situation. [u:fb5dfbcf65]Do not move that lever slowly[/u:fb5dfbcf65]... if you are going to shift, snap it in and out quickly. Do not use the TA to slow the tractor down for braking.... it "free-wheels" in low TA, for example slowing it going downhill with a wagon load behind you... it will push you faster.
 
The gears are NOT "worn down to nubbins."

Your problem is that the springs on the shift detents are broken. There's a cam mechanism in the transmission that holds the tractor in gear, which uses a spring to hold the gear shift in place. If the gear lever "floats" and doesn't "snap" into place, that is your problem.

This requires removing the platform and pulling the range cover, which is located about where you keep your feet. It's not a huge job but if you're not mechanically inclined, you may want to seek local assistance.
 
The 705 and other IH/Farmalls with a hydraulic controlled TA do not free wheel when operating correctly. If broken they might, but it is a different animal than SMTA 300 350 400 450 and other mechanical TAs Jim
 
Right on. I think you found the problem! Guess I'm going to have to get a manual so I can see what it is that I have to replace. I'm somewhat mechanically inclined--just hate getting greasy is all.

Thank you so much for your insight and expertise!
 
Thank you for the sage advice and explanation of what the TA is used for. Luckily, I'm on flatland, but I'll remember the advice for downhill. I expect I'll be using a baler and a rake for hay and the 3pt blade for grading my road in. I'd like to get a front loader--that would be the penultimate accessory for this tractor. And a post hole digger. And a set of gang discs, harrow and ring roller. I had almost all of these things (sans the front loader) for my old David Brown, but they all sold with the tractor when I let it go. Dumb, dumb, dumb...I haven't stopped kicking myself for it for 10 years....that's how long it's been since I last had a tractor.
 
The older TAs are the ones I am familiar with, so I didn't know when they changed to hydraulic. I have run a 350, 450, 460, 460U and 560 and they would freewheel on the low side. I did drive a 1456 for some hydraulic tests at work, but not in the field or to use the TA.
 
706 has a hydraulic TA. It should NOT freewheel on downhills, if installed and functioning properly.
 
The TA is for shifting on the fly.

the H-L-N-R and 1-2-3-4 are both designed to be shifted only when at a complete stop. They are your standard sliding gear, non synchronized transmission.
 
i think they got you pointed in the right direction. Your shifting is hard because your dump valve for your TA is problay out of adjustment. It's located on the valve block where you got to set on. When you push your clutch in it should pull this valve. you need set it where your ta just dumps after the main clutch does.

Put you tractor on a slight slope, push the clutch it. It will only roll backwards when you push the clutch far enough to dump the TA, You need to adjust it till it will engage the dump valve sooner until it rolls back but not too soon. Because you will be engage the TA before the main clutch.

It's something you need to know to but almost need a lesson by someone.
 
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