inh 230 swather

Hi
Just bought a IHC 230 self propelled swather. Cannot find any info on it anywhere. I have to drive this thing home next week. This one is 12 feet wide. Not sure of the engine and the drive systems. Plan on using it as a mower.

would appreciate any info you have for me.

thanks
george

I have a 175, an older model, which has cut LOTS of acres in it's time!

GOOGLING "IH 230 windrower" brings up MANY manuals for sale.

Your CIH dealer can probably get you a manual, or give BinderBooks a call @ 503-682-9328.

Thanks have been googling swather. not many hits.

I have to drive this thing home in the next week. Getting a manual in this time frame maybe unrealistic.

george

The older 175 was very similar, IIRC, except for the engine and final drives. I had a manual for mine, but lost it in a shop fire back in 1983 and never got another copy.

Any specific questions I could perhaps help you with from memory 'til you get a manual?

BTW, you can view or print out what you need from the PARTS manual at the link below:
CIH parts

They are easy to drive IF the clutches etc. work properly. almost like a dixon lawnmower or a skid steer.
simple instructions:
left tall pedal is clutch pedal, in is neutral, out is go. you lock it in anytime you are not in motion. Don't trust locked position for dismounting or starting from the ground (especially first start of season or an unfamiliar machine)
two tall levers in center of deck are for steering, see below.
right tall pedal is brake, it is supposed to stop both wheels equally like on a car.
there are 2 pedals grouped together next to brake, they are your header control pedals. the one with the most wear will be the header lift, the other is reel lift. heel will raise, toe will lower. header pedal has a float position if you toe it hard to the detent.
right side of seat long lever is variable speed, back is slow, forward is fast. move it with engine running. Throttle and ignition controls are on the panel on the right. front push/pull switch is ignition. choke is usually behind seat on hood, used machines usually require you to activate choke on carburetor due to corrosion.
cutter drive is tall lever on left of seat. forward is engaged, back is not. engage at idle, lock it in place and throttle up.
make sure fluids are full and grease sickle drive head and actuator (drive lever) daily, 2x a day if cutting sunup to sundown.

to drive, let clutch out and machine will move forward. to steer, pull left lever to steer left and right to steer right. a mild pull will be a mild turn, a harder pull will be a braked turn, and a really good pull will reverse that wheel and whip you around before you know what happened--good for u turns at end of pass once you get hang of.
to back up, pull both levers back at same time to the reverse position. there is also a neutral just before the reverse that comes in handy. some are really predictable operators and others need some attention and won't behave properly.
practice driving in an open area with no obstacles at low throttle and slow drive speed until you are familiar with it.
beyond that, get the manual. Simple but lots of little things and mechanical parts

good luck
karl f