86 series tractors

So, we have been pretty seriously looking for a larger tractor. We are up to 80 acres with more available if I can get the time. Years ago Hugh McKay recommended the 86 series tractors and I have done a fair amount of research and tend to agree that they would be what we are looking for. Been liking the idea of a 1086 but I keep finding 1486 and 1586 for less money even when they have the dual PTO option. On the 1086 I am getting a lot of confusing info regarding prices. Tractor House is the highest, of course, as they tend to be dealers reselling for profit. Craigslist is not far behind. I see what appear to be some nice units there but they are always well above what the ebay results show. Sold 1086 on ebay tend to run the lowest with prices in the $5500 to $8500 range for what "appear" to be nice units. Already own 9 tractors and I know the value of repairs that have already been done, etc. Just wondering what is a fair (eastern midwest) price for a good one in work clothes and ready to go to work.

My second question would be is there anything to watch out for on these larger tractors? This is more tractor than I have bought before. I have had my a$$ handed to me more than once on a tractor that appeared to be mechanically sound and the owner swore on his first born that it was field ready. Those were small tractors and the repairs were modest. The 1086 is likely a bit more pricey to repair and a lot bigger than what I currently wrangle. Just looking for some ideas and thoughts. My current main tractor is my SMTA and I feel like I live on the thing. I have fields I am renting out because I cannot get to them. Ready for shade, heat/AC and a seat with a back on it!

I've always known the 1486's to be weak in the rear end when pulled hard and the 1586 is missing a gear (3 speed vs. 4sp in the 9/10/1486) due to the larger planetary rear end. The 1586 is a horse but one gear is too slow and the next is too fast. The 1486 is the same as the 1086 with more hp hence the rear end problems.

I may be way off here and I'm sure somebody will correct me but that's what I've always understood, in my area anyways. Don't be afraid of a good 5288, not much more money then a 1086.

Casey in SD

Biggest thing to look out for are high hours and the turbos being turned up. It was real easy to turn up a 1086 and treat it like a 1586 and a lot of people did that. I've seen a lot of 1486s turned up to 180-190 hp - that's probably where people got the idea they had a "weak" transmission.

The other issue is these tractors came out just before and during the farm crisis of the 1980s - lot of maintenance was skipped trying to save money during that time frame.

Really nice ones will go more than your stated price range:

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/grd/3961009126.html


http://kansascity.craigslist.org/grd/3958037470.html


Heres one for $5800 but it needs a new clutch before you do anything.

http://quadcities.craigslist.org/grd/3918628548.html

The only thing I would add is that the 1586 with the three forward gears can tend to slip out of gear. Mine does, my neighbor"s doesn"t. And the 1586"s that I am familiar with only have a 1000 RPM pto. But other than that, the 1586 in my experience is just about indestructible.

I have a986 and I like it.

(quoted from post at 10:24:43 08/08/13) I've always known the 1486's to be weak in the rear end when pulled hard and the 1586 is missing a gear (3 speed vs. 4sp in the 9/10/1486) due to the larger planetary rear end. The 1586 is a horse but one gear is too slow and the next is too fast. The 1486 is the same as the 1086 with more hp hence the rear end problems.

I may be way off here and I'm sure somebody will correct me but that's what I've always understood, in my area anyways. Don't be afraid of a good 5288, not much more money then a 1086.

Casey in SD

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Just a small correction. The three speed versus four speed speed transmission really has nothing to do with the type of final drive.

The four speed transmission is shifted by sliding gears to get the different ratios. In the three speed transmission all the gears are constant mesh style and heavier than the four speed . The different speeds are accomplished by moving sliding shift collars.

At one time there was a company that provided a kit with a different speed transmission main shaft to allow a four speed transmission to be mated to the planetary final drives.

with 80 acres to farm a 1086 is a tad over kill in my book but each to his own . Yes a cab tractor would be nice but myself i just never fell inlove with the 86 series I find them hard to hook up to implement the ride is choppie over and 06-66 and working on them is a real pain.. Back when i was younger i farmed a lot more ground with a 450 D and twisted wrenches at a dealership five and half days a week.Then i decided to get a BIGGER tractor and bought a 706 , yep it was bigger in size but still pulled the same plow as the 450 did just a little faster . just wish i had never sold the 450 . I think back to my youth and remember how much ground my uncle worked with Crawlers and none of them were over 65 Hp. That was a more relaxing time then today.

Only advice I'd give is stay away from one setting on 20.8 rubber (more 1486's this way), that is where a lot of rearend trouble comes from.

I've had the 10 in the photo for years and it has been a good tractor.

Hey TV, appreciate the input! The issues here are that I may want to use some larger equipment (actually cheaper than the small stuff most of the time), need to get my hide out of the full sun, and need to be able to increase output on the fly without having to reinvent the wheel. It's a big jump but I think the business plan justifies it. I didn't need the SMTA to do that first 8 acre hayfield but I have never regretted the $4K for that good tractor over the $1K I could have put into an H or M. Made my life a lot easier the past 11 years. I get your point though.

Hugh, sales literature from the day list dual PTO as standard on the 1086 but not on the 14-1586 tractors. MANY of these last do have dual PTO, though, when I look at the sales ads. Optional, I guess.

One big thing it's how the tractor was taken care of and maintained. Does not matter if it is a 986,1086,1486 of 1586. Back when those tractors were the big tractors, lots farmers that had a 986 added a turbo and 1086 had it turned up to around 150hp instead of buying a 1486 and cranking 1486's up to 190 hp instead of buying a 190 hp tractor. I still own a 1486 that does not see too much field work today, does most of the bush hogging. Its one of the best tractors I have owned and it sits on 20.8 x 38 rubber with duals, no fluid and as far as I know the transmission is in good shape. Finding a good tractor no matter what size depends on finding an honest seller. A auction and dealer is a crap shoot. My neighbor use to saying about buying a tractor to big is it's easier for a man to do a boys job than a boy doing a mans job.

Thanks Dan, I appreciate the input and links. The first tractor looks pretty nice but I would want to know who gave it the once over, dealer or owner, but that is definitely a person I would talk to if he were a little bit closer. Tractor number two, even with the loader and taking into account the poor rubber I think will sit there for a while. No comment on No 3. When I was looking for a 300U I found Craigs ads to be double or more what similar were selling for at auction. I see the same thing on the 86 series. Frankly it is confusing as all get out.

I agree with absolutely everything you just said! The only truly honest tractor seller I have run into was the man who sold me the SMTA. He had notebooks of records, walked me through the whole tractor, made me drive it up and down public roads in road gear with him (in his advanced years)standing on the drawbar pointing out everything, good and bad, about the tractor. Showed me every leak and gave me an opinion on it. When I suggested he knock a little off the price he told me he would give it to his church first. Ticked me off so bad I drove 4 hrs home and sulked for a month before I sent a trucker over for the tractor and paid his price. ELEVEN YEARS LATER i have changed oil and greased it. Not one other thing have I done to it and it starts 365 days a year on 2-3 cranks and handles all my hay for me. If that guy called me tomorrow and told me he had a 1086 for sale I doubt I would blink an eye at his price.

(quoted from post at 20:48:32 08/08/13) Hugh, sales literature from the day list dual PTO as standard on the 1086 but not on the 14-1586 tractors. MANY of these last do have dual PTO, though, when I look at the sales ads. Optional, I guess.

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Neither the 1486 or 1586 were available from the factory with a dual speed PTO. I worked at two different dealerships during the time the 86 series tractors were built. I don't think either dealership ordered any 1486 tractors with a PTO. The tractors came without PTO units and we installed PTO kits for 1086 tractors in them to be able to sell them with a dual speed PTO.

Only thing I will add is I would not want the later 1086 with the pfc hydraulics. I have had way too much bad experience with them. Changed a few to gear pump but that does not make them a true open center system although a reliability improvement.

If there are several sets of weights and fluid in the tires, plus the decal and paint burnt off of the the right side of the hood..... Run away!!!

well that covers about all of them. As even bone stock ones will have the paint burnt off the turbo side . And myself i have NEVER run into one that did NOT have fluid in the tires and atleast two sets of weights and a full rack on the nose . Your buying a USED tractor that has had extensive field testing . And yes 99% of them were tweaked . When they were new they were DOGS and they got turned up . Oh wait i have never meet a farmer that ever told me his tractor had enough power or a car nut tell me that his car was fast enough, it has been for the 50 plus year i have twisted wrenches CAN YOU GET ME JUST A BIT MORE OUT OF HER. And yes when you tweak them your going to find the weak link . Yes they do take out the cross in the rear ends at times BUT that is due to operator . The killer there is pulling large equipment and coming to the end of the field and making a hard turn with the implement still in the ground and STANDING on the brake to make the turn . This factor and the way the rear was designed is a death sentence to the cross and spider gears , there are no bellvieu washers in there like MOST diff.'s have and they set up out of the oil and have to relie on the little lube that is suppose to get sprayed in. Been telling my buddy not to make them had turns while the disc is in the ground for years but he knows best and knows how to drive tractors (so he thinks) . And now for several years he has been asking me why there is all this metal shavings in the hyd. filter are coming from . My answer was you are going to get a EDUCATION one of these days and he just kept doing the same thing over and over again . Well this spring them little metal fakes end up teaching him when the 1066 stopped moving . When i got it tore down and opened up the carrier he got to see first hand and i got well why did this happen , Well you never want to listen about NOT TURING UNDER POWER with the implement still in the ground and STANDING on the brake . NOW if you want to slow this down then you can have the rear needle bearinged like they do on pulling tractors or use a little common sense . Oh wait the latter has left most people . Today it is hurry hurry .