What to look for when buying a 656 Diesel

I need a general purpose tractor for various small acreage work. I am thinking the 656 would be sized right for me. I want the diesel model. There are several for sale within decent driving range from me and I want to know what things I should be paying particular attention to when test driving them. I would appreciate any and all feedback relating to questions to ask the owner as well as things to test or look at when I go to look at these tractors.

656 D with a D-282 . (1) glow plugs, (2) water in the oil, (3) Oil in the water (4) Diesel fuel in the oil, (5) how easy does it shift?? IF you have to tug and jerk to get it out of gear when you are on a slight incline or on the flat. (6) T/A low side not working , to test run tractor in forth gear wide open with the T/A in the highside and both brake pedals locked together and start loading the tractor with the brakes (keep your left foot ready to shove the clutch down if when you pull the T/A back when then engine is being pulled down and you make the shift to the low side it plum stops as sometimes the T/A will grab after it slips . Drag her down to about 13-1400 RPM before you pull the lever . If it takes hold with out slipping then it is ok FOR NOW . Check the Hyd.'s and the PTO . The rest you can see Also look for any excess blow by or white smoke any missing of the engine as on that engine they will throw some white gray smoke on cold start up for a little while . On a cold morning ya have to glow plug them for a min . or more and even after engine start holding the glow plugs till she is running smooth my be required . If it does not clear up then she is in need of work. Myself i am NOT a big fan of the D282 . For hobby farming and light work i prefer the gasser . Yea they use gas yea ya need to buy the high test . BUT they start in ALL weather they are less costly to work on and they get the job done . Once a year a set of plugs and points and you can buy a lot of plugs and points to the cost of a pump rebuild , one oil flier NO fuel filters . Even IF you were going to plow disk and plant say twenty acres myself i would still go gas over the 282. And i can work on either.

Excellent reply! Just what I waned to know. Thanks tractor vet!

We had the 656D and we were well pleased with it. I agree that the D is more expensive to work on but they take a lot less work. We were in the deep south and I never recall having to use the glow plugs like we did on a WD-40 or some of the other D's anytime the temperature dropped below 45. It would start right up in temperatures down to freezing. The only trouble we ever had was that the low end of the TA did go out. We used the low TA on every end for turning but almost never for direct pulling (to try to save the clutch, HA!). I would have to say it was my favorite of all that I have ever operated. It had the power to pull three 16 flip bottoms in high third or a 12-foot harrow with ease. The lift would handle a 6' roll of hay with no complaints. It did not even know a 4-row cultivator was back there even in high 4th. I assume the gaser would also do all these things . . . but we had a diesel.

Well ya had to use the glow plugs just like us Yankee's do even when it warmed up up here to 95 ya had to glow plug them same as the 504' 460, 560 Ya'll just did not have to build a callus on your fingers to hold them as long as we did. even at 90-95 degrees ya had to hold them for up to 30 seconds. and when the batterys got a little old by the time you got them heated up they would not crank fast enough to light them . Thank god for our hills .

Agreed. Every D282 we ever owned needed the glow plugs to start - even when you had them plugged in to warm up the block.

Overheating.

Allan

Grandpa bought an brand new 656 gasser in 1966. It was used heavily for field work until 1979 when the second 886 was purchased at the farm. My cousin still uses this tractor on a daily basis (manure spreader, auger, hay wagons, etc). As far as working on it very easy and straightforward almost like a lawnmower. Keep the oil changed and the engine tuned up it will run forever.

yrs ago, dad had a 560 diesel, it was one of those that would fire up cold with glow plugs. lol. then got a 656 gas, 263 was wore out, took it out to 301. powerful, but a handy, agile tractor. id look at a gas.

I have a 1967 Farmall 656 wide front gas tractor along with a couple slightly smaller diesel tractors for my main work tractors. I got the gas model for reasons previously posted as it is my "go too" year around used tractor for a lot of jobs here on this 400 acre Missouri farm. The operator's station is by far the best one of any of my tractors as there is nothing to bang and bruise your legs on even if you tried with the TA and gear shift mounted up on the rear engine/fuel tank cowling. I haven't done any "dirt work" with my 656 but I'm sure it would certainly handle it. It is my choice baler tractor as it sets up high above most of the dirt and dust from the baler operation. Being gas it is available to use year around while still being capable of doing anything. I use the high octane fuel as noted by Tractor Vet along with the CaseIH low ash motor oil.
You might find the gas model more suitable for your needs on your small acreage as it doesn't sound like you have enough use to really let it snort and keep cleaned out which a diesel needs on occasion, Hal.