why do '86 series IH's get such a bad rap?

In my search I have tried many. Granted the shifting takes some patience, and experience. But I have to say, the cabs seem nice, good air flow, cold a/c, roomy. Throttle and t/a on the dash is a little inconvienient compared to neweer tractor with everything on the right console, but it isnt that bad. They seem to have great engines and plenty of weight to pull. So why are they so bad? The doors arent anything I personally cant deal with.

They don't have a bad "rap". Whoever told you that?

Allan

I hear it quite often. I like them.

Rear ends aren't the best, last winter I had to replace a differential in a 1486.

there were a bunch of them around here back inthe day. The people that had issues with them had them turned way up. If IH had not put engines in them that were capable of so much more HP with so little effort, they wouldn't have had rear end issues. People tried to do the work of a 250 hp tractor with one that was designed for 125 to 150 hp.The guys that left them alone are still using them today.

I've never owned an 86 series, but I've rented a couple and liked them.

I have heard of rear end failures, but maybe people turn the pump up too far?

Been runnin 86 series since 1979.

Put four girls through college, paid for 4 weddings and still making a living with them.

Spent 10 hours in them today.

Put about 400 hours a year on them.

Maybe I just don't know any better. I do have a MX200 but the son in laws run it more than I do.

Gary

Looking at a 1086 tomorrow that may replace the 1206. 1200 hours on new long block, 1000 hours on t/a and rearend. Pretty darned clean tractor with 7000 hours on the tracotr. New pto too. the 986 deal fell through, but that may be for the better.

I believe there is supposed to be a kit to help the shifting.

I never heard that? I read that there are 1086s still working all over the world. I'd love to have one, but I dont need something that big for haying! Lol

Last fall i was at an estate farm auction that had a 986 with cab and 4500 original hours.They were at 4950 and couldn't get any more bids.I bid once at 5000 and got it.I put it on craigslist for 9000 and sold it the next day.So,I like them pretty well.

There is a 986 down the road we rent from time to time, and it's a pretty good tractor. It's only fault is that it sits way too much during the year so the shifting is stiff because of lack of use. Same with PTO. We ussually rent it to run a bagger in the fall, and when it went 2 years between us renting it, they put on less than 10 hours. We rented it and put 25 hours on in 3 days. We get it for a good price, and if our 1855 goes down it can run the chopper just as well.

I'm just not as fond of the way it's set up. To me the 1855 is much more comfortable to operate.

Donovan from Wisconsin

They aren't a BAD tractor. IH made a big change all at once in that model and the IH guys were used to the 06, 56, and 66 series. The cab was set ahead, many say they ride rough. The doors were "backwards". The shifting was on the left side, what hand steered? By the time they came along I was in the 30 series Deere ready for the 40 series. I had the smaller IH left side shifting utilities and liked them. I, personally don't like the 86 series but I was used to the right side console by the time the 86 series were out because I didn't like the cabs on the 66 series.....James

My BIL has been running a 1586 for over 10 years and likes it, no major problems and a good freind has 2 1586s, one 1486, 1086 and 986 so he likes em pretty good too.

Rick

Dave I have a 1086 that I bought new and have put 16000 hours on. It has required some wrenching on occasion but what high hour tractor hasn't. The shifting does require some getting used to but it's entirely maneagable. Doors? Well, they could have done something better but the doors on mine stillwork just fine though they are a little bit of a pain in the wind. The rest of it isn't all that bad. For a loader tractor it's really nice to have two doors. The ride is rougher because of the foreward mounted cab, I can't deny that but it's not THAT bad. Like any other tractor, they need some TLC to keep them in good shape. If you take care of it, it'll take care of you. I don't plan to get rid of mine for a long time yet, and I even lean toward the green ones. Jim

they dont have bad rap? i am a jd guy and lived on a 1586 for 3 years. very good tractor,never left me walking.

Just brought one home last night, whoever engineered that door didn"t have to get in and out much.

(quoted from post at 18:27:01 04/12/12) Just brought one home last night, whoever engineered that door didn"t have to get in and out much.

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I agree on the backwards door I also didn't like hyd remote control handles so low to the floorboard and hard gear shifting. But it's all in what one gets used to.

Nothing run with them. A little different from the earlier IH lines and some people completely dislike left hand controls. The door could have been better thought out but I'll take an 86 series cab over a 66, 56, or 06 factory or aftermarket cab. I'm thinking about buying a 1086 at some point as they are excellent value for the cost.

Looked at a 886 once. It was a low hour trade in at a Deere dealership, so I'm guessing someone didnt like it much. I drove it around the dealers lot some, the thing I didnt like was it was difficult to see the drawbar when backing up like hitching up to something. Ended up I found a nice 4020 for a lot less money.

There are still several 9 and 1086s around here running. All of the 14 and 1586s have been sold off or scrapped. Almost every one of them that I know about had trans or rearend problems. Only 3 of them had the fuel turned up any. The controls to me are nowhere close to operator friendly. But thats just me and I'm used to a deere and most everything being on the right side. Just my two cents.

I've heard some uniformed people bash on them - usually it's IH guys who's biggest tractor was a Super A or a 706.


The 86 series were pretty good tractors but were dated when they were built. They should have had the 50/30 series transmission to compete with John Deere but they still had the 66 series transmission - out of date for even the mid 1970s. They are fairly tough machines (we've had 886 and 1486 models that had well over 20K hours on them).

The biggest problem they have is that they came out just as the farm crisis went into full bloom in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were bought by the guys that were expanding and then got the **** worked out of them as money got extremely tight - especially for the guys that were "going big". Some maintence was skipped in attempt to save money. While its not uncommon to find 06, 56, and some 66 series tractors with low hours it seems all the 86 series have lots of hours and lots of hard work put on them.

Still a bunch of them around here, mostly 1086's. There are some good low houred ones left. My 886 I bought 3 years ago only had a little over 3K hours on it.

I'd say it's the opposite around here. Those that have the '86 series tractors love them and won't part with them.

There's a few things, especially in the cab, that I always wonder in my head why IH ever would have paid someone who designed things that way.

The doors: not really bad at all if you're in dirt, but takes some getting used to. Can be really bad if you've recently driven in manure or mud and especially if you have big rubber.

LH shifting: not bad at all. Putting park at the bottom and having shift levers (on the earlier tractors) that are almost impossible to climb over/around wasn't the brightest idea. Almost defeats the purpose of having two doors.

Dad's 1086's seat beats the heck out of me going down the road, even a fairly smooth one. Could be the seat position, could be the suspension, could be both. After hitting a bump, it sometimes feels if I'm going to be catapulted through the roof.

Rear visiblility when hitching an implement to the drawbar is poor.

Cab air filter is right above fuel cap. Don't so much as bump the cab if the filter has any dirt in it while fueling up, as some will end up in the fuel tank.

The cab is quiet and clean. AC is nice. Large fuel tank keeps the tractor in the field longer. The rest of the controls and instruments are decent and fairly well located. Solid tractors with a solid design, just don't try to add 50 hp. to each model. Hydraulic system was changed during the series run.

FWIW, my current newest tractor is a 460-U, but I probably have somewhere in the ballpark of 8-10000 hrs. of seat time between 06/56 series tractors and the 1086. I'd say there is nothing really all that special about 86-series tractors, but they don't deserve a "bad rap" either.

AG