Farmall 706 Opinions?

Seriously looking at a Farmall 706 Diesel. It has a wide front, 3 point hitch, and a factory fully enclosed IH cab.

Guy says that it fires right up, runs and drives great, and is ready to go to work. Tractor data says that they are boasting 85 horse? True?

It is a couple hours away, and visually it looks like the tractor has had a hard life. VERY dirty, and paint is pretty bad. Nice tires all around though, and I don't really see anything broken?? I am shocked that all of the cab glass is still intact just fine! Other than the left side door not being on it, but I would guess they have it somewhere.

Anyone run one of these? Good tractors? Good on fuel? Easy to work on? Thoughts!? Thanks!! Bryce

I've had three tractors that have made me want to put a gun in my mouth,and a 706 diesel was one of them. Hardest starting diesel I ever owned. The TA should have only given me fits in the under drive position,but when running the round baler I never knew when the tractor would start to move alright when I'd let the clutch out. Way too often,it would hesitate for a second or two,then the front end would jump about two feet off the ground,and that was in direct drive. I broke a shift fork in it one time and had to get in to that. There was just no end to the trouble I had with that thing. Mercifully,I guess I gave it too much ether onetime,broke a sleeve and a piston slapped through the block. It ended up as a parts donor in the bone yard where it belonged.

Imo. Run away. Neighbors had one. And i. Used it. A few times. Hard to start even in hotsummer. Temps shift. Linkage. Was. A weak. Point. Operatorcomfort was. The best felt iwas reaching and stretching for. Everything. And sure liked its. Fuel . Think You Willbe far better off with an 870. 970 . Or 90. Series case.

(quoted from post at 07:29:20 04/02/17) Seriously looking at a Farmall 706 Diesel. It has a wide front, 3 point hitch, and a factory fully enclosed IH cab.

Guy says that it fires right up, runs and drives great, and is ready to go to work. Tractor data says that they are boasting 85 horse? True?

It is a couple hours away, and visually it looks like the tractor has had a hard life. VERY dirty, and paint is pretty bad. Nice tires all around though, and I don't really see anything broken?? I am shocked that all of the cab glass is still intact just fine! Other than the left side door not being on it, but I would guess they have it somewhere.

Anyone run one of these? Good tractors? Good on fuel? Easy to work on? Thoughts!? Thanks!! Bryce

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If the price is right, go for it. Used to bunches of 706s around here. I think the horsepower rating is more in line with about 70 though. The 806 would be around 80.

Early 706's had 560 style engines (D-282?), very late 706's had 756 engines (D-310 German diesel?), big difference between those engine's performance and the cost to overhaul them. Three point hitch and IH cab sounds like a late model. Some farmers updated the poor 706 shifters to 756 shifters. Ask on the Farmall forum or search the Farmall archives. Nebraska Tractor Test #856 for the early 706 diesel and test #955 for the late one.

Are you buying to use it or to fix it and sell it?

Have all red tractors here and never had that happen. Sounds like it wasn't adjusted correctly or it was on it's way out. If the adjustments are all in order they shift just fine.

If it has the 282, and the glow plugs are in good working order, it should start just fine, unless it is totally whipped. Then it will be a hard starter like any other diesel in that shape.The glow plugs have to be run on them no matter what the temp is. Just the way they are. An extra 30 seconds to run glow plugs doesn't affect my day. Those motors shouldn't have ether used on them. Also they should be warmed up before working hard, and then be allowed to cool down before shut off. Less chance of cracking a head.

They also can have the German 310 in them. I have a friend that has one and seems to get along with it. Both are good motors, Just like anything else, they need to be maintained and they are fine. I think both motors are close to 72hp give or take a little.

I have had 706's for over twenty years and have never had any significant problems with them at all. It all boils down to the same thing, a lot depends on how it was maintained and used in the past and how you will treat it. Buy a beat tractor no matter the brand, it will cause you aggravation. People on here tend to run down brands and models that aren't their preference, looking for any fault to condemn them. All controls are easily accessible within hands reach and are laid out logically. Some people who aren't mechanically inclined or intimidated by what they don't understand might have issues doing work on these, but 706's are pretty easy to maintain and repair. If it's mechanically sound it's a decent tractor, just paint it up and you are good to go.

Well lets see here ya got two Negatives on a 706 . Myself i like them and i have worked on owned , bought and sold i do not remember how many i have bought and sold over the years . Now as to power output there in the 70-75 Hp. class but ya can squeak out a few more pony's . Yep everybody complains about the T/A's BUT if that T/A was kept in adjustment ( that's something few do ) they work well and last a long time . Depending on the year this tractor was made it could have the D282 engine and yep they can be hard starting due to the fact that they use GLOW PLUGS to preheat the percombustion chambers and yep ya need to glow plug them on a 100 degree day , but IF and again i said IF the engine is in good condition ALL the glow plugs are working and the injection system is working like it should they will start and run fine . If it is a later one then it will have a D310 German diesel and that one is a direct injection engine and IF it is in good condition then they start easier with no glow plugs , but they have to be started a certain way . People complain about hard shifting , yea they can be IF the clutch linkage the trans brake and the dump valve is out of adjustment . BUT when everything is set correctly they will shift with two fingers with no jerking or tugging on the shifters. Myself i have taken some pretty rough rags out of the dead rows and with a little time and some money put them back in the fields . They will pull a 4 bottom 16 inch plow all day long , will handle a 13-14 foot disc with ease pull a six row planter handle a haybine square baler pulling a wagon does a fine job on a smaller round baler it will handle a one row forage harvester and wagon it will handle a two row pull type corn picker with wagon and if it has a narrow ft does a super job with a two row mounted . The one job that i never liked it on was loading manure out of the barn . second gear low was to slow and second rev was to fast in tight places . Fuel usage , depend on what your doing will determen how much your going to use ,it is a working tractor it is not a Purse ya want something that sips fuel buy a David Brown or a Kabota . Myself and my two close friends run 706 gassers and WORK them , no we don't plow with them any more but they do the planting the hay work and dragging wagons . On the one hay field that we do each year it is 28 acres and it is not flat on first cutting of good hay with a 9 foot haybine going east up that long steep hill it takes every bit of power the 706 can put out so the carb is literately wide open fighting to hold close to PTO speed in third low , i can mow and rake twice and pull 11 4x4 round bales back to the main farm eight miles away on one tank of gas , so that is eight miles drive to that field mow it rake it twice and drag a load home on around 30-35 gallon of GAS , so i do not think that is to bad . Do the same field with my 806 D and it will use about the same amount . what ya need to do is find someone from your area that knows I H tractors inside and out and take them with you and buy him lunch and give him fifty or hundred bucks to check it out because some people do not really tell you the truth and having someone who knows them can save you way more then what it is going to cost to fix what they neglected to tell you .

A pretty decent tractor and do listen to what The Tractor Vet has to say. A 706 that has a bad history will make your life miserable and one that has had good care will serve you well. If you want more along the lines of a bullet proof 70 HP tractor then look at a Ford 5000 even though they are not as nice as a 706 or JD 3020 in terms of features. If you can find one and can get local service/ parts then look at an Oliver 1655 or White 2-70. In a lot of ways the White/ Oliver is at the top of the class for the era and the power. Lastly, I question Tractor Data that a 706 with 282 diesel will reliably make 85 HP. If I want 85 HP from an IH tractor that old then I would look for an 806 which will make 90 HP with no problem.

Lots of common parts between a 706 and a 90-95 HP 806, so the rear end & transmission are much more reliable. It's vary rare to have transmission problems with 706's. Unless they are self-induced.

I've always been a fan of the Nuess engines, D-310, in the later 706's. The D-282 is old technology, the Lanova design power cell pre-combustion chamber. The D-310 loves turbocharging, the D-282 hates it.

The guy that kept Dad's money pit 4010-D running did R&D work for M&W Gear and used their late 706 w/ turbo D-310 as a test mule. 140 PTO HP and would stay cool and reliable. Hint-Hint! Pull 706 sized implements faster, not 1456 sized implements!

I am not a fan of turboing older tractors that did not come that way from the factory. In a comparative sense if I want to get around the obsolete nature of the D282 I would go out and get a 766 or 966 where that family of engines has a lot more parts source options. A 966 open station is not going to be terribly more expensive than a 706 diesel. A good work clothes 766 or 966 can be had for around 6,000 dollars.

Especially a 966 given how 1960's American "muscle" tractors are pricing in the last few years. A good 806 used to be bought for around 5,000 dollars all day every day but now you have to go to 6,000 dollars or more. I saw an 856 1 1/2 years ago sell for 9,500 dollars and the crowd was trying to figure out the story on that since the rubber was barely average and to our knowledge had no recent service work done on it. I'll buy the 966 to work with and even take to the show for 6,000 dollars where if I paid 9,500 dollars for an 856 I would be reluctant to make it an everyday work tractor especially given the cost of rebuilding a D407. As said before prices have gone up on 1960's row crop tractors and that includes Olivers, MM, and Ford.

We had 560's, 660's and 706's for many years. You have to learn the ways of glow plugs, but once you get the hang of it they are all right. I just brought home a 706 to fix up.

Bryce,

I bought a gas 756 narrow front several months ago and like it - so far.....

Things I like are - visibility, power, ergonomics, everything is at my fingertips, except the PTO lever which is behind/right of the seat. Just choring around the farm this winter. Power steering is great. I can see why folks like these tractors. I wanted gas for easy cold weather starts and lower cost in getting into the tractor. A diesel would be awesome. Around 70 PTP hp and enough for a future 9ft discbine.

I think the 706 and 756 are very similar. IMHO, based on what I've read on these tractors, the 06 and 56 series tractors were something IH got right from the get-go.

As far as overhaul, repair, I have no doubt you have the mechanical ability to do whatever is necessary to put the 706 in the field running great.

Good luck,
Bill

Awesome, I am liking what I am hearing! I am going to try to pull the trigger on it I think, but I can't get the guy to call me back! We'll see what becomes of it, but I have to wonder if this is one of those CL ads where it was sold like 3 months ago, and they never deleted the ad? Possible....

I am sure I can fix anything on it if need be, but a big concern is that it isn't going to fit into the work shop, period! It is 24 x 36', heated, air, etc. But the door is only 8 foot, the Farmall M / SM don't fit unless I pop the mufflers off, but that is easy to do.

I looked at the CL add and I see a lot of red flags there!! Its on the lower end of the price range and its been posted for 2 months for one. There is no description, and it is parked in the back forty for probably a good reason. Do what you want but it looks like trouble to me.

Around here the 706s had a pretty good reputation in both gas and diesel.

Rick

One thing I learned the hard way. DO NOT use the glow plugs if you are jumping the battery. On a cold start figure on holding the glow plug button for at least a minute.