IH'r78

Last fall I replaced the linkage with the two ball sockets-measured the old and salvage yard replacement and exact same dimensions. After replacing it, the arms stop about 5" lower from where their upper limit used to be. I tried adjusting the linkage to gain some height but they still stop well short. I've read online about removing the 3-point hitch top cover and checking a draft control linkage but I really have no idea what I'm looking for-something about a cable on the draft control if that's even a symptom. Any thoughts and direction would be very helpful as we'll be mowing hay pretty soon. Thanks for reading!

Had a heck of a weekend. Baling with the 1086 I noticed it was freewheeling on hills and the clutch was slipping. I tried the T/A and noticed it was engaged the entire time. I stopped and got out looking around the MDC valve and somehow a chunk of treelimb got jammed up underneath pinning the valve. Broke the clutch sensor. Probably from when mowing someone was going too fast. After I get that figured out I continue baling and see my brother-in-law not raking just standing. The rake (old Vermeer) had broken off an entire wing. 2 1/2" pipe that swivels. I'd welded a few years ago when the same thing happened. Brother-in-law strapped the broken wing to the front loader and when heading back the cab of 856 filled with burnt insulation smoke. Found three melted wires in the harness so just cut them out and hot wired the starter to limp it home yesterday. Heaven knows how that happened but we're ordering new wiring harnesses before something even worse happens. Fun times.

Makes me wonder since old Porter was a native Missourian. My grandpa loved the show Porter had back in the 60's that launched a young Dolly's career.

Speaking of wells I remember what my grandpa told me about my great-grandad. This would have been 1900's, g-gdad had a witch dowser come out and walk his property. The dowser pointed down and said "Dig a well right here. Two underground streams cross here so it'll never go dry. Sure enough during drought years people would come out to get water out that well.

Yea I sent my brother-in-law to get those o rings as his job is right by a Deere dealership. Those 2 o rings cost him $9. Unbelievable. (Still better than replacing a cracked hydraulic unit.) The old o ring was hard and flattened out. Got it put on with the plug and started the tractor no leak except the front plug started seeping. I tightened it up and it stopped thankfully. I doubt it's the same size as the plug was smaller. We had ideal hay weather except the hydraulic leak stopped us. Dad's 856 and 1086 both need some seal replacements as they're sieves right now. The 1086 needs a new right side wheel hub seal installed. Our old 400 finally had it's T/A give out so can't even rake with it. I didn't know the first hay failed in your area. I got more bales off of the pasture this year than I can remember but it was also fertilized. The fields without fertilizer are nothing to write home about but made enough. I remember grandpa telling me about 1934-it was so dry he was cutting trees down just to give the cows something green. His hired hand actually found a patch of thistle and cut and stacked it for any kind of forage. Had to pour molasses (government aid) on it just to coax the cows into eating something. Grandma always said she felt so bad for the cows with ribs showing. Forgot about Red Power Roundup this weekend in Sedalia about 2 hours drive from here. Since it rained I might just ask Dad if he wants to go tomorrow.

We had some good storms last night. I heard 2 1/4". I'm in Carroll county close to Carrollton and Chillicothe. Got the o rings and the leak stopped last night except now that it's fixed it rained enough to stop any haying for a couple of days unless we get more hot, southerly breeze weather-good haying weather. Wished I'd had it done but life happens.

Good point...thanks though. How's the hay in Indiana? Good here we're just in a little dry spell as the rain keeps splitting off in Nebraska and has been very spotty.

It's why I ask questions here, because I always get the best answers! BTW, does anyone know what size that o-ring would be? Possibly 1 1/2" socket head....I'm guessing 1" through 7/8" diameter for the o ring.

Noted CIHTECH. Thanks. Thanks for the tips on the fuel tank HydroTek

Thanks Hydrotek. I really do hope it's simply an o-ring because I've already had that tank off a few years ago to replace a hydraulic line. It a PITA getting the bolts back in place for the tank.

The 3pt draft and raise/lower controls link to the rocker on this mounted underneath rear fuel tank to right/rear of top 'deck'. It's leaking right out of the bottom of the plug I circled.

My Dad called wanting me to see if I could find out why his 1086 is leaking lots of hydraulic fluid. Snooping around I found what I presume is called the 'priority unloading relief valve' assembly from the manual diagram (where the 3pt controls go to a rocker plate.) It's leaking a pretty good stream from rearmost 'plug' or cap that I'm guessing is 1 1/2" or 1 3/8" socket which only gets worse with heat and use mowing hay. I didn't have a socket that big so I checked tightness with a crescent wrench-plenty tight. My questions are if it's leaking from the plug can I just replace the o-ring for it or are there bigger issues that need addressing? (Removing the rear fuel tank....so much fun.) Also, does anyone know what size that o-ring is? I keep telling Dad to just break down and buy an assorted o-ring kit but he's a tightwad. (Nuff' said there.) Thanks! May your windrows run straight!

Nice A there. Yes the steel quality was top notch-and cheap. Today it's questionable at best as I've welded pipe from Thailand, China, etc and seen the stuff rust out. It's bad and expensive today. One of my Dad's friends liked joking about this one man he knew that would always wear a toupee crooked. He said the guy reminded him of 'an 'A' Farmall going down the road' with the offset seat. I nearly cried laughing.

I'm sorry guys for the late, late reply with a pic.? Worse yet I was only able to take one as helping the old man put up fence was priority one. (Plus it was pretty muddy getting up close to it.) Nope, no engine just pto driven. I asked Dad where the hopper was/is-it's in a close by ditch but I tell you what it's still in good shape also. What is it about that old steel that was 100% made here that made it so resilient to rust? The quality? Yup, dale560 your pics of the restored one looks like a match. Dad told me a story of one evening my grandpa stopped cutting and loosened the canvas to call it a day. He went back the next morning to begin cutting again and this very MM combine would absolutely not turn the cylinder. Grandpa was puzzled because it was running just fine when he last stopped. Upon inspection he found the bind-a raccoon had crawled into the cylinder chamber and it's lower half got wedged in the concave when he first tried engaging it. The poor coon was still alive and grandpa said he couldn't put his hands anywhere near it to pull it out. He finally had to give the coup de grace with a whack to the head and reverse turned the cylinder with the huge spanner cylinder wrench that came with the combine. Happy New Year Everyone!

All I know about it is my Dad saying you couldn't push it that hard being that we used an M to operate it. And Grandpa was always paranoid about loosening the canvas feeder belt in the evening because if dew got on it while it was tight it would stretch out even further-and then you'd be swearing at it all the next day. It has a tiny (by modern standards) hopper-perhaps 15 or 20 bushel. Grandpa ran it for almost 30 years and apparently never had that many problems with it. My Dad retired it when he got back from the Army and bought his first self propelled combine-an IH 101 open platform.