pulling 560

[hippy5488]

friend wants to pull his 560 in the 7000 lbs. class. He bought it with turbo on it and it smokes a little. know idea of hp what gear would you guys pull in. im thinking 3rd.

[Big Steve]

What size tires is he running? 18.4 38 I would be in direct first

[INTERNATIONAL 1466]

Yes, I had 18.4x38's on mine and a lot of smoke. Always pulled in 1st direct. Takes way more power than a guy thinks.

[searcyfarms]

keep that 560 wound up, once they start losing rpms those 282s fall quick - lowest gear possible id say also especially those hoss tires on it

[TP from Central PA]

That must be one heck of a built tractor to think you can run 3rd direct...............you are right in the grey area on the toss up between 2nd or 1st, depends if your allowed to use the TA for the ulimate decision in my mind.  Of-course I am thinking it most likely has 15.5's or maybe 16.9's on it.............not the 18.4's like mentioned above.  

[Binderoid]

I have a question loosely related to this topic.... Since I joined IHC Collectors in 1990, I’ve been told the tractor with the worst reputation for broken  finals was the 560. How do people get away with overloading them with more power than they came with from the factory without breakage? Or is it they are running the post-update ones? The update was that good to make them bulletproof like this?  In the early days, did the Diesel powered ones break more often Than the gas powered ones, or was it about even? Thanks, B

 

[lorenzo]

30 minutes ago, Binderoid said:

I have a question loosely related to this topic.... Since I joined IHC Collectors in 1990, I’ve been told the tractor with the worst reputation for broken  finals was the 560. How do people get away with overloading them with more power than they came with from the factory without breakage? Or is it they are running the post-update ones? The update was that good to make them bulletproof like this?  In the early days, did the Diesel powered ones break more often Than the gas powered ones, or was it about even? Thanks, B

 

Ya those darn 560’s ,   They won’t start , head gaskets blow out from just looking at them , heads are all warped and cracked , rear ends explode scattering gears and shafts across three nearby county’s killing hundreds of innocent bystanders , gear shifters have caused thousands of knee replacement surgery’s, the glow plugs only work once , the muffler bearings squeak, the blinker fluid is poisonous and leaks all over everything . The list goes on and on forever . They were so bad I dont know how my dad , my neighbors , and just about every farmer within 100 miles of our farm were able to farm with them all through the 60’s , 70’s and even into the 80’s because according to what I have learned on this forum the 560 was the worst machine ever built on the face of the earth . 
 

That’s why I spent thousands of dollars restoring mine . 

[Binderoid]

Point well taken. Sure wasn’t thinking before I asked that question.... 

But my gosh, the propaganda surrounding this thing...

[lorenzo]

27 minutes ago, Binderoid said:

Point well taken. Sure wasn’t thinking before I asked that question.... 

But my gosh, the propaganda surrounding this thing...

Yes , and mostly by ( supposedly ) die hard Red tractor fans that think no other brand can possibly even remotely come close to an International . 

[nepoweshiekfarmalls]

This topic is really making me think!  Was the rear end "fiasco" really as bad as the stories claim?  True, pulling 300' feet at a time with a juiced up 282 is not the same as heavy plowing all day.   But, I know of many M's that have a patch underneath the rear end from bearing failure and lots of 560 that have never had an issue.   Interesting discussion.   Waiting to see what others have to say.

[Farmall1066]

On 6/25/2021 at 11:09 AM, lorenzo said:

Ya those darn 560’s ,   They won’t start , head gaskets blow out from just looking at them , heads are all warped and cracked , rear ends explode scattering gears and shafts across three nearby county’s killing hundreds of innocent bystanders , gear shifters have caused thousands of knee replacement surgery’s, the glow plugs only work once , the muffler bearings squeak, the blinker fluid is poisonous and leaks all over everything . The list goes on and on forever . They were so bad I dont know how my dad , my neighbors , and just about every farmer within 100 miles of our farm were able to farm with them all through the 60’s , 70’s and even into the 80’s because according to what I have learned on this forum the 560 was the worst machine ever built on the face of the earth . 
 

That’s why I spent thousands of dollars restoring mine . 

Since your 560 is that terrible, not starting, nothing works, and that poisonous blinker fluid is leaking everywhere, I’ll glad give you scrap price to remove it off your property before those gears and shafts come flying out and possibly injuring 1000’s if not 100’s of thousands again!!!! And maybe that gearshift lever will be the first thing I send to the scrap heap so no more knee injuries!????????????

Thanks for the laugh this morning!!!????

[searcyfarms]

i lived the shortcomings of two 560s personally and worked for another guy that finally gave up on his, all of the items above i have lived 

head gaskets, warped head, glow plugs, rearend upgrades, never had issues with muffler bearings or blinker fluid, after repairs were made both started pretty good if you used your glow plugs properly, didnt have problems with them after repairs were made but i didnt plow or do heavy tillage with them for long periods. 

no explosions or injuries to others 

I think it should make it a few trips down a 300' track before breaking - your s/n plate is usually marked with a stamp if the rearend has been modded the early yrs were the ones that needed the recall repairs, IIRC it was the 58s for sure maybe some into the 59s? im sure some of the guys here will know. 

My 58 serial plate was stamped the 63 was not. 

[Mr. Plow]

560 is about the newest and most "updated" IH tractor most antique clubs will allow to pull......stands to reason they are popular.

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

I don’t want to completely derail the thread, but.... I have heard stories, but don’t have personal experience. Were there actually that many in field failures or did they just have a few and IHC freaked out and updated them all? Anyone on here that had a brand new 560 that destroyed the rear end in very short order? Did the mechanics that updated them just end up throwing away good parts or were the ones that were updated obviously going to fail without the update? Probably been discussed to death, but I wasn’t here then. 

[lorenzo]

4 minutes ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

I don’t want to completely derail the thread, but.... I have heard stories, but don’t have personal experience. Were there actually that many in field failures or did they just have a few and IHC freaked out and updated them all? Anyone on here that had a brand new 560 that destroyed the rear end in very short order? Did the mechanics that updated them just end up throwing away good parts or were the ones that were updated obviously going to fail without the update? Probably been discussed to death, but I wasn’t here then. 

Good question . I’m pretty sure by now that any 560 still being used has either been updated or waset in need of it back in the day.  I personally never even knew such a thing was relevant untill joining this forum.  

[E160BHM]

IIRC the issue was failure of the inner axle bearing in high hour heavy load applications mostly in southern US.  The ball bearing was changed to a roller bearing at s/n 31017.  The differential carrier bearings were changed from ball to tapered roller bearings, possibly at the same time.  The parts website does not make it easy to see serial number breaks.

Bottom line, if your s/n is above 31017 it has the updated rear end from the factory.  The IH rebuild program was applied to all 560s, but hindsight says it would have been better to only update failed units and extend their warranties IMHO.  Brian

[hagan]

On 6/25/2021 at 10:09 AM, lorenzo said:

Ya those darn 560’s ,   They won’t start , head gaskets blow out from just looking at them , heads are all warped and cracked , rear ends explode scattering gears and shafts across three nearby county’s killing hundreds of innocent bystanders , gear shifters have caused thousands of knee replacement surgery’s, the glow plugs only work once , the muffler bearings squeak, the blinker fluid is poisonous and leaks all over everything . The list goes on and on forever . They were so bad I dont know how my dad , my neighbors , and just about every farmer within 100 miles of our farm were able to farm with them all through the 60’s , 70’s and even into the 80’s because according to what I have learned on this forum the 560 was the worst machine ever built on the face of the earth . 
 

That’s why I spent thousands of dollars restoring mine . 

There was a old man who traded and sold tractors over by Wiley and he said there are 2 kinds of people on 560's the ones who really like them and the ones who totally hate them. We used ours mainly for pumping water into gated pipe and loved it because it would use around 1 gallon per hour day in and day out pumping. I really hated it because of no more fuel than it used. Doing things around the farm it always was running out of fuel because you did not have to fuel it up every half day

[Mr. Plow]

I heard that mounted pickers were very hard on them, but have zero first hand experience.....

[TP from Central PA]

Seem to remember some old heads on here who were arm deep in those at the time thought the 4/512 plows and the wide tread spacing needed to use them didn't help............I am not necessarily in either camp, more a ok person.  We had a gas here that was a complete ship wreck, and got a diesel here now that has been pretty good.  But things mentioned here like the shifter are annoying.  

[Jacka]

I had 560 gas,was my dad's from late 70's. I got it in 91 and was my big tractor until I got my first 1066. It was a very good tractor for its age and size. Ran the guts out of it for 6,7 years ,rebuilt the motor and it used a lot less gas.That was the only thing I did to it and it ran just about everyday hauling dairy manure and plowed, planted,baled hay and chopped haylage and corn. So yea it was good for its age,size.Yes ,gear shift, platform was tight but easy on and off swinging drawbar, no fast hitch.Later years was on blower or unloading wagons and easy to to operate pto from ground.All in all guess like al tractors one guy hates them ,next loves them.

[Mr. Plow]

Friends 560.....Big Steve works on it.....8500# at 300 plus feet

[cornerpost]

Dad never had a 560. 400’s and SMTA. Uncle bought a 560 in about February of 1960. It had at least the first improvement package. He had inner axle bearings go out but by then Bower flat roller bearings were available. He replaced the ball bearings with Bower’s and never had another drive train issue. He ran axle mount duals too. 

[Injpumped]

On 6/25/2021 at 11:09 AM, lorenzo said:

Ya those darn 560’s ,   They won’t start , head gaskets blow out from just looking at them , heads are all warped and cracked , rear ends explode scattering gears and shafts across three nearby county’s killing hundreds of innocent bystanders , gear shifters have caused thousands of knee replacement surgery’s, the glow plugs only work once , the muffler bearings squeak, the blinker fluid is poisonous and leaks all over everything . The list goes on and on forever . They were so bad I dont know how my dad , my neighbors , and just about every farmer within 100 miles of our farm were able to farm with them all through the 60’s , 70’s and even into the 80’s because according to what I have learned on this forum the 560 was the worst machine ever built on the face of the earth . 
 

That’s why I spent thousands of dollars restoring mine . 

Don't forget that darned old injector pump going out all the time! lmao!

[lorenzo]

5 hours ago, Injpumped said:

Don't forget that darned old injector pump going out all the time! lmao!

When they won’t start you never know if the injector pump works or not. ?

[searcyfarms]

an injector pump what is that? i thot they ran on gas and it just flowed down hill into the engine from the tank being up so high = no wonder mine didnt run very long ?‍♂️ ( says the Cancel Culture )