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Tractor of the week. Week 37: 966


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This should have us caught up again!  

The 966 was the smallest of the 66 series tractors available only as a diesel.  They were naturally aspirated from the factory, but many have had turbos installed over the years.  Show queen with new paint,  original paint beauties, spotless, filthy or wearing a loader: let's see yours!

 

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Here is picture of the one my brother and I  own. Dad bought it or had his friend buy it at a foreclosure sale in 1986. 4500 dollars then but it already had a reman engine. Dad managed ruin that engine so it got a used 466 out of a combine. We own it now but it has set a while. Going to fix it up and sell it next year.

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This is my phone screensaver. June 2020 at Farmall Land.


I have a 966 Hydro and a 1466 all original from the 1970’s. (I don’t think they were repainted). Got them both from Girard Auction. 

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This is one of my favorite brochures. Printed in May 1971. Only a 966 Hydro on the front but it is such a neat piece. If I wasn’t 7 hours away from home I’d get an inside photo of a 966. Ever since I got in to IH stuff in around 2011, the 66 series has always been my favorite. 
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I bought my 966 in 1984, farm auction. First big Farmall, after I got tired of buying hydraulic oil for the JD 10s. it has had overhauls, cab added, and upsize from 34 to 38" centers and tires. Lots of hours since then. It spent a lot of time on the Knight spreader, too.

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Only one 966 in my area is a black stripe a neighbor bought at a bankruptcy sale back in the early 80s. More 1066s.

A friend in Guatemala has a 966 his grandfather bought new. I'll ask him for a pic.

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The 966 was the last tractor Dad bought and the one he kept after he moved off the farm to do custom work.  It was a real improvement over the gas 706 it replaced.  I liked the 3 point and the semi-mounted plow plow for finishing up dead furrows.

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Dad was considering a 966 before he bought his 766.  One dealer was talking to him about a nine, and another dealer asked him if he would consider a seven.

I haven't run a 966 very much, but never regretted him (and then me) getting the 766.  Not much difference between them.

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I’ve had this one 4 years. Was in decent shape when I bought it.  Fixed all the little leaks, threw a good coat of paint on it, everything works good and runs strong.  I like using it for all the miscellaneous stuff around the farm/yard. 

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Here’s a 966 gear drive pic I took back in 1972. My younger kid brother is in the cab doorway. It’s my boss’s tractor, I worked for him back in my high school days, and this was his brand new 966 at the time. 

I was cultivating soybeans with it on our own place at the time, so I had it parked at our place at the time I shot the pic. We were renting our ground out to my boss at that point in time. 

There was an IH 6 row 30” cultivator on the rear at the time, I forget what model the cultivator was. 

My boss bought his new 966 from Salenbien’s IH Sales & Service in Dundee, Michigan if some of you know where that was right there in town. 

So I got to run that brand new 966 a lot back in the day when I was in high school. My steady high school girlfriend rode with me in that cab quite a bit, sitting on that flat ledge there beside the seat.

I taught her to run the IH disc and Brillion crowfoot packer with the 966 when we were doing tillage work, when we had the axle duals installed on the tractor. My boss said teach her to run it, let her drive it. Lol! I stayed right there in the cab with her, didn’t want her going solo with it. LOL!

But one Fall we turned her loose on the 966 with a 15’ flail shredder to shred corn stalks. I was Fall plowing near by to her to keep an eye on her, using my boss’s F1256. Great memories, good times. 
 

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the first tractor i bought was a 966 in 1986.  it had the turbo decal but no turbo.

i did add a turbo a few years later.   i ended up trading it and my 686, my second 

tractor purchase, on a 3688.  the 966 wasn't being used much after i bought a 5288.

 

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On 9/19/2023 at 5:31 PM, Rick G. said:

Here’s a 966 gear drive pic I took back in 1972. My younger kid brother is in the cab doorway. It’s my boss’s tractor, I worked for him back in my high school days, and this was his brand new 966 at the time. 

I was cultivating soybeans with it on our own place at the time, so I had it parked at our place at the time I shot the pic. We were renting our ground out to my boss at that point in time. 

There was an IH 6 row 30” cultivator on the rear at the time, I forget what model the cultivator was. 

My boss bought his new 966 from Salenbien’s IH Sales & Service in Dundee, Michigan if some of you know where that was right there in town. 

So I got to run that brand new 966 a lot back in the day when I was in high school. My steady high school girlfriend rode with me in that cab quite a bit, sitting on that flat ledge there beside the seat.

I taught her to run the IH disc and Brillion crowfoot packer with the 966 when we were doing tillage work, when we had the axle duals installed on the tractor. My boss said teach her to run it, let her drive it. Lol! I stayed right there in the cab with her, didn’t want her going solo with it. LOL!

But one Fall we turned her loose on the 966 with a 15’ flail shredder to shred corn stalks. I was Fall plowing near by to her to keep an eye on her, using my boss’s F1256. Great memories, good times. 
 

IMG_8830.jpeg

Looks like it might be a 353 rolling cultivator.

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