international harvester collectors club
TRANSCRIPT
International Harvester
Collectors Club New England Chapter 18
Winter Edition 2020/2021- Volume 39
Visit us on the web at www.IHCNE18.com
In this Issue!
Presidents Message
IH 656 story by Mark Wells
Recent obituaries.
This photo of the “tractor” barn was sent in
By Jonathan Bevins!
This is Mark Wells IH 656. Mark’s
story on this 656 was featured in the
Chapter 18 Spring 2020 newsletter.
See this issue for facts and figures
about the IH Farmall 656 model.
Chapter 18 New England Officers, Directors and Advisors Officers: Mark Wells, President and Director 508-523-6835 Expiration of term – 2021 [email protected] Donnie Callahan, Vice-President & Director (508) 989-5504 Expiration of term -2020 [email protected] Kim Spaulding, Secretary & Director (978) 433-5540 Expiration of term -2022 [email protected] Donna Callahan, Treasurer (508) 989-5507 [email protected] Directors: Mark Walker (603) 673-1581
Expiration of term -2022 [email protected] Dennis Prefontaine (508)308-3916 Expiration of term -2020 Will Anderson (603) 887-4562
Expiration of term -2020 [email protected] Chuck Moore (603)313-7147 Expiration of term -2022 [email protected]
Advisors: Tony Amato (413) 225-3050 Russell Glidden
Robert Blood (978) 448-3638 Steve Poole (603) 831-0262 Gary Munsey (508) 243-7001) Nick Brett (603) 895-4187 Herb Batchelder Jr. Donna Callahan (508) 989-5507
Membership Secretary: Mark Wells (508-523-6835
[email protected] Website Editor: Lynda Ellis (774)260-1117 [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Gary Munsey (508) 243-7001 [email protected]
Please send articles, information, and stories about International Harvester Products to the following email address: [email protected]
See us on the Web/Internet at www.ihcne18.com
Chapter 18 Membership Report for Winter Newsletter 2020/2021
The current membership is 212, which is down significantly. Members with an expiration date
of 2020 have been dropped. Membership is due June 1st of each year and those who do not
renew are dropped on August 1st.
Annual Dues are $30 ($15 for the National, $15 for Chapter #18)
Membership Dues Renewal Form
Please mail your check and application to:
Donna Callahan, Chapter 18 Treasurer
201 Oak Street
Franklin, MA 02038
(Checks made out to New England IH Collectors Chapter # 18)
Date: ___________________
Name: ______________________________________________________
Address ____________________________________________________
City/Town: ___________________________________
State: __________________Zip: _______________
Phone #_________________________ Email Address:_____________________________
Check Number ______________
Please renew your membership before the listed date.
Keep Our Membership Numbers Strong!
The membership numbers are increasing; don’t miss out on the fun!
For Sale and Wanted Items – see the website for a full listing of previously posted items as well Wanted: Cub LoBoy with Fast Hitch. Also looking for a metal rod type grassboard assembly
For a Cub C-22/L-22 mower. Call Mark Tassinari, 603-913-4047
See the photo for description of the grassboard!
Some recent obituaries to report.
The Officers and Directors of Chapter 18 New England are sad to report that the following individuals have
passed away. Our condolences to the families and friends of our departed members.
BARRINGTON, NH: Donald Manton Smith, 86 died unexpectedly on Tuesday, December 22, 2020.
He was the husband of Marilyn I. (Wilbur) Smith. They had shared sixty-eight loving years of marriage.
Born at Goddard Hospital, Brockton on January 27, 1934, he was the only child of the late Winthrop L. and Helen (Farrow)
Smith.
As a youngster, he was a member of the Boy Scouts. A 1952 graduate of Oliver Ames High School, he went on to serve
in the National Guard from 1952 to 1960. He was also volunteer fireman in Easton.
Self-employed his entire life, he installed driveways and operated a motorcycle shop as well as plowing for the state of
Massachusetts. In 1972 he moved his family and business, D.M. Smith Excavating to Barrington, NH. He also plowed
snow for the state of New Hampshire and many clients.
His affinity for antique cars and motorcycles led him to become a member of numerous organizations including the
American Truck Historical Society, the Studebaker Club, and International Tractors. He was also a member of the
American Legion.
He was a Director of the Northeast RockBusters Chapter of the Historical Construction Equipment Association He and
Marilyn were founding members of Antique Truck Club of America-Granite State Chapter, and were the powers that be
behind the Barrington Old Truck Meet. Donald was also a member of the International Harvester Collectors Club Chapter
18.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children. Evelyn, wife of Ron Musgrove, Eugene, husband of Rose Smith,
Kenneth, husband of Kathy Smith, Donna, wife of Darryl Riley; a daughter-in-law, Shawna Smith, nine grandchildren, and
twelve great-grandchildren. He was the father of the late Lawrence “Larry” James Smith, who passed away unexpectedly
on September 3, 2020.
Donations may be made in Donald’s name to: American Legion, Post 114, 731 Franklin Pierce Highway, Barrington, NH
03825.
Here is Don Smith at the Northeast
Rockbusters annual banquet,
November 2019.
At the 2010 Chapter 18 Power of the Red,
Don was driving Gary Munsey’s 1949 “C”
in the tractor parade.
ORANGE- George A. Hunt Sr., 83, of South Main Street and patriarch of the Hunt Farm, died peacefully at home on Wednesday, December 23, 2020 surrounded by loved ones.
Born in Montague on September 2, 1937, he was the son of the late Ralph F. and Helen (Mealand) Hunt and was raised in Orange and attended New Salem Academy.On January 25, 1957, George married Nan (Herk) who he had met during his teens in the hills of Warwick. They have enjoyed 63 years of marriage, raising their family and working their dairy farm.
George was very proud of his farm and has received many accolades over the years for the farm’s beauty in all four seasons, including being presented the Green Pastures Award at the Big E in 1994.A member of the Franklin County Farm Bureau, George was also a Director of the Northampton Co-operative Auction and former President. He was also a Director of the Mass Co-operative Milk Producers Federation, served on ASCS, now FSA for 40 years. George was active in the Mass. Holstein Association, serving as President, Director, and attended many National Conventions, and served on the Orange Agricultural Commission. An active member of Dairymen For Quality Products, this enabled George and Nan to travel to England, Holland, and Germany, as well as throughout the United States to see different agricultural practices and making many friends along the way. Today, the Hunt Farm is over 500 acres used for growing corn and hay.
George was a Director of the United Co-op Farmers and the Animal Inspector for the Town of Orange. He received the New England Breeder’s Award in 2015 and the Northampton Co-op Auction President’s Award in 2015.
Hunt Farm has been a Century Farm since 1879. Along with his family and farm life, George served as a Trustee of the New Salem Academy. Always looking to improve the stability of the multi-generational farm, he had a 55 kilowatt solar array installed on their new metal barn roof which supplies the farm’s electricity for 9-10 months of the year.
George is survived by his loving and caring wife, Nan Hunt, of Orange; a son, George Hunt Jr. and his wife, Christina, of Orange; daughters, Carol Malnati and her husband, Vincent, of Walpole, NH, Susan Apteker and her husband, Robert, of New Salem, Patricia Garrigus and her husband, Peter, of Bryan, OH, and Annette Preece and her husband, Colin, of North Conway, NH.
George also leaves behind adoring grandchildren, Jessica Getty (Luke) of Hudson Falls, NY, James Hunt (Mary) of Geneva, NY, Heather Hunt of Enfield, CT, Emily McNamara (Jason) of Claremont, NH, Eric Malnati of Bozeman, MT, Kathleen Malnati of Brooklyn, NY, Hunter Apteker of Amherst, MA, Sophia Apteker and Natalie Apteker, both of New Salem, MA, Samuel Garrigus of Bryan, OH, Olivia Garrigus of Cincinnati, OH, Benjamin Garrigus of Columbus, OH, Abigail Preece, Andrew Preece and Amelia Preece, all of North Conway, NH; great grandchildren, Evelyn Getty, Beau Getty and Grant Getty, all of Hudson Falls, NY and Oliver McNamara of Claremont, NH; a brother, Ralph Hunt of New Salem; and many nephews and nieces. George is survived by his brother in law, Tim Herk (Sandra) of Athol, and his sisters in law, Mariann Herk and Susan Herk, both of Orange, and Elaine Brown of Warwick.
There are no calling hours and services will be private.
Donations in George’s memory and commitment to helping others, can be made to the Athol Salvation Army, 107 Ridge Avenue, Athol, MA 01331. Witty’s Funeral Home, 158 South Main Street, Orange, is assisting the family. You may offer your sympathy online at WWW.WITTYFUNERALHOME.COM
Here’s a photo of George Hunt’s fields at the 2007 Chapter 18 Plow Day in Orange MA. Thanks for
many great years of Plowing your field’s. Rest in peace George.
The Farmall 656
The Farmall 656:
To understand how the Farmall 656 came into being, one must go back in time before it was introduced in
1965. In 1958, IH introduced the new line of tractors for the American market. The preference of the
marketing department was to sell IH as a full line company and release a full line of tractors with consistent
styling across the line. Here is the lineup that was introduced:
Model Years in the line Engine Size PTO Horse power
140 1958 – 1979 C123 28
240 1958 – 1962 C123 31
340 1958 - 1963 C135 35
460 1958 – 1963 C221 & D236 46
560 1958 – 1963 C263 & D282 64
This is the Farmall line, I have not included the Cub, the International utility tractors and the International 660.
As you can see, there is a consistency in the line and the HP gaps indicate that whatever the customer’s needs
were, IH had a tractor for them.
As most people know, the 460 & 560 tractors were released without adequate testing and there were
problems with them. In my opinion, these tractors have been criticized too heavily over the years. The
problems with the rear ends were due the bearings and the problem was fixed by replacing these bearings
with heavier bearings. Once this was done, the 460 & 560 proved to be very good tractors. Many are still
working today. Given the harm these problems caused IH, they made a commitment to make sure that
everything was right with the new line. Therefore, the new line rollout was delayed until it was ready. My
thinking is that IH planned to release the new line in 1961 or 1962 and to release the entire line at one time.
This did not happen, but in 1963 the new line of tractors was released. Here is the IH Farmall line:
Model Years in the line Engine Size PTO Horse power
404 1961 – 1968 C135 37
504 1961 – 1968 C153 & D188 46
Inter 606 1962 – 1967 C221 & D36 54
706 1963 – 1967 C263 & D282 76
806 1963 – 1967 C301 & D361 94
In 1961, IH introduced the 404 and 504 tractors; both Farmall and International. I remember seeing these
tractors at the Minnesota State Fair that year and wondering what they were. These tractors were introduced
without much fanfare seemingly as I did not notice any explanation for them. My opinion was that the
changes made for the 404 & 504 were simple enough that these two were ready by 1961 and were fully
tested, so IH decided that they should go ahead and release them. The 404 was a replacement for the 240
and the 504 was a replacement for the 340, even though both the 240 & 340 stayed in the line for a while.
The 404 was an upgrade to the 240 as the C135 engine replaced the C123 engine used in the 240 and its
predecessors. I have included the International 606 in this table even though it was not a Farmall to
emphasize that there was a gap in the Farmall line. When the 706 & 806 were introduced in 1963, IH once
again had a full line of tractors with consistent styling and that covered the needs of the farmer. However,
there was a gap in the Farmall line. The 30 hp gap between the 46 hp 504 and the 76 hp 706 was large. IH
developed the 606, which was really the 460 utility with ’06 style tin work to try to fill this gap, but a Farmall in
the 60 hp range was really needed. Obviously, IH had plans for a Farmall 606 to complete the line, but my
guess is that they did not have time to complete development and testing for this tractor by 1963. I suspect
that the focus on getting it right for the 706 & 806 took priority and there were not enough resources to work
on the 606. One thing to remember is that was a new gear shift lever setup with the Farmall 656. IH moved
the gear shift lever to the right side of the console in line with the 706 & 806 and this had to work and be
reliable. The 504 tractor still had the gear shift lever setup on the platform as previous Farmalls.
To build a 60 hp Farmall, IH decided that they could recycle the 560 engines as they were proven engines and
had been used in other pieces of IH equipment such as combines. The transmission was the same, but there
was a new operator platform that provided much more comfort and room. One of the problems with the 560
& 460 was that there is very little room for the feet of the operator. The platform on the 560 & 460 is a
carryover from the M & H Farmalls. As improvements were made with the number series more of the
platform space was used up. Adding the TA lever on the left, the battery box in the middle and the IPTO lever
on the right made getting on these tractors more difficult and left almost no room for the operator’s feet.
Since the ’06 series was a new design the platform was changed to be much wider and less congested; the
gear shift was moved to the right side of the steering console, the TA lever to the left side of the console and
the hydraulic controls were moved to the right of the seat. This was a much more modern design and allowed
for more operator comfort. So, in 1965 IH introduced the 65 hp Farmall 656, skipping the 606 label and IH
again had a full line of Farmalls. Why did IH go to calling the new tractor a ’56 series and not an ’06 model?
Well, my guess is that IH already knew what the new line was going to be called and felt that they should just
move ahead. Also, the International 606 was a different tractor (based on the International 460) and to try to
sell a Farmall 606 and an International 606 as different tractors at the same time was not a good idea from a
marketing standpoint or upgrading the International 606 to match the Farmall 656 and still calling it the 606
did not make sense. Also, the ’56 series was introduced in 1967 for the most part and trying to sell a Farmall
606 for less than 2 years did not make sense in my opinion. Better to just do an early introduction to the next
series. The Farmall 656 had the same appearance as the rest of the ’06 line. The grill was the same as the
404, 504 & 706; white in color and grooved steel with pin holes for ventilation. The 806 of course used a
different grill; red vertical cast iron bars in front of a flat steel sheet also with pin holes for ventilation. The
656 was offered in both Farmall and International versions, the International model being a utility tractor. The
656 tractors had a 5 speed transmission, doubled to 10 speeds with TA. Both versions of the 656 were offered
with gasoline, LP-gas and diesel engines.
IH was not done with the 656 though. IH was always a company that believed in keeping their products ahead
of the competition, doing lots of research and development to constantly improve what they sold. IH had
developed Torque-Amplifier (TA) in the 1950s and did not stop with TA. The ability to shift on the go is a good
thing in many ways and IH thought that the ability to completely adjust the ground speed to exactly meet the
needs of the work was the ultimate goal. IH worked with the Sundstrand Corporation on the development of
the hydrostatic drive system. Sundstrand had developed the hydrostatic drive for IH’s Cub Cadet tractors, so it
was logical to work with them again. The hydro unit for the 656 is different than the Cub Cadet unit but the
general design is the same. IH worked for over 10 years developing the hydrostatic drive unit and in the end
they got it right. They selected the 656 for the new drive system as it was a very popular tractor for IH. The
656 was updated to match the rest of the ’56 series in 1967; the badge on the side of the hood was changed
from “Farmall” to “International” and the grill was polished tubular steel as was the rest of the ’56 series. In
the upper middle of the grill was the IH logo of course. The Farmall identification was added to the 656
medallions on row crop tractors. IH was beginning to phase out the use of the Farmall name in order to have
one name (International) for all tractors. The Farmall name lasted until the ’86 series was introduced in 1976.
I was once asked why IH had both International and Farmall tractors and my answer was that IH sort of got
stuck with the Farmall name. When the first true row crop tractor was introduced by IH in 1926, it was called
the Farmall tractor. At that time there was only one model and so naming it the Farmall (meaning it can do all
of your farm work) made sense. As time went on and the Farmall line of tractors was expanded, IH continued
to use the Farmall name on row crop tractors for consistency. By the 1940’s when Farmall and International
tractors shared many parts, it made less sense and could be called confusing. So, by the mid 1970’s IH decided
to phase it out. In the ’56 series there were still row crop and wheatland tractors, the differences were slight
with most of the tractor being the same. With the ’86 series, IH no longer produced separate models for row
crop and wheatland. From this time on all tractors were called International. IH kept the Farmall brand name
and now uses it with a line of small tractors. They may not be specifically be row crop tractors in the strict
sense of the term, but the brand name still works.
The 656 was a good selling tractor with around 30,000 built between 1965 and 1973. The Hydros were not
serial numbered separately, so it is not known how many were built. I crudely estimated that about 1/3 of the
656’s were Hydro, of course this is only after 1967 when the Hydro was introduced. I calculated this guess by
comparing the number of Hydro 70 tractors made versus the 666 tractors. That is a guess of course and it is a
rough guess. Sales of the Hydro units had declined and IH tried to sell more by changing the Hydro to a
distinct tractor, the Hydro 70. The idea was that if there was a distinct Hydro line of tractors (Hydro 70, Hydro
86 & Hydro 100) they would sell better. In the end it did not work well.
There are some problems with the Hydro concept. Problems that could be used by competitors to scare off
potential customers. Hydro units consume some horse power as compared to gear drive units and they
generate more heat. Also, they cost more, so farmers being the way they are, it was sometimes tough to sell a
Hydro tractor. In the 656, the loss in power is only a couple of horse power (HP), not enough in my mind to
worry about. However, in the Nebraska test for the IH 1066 Hydro, the drop in HP was about 20 HP. I have
not found an explanation for this significant drop. The other problem is that Hydro units generate more heat.
Now, IH is not alone with these problems. The John Deere Powershift transmission also consumes a couple of
HP, generates more heat and carried a higher price, this is just the nature of powershift transmissions in
general. I have been told that a lot of 656 Hydro tractors were used as loader tractors in cattle feed lots and
therefore lived a rough life. The Hydro trans is really good at some jobs, loader work being one of them, but
also planting, spraying and haying to name a few. For any job where productivity depends on being able to
operate at the most efficient speed, a Hydro unit can’t be beat. One thing I really like about my 656 is that I
can use it to tow other tractors and start out a crawl to tighten the chain, not jerking. On the Farmall 656
Hydro, the speed control lever is on the left side of the console and the Hi/Lo range lever is on the right side of
the console. This is in contrast to the gear drive model where the gear shift lever is on the right side of the
console and the TA lever is on the left side of the console. I wondered why this was and after operating my
656 for a while it dawned on me that the reason might be ergonomics. The hydraulic controls are on the right
side of the seat and having to adjust the hydraulics with one’s right hand and at the same time trying to adjust
the speed with one’s left hand is easier than having to switch from the speed control to the hydraulics to
perform the same functions. This would have been the case if the speed control lever was on the right side of
the console. I find that when I drive my 656, my left hand stays on the speed control lever most of the time in
case I have to speed up or slow down. My theory makes sense except that the International 656 Hydro has
the speed control on the right side of the console, so go figure.
One thing that is different between the Hydro 656 and the gear drive 656 is that the engine speed was
increased from 1800 rpm to 2300 rpm. This was done to get more HP out of the engine to make up for the
power consumed by the transmission. One side effect is that the 656 Hydro has a top speed of 20 mph
opposed to the 18 mph of the gear drive model.
IH sold the 656 Hydro as an all-around tractor, but advised that if the owner wanted to use the tractor for
continuous tillage work, then the gear drive was a better fit. IH did provide a high/low range on their Hydro
tractors, with the low range used for tillage work logically. This high/low range is not “shift on the fly” as it is a
mechanical connection and has a neutral position which allows the tractor to roll freely. The number one risk
with a Hydro tractor is that the hydraulic fluid will over heat and destroy the transmission. I rely on daily oil
level checks when I operate my 656. The second risk is that if a Hydro tractor is towed for more than a few
feet, the transmission is destroyed. In the Owner’s Manual tells the operator to move the high/low range
selection lever to neutral before towing the tractor. IH also put an interlock on Hydro tractors, to start the
tractor, the operator must depress the “foot n inch” pedal or the tractor will not start, sort of like a car. There
is no clutch pedal needed for a Hydro tractor, so IH put a pedal in the location of the clutch and referred to it
as the foot n inch pedal. This pedal relieves the pressure in the Hydro system and also moves the speed
control lever to neutral, stopping the movement of the tractor. Hydro tractors have built in braking as the
operator moves the speed control lever back toward center. This means that there is much less need for the
brakes on a Hydro tractor and the brakes last much longer.
As stated above, the 656 was a good selling tractor, when it was introduced it was a popular size and there
was demand for it. As time went on and tractors got bigger the need for the 656 declined and it was
eventually eliminated. The 666 tractor followed the 656 and was improved with a bigger engine yielding more
HP. The 666 was styled to look like the rest of the ’66 series. The Hydro 70 was available at the same time for
the reason spelled out above. The 666 was replaced by the 686 with only the tin work modified. The Hydro
70 was replaced by the Hydro 86. These last tractors were made from 1976 – 1980.
IH continued to make Hydrostatic tractors into 1984, the last being the 3488 model. When Case took over the
transmission was discontinued as the new line of CaseIH tractors had powershift transmissions and the Hydro
was no longer needed.
Mark Wells
President’s Message
As 2021 begins, we are not sure what will happen this season with Chapter 18. Ideally, it
would be great if things got back to normal quickly and we could attend the chapter events
without restrictions. It is my hope that at least part of this year’s events can happen and I am
optimistic that that will be the case. I would guess that most of us feel the need to just get out
and do something. I know I do! So, when we can finally, safely attend shows again, hopefully
this need will lead to increased show attendance. It is also my hope that we will see the same
increased interest in the Power of the Red show this year, assuming of course that we will be
able to have it.
As far as this year’s events go, I would like to be able to hold the spring membership meeting,
although it will most likely have to be different. I am thinking that we may need to move the
time of the meeting and forgo the normal lunch meal. I also think we may have to move the
date of the meeting to later in the spring. If the meeting itself is held outdoors we may have
better luck. This type of thinking also holds for the rest of the season and we may need to do
some things differently, but it is still my sincere hope that we can be back to more normal times
by midsummer.
We lost a couple of members at the end of 2020: George Hunt and Don Smith. Their obituaries
are included in this newsletter.
There have been a few renewals which have been processed and sent on to the National. The
last issue of Harvester Highlights (HH) was late coming out and therefore most of the
information was dated. The National has indicated that they will get back to a normal schedule
for HH so you can expect to see it on a regular basis once again.
Chapter 18 is not alone in the current crisis. I have communicated with other chapters and they
are dealing with the same issues that we are facing. They have done many of the same things
that we have done to get through this past year.
I hope all of you had a good Holiday season and are staying well in this pandemic. My tractors
have been winterized and they are anxiously waiting for spring. It is a good feeling for me to
have the tractor batteries inside and charged up and Stabil in the gasoline tanks. I can’t wait to
get them fired up. A plow day would be just the ticket for me.
See you soon and stay well!
Mark
Gary D. Munsey PO Box 801 Pepperell, MA. 01463
Here is a 1970 IH model 656 gold
demonstrator seen at the 2006 RPRU
in Mansfield Ohio. See Mark Wells
story of the IH 656 in this issue!