OT - Grain Truck Feedback Requested

Guys,

I am looking at a couple grain trucks for this upcoming wheat harvest and wanted some feedback. Here are the two trucks I am considering:

1965 Ford 600 with 330 big block and 13" bed
1963 International 1800 with 345 and 14" bed

Both trucks are basically the same money ($300 difference)and both about the same mileage from me to go get. They are both in great condition and road/field ready.

If you were going to choose between the two, which would you choose. Whats the good and bad for both? FYI - wheat will be harvested with a 1955 John Deere 60 and an Allis All Crop model 60A!

For me I would go with the Ford. I've had both and it seams I could never get the 345 to run right. I had two of them. Just always seam like not much power and kinda sluggish for a engine that size. But main thing is I could never get them to run decent.

myself i think id go with the international, the engine is very tough to beat, we had one in a 71 pickup that we bought years ago, ran like crap when we got it, no power and very sluggish like the other poster mentioned, we put the plug wires on the correct order and wow what a difference that made! Down side to the ford is the 330 engine is getting harder and harder to find parts for, at least up here it is, I normally would say go for the ford cause i am a ford guy to the heart, but in this case id say the int is the better option...BOb

You need to test drive them both. If either had sloppy steering or poor brakes, walk away from it. Rust is a real deal killer on trucks this age, so look carefully.

The IH 1800 probably has air brakes, while the Ford 600 probably has juice brakes. Air brakes in good condition win hands down. Juice brakes of this vintage are a constant problem, and are relatively poor when they are working right. Both of these trucks are going to have small brakes (drums only), as farm trucks of that vintage were made for a highway speed of 45 to 50 mph.

I still have an IH 1600 with juice brakes and the 304 engine, and it still works for us. The IH 304 and 345 engines are good engines, but they are a 60 to 70 year old design. The carb is a simple 2 bbl Holley, very easy to service or rebuild. But they are a cold blooded beast. They do not run well until they are warmed up. Many of today's mechanics do not know how to adjust the timing on the IH engines. They are timed off the #8 cylinder at the right rear of the engine, and timed just a couple of degrees BTC, but the timing varies with the quality of the gas you are using.

I'd not be afraid of the IH, but would base my purchase decision on overall condition and transmission and rear end. My preference in either truck would be to get a 5 speed straight with a 2 speed R.A. You need pretty low gearing to pull a load out of the soft ground of the field.

For not a whole lot of $$, you can find good trucks with diesel engines in the 10 to 15 year old range. If you are putting on a bunch of miles, the diesel wins hands down! Either the gas Ford 600 or IH 1800 is likely to get about 4 mpg loaded, depending on hills and speed. That is about $1/loaded mile for fuel.

I prefer the Loadstar cab any day over the Ford cab.

Paul in MN

My 1800 does not have air brakes.

My recollection is that air brakes was an option on the 1800, probably common on the heavier GVW tandem axle truck.

Paul in MN