# Trying to find good home for burnt IH tractor



## jimbrain (Aug 15, 2021)

I apologize that this is my first post here, but I hope folks can provide some assistance.

This is John's tractor. He, with his wife Nancy, bought this tractor used many years ago used. The story goes that they, newlyweds at the time, eschewed a loan (not sure if they did not have collateral or someone told them loans were to be avoided) and skimped and saved in every way possible to buy this unit. John was a mechanic at a IH dealer, so I suspect the deal was sweetened a bit.

He farmed a couple hundred acres with it in the 1970's and 80s, supplanting the income with his work as a mechanic, first at the IH dealer and then later in the automotive business. Eventually, he retired from both farming and then from automotive repair.

The tractor rested peacefully in the big barn at his parents home, and when they both passed, the machinery was sold, save for a few special items, including the tractor. It held a special place, being the largest non-combine machine on the farm, the first farm machine he had purchased.

Alas, the barn was in the country, with the old home rented. One night, the old barn caught fire, with the tractor inside. Though not many items were left at the farm, the unit and a few other keepsake items were severely damaged. I think this was in 2017 or 2018.

It took a toll on John, but he felt the unit was still salvageable, even after the damage. He towed it and stored it at a separate location, with the eventual plan to restore.

The fire might have affected him more than he let on. In any case, he started having health issues in mid 2020, and passed away in July of this year.

Though the tractor has sentimental value to the family, they have pictures and memories but no need to keep a tractor like this, restored or not.

At this point, I should introduce myself. I'm John's son and oldest child, so I'm taking on the task of handling these items.
Honestly, my knowledge centers around the IH/Farmall models up to the H/M, not much beyond, I was originally sure the unit was a 1026, but when I googled, I see there's a 1206, so perhaps I have my numbers transposed. I am almost positive it was a Hydro, though, and I am also almost positive it has the "International" naming on the side, so I'd vote for it being an International 1026, not a Farmall 1026. That may have been why my Dad saved the unit and planned to restore it.

Either way, my job is to move it along on it's journey. When it was just a regular burnt IH tractor, I thought it would be best to have someone haul it away for scrap. But, if it's a 1026 and there's a chance some of the parts can be salvaged, I really should try to connect it with someone who can get some value out of it.

I didn't think it all that worthwhile to snap a bunch of pictures of it, so I just have one, below. I can grab more if needed:





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Shutterfly






railsled.shutterfly.com





(And yes, there's more old machines in the rest of the pictures, and I'm happy to discuss the rest of them [the F20 in building 4 is mine, though, and I'm trying to find someone to restore it]. There's a TD14 in there with a bad final drive that needs to find a good home, etc., but that's not the point of this post)

Creating some urgency to this quest is the sale of the property this unit currently sits on (it's the old family homestead, and the sale was in process before Dad passed away. I'm not sure where he was planning to move these items to, and we'll never know now). In any event, it needs to go somewhere soon.

So, if you know someone who needs this unit, I hope you can pass on this note. I am not sure I will be able to monitor this forum all the time or if it will alert me to messages, but my email is [email protected], and my goal is not monetary gain, but just finding it a good home. I hope you all can help by letting others know.

The unit is currently housed in mid-state Illinois, just outside of Danville.

Jim


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## poncho62 (Jun 23, 2010)

Welcome.....That looks pretty crispy. Hope someone can use some of the parts, not much left though.


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## harry16 (Dec 8, 2011)

Hello Jim, welcome to the forum.

The expense to restore that tractor would be "cost prohibitive" (unless you have lots of $$$). I rebuilt a burned Ford tractor once. A lot of work and expense. And your tractor is burned far worse than that old Ford. You would probably have to replace nearly every seal in it. Sometimes we have to let things go..... gone with the wind....

You know what you could do? Bury that tractor and put a plaque over it as a tribute to John and his wife.

I have a cousin who wants to be buried with his tractor! He's an eccentric with $$$$. He already has a headstone/monument in place adjacent to the local community graveyard for when he dies. He has many tractors. I don't know which one he will be buried with, but I'm certain all arrangements have already been agreed upon with his family.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Depending on how hot the fire have been some tractors can be rebuilt and work good.
On the farm is a Deere 4430 cab that was in a minor fire and was converted to open station, gone through and painted.
It has been a good working tractor.
However it does look like that tractor got quite warm and if it is a 1026 Hydro I would be extremely leary of the condition of that hydo


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Usually when a fire incinerates the tires (like that one), it's also destroyed the internal components of the gearbox and probably any alloy parts of the engine. If it was mine, I'd scrap it and call it good. JMO.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

I find any vehicle or machine that has been in a fire to be grisly looking and that one is no exception.


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