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.
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Today's Featured Article - Talk of the Town: How to Remove a Broken Bolt - by Staff. Another neat discussion from the Tractor Talk Discussion Forum. The discussion started out with the following post: "I have an aluminum steering gear housing with a bolt broken off in it. The bolt is about a 3/8" x 1 1/2" bolt. I've already drilled the center of the bolt out with about 7/64" drill bit the entire length of the bolt. Only one end of the bolt is visible. I tried to use an easy out but it wasn't budging and I didn't want t
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