Re: International 574, Would this be a good First

Posted by JWCinMS on September 02, 2006 at 16:07:13 from (199.133.80.226):

In Reply to: International 574, Would this be a good First Trac posted by I Want a Tractor on September 01, 2006 at 14:41:47:

I sold one two years ago that we bought new in 1973. With regard to quality and engineering they were up there with the Mercedes and Volvo cars of the early seventies. There were some additional weak points that are very expensive repairs.
1. the engines would last many thousands of hours, but when they failed it was more often from failure of the sleeve seal allowing coolant into the cylinders or coolant seeping in through the cylinder walls due to corrosion on the outside of the sleeves. Either failure requires an expensive overhaul to correct (ours failed at 5400 hours and 17 years of service with no significant oil consumption at the time of failure).
2. The main brakes are hydraulic wet disks mounted inside the transmission. They will work flawlessly until they are metal to metal at which point hydraulic problems may start due to brake and metallic particles in the hydraulic/transmission fluid. Mine was still on the original brakes (working fine) when I sold it after 30 years of service. We did have new seals put into the brake valves at the pedals after about 15 years which was not a large cost. Estimates for the main brake job were $1200 to $1500 about 3 years ago.
3. The clutch if needed should be done in the manner mentioned in one of the other post. We had the first clutch put in after about 15 years and it lasted 3years. It was an aftermarket clutch and pressure plate. Then next and last clutch was an IH Dynalife clutch (original equipment replacement) along with a new IH pressure plate, this time the flywheel was resurfaced and there were no more clutch problems over the balance of the 30 years. There was not a significant price difference in having the work done at the CIH dealer than the quotes received from other shops using after-market parts. It cost about $600 in 1993.
4. A more minor but still expensive item is the fuel tanks. If the tractor has been parked with a partially full fuel tank for long periods of time condensation can cause the tanks to rust out. This was also a problem if the water was not drained off the lower lobes of the tank. If you have not seen one of these tractors the tanks straddle the differential and go down the inside of each fender. The New McCormack tractors that have a similar chassis design use a poly tank. A new tank may run $400 to $600 or more just for the tank. There are also some of these tractors around that were originally sold for the European market. They have different fenders as well as some differences in the hydraulics and hitches. There may be parts availability issues with them.

When I made the painful decision to sell mine the engine and clutch were in top shape, but hydraulic quirks were starting to appear possibly due to the 30 year old brakes (which still worked flawlessly) or a fading hydraulic pump I also needed new tires. I new that $2500 to $3500 would have put her up to snuff for another 15 years. My decision to walk away was based on the fear that the sleeve/sleeve seal problem which is more time related than wear related would reduce my total investment to a $1500 parts tractor or that I would have well over $10,000 invested in a 30 year old utility tractor (counting it sales value at the time I sold it). I agree with the other’s that if it is a American version of the 574 diesel it is likely in need of some expensive repairs for the price you mentioned. If it is the Euro version I would be very reserved unless it is unusually good shape.

Replies:

• Re: International 574, Would this be a good First I Want a Tractor 22:51:54 09/02/06 (0)

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