Back in 2014 I wrote up a story for Red Power Magazine about a friends one owner 806 Farmall...For some reason it never got published so I will put some of it on here..About the time that Roy Gene Claypool was born in Sept 1940, his Dad bought a new H Farmall.....Some years later when it was time for Roy Gene to start farming on his own his Dad gave him the H Farmall...After awhile he traded it for a 400 Farmall gas...Roy Gene had a custom silage chopping business using a 2 row #50 IH which the 400 had trouble pulling in tough conditions...He said that one year he chopped silage for 30 days straight..
In early 1964 at the age of 23 Roy Gene needed more power for his growing farming and silage chopping operation....He went to Schell City Truck and Tractor at Schell City,MO...He traded his 400 gas for a brand new 1964 model 806 IH Diesel serial # 8880 and a new IHC #560 6x16 plow..This was the first new 806 ever sold at Schell City..It had no fenders and 7.50 x 20 front tires..At that time the new 806 listed in the $6,000 price range..The above picture was taken in 1966 and is the only picture he has of it..Notice that it has white 1206 rear wheels with 18.4x38's...A man that bought a new 1206 wanted 34's so Roy Gene traded with him..At the same time that Roy Gene bought the new 806 he also bought a new 303 IH combine with 13 ft head and a 2 row corn head..He said that he wondered if he would ever get them paid for..
Heres a picture I took on a Sunday afternoon in August 1969...Roy Gene is pulling his 806 IH in the 15,000 lb class at Rich Hill,MO..This is in the days of the old people ridden sleds..Back in 1967 I was chairman of the first ever FFA tractor pull held during our youth fair in Nevada,MO...Roy Gene brought his 806 in and won the 15,000 class..This is when I first met him..In 1968 he brought the 806 back and won the 15,000 lb class again..He pulled it until 1970 and switched to a 560 diesel..
In August 2014 the 806 still had the original RD injection pump (worked on once) and the original generator..In 1970 the rear half of a 1256 IH burnt in a barn fire and Roy Gene then bought the hood, fan and shroud,dual stage air cleaner, and the turbo and manifold set up..Later on it got a 1256 flywheel, clutch,and pressure plate..The 806 had Fast Hitch when it was new..The tractor has only had one new TA installed in it..The 806 is on its 3rd tach and has well over 10,000 hours on it..When it had lots of hours on it the 806 broke the end of the camshaft off..At that time the D361 engine was majored..The tractor has had no transmission or rear end work..It has the 56 series shifting on it..It has the 540-1000 PTO and has two sets of hydraulics..When the 2 Plus 2 IH's came out Roy Gene bought the first new one sold at Schell City Truck And Tractor..
The above 3 pictures were all taken on a nice Sunday afternoon in August 2014..Roy Gene has rented out his farm ground but still has some cattle....These days the 806 still earns its keep and stays on the Kuhn disc mower..I just saw Roy Gene 4 months ago at a tractor pull and he's still going strong..In April 2020 he will have owned this 806 for 56 years..Is there another person out there that has owned an 806 IH this long?
Roy Gene told me that his families first tractor was a Samson M..Then they had a Fordson,a 10-20 McCormick,F-20 Farmall,a new 1940 H,a new C Farmall,a used M,a used 400 diesel, and Roy Genes 400 gas...I was at the farm sale in 1963 when Roy Genes' Dad bought the 400 diesel..The former owner had been struck and killed by lightning while using the 400.....A neighbor of ours bought a one year old Massey model 82 SP combine on that sale..
Also until recently there were two different 1960 model 1800 Oliver gas tractors in my area that had been in the same family since new...I also have a friend that bought a brand new 1969 MM G-900 diesel and he still owns it today..
Heres Roy Gene pulling his 560 at Rockville,MO in 1970..
