1206;1256;1456 stories

[DeltaSteve]

Like below,lets hear about 1206;1256;1456.I have one each of 1256 and 1456.Bought the 12 in 2000(moveing up from a turbo 706),bought the 14 5 years ago in 'pieces'(mechanic special).Always thought the '12' was pretty 'salty'. But the '14' will just do circles around it.It will litterally play with a 4x16 bottom rollover plow(IH #642). That plow is/was about right for the 12.Had the 12 dyno tested about 15 years ago,it tested at 126 horse. 5 years later it got a new injection pump and put out quite a bit more power. Niether have been tested since. I wouldnt be surprised if the 14 is over 150 horse.My 'best friend' has a JD 4630,we frequently plow together in the spring. Both tractors(1456 and 4630) seem to be an even match.The 46 would walk away from the 12. Never owned a 1206,but a neighbor when I was a kid had one.I got to run it once. It was the biggest tractor I'd ever seen.The 1256 has always had a 'tick',or knock(drives me nuts),the 1456 is smooth as glass. Both are fairly economical/easy on fuel,but the 14 does use more.The 14 steers like a 4020,the 12 steers a bit harder.The 12 has an Ansel 'Ace of Diamonds' cab,the 14 has the IH factory 'Deluxe'cab. Both have 18.4x38 tires,but the 12 is dualed up most of the time these days.A current neighbor,now has a 'rag'(it's rough) of a 1206. Doesne need close to it's powers,to him,it's just an old tractor.He sometimes borrows an implement,it has no problem pulling any of it. He has promised to sell it to me one day when he is done with it.

 

[NY 986]

Very few 12's or 14's were sold new locally. Even 1466's were not very common. Now go a few miles down the road into vegetable farm country and a couple 1456's were around since new. Even a 4156 over that direction. Dad priced a new 1456 because he thought he was in the running to rent a neighboring farm. I remember seeing some numbers scratched on a sheet with a figure of just over 13,000 dollars on it. The farm did not come to be until a few years later. At that point he bought a tractor that turned out to be a huge lemon. The farm was not a whole lot better than that tractor. Just too much heavy ground that could not be properly drained.

 

[caterpillar guy]

I used to think I would like to have one or both. times have changed just a bit and no real desire to have one. Would just be an over sized toy. They don't have near enough hyrdaulic ability for the jobs I could put them on. I need more like at least 20-25 GPM with at least 2500 or more PSI. IF IH had put more hydraulic capacity or an option for more pump and pressure they might still by via able.

 

[fastfarmall]

Well i got out of high school in 1964, I remember a neighbor[David] and i both were at the IHC dealer, just chating,with the salesman, who was a farmer himself, kinda late winter,the salesman said the new 1206's will put put out a 150 horse,David and i looked at each other and said no way, yep the sales man said they will,we kept doubting what he was saying, so he goes out in the shop to see if the mechanics had time to prove it too us,well David was a dairy farmer had to go home at 4,30 to milk at 5:00,well it was already about 3:00,and by the time the mechanics had to finish what he was doing,etc,it really wouldn't work.. But the number 150 seemed so ridiculous'y high we just couldn't comprehend it,But later i knew they would do it! David brother had a early 806 with a RD Pump,that was a good tractor, so David eventually bought a 806, and i bought one in the fall,of 1967! Never heard of anybody have a Lemon, 806 or 1206

 

[d282]

I started farming in 2004 with a 560 diesel and 1456. The farms got rented out from under me but I kept my equipment in case I can find 160-240 acres to farm again. Don't want to farm the county, just enough to teach my kids what I learned growing up.

 

[Donald in MN]

have a friend that farmed with his dad and brother in the 90s they were all john deere. one year they decided to get something bigger but couldnt find anything green in their price range. the brother was at an auction and there was a 1256 going pretty cheap. so he bought it the dad had a fit about having bought that tractor. i was over at the brothers farm one winter and the 1256 was on the tandem spreader. i asked him about how he liked the 1256 he said thats the only thing that will start in the cold to clean out the dairy barn everyday.

 

[JohnRowehl]

(quoted from post at 12:12:08 12/19/20) Like below,lets hear about 1206;1256;1456.

Was helping a friend of ours plant potatoes in 1980. He had me plowing with his 1456 with a four bottom rollover plow and clod buster behind it. It had a Hiniker cab on it and the underbelly fuel tank. There were 20 of the suitcase weights on the front. Really enjoyed using it and hearing the sound of that turbo whistling.

 

[MeanGene1]

When the 1206 first came out, my gramps had already sold out of the IH dealership, but he had kept the 706D demonstrator and added another 706D, and the potato farmer next to us had bought the 806D demonstrator- which BTW pulled 6-16s for many years. The potato farmers had been pulling the big and heavy 4-row planters with CAT D4s for many years, and made the D4s work. So one of the bigger tater guys who had a big complex with his and his mom's palatial homes on one side of the highway, warehouses, shops and equipment parking on the other side. So one day we drive by, and right out front, on obvious display, were TWO new 1206's, both with duals plus MFWD, hooked to the two 4-row planters- gawd they were beautiful, and caused quite a stir for a while

 

[NY 986]

I'm trying to remember but aren't you the one down by Cohocton, NY? Nice area and muck land or upland potatoes depending on where you go. By the time I was old enough to know anything I believe it was Richmond's for the area dealer there. Finger Lakes Tractor to the east in Penn Yan. Walkley over in Perry.

 

[fixerupper]

I grew up on two banger Deeres it was all I drove through the sixties. In the fall of 1970 I worked for a farmer plowing with a brand new 1256. I was king of the world driving that tractor. There was no comparison to the A and 630 Deeres I was accustomed to. There was no cab just a heat Houser so I froze going one direction and cooked going the other direction but I didnt care because I was on cloud 9. My neck of the woods had a few 1256 and a scattering of 1456 but most of the big red tractors at that time were 865 size.

 

[larryanderson]

We had a new 1206 in 1965.The first tractor I actually ran was a SM followed by SMTA 400 450 560 806 We pulled it at County Fair and won so knew we could win the State Fair luckily we just watched as the CagunQueen and several tractors were well over 300H.P.We pulled 6/16 and first the wheel center broke,then the rear end failed all under warranty.In 1973 we got first JD mainly due to Sound Guard cab. I have had at least 20 1206s and if tractors are pretty they win easily.I tell people they dont start or shift the best but the whistle of that Solar turbo and the paint scheme win me over.We demoed some newer IHs but cab was too noisy and never had another IH until we got a 9280 4wd which with Steiger design was an excellent tractor compared to the 8630/40/50s.I have had many 1456 and they sell easily and they were an improvement over 1206s but just didnt have the eye appeal.When I drive my 66NovaSS or 1206 I feel 50 years younger and that why I think I like them so well.