International 990 Swather

[dhermesc]

Anyone have one? Are they decent compared to the New Holland 498s or comparable? Parts an issue?

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

They were a decent machine for their time, but they're absolutely ancient now. Most of the ones I see around are wore slap out. So much material has been put through them that all the sheet metal is worn through in places, and they've been sitting outside so long that where the metal hasn't worn through, it's rusted through. If the rubber hasn't peeled off the conditioner rolls, it's ready to. There are some decent examples still but they're getting farther and fewer between.

Consumable parts like knives and guards are industry standard sickle mower stuff. Belts and chains, again industry standard parts. No problem with that.

Any hard parts will either exceed the value of the machine or just won't be available. Like if it needs conditioner rolls... unless you find a parts machine with decent conditioner rolls cheap, it won't be worth it. You can't get them new and to have them professionally re-done will cost thousands. Then if you do find another machine with decent rolls it will probably be in better overall shape than yours.

 

[JIM MN]

Ran a IH 990 for a lot of years.. A good machine, trouble free.. May have needed a guard, sickle knife, chain or belt,,, but the basic machine was sound... Case/IH dealer still carry some parts. There are still several used machines for parts at a reasonable price.. There were several of these machines sold.. If looking to buy one,, look over REAL GOOD ??..

 

[jwal10]

Mine had a steel and a rubber roll. I have seen the spiral metal strips of metal that made up the spiral, come loose and make a mess of the roll but they could be welded back on. I had the rubber roll break in the middle when it ingested a wood fence post that was laying on the ground, just right, I just bought a new one. It was made up of round pieces of rubber cut in circles and stacked on a metal pipe, I think it would be hard to make. I liked the machine, when you raised the header the rolls would separate, clearing the slug. The header was not solid to the frame like most at that time, it had springs to carry most of the weight of the header and it ran on shoes, it would float and follow the ground contour. The way the rollers were, it didn't take much power to run it like the Chevron rollers did and the metal roller made crimps in the stem close together so the stems dried quickly unlike the Chevron rolls mashing the whole stem. You changed the pressure on the rolls to stop leaf loss....James

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

Mine had a steel and a rubber roll. I have seen the spiral metal strips of metal that made up the spiral, come loose and make a mess of the roll but they could be welded back on. I had the rubber roll break in the middle when it ingested a wood fence post that was laying on the ground, just right, I just bought a new one. It was made up of round pieces of rubber cut in circles and stacked on a metal pipe, I think it would be hard to make. I liked the machine, when you raised the header the rolls would separate, clearing the slug. The header was not solid to the frame like most at that time, it had springs to carry most of the weight of the header and it ran on shoes, it would float and follow the ground contour. The way the rollers were, it didn't take much power to run it like the Chevron rollers did and the metal roller made crimps in the stem close together so the stems dried quickly unlike the Chevron rolls mashing the whole stem. You changed the pressure on the rolls to stop leaf loss....James

Neighbor had one and a chunk of steel off the roll came off and hit him in the head. Took a bunch of stiches. Dad had two seven ft 990's but both rolls were rubber in them.

 

[DanielW]

If you can find one that's not completely worn out they're superb machines (as far as older haybines go). Infinitely better than the Deere 1209's and (in my opinion) at least as good as any similar-era New Holland. IH had a bad rap with some of their other haying equipment (mainly due to the 'All Twine' knotters they had on their balers and the ribbed implement tires they put on their ground-drive rakes, which had no traction), but the 990 was one of their good units. All wear parts are readily available (I just bought a new knife and set of guards for mine last year). The rubber-on-steel crimping rolls that most of them had didn't crimp quite as good as the chevron NH or Deere ones when all of them were new. But because the 990 used a laminated-disc style of rubber roller, they don't wear out and start peeling rubber like the Deere or NH ones. So at this point/age if you're comparing used NH to used 990, the IH probably does a better job crimping (as long as the gap is adjusted right), because the corners and rubber will be worn on the NH rolls.

One thing I really like on the 990 is how the rolls open up when you raise the bar, so they're much harder to plug than a NH or Deere. And if they do plug they're a lot easier to unplug.

Like all used haybines, it's important to keep them well-tuned and adjusted. Dull knives are really hard on the wobble mechanism and knife pin. The knife drive pins can get worn - you're probably best to replace the pin and knife bushing if they're suspect (parts are still readily available - I did mine last year). The wobble mechanism IH used was very good (if kept greased; there are a couple of grease fittings tucked under the cover that are often missed). Rowse is actually still using that same IH wobble mechanism on the sickle mowers they build brand new to this day.

The head float mechanism wasn't quite as good as some of the other haybines, but as long as the spring pressure for the head float is adjusted right they do just fine.

Make sure your drawbar hitch plates are in the correct position for your tractor drawbar height. If they're set too low the knife angle will be incorrect and more likely to plug. And make sure the main drive roller chain is lubed and not too sloppy or it will wear out the main drive large cast sprocket.

Overall, excellent machines. I've used or been around many of the popular NH and Deere (and one Hesston) haybines, and the 990 would be my preference. But like all used pieces of farm equipment, condition is everything. As much as I despise the Deere 1209's that are everywhere, I'd take a good 1209 over a beat-to-heck 990.