The 74 Series Appreciation thread!

[cam.man67]

Just wanted to see how many of you on here have a 74-series tractor...I have a 674 and absolutely love it! Bought lightly used by my grandfather in the late '70s, this old beast has 13926 hours on it as of this morning, and keeps on going. It's been at time poorly maintained, at times non-maintained, and at times well taken care of. We've used it to plow snow, load hay, haul thousands of hay wagon loads, run a TMR, power a silo auger, fill ag bags, mow, tedd, rake, and bale hay, scrape a barnyard, haul a manure spreader, pull out stuck milk trucks, along with things I'm surely forgetting. It was the first tractor I learned to use, and with an overdue engine rebuild, hopefully something my daughter can learn in when she's old enough! Can't say enough good about this old workhorse...IH definitely knew what they were doing with this series tractor. Any other 74 lovers out there?

 

[JimB2]

My brother has a 454, 495, 3230 and 684. 454 has well over 15,000 Hrs on it. Spent many hours in the seat of 454 and 684.

JimB

 

[RBoots]

We have 2 674 gas tractors. One with new
Firestone Field & Road 16.9-30's and the other
has new Firestone Field & Road 14.9-30's. They
used to be used for drilling, baling, pulling corn
planter, rotary hoe, and 6R cultivator, brush
hogging, spraying, and hauling a wood trailer.
They have both been semi retired for the last 8
years or so. I have the one with bigger tires that
has 3,200 hours at the little outpost farm where
I live. It now just moves implements around and
helps push disabled tractors into the shop,
brushogs a little bit around here, and backs
wagons into the barns when we are combining
around this farm. The other with the smaller
tires has 2,800 hours and stays at the home
farm where it will pull the wood trailer, run the
log splitter and move implements around. They
are hard on gas though, but what can you
expect when you have 72 HP out of 200 CI? I
always felt they had not enough traction for the
power output they had. Both have the OEM 3
point top link, and the square topped fenders
with 2 forward lights in each one. I rode MANY
hours sitting on that flattop fender riding with
dad when I was little. Also have a 354 gas that
has the same sheet metal as the 674's, but it is
nothing at all like the 674's. Interesting little
tractor.

Ross

 

[DK44H]

Had a 574 gas for years. Great tractor. Dad traded it off a few years ago. Wish I still had that one but didn't have the money at the time.

 

[JimB2]

Hi, my Dad had a 674 Diesel for a short time and traded for 684 Diesel with T/A, both had 18.4x34 rear tires.
The D-239 Diesel in the 674 and 684 was reasonable on fuel. We would turn the pump up to close to 70 HP when chopping corn and it would use less than 2 Imp gallons an hour.
JimB

 

[Farmboy4221]

We have a 674 diesel used it today to fill silo with hay and we
can't get rid of it due to the tight space it fits into to run the
blower and the fact that my grandpa bought it brand new for a
loader tractor that old girl has pushed a lot of snow and
cultivated countless acres of corn in its day

 

[Mike Van]

I bought my 574 new in '75. It's got 1939 hours on it now, almost always kept inside.

 

[Farmall 656]

I bought my 574 a handful of years ago. I am the the third owner. The tractor has just a tick over 3200 hrs on it. I bought it for using my 6ft Bush Hog around the "retired" farm. This is a handy tractor! It is my
"main" tractor for unloading ear corn on my picking day in the fall. I wish I had this tractor back in the day of our active farm!!

 

[cam.man67]

Great lookin' 574! I would love to add a 574 to the herd as a mowing tractor.

Speaking of chores, added another to the list of 674 duties: compost hauling! After using it to pull my broken down jd70 in from the field yesterday, I hooked the 674 up to the spreader and finished emptying our compost pile out on the files. Handled it like a pro!