Hydraulic Fluid capacity IH 2444 with loader

IH 2444 #05123 about 1969 version, I think. It has a loader and 3 point, has connections for back hydraulic but nothing hooked up to it.

I have a manual ordered but do not have it yet. Need the tractor running, I have work to get done ....

What is the correct amount of hydraulic fluid for this thing? The shop manual I have says 3 gallons, but I have drained off somewhere around 8! I was told that how it was running it sounded like it had too much fluid, try taking some off. I did, then more, then more, still couldn't decide if it was correct. I decided I'd drain it totally and start with a measured amount, since I'm not doing well at guessing what the level should be. But 3 gallons is looking way too low, and I think that may be for a machine without a loader installed.

Secondary question to this: I'm draining it off at a female square holed magnetic plug that faces the back of the tractor. It's above the 3 point, below the male plug that sits on the top of a cubical reservoir thing that is below/behind the seat. There is a male square plug on the underside of what I would say is the axle (?) or transmission (?) just below the reservoir, drain plug for the axle or whatever. Am I draining it at the correct place? Do I have all the fluid out? Not sure if I should be trying to get that square plug loose, it will take serious work, it's not easy to remove.

I apologize for not knowing the right words for what I am seeing, I'm good with cars, but trying to learn a tractor from scratch. I'll do better with words when I have a manual.

If it matters, the reason I was told the take off some fluid is it ran fairly well, I did a bunch of brushcutting before the grass got thick, then blew a hydraulic line. I replaced it, wasn't sure of what the fluid level should be, added some, and the tractor is now losing power when I am running the brushcutter, to the point where it loses power going uphill with the cutter off, running on grass I have already cut. I have been concerned I am going to get it stuck because it can't go up the hill it has gone up easily before. I was told too much fluid could be making the clutch slip, take some off. (If there's a way to clean the clutch easily without taking things apart I'd love to know it!)

Any help anyone can offer would be GREATLY appreciated
Pearl

Hi Pearl, the 2444 is the industrial model of the AG 444 model. I have never have worked on a 2444 but have worked on the AG
444.
The hydraulic system on a 2444 can have several different options from the 444. There can be an additional hydraulic pump on the
front of the tractor plus the regular hydraulic pump on the front right of the engine. There can be different hydraulic
reservoir options. The one the same as the 444 where it is under the seat, another option is where the transmission/differential
is used as a hydraulic reservoir and there were some models that used the loader mounting frame as a separate hydraulic
reservoir with its own hydraulic filter.
If your 2444 only has the one reservoir under the seat then it holds about 3 US Gallons of IH Hytran or equivalent hydraulic
fluid with the 3pt only. The loader cylinders will require much more and depends on the size of the cylinders. The full level is
when you look through the filler plug onto top of the hydraulic reservoir and there is sort of a shelf visible and the full
level is when the shelf is covered. If you have air in the hydraulic system you will have to work the loader and the 3pt up and
down until all the air has been displaced and then top up the hydraulic fluid again. Removing all the air out of the system may
take several days of operation and checking the hydraulic fluid lever.

Re square plug on back of hydraulic reservoir, that is correct plug for draining the hydraulic reservoir if your 2444 tractor
does not use the trans/diff as a hydraulic reservoir. The trans/diff is drained by the 2 plugs under the tractor and a third
plug at the rear bottom above drawbar and below PTO.

Re unable to go up a hill, do you mean the engine keeps running at the same speed but the wheels slow down or stop turning?
Is it a gas or Diesel engine? Does it have two stage clutch, half way down stops the transmission and all the way down stops PTO
and transmission? Re too much hydraulic oil causing clutch to slip? This would only occur if the trans/diff is used as a
hydraulic reservoir and it is leaking out the front trans main seal onto the clutch. There is a clutch inspection plate that can
be remove on the bottom of the bellhowsing that you can remove to inspect for oil leaking into the clutch compartment.

See link to youtube of 2444 tractor.

JimB
Hope t
2444

JimB2: Thank you!! A lot of that is exactly what I needed to hear. I did watch the video, didn't learn much, learned what you use the differential lock for, but the rest of it I had learned from just using and working on this one.

My comments on what you said:

The hydraulic system on a 2444 can have several different options from the 444. There can be an additional hydraulic pump on the front of the tractor plus the regular hydraulic pump on the front right of the engine. There can be different hydraulic reservoir options. The one the same as the 444 where it is under the seat, another option is where the transmission/differential is used as a hydraulic reservoir and there were some models that used the loader mounting frame as a separate hydraulic reservoir with its own hydraulic filter.

Click to expand...

No clue which configuration I have, hoping the manual will give me more of a guess about what I'm looking at.

The full level is when you look through the filler plug onto top of the hydraulic reservoir and there is sort of a shelf visible and the full level is when the shelf is covered.

Click to expand...

[b:932c0b6413]YAY! That's the part I was missing![/b:932c0b6413] Knew there had to be a way to tell!!

If you have air in the hydraulic system you will have to work the loader and the 3pt up and down until all the air has been displaced and then top up the hydraulic fluid again. Removing all the air out of the system may take several days of operation and checking the hydraulic fluid lever.

Click to expand...

Oh cool, thank you. That makes sense!

Re square plug on back of hydraulic reservoir, that is correct plug for draining the hydraulic reservoir if your 2444 tractor does not use the trans/diff as a hydraulic reservoir. The trans/diff is drained by the 2 plugs under the tractor and a third
plug at the rear bottom above drawbar and below PTO.

Click to expand...

I'll check, I saw the two I mentioned, and that third one way on the bottom of the case, no others. I am told it uses no transmission fluid, just hydraulic, don't know if that means it's the reservoir. If I can tell the levels, I don't need to drain it totally right now, I was just doing that to try to figure out my level.

Re unable to go up a hill, do you mean the engine keeps running at the same speed but the wheels slow down or stop turning?

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Hm. The speed drops. The first 20 minutes or so of running it, it runs the way it did before the hydraulic line blew, then each time up the hill it gets slower, and feels like it has less power (although the engine is running at what sounds like the same RPMs, the gauge doesn't work) and by about 40 minutes or so, I'm wondering if it will even go up slowly. Not how it was running, it was just chugging it's way up the hill every time.

Is it a gas or Diesel engine? Does it have two stage clutch, half way down stops the transmission and all the way down stops PTO and transmission?

Click to expand...

Gas, one stage clutch, reverse lever.

Re too much hydraulic oil causing clutch to slip? This would only occur if the trans/diff is used as a hydraulic reservoir and it is leaking out the front trans main seal onto the clutch.

Click to expand...

That was the theory of the guy who told me to check the fluid level, he knew I had added more after the hose had to be replaced. He thought that would account for the power problem getting worse as it runs, and for this starting after the hose. Since I pulled off a LOT of fluid (I admit I kept adding more as it got worse, thinking it was too low) it's the best theory I have. Any other guesses would be considered. I'm hoping if I get the level right I'll find out. And I don't know if the trans is a reservoir on not... It does have that 1/2 inch male plug at the bottom of the case...

There is a clutch inspection plate that can be remove on the bottom of the bell housing that you can remove to inspect for oil leaking into the clutch compartment.

Click to expand...

Oh, excellent! I was hoping there was something I could check easily!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
I'll check all this in the morning, start adding fluid back, and see what happens
I appreciate it!!
Pearl

Hi Pearl, I don't know how to tell if the transmission is also a hydraulic reservoir or not. On the regular AG 444 the
transmission level is a square plug on the side of the trans case just by the foot rest. On the older models the plug was by brake
pedal and newer model was on clutch pedal side. The AG models only had 80 or 90 wt transmission grease(thick and black).
Since your 2444 has Hytran hydraulic fluid in trans/diff then it is possible that it is a hydraulic reservoir.

Can you tell if the return hydraulic line from the loader goes to the transmission case or to the hydraulic reservoir?

JimB

Hi JimB2

On the regular AG 444 the transmission level is a square plug on the side of the trans case just by the foot rest. On the older models the plug was by brake pedal and newer model was on clutch pedal side. The AG models only had 80 or 90 wt transmission grease(thick and black).

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I was told that before, and couldn't find any plugs in those positions. Definitely found nothing that had 90 weight in it (which is what I would expect on a tractor. I can't imagine hydraulic fluid being adequate for a transmission.)

Since your 2444 has Hytran hydraulic fluid in trans/diff then it is possible that it is a hydraulic reservoir.

Click to expand...

So if it's got an overfilled hydraulic reservoir, it certainly could be oozing out onto the clutch, and it's old enough the seals are probably not perfect under pressure. Wonder if I can see enough of the clutch to spray it with toluene, clean off the grease. I'll check this morning.

Can you tell if the return hydraulic line from the loader goes to the transmission case or to the hydraulic reservoir?

Click to expand...

Hmm. I'll check today, that's one of the things I was hoping a manual would tell me, what exactly I'm looking at so this makes more sense to me.

I'll report back when I come in from working this morning, going to be hot, high heat index, I won't be out there all day.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Pearl

Ok. Looked close at the tractor.
I DID find square plugs by the footboards on each side, not where I had thought they would be. I did not open them, as I had already gotten a fair amount of hydraulic fluid in (really slowly, was using a fine filter funnel.)

The hydraulic lines go to the under the seat reservoir. There's a pump in the front behind the loader that is hooked by a shaft into the engine.

Didn't get as far as the clutch.

Filled it with an unknown amount of fluid, got out bubbles, added more, still not seeing it at 6 inches down at the gearshift filler plug. Am I looking in the correct place? It is the gearshift plug, right? It's running slightly different, but still doing the same thing, losing power after running for a bit. The water temp gauge (only one on it that works) shows it at it's "run" temp, not overheated.

Got my manual!

Hi Pearl,
Re front pump probably runs the loader only and the pump on the front right side of engine will run the 3 pt.

Re filler plug by gear shift, yes on AG 444 that is where you would fill the trans/diff BUT you will have to consult your
Operator manual for your 2444 for the hydraulic oil fill instructions. There may be two different fill levels, one for loader
only and another for loader and backhoe.

Re clutch, there should be about 3/4 inch of free travel on the clutch pedal.

Good luck
JimB