240 utility questions

Hi all, new guy here. I am thinking about buying a 240 International Utility. I was only told about it by a friend and have not yet seen it. So all night I have been researching them and now I have a bunch of questions that I havent had directly asnwered in my search and hoped some one could help. I have found some pictures to go by.
Heres my questions:


What are the 2 levers on the right side of the dash panel?

How are the engines? I see they are rated 40 hp according to tratordata. Anything to look out for I was told this on was rebuilt last summer. New piston rings and a new HEAD.

I see alot of posts about hydraulic problems. Is there something too watch out for in particular? Are they known for being weak?

I assume there is no Hi - Lo range from what I have read. Are they geared well? My father speaks of the old single range Fords and Fergusons not having the right gear when he needed it, he really likes the hi-lo.

Anything else too look out for?

Sorry for the long first post just wanted to get it all out there.

Thanks so much in advance. JON

(quoted from post at 22:56:19 03/02/09) Hi all, new guy here. I am thinking about buying a 240 International Utility. I was only told about it by a friend and have not yet seen it. So all night I have been researching them and now I have a bunch of questions that I havent had directly asnwered in my search and hoped some one could help. I have found some pictures to go by.
Heres my questions:


What are the 2 levers on the right side of the dash panel?

How are the engines? I see they are rated 40 hp according to tratordata. Anything to look out for I was told this on was rebuilt last summer. New piston rings and a new HEAD.

I see alot of posts about hydraulic problems. Is there something too watch out for in particular? Are they known for being weak?

I assume there is no Hi - Lo range from what I have read. Are they geared well? My father speaks of the old single range Fords and Fergusons not having the right gear when he needed it, he really likes the hi-lo.

Anything else too look out for?

Sorry for the long first post just wanted to get it all out there.

Thanks so much in advance. JON

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Two levers are the auxillary hydraulic valves.
Engine is the C123 that had been around for some time and is a reliable engine.
Don't know of any particular hydraulic problems that keep it from operating, but they have an antiquated lift system, either the fast hitch or 3 point. With the valves mounted under the dash, it uses a "feedback" cable for location instead of a more direct hookup, and an external cylinder instead of being built into the tranny cover.
No hi-low gears, just a straight 4 speed and one reverse, however the speed range is not bad, but then I was raised on a Super C, so I was used to it.
If you plan to use it with a pto machine, it does not have independant pto.... a real drawback and surprising in a tractor as late as the 240 series.

Hey thanks for the reply.
So these auxillary valves are for attachments and just sit there until you hook up something like a loader? As for this lift system from what I have been reading tonite it does seem a bit confusing and troublesome. So it has no live PTO that was somethng I had meant to ask and forgot. My father has a homeade 3pt hitch woodsplitter that has a pump that slides onto the PTO shaft and I was wondering if the tractor would be able to run it I guess not.


Its a shame as its a very nice looking

The valves would operate a loader, but the pump is small and depending on the cylinder diameter, might be slow operating. Also if the one you are looking at has power steering, it "robs" flow from the pump through a "prioity flow divider valve" that would slow a loader even more. Mine has an external loader pump, so the tractor pump operates the PS, 3 point and aux. valves.
If the one you are looking at has the optional 3 point, it would mount and run the log splitter, or you could use one of the Aux. valves and forget the pto pump. You are going to be sitting still when using the splitter, so the non-independant pto would not cause a problem. Only problem would be mounting the splitter if it has the Fast Hitch and not 3 point. There are adaptors out there to use it as a 3 point... not sure how easy they are to find or what it would cost.
All I use on mine is the loader and a rear blade... it has the factory optional 3 point.

Although the 240 is a nice little tractor, it is short on hydraulics and no IPTO. As IHfan said the feedback control cable for the hitch is a problem area. However later models use a mechanical feedback instead of the cable. If it has the mechanical feedback, that would be a plus.
The feedback is used to stop the hitch at a lever position. If this does not function, the hitch will move to a limit and maintain pressure on the system. Continous system pressure will cause overheating and pump seal failure.
K-Mo

The auxilary hydraulic controls are rare - especially two - on the utility models. I've never seen one in person with even one, and only a few pictures of a 240 utility with one. They will give you live hydraulics, but the reserve tank on a 240 is quite small so you're pretty limited on what it will operate. A cylinder on a mower it can do - putting a loader on it will tax both the reserve and the pump's power. On the plus side every 240 utility I've ever seen had power steering (standard?), on the down side you really don't need it since the tractor is so light and very few had loaders mounted on them. The 4 cylinder engine is very easy on gas - but then we never worked ours very hard at anything - mainly haying and an auger power unit.

Power wise you're looking at 24-27 hp, more in line with a C than an H in power. Our 240 was the first tractor I ever drove (picking up hay bales) with the power steering and easy clutch it wasn't to hard for a 6 year old to handle.

The other thing I remember about them is that they are very SLOW - great for moving around a field with preteens picking up bales of hay, but "road gear" at 12 mph (at best) seems to add a lot of time to getting anywhere. Raking hay with them seemed to take forever too since 4th was too fast and 3rd was way to slow.

i picked up a 240u couple years ago, has a fast hitch, no power steering, came with a 6 ft rotary mower and a back blade. good little tractor, comfortable to operate, real easy on fuel. i loaded the back tires, and have a set of chains too for blading snow. great mowing tractor too, low center of gravity and with the under exhaust, saves the muffler from tree limbs. heres a couple pics.
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(quoted from post at 02:36:33 03/03/09) The valves would operate a loader, but the pump is small and depending on the cylinder diameter, might be slow operating. Also if the one you are looking at has power steering, it "robs" flow from the pump through a "prioity flow divider valve" that would slow a loader even more. Mine has an external loader pump, so the tractor pump operates the PS, 3 point and aux. valves.
If the one you are looking at has the optional 3 point, it would mount and run the log splitter, or you could use one of the Aux. valves and forget the pto pump. You are going to be sitting still when using the splitter, so the non-independant pto would not cause a problem. Only problem would be mounting the splitter if it has the Fast Hitch and not 3 point. There are adaptors out there to use it as a 3 point... not sure how easy they are to find or what it would cost.
All I use on mine is the loader and a rear blade... it has the factory optional 3 point.

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Thanks again for the reply, I'm still confused about the "non independent" PTO though. I'm used to terms like "live" and "ground speed" With the woodsplitter we are sitting still of course lol. and have it set in live with the tractor trans in neutral. and tractor running prob 1800. Willl this 240 do this? Im not too worried if the tractor doesnt have a 3pt which I'm not sure whether or not is does yet. But I'm sure I can fabricate a 3 pt conversion if it hasnt already been done. My friend didnt say what it has I'm sure he assumed it was like most tractors.

(quoted from post at 11:17:34 03/03/09)
Thanks again for the reply, I'm still confused about the "non independent" PTO though. I'm used to terms like "live" and "ground speed" With the woodsplitter we are sitting still of course lol. and have it set in live with the tractor trans in neutral. and tractor running prob 1800. Willl this 240 do this? Im not too worried if the tractor doesnt have a 3pt which I'm not sure whether or not is does yet. But I'm sure I can fabricate a 3 pt conversion if it hasnt already been done. My friend didnt say what it has I'm sure he assumed it was like most tractors.

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Independent PTO means it has a separate clutch for the PTO and will run when you push the ground speed clutch in. 240s came out in 1958 and most tractors had IPTO by that time. Some had a two stage clutch wherein you pushed the clutch part way down and stopped the drive transmission, but the pto kept running if the pto was in gear. Not as good as the IPTO, but better than nothing.
Mine has the two aux. valves and has an aftermarket power steering. It looks like they operated the loader at one time, but the front pump must have been added to speed it up and compensate for the lost flow when the flow divider and PS was added. The loader is an IH Wagner 120, pretty heavy duty for the size of tractor, and the reservoir is built into the frame of the loader... just wish it was a quick attach so I could take it off easily. Also mine has the upright muffler, not underneath. The engine is rated 40 hp, but drawbar is only about 27... a little more than the older Super C, but not much. It is really a sweet running little motor though.

I've got a '58, w/a Davis loader,a separate nose Pump and its done everything i"ve asked of it.(including pulling a few stumps I might add) It also has a factory Fast hitch it is 3pt used w/a splitter,auger and I built forks on the back(3pt) to move 6 ft logs..works like champ.!!!!!!!!

I hope I'm not sounding too dense LOL I am just not used to this set up. If I am understanding this right this tractor has a seperate clutch for its PTO and the PTO will run without the tractor moving?

Will it run a small bushhog?

drhermesc: Do you think the hydraulics are good enough that I could adapt a pickup type snow plow to the front? They only have small cylinders.

(quoted from post at 16:49:34 03/03/09) I hope I'm not sounding too dense LOL I am just not used to this set up. If I am understanding this right this tractor has a seperate clutch for its PTO and the PTO will run without the tractor moving?

Will it run a small bushhog?

drhermesc: Do you think the hydraulics are good enough that I could adapt a pickup type snow plow to the front? They only have small cylinders.

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NO, it does NOT have an independent PTO... I was just trying to explain what an independent pto is.... sorry if I confused you. It would run a 6' "bushhog" with no problem, except it would be wise to have an over-run clutch added to your pto shaft, or the mower will "push" you when you push in the clutch pedal... same as any tractor without a "live" or independent pto. In other words, it would be like one of the old Ford 9N, 2N or 8N tractors.
I don't know what the system pressure is, but I think it would pick up a front mounted blade or snowplow. The 3 point has no problem picking up a considerable weight, and it's the same system with about a 3 1/2" cylinder. My rear blade is heavy and it doesn't even notice it's back there. The guy I bought it from had about a 6-700# weight on it to counter-balance the loader and it picked that up with no problem..

Unless it has the "two stage clutch" mentioned below (I never saw one with that option but I'm pretty limited in my experiance with them) the same clutch that engages the transmission also engages the PTO. You can have the tractor in neutral and the PTO will work (starting and stopping with the clutch) but when you are mowing anytime you step on the clutch to stop the tractor the PTO will stop too. That makes it a pain to use when you need to slow ground speed for heavy clumps of grass.

It should run a couple small cylinders (general common sense on IH's part), but as I mentioned the one we had didn't have any remote hydraulics - only power steering and a fast hitch.

(quoted from post at 18:35:16 03/03/09) Unless it has the "two stage clutch" mentioned below (I never saw one with that option but I'm pretty limited in my experiance with them) the same clutch that engages the transmission also engages the PTO.

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Never known of an IH with the two stage clutch... doesn't mean their isn't one, just that I've never seen or driven one. The letter series did not have them, and when they went to the 300-400 series, they had an IPTO (meaning a separate clutch), but the smaller series 100-200s did not. By 1958 when IH went to the 140-240-340, etc., series, the bigger tractors still had IPTO and the smaller ones still did not. I believe the 340 was the smallest with IPTO. Like I said earlier, it's really a surprise to me that they did not have it in the smaller tractors by '58, but as I recall, JD did not have it in their smaller ones either until a few years or models after the bigger ones. JD had IPTO in '52 in their 50-60-70 series, but not in the smaller 40-420 (not sure about the 430/435 as I never drove one).

Yep, there were IH`s with 2 stage clutches.For sure the International 424 and 444 had it and I`m pretty sure the B-414 did too.Also possibly the B-250 and B-275-not real sure about them ,though.