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2940... the good, bad and the ugly

D

Dean Lydey

Member
Considering a 2940 with a 148 loader. Please let me know what's the opinion of this setup. Anything to be aware of to look for?
 
I've had my 1981 2940 with FWD and a 260 loader for over 5 yrs. Other than a few blown loader hoses I've never had a problem. I use it to feed cows during the winter. Some may say the hydraulics are weak but I have not experienced a problem. Currently has around 7300 hours. Its not a daily use tractor but I'm happy with it. Especially when there is 3' of snow on the ground.
 

Take a coolant test strip with you and check the corrosion inhibitor in the coolant. Wet sleeve engines tend to cavitate pin hole through sleeves if the coolant is substandard.

A 3140 by another name for the very nearly identical tractor in Europe and Canada..

John Deere 2940
John Deere 2940 tractor photo
1980 - 1982 2040 Series
Utility tractor
Manufacturer: John Deere
Factory: Mannheim, Baden-W�rttemberg, Germany
Original price (USD): $25,500 (1982)
John Deere 2940 Engine:
John Deere 5.9L 6-cyl diesel
Capacity:
Fuel: 33.25 gal [125.9 L]
3-Point Hitch:
Rear Type: II
Power Take-off (PTO):
Rear PTO: independent
Rear RPM: 540/1000
Wheelbase: 101.6 inches [258 cm]
Weight: 9435 to 10650 pounds
Front tire: 10.00-16
Rear tire: 18.4-34
2940 Serial Numbers:
1980: 350000
1981: 390496
1982: 418953





John Deere 2940 Power:
Drawbar (claimed): 68 hp [50.7 kW]
PTO (claimed): 82 hp [61.1 kW]
Drawbar (tested): 64.18 hp [47.9 kW]
PTO (tested): 81.17 hp [60.5 kW]
power test details ...

Mechanical:
Chassis: 4x2 2WD
4x4 MFWD 4WD (optional)
Steering: hydrostatic power
Brakes: differential hydraulic wet disc
Cab: Open operator station. Cab optional.

Hydraulics:
Type: closed center
Valves: 1
Pump flow: 18 gpm [68.1 lpm]

Electrical:
Ground: negative

Battery:
Number: 1
Volts: 12
 
I have had a 2940 for 7 yrs now, it"s 4wd and I use it for loader and chore work. Been great,it"s got about 7500 hrs, it likes the tank heater below say 25deg but really great in the snow
 
When they are good they are okay...When they go bad they are a nitemare...I don't like them at all...
 
Mannheim tractors are good machines. They're tough little guys. I would sooner work on a Mannheim tractor than a Waterloo or Dubuque.
 
And I feel the exact opposite,, to each their own,,but I think they are a bad desighn all the way through..
 
(quoted from post at 03:13:58 09/30/14) And I feel the exact opposite,, to each their own,,but I think they are a bad desighn all the way through..
Click to expand...

Deere made an awful lot of them for being a bad design. You just have to think like a german.
 
(quoted from post at 22:08:48 09/29/14) Mannheim tractors are good machines. They're tough little guys. I would sooner work on a Mannheim tractor than a Waterloo or Dubuque.
Click to expand...

Please explain the hyd differences in a Dubuque & Mannheim built tractors when a lot of the hyd components such as frt hyd & trans pumps are identical??
 
(quoted from post at 22:13:58 09/29/14) And I feel the exact opposite,, to each their own,,but I think they are a bad desighn all the way through..
Click to expand...

I agree with Tim in that the Waterloo tractors built from '61-'93 are way better that the utility tractors.
 
(quoted from post at 11:17:47 09/30/14)
(quoted from post at 22:08:48 09/29/14) Mannheim tractors are good machines. They're tough little guys. I would sooner work on a Mannheim tractor than a Waterloo or Dubuque.
Click to expand...

Please explain the hyd differences in a Dubuque & Mannheim built tractors when a lot of the hyd components such as frt hyd & trans pumps are identical??
Click to expand...

The 2010 and industrial equipment.
 
(quoted from post at 03:42:33 09/30/14) A cheap unit that was sent to places that didn;t know better...
Click to expand...

You're right. Dairymen, truck farmers, citrus growers, and tobacco growers don't know any better, right Tim? Not every farmer in the world grows corn and soybeans. I think you owe some fellas an apology.
 
(quoted from post at 08:19:52 09/30/14)

Please explain the hyd differences in a Dubuque & Mannheim built tractors when a lot of the hyd components such as frt hyd & trans pumps are identical??
Click to expand...

The 2010[/quote]

There were a lot of other utility models built in Dubuque other than 2010 that are very similar to Mannheim tractors with interchangeable parts.

2010's should been recalled by JD & melted down & recycled. :wink:
 
Your correct,,I should not let my dislike for these units spill out to every one else....I ended my day yesterday dealing with major failures in a 2955, that has 4734 hours on it, Pto clutch and both sides of the High/Low burnt out badly...these are small components with a 6cyl. engine driving them, to me they seem doomed to fail...
 
(quoted from post at 08:19:52 09/30/14)
Click to expand...

The 2010 and industrial equipment.[/quote]

Well I see you've edited your post to include industrial tractors which during the same era Dubuque industrials have very similar engines,hyd systems & trans as Mannheim built tractors.
 
(quoted from post at 14:34:01 09/30/14)
(quoted from post at 08:19:52 09/30/14)
Click to expand...

The 2010 and industrial equipment.
Click to expand...

Well I see you've edited your post to include industrial tractors which during the same era Dubuque industrials have very similar engines,hyd systems & trans as Mannheim built tractors.[/quote]

It's not the hydraulic pumps and transmissions that make Dubuque tractors unhandy to work on, it's the loaders and backhoes that are attached to them. And forklift masts and counterweights.
 
(quoted from post at 09:51:14 09/30/14)

It's not the hydraulic pumps and transmissions that make Dubuque tractors unhandy to work on, it's the loaders and backhoes that are attached to them. And forklift masts and counterweights.
Click to expand...

I thought we were discussing Dubuque vs Mannheim built not ag vs ind tractors?? Irregardless IMHO utility tractors hyd's are more difficult to diagnose/repair than the rowcrop tractors of the same era('61-'93).
 

I wonder at times if lower prices Dubuque and Mannheim utility tractors tended to be abused more and suffered a lower standard of service . More puttering around tasks too. Than the typical larger tractor used for heavy tillage and harvest ?
 
Yes the do get used more for daily chores, but what seems to me is they are dealing with a smaller chassis and adding extras like Hi/Low shift independent PTO and there wasn't enough room for a large enough unit to fit the housing, so the smaller units have trouble dealing with a larger engine power..
 
Is that the 2955 I seen in your shop? I'm wondering if the operators knew there were problems yet ran the tractor until it ground to a halt.

Is it going to be practical to simplify the transmission oil circuit ? Without excess lube oil and other diversions starving the high/low pack, the pto clutch , pto brake and front pump supply?
 
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