JD 2440 goods/bads

I've been looking for a small to medium tractor to supplement my hay op and farm maint. I'm currently looking at a local 2440. I'd like to hear some opinions from owner operators with experience with this unit and or mechanics who have repeatedly repaired the same issues.

I wouldn't mind hearing loader recommendations for this tractor if any would care to share opinions on that as well.

Thanks in advance,

Tim

Check operation oh hyd after hyd oil has reached operating temp. Check PH of coolant as engine cylinder liner cavitation seems to become more prevalent as time goes on.

(quoted from post at 09:28:36 10/13/15)
Check operation oh hyd after hyd oil has reached operating temp. Check PH of coolant as engine cylinder liner cavitation seems to become more prevalent as time goes on.

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Thank you Jim. Could you explain cylinder liner cavitation to me?

Tim

Liner cavitation is caused from dirt molecules in coolant bombarding cyl liner which can eventually cause a pin hole in the cyl liner cause compression to enter cooling system or coolant in engine crankcase.

(quoted from post at 09:52:22 10/13/15)
Liner cavitation is caused from dirt molecules in coolant bombarding cyl liner which can eventually cause a pin hole in the cyl liner cause compression to enter cooling system or coolant in engine crankcase.

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Okay, so what ph am I looking for (looking out for) as a sign that it has or is occurring?

Tim

I checked this on a few tractors this year (Per Jim's advice) and I bought diesel enginge coolant test strips right off of Amazon. Using a pair of needle nose pliers I dunked the strip into the coolant at the filler neck and you then compare the colors the strip turns to the packaging. Easy enough to do and I think 4 test strips were like $15.

The 2440 at the orchard I run I like. We spray with it so I can't say how else it would be used. It has the hi/lo on the dash which for spraying I find very useful in and around the orchard with obstacles, running around rows, etc. The cab on ours is a rattle trap and the under slung exahust is a bit noisy but overall it has been a trouble free tractor.

I changed all filters and fluids with JD stuff this year and I would estimate the cost was around $500 without totaling slips.

Make sure you get strips that are not past the expired date. They do have a shelf life. They don't read right after they get old.

JIM - That's not even remotely close to what cavitation is or is caused by. Anybody that's run IH diesels
that make cylinder heat & pressure know what cavitation is and how to treat it. CUMMINS engines get it
too.

When the wet liners or even the parent bores get hot and when they expand under the pressure of the
cylinder firing and the metal pushes the coolant away, then as the pressure is released, the metal snaps
back which lowers the pressure the cooling system sees right where the coolant contacts the sleeve or
cylinder wall, and the coolant boils as it floods back against the metal cylinder wall or sleeve. The
coolant will always tend to form bubbles at the exact same spot on the liner or cylinder wall. This
bubbling action causes the metal to erode, little molecules of metal erode when the bubbles are formed.
Eventually there will be a small hole eroded through the sleeve or cylinder wall. If you could look at the
inside of the cooling system there would be a very small white spot where this bubbling has started forming
the hole.

Easiest way to prevent cavitation erosion is to use a supplemental coolant additive, contains nitrites,
molybdates, and phosphates which plate out on the internal surfaces of the cooling system and erode instead
of the iron of the sleeves or cylinder walls. FLEETRITE makes a DCA4 additive that works great. Anybody
with a POWERSTROKE knows it as FW-15 coolant additive. FLEETRITE also makes test strips to check the
strength of the additive to make sure you have enough but not too much in your coolant.

Nothing about dirt bombarding cylinder walls or any nonsense like that, although, adding a coolant filter
to filter coolant as well as add cavitations inhibitors is a good idea. Lots of loose core sand in new
engine blocks that can circulate around, wear water pump impellers, etc. But I've never added one to an
engine that didn't come with one.

A GOOGLE search will give you weeks of interesting reading on cavitations erosion. Of ALL the things I've
heard of Deere engines having problems with I can't say I've ever heard of one cavitating.

DR. EVIL
Thank you for correcting my incorrect statement
Jim

Ditto. Mine were from Fleetrite as Dr EVIL discusses below and had a 4 week expiration date from when they arrived. I promptly checked 4 tractors with them and ended up replacing coolant in all 4.

Did you put the additive in your NEW coolant ? or check your new coolant ? Most of it needs it added when you change it.

The coolant test strips test for more than PH. They also check for the additive some makers (cummins) call it DCA and some call it SCA. And then they also tell you the freeze protection.

Deere's utility tractors were really bad about cavitating.
Both cylinders and block cavitated always on the same side.
The side where the cylinders were closer to the block.
Less coolant capacity on that side. Changing antifreeze every
year seemed to help prevent it somewhat.
Deere's old 404 engines rarely cavitated. Later they narrowed
the block then with the 466 being bigger bore were pretty bad.
Like IH they did the filter deal.
I know what you are talking about with the bubbles etc. Always
wondered how anyone saw that happening.

(quoted from post at 14:28:07 10/13/15) JIM - That's not even remotely close to what cavitation is or is caused by. Anybody that's run IH diesels
that make cylinder heat & pressure know what cavitation is and how to treat it. CUMMINS engines get it
too.

When the wet liners or even the parent bores get hot and when they expand under the pressure of the
cylinder firing and the metal pushes the coolant away, then as the pressure is released, the metal snaps
back which lowers the pressure the cooling system sees right where the coolant contacts the sleeve or
cylinder wall, and the coolant boils as it floods back against the metal cylinder wall or sleeve. The
coolant will always tend to form bubbles at the exact same spot on the liner or cylinder wall. This
bubbling action causes the metal to erode, little molecules of metal erode when the bubbles are formed.
Eventually there will be a small hole eroded through the sleeve or cylinder wall. If you could look at the
inside of the cooling system there would be a very small white spot where this bubbling has started forming
the hole.

Of ALL the things I've
heard of Deere engines having problems with I can't say I've ever heard of one cavitating.

Click to expand...

If you think JD engines haven't experienced cavitation problems IE hole in liner you need to do some more research.

Are you stating dirty coolant doesn't contribute to cavitation(holes in cyl liners)?
Jim

I'm reading about all these problems with cavitation and here is my story. my dad bought 2440 and used it for like 14-18
yrs.. traded it in on a newer one and the dealer leased it to a company building our high school at the time for a year. When
it got back they sold it to a friend of ours and he used it for about 10 yrs before he got rid of it. Only problem we had was
I messed up the injection pump one night chasing a deer, and had to put a rear main seal in. It had 7900 hours on it when we
got rid of it.

It would pull 3-14's in 3rd gear all day and 4th for a little while if I was in a hurry to go to town. I think it was one of
the best they built actually.

I bought JD Cool-Gard which is premixed with water and the additive so I didn't have to fool around with it. Says it is good for 5 years on the jug but I will be checking it each year for my own knowledge.

My Deere 2350 (4-239) cavitated and got pin holes in two of the sleeves at around 7500 hours. But you are right on about the cavitation explanation and remedies. Theoretically any wet sleeve engine and a lot of parent bores are prone to it. AT my old work we had a 7.3 IDI Ford in a F350 pickup hauling drill rigs pit out two blocks. Granted it was worked hard. I also saw a three cylinder Ford 4500 TLB that had pitted out blocks (parent bore engine) and also I have heard of Ford 8000-9000's pitting as well. (401 CID parent bores). I think you could get repair sleeves for the Ford tractor blocks.

I was always told to uonly put JD Cool guard on JD with wet sleeves. Big problems otherwise.