Opinions on International 3388 2+2 tractors

I am in the market for a good International 3388 2+2 tractor. What are the strengths of these tractors?? What were their weak points?? What is the typical price range? I drove a new one at a dealers field day when they first came out. I might consider a 3588 or a 3788. Are there any more or less problems with the 3588 or 3788's?

I think they look neat. A good friend bought a new 2plus2. Don't think they had many issues with it. But they also had a 4630 JD to do heavy work. I heard them say that the JD got twice the hours of the IHC because it was way more comfortable and rode better.

I dunno. A cousin of mine was a JD guy till he wanted a 4440 (new). Couldn't get it bought for what he thought was right, so went a bought a 2+2. (don't know which one, still has it though) Many many many times I have heard him say he should have bought the 4440......

look for one that hasnt had hp turned up. Fine tractors if you used them at rated hp. Drivetrains could not handle extra hp..especially with duals all the way around. Take a lot of space to turn around. Not sure I like the way they look..but im mostly a deere guy..lol.

About the only down fall I have seen with the 2+2 was the hinge point.

The hinges plus the drive lines in the hinge area seem to be about the only thing the owners around here have had troubles with.

Gary

What are you going to do with it? They are not going to out do or out last a Steiger or Versatile typically. Probably best for manure hauling under tough conditions or chopping corn. The original intent was to put an articulated 4 wheel drive tractor on dairy farms when MFWD was still a novelty and not offered by major manufacturers such as JD and MF. Probably the biggest asset of those is they share many components with the two wheel drive 86 series tractors so parts are not a big issue other than the hinge area which also was a weakness in general along with dualing up the front axle.

Andy If you do your home work you can find a bargain, just not getting in a hurry would be the big thing. I make a lot of actions and those tractors are all over the price rang more than any tractor. Sometime they will go high and then the next time just bomb out. Do some looking.
E-mail is open send me your location.

Don"t know anything about them, or where you are, but I heard hoobers in intercourse pa took in an exceptional original one on trade.
Josh

They are a repair bill waiting to happen. Then they are a nightmare to work on. Most of them where bought to use as a small 4wd like a JD 8430 or Stieger. They did not do well in that usage. They where meant to be used like a MFWD tractor. IH did not even recommend putting duals on the front axle. All of the first generation ones where prone to axle and rear end failures.

IH realized this and the later series ones 6388,6588 and the 6788 had heavier rear ends and axles.

I have heard some guys complain that CIH is not keeping a lot of the parts available for them. Not like the 86 series that are still pretty easy to get just about anything you need.

Have you actually used one all day??? I know you said you drove one at a field day but you really need to drive one a while. A good friend had one and he complained about how it handled and how rough it road. I only drove it a few times and I HATED how it handles on headlands. It really took some getting used to since the cab is on the back half not the front like most other articulated tractors.

If you are planning on just collecting it and very light work then you may do fine with one. I would NOT recommend them to anyone for heavy everyday usage. There is a reason the resale on them is low.

My brother had the big one for about fivr years. Very nimble for its size. Good traction. As others have said, hinge point was weak. Overall not the heavy duty tractor it looked like.

Glenn F.

Know of three in the area that have been working for the last 20 years. Cheaper to buy than a fwa, the guys that have them use them for silage cutting, baling hay, mixer wagon, moving hay, and spraying. Use it for anything you would use a 1086 for and you should be fine, need a heavy tillage tractor get a versatile or steiger.

I worked on a dairy farm that had one in high school. I think it was a 6588. It never seemed to have the power to match the traction. It would pull a 25ft disc or 9 shank disc chisel, but not very fast. Seemed to ride rough. They put duals on the back and it helped. The owner said when they bought it it had lots of power, but coughed it's cookies after a short time. When they rebuilt it, it was set to factory settings and they didn't have any more major problems. It was nice for hauling manure when it got wet or the snow got deep.

Spent many hours on the 3588 and the 6588.
The 33 is the smaller brother of the 3588. They were never intended to compete with the big 4 wheel drives of the day...basically they were designed more towards what today"s versions of the FWA. Lots of farmers wanted them to be the big 4 wheelers and dualed them despite IH telling them that was a no no. When they took them past their limits...they failed. The 33 is a 1086 rear end with an articulated front.
Strengths - they are very nimble and if you keep the appropriate pressure in the tires...they will ride easy. If you don"t, then you get lots of hopping. They will handle a 24 foot field cultivator and disk with ease. Good power.

Weakness - Hinge points - if you don"t keep them greased. Hose issues at the hinge points. Hydraulic oil moves from one section to the other. The hood latch is another weak link as the hood can come loose and lurch forward.

We ran ours without weights nor duals, but did run a good radial tire. The only issues we had were at the hinge points. Never had any other mechanical issues. I liked to drive them...even used it to haul grain to the elevator.

But today, if I were you...I"d be looking for a good used Magnum with FWA...they will out work the 2 + 2 and have much better transmissions, engines, and cabs. The 2 + 2"s were made mostly in late 1978 - 79. Harvester went on strike in 1980 and nothing was built for many months. When they resumed production the newer version was the 63 and 65.

So good if you try one you better be prepared to buy one http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AIcIwsBUpTc

Parts that are 2+2 only , are almost impossible to get from CNH. Friend had one , needede a gasket for the power steering,ended up buying a wreck for parts,and used the whole power steering assembly because they could not get the parts they needed after a two year serch.