Tractor Novice purchasing IH 3444 and IH 3616

My biggest tractor to date is a 1969 AC(Simplicity) B-112 with Vari-Drive(working mostly correctly!) and hydraulics. The thing had me pulling my hair out sometimes especially finding hydraulic hoses. That's not why I'm here though. I made my first move up from lawn tractors. I'm looking at a pair of mid sized(?) tractors. Not huge, not small, but to me, pretty dang big and I think I'm so lost I don't know exactly what I want to ask so I hope someone can make sense of this... One is an IH 3444, hydrostatic drive, tractor-loader-backhoe with a gasoline engine. Issues: Loader bucket will dump if over center if you let go of the tilt/roll control lever. Engine is smoking, likely burning oil, fuel tank is full of rust and other junk, and of course it looks like a pile of crap because of the paint. Figure your normal wear and tear of about 3200 hours on it as well. Apparently it runs and can be worked if you check the oil and keep up with the loader bucket. I think for the bucket, it would be a spool valve. Hopefully that shouldn't be too tricky to rebuild. The current owner doesn't like a hydro drive(Hydra shuttle?) and is in desperate need of cash. This one is priced at $2500. I think that's fine. I think the issues and his need to pay the mortgage are why it seems like a deal. I can imagine I'm going to be getting in to another boatload of money with it but if it is what he says it'll beat a shovel.

The 3616, hopefully, will be a parts rig. The owner says they are similar machines and is implying that many parts will interchange. This one is a tractor-loader-backhoe as well with a diesel engine and manual transmission. The engine is apparently shot but the rest of it is pretty much all there. This one is $800 which I also think is a decent price if many of the parts can be used. I was also thinking if the Hydro breaks down to a point where I can't reasonably repair it, Hopefully I can swap the engine from the 3444 to the 3616 or swap the drive train from the 3616 to the 3444. I mean, repower the tractor with the bad engine, or put a manual transmission and rear end in place of the hydrostatic.

It so happens, I have a 152 CI engine from a 1967 IH Scout 800 as well as a 60 HP VW 1.6 Diesel engine. It's one of the Old diesels too. No computer, indestructible. All you need is 12VDC to the fuel cutoff solenoid to run fuel and I'm sure that could even be made to be a mechanical shutoff. I'm wondering on that 3616, is the engine a stressed component like many other tractors, or does it have a frame where I could mount a different type of engine. I could potentially have two pile of garbage machines running at the same time.

I don't know if I'm very clear on what I need to know...I guess, will parts from one work on the other? Is a hydrostatic drive on a 3444 likely to be completely shot? I Know I'm getting in over my head but that's the only way I learn new stuff. $3300 for two machines, one pretty much operable, and one potentially for parts or even to repair, that sounds OK to me. I know the owner too. He's a very blunt type of guy. Many times so blunt to the point of being an jerk but he's honest and has a very strong work ethic. He's very particular about jobs he does for people. If you hire him, you pay $60 hourly whatever he's doing but if he takes it on you won't find anyone better. To me, it seems like a good deal considering the situation. If I didn't know the guy and what he's got going on I'd think it was too good of a deal. I'm used to seeing $5K-ish for an equivalent machine in any kind of operable condition. I don't know anything about actual tractors though. He says 3200 hours is kind of high but not extreme. I know as is, where is, no refunds, don't call him to complain if it throws a rod or something catastrophic five minutes after I fire it up. He uses it to load mulch. I figure it's a safe bet.

Thanks for even reading this and sorry I'm unclear.

might just be me but i would not touch them with a 10 foot pole .IHC parts will be a bear to find and i'll bet the two tractors are worlds apart bub like i said it might just be me.for 3200.00 bucks you can get a good running tractor

For the condition and what they are that is way to much coin to me,, like said parts for the IH construction units are iffy at best,, you have to buy many from a Dresser dealer as they bought that side of IH here a good running one is in the 3K range at best at auction,, do what you want I would not give scrap price for them which here would be 500 bucks maybe, a CASE Ford or JD would be a far better way to go IH was never sold in big numbers in that market and there is a reason for that,, if something is wrong with the Hydrostat that may well cost you far above the purchase price to fix,, the hydro style its self was fine but too many have no clue how to operate and maintain them and they can be toasted,, just thoughts from a person who has been around construction units since the mid 60's in selling repairing and operating, my suggestion is do not walk but Run away

I'll keep looking I guess. Better to burst the bubble than the bank. I'm still going to keep them in mind though. I've read that parts are going to be tough and/or impossible to find. That's why I like the 3444 with the 3616. I need to know if the 3444 and the 3616 would share many parts. I need to know if the 3616 engine and trans are stressed components. Does it have a frame? Around here at least, it seems like you aren't touching anything that runs for less than $5K. I'm almost counting on the hydro being shot in that 3444. If they're common enough I'd do some kind of swapping. I know it must seem like I'm asking advice and disregarding it. I'm not doing that. I had already mentally bought this pair of tractors but that's changed from what you guys said. Now I'm looking harder on CL and other places. I want to help the guy out but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

Look at post in farmall forum on YT about
2444 and 3444 last week. Might be some
info that will help your decision.

Not exactly much on the 3444 but if the 24 series is anything to go by it seems at least a few people just in that thread like them. Noone there is saying "Run don't walk" or anything about the 24 or 34. I searched around the forums for anything on 3444 and 3616 and it looks like a lot of people have the 3444. Not a lot on the 3616.

Looks like in general I might not be able to re-power the 3616 with just anything.

Would it be correct-ish to say that they're built off of existing IH tractors?

I'm still leaning pretty hard on buying them but now I'm wary enough to do some research and I'm going to give the 3444 a good workout before I decide. It seems like the big thing is parts availability. I wonder if I'd have been better to post this in the Farmall/IH part but this is the appropriate place.

When I started the post in Farmall IH forum did not know backhoe was an option so started with IH forum. Very little information out there sadly. Might look at FB IH forums if you use FB.

FB has some groups but pretty diverse and mostly "For Sale" groups. I'm trying to join Redpower as well. Plenty of info on here and Redpower for various gremlins though.

Holy smokes was that thing clapped out. Yes, it ran and drove and went through the motions but it was smoking so badly you'd swear the pistons were swapping holes. All the lines were dry rotted to nothing and one blew while the owner was showing it. I'm really saddened that he'd try to pass something off like that on to me. Heck with it. The right one will come up.

(quoted from post at 10:56:08 07/27/20)
Holy smokes was that thing clapped out. Yes, it ran and drove and went through the motions but it was smoking so badly you'd swear the pistons were swapping holes. All the lines were dry rotted to nothing and one blew while the owner was showing it. I'm really saddened that he'd try to pass something off like that on to me. Heck with it. The right one will come up.

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Good choice. You would be a lot better off with Case or JD in my opinion if looking for a loader backhoe.
Dennis

I'm saving my pennies every day and keeping my eyes open. The right one will come up. I saw an IH 330 loader backhoe that really looks decent. It would have a pretty easy life with me. Problem is it's over budget and the owner claims 13K hours on it. I thought they were pretty well junk at 6K hours. Looks to be well kept but I don't know...Yea I'd like the Case. I ran a Case 580 C for a while and that would bring back memories.