IH 2444 or 3444 Opinons wanted

Anyone have any dealings with a 2444 or 3444? Industrial tractors mid to late 60's I believe. Good , bad, indifferent?

I've had my diesel 2444 for about a year now. It has the 2050 loader, Palm 4 post canopy with windshield & Auburn trencher that has a 6' bar with a
4" wide chain. Motor is a bit tired & it slobbers oil out the breather some. Road gear (4 Hi) is really about the only time that I notice it's
tired. Good luggin' little bugger! Has about 4000 hrs on it. Still a reasonable amount of parts to be had. Especially for the engine.

Think it saw some hard use early on in it's life. There's a number stencilled on the loader arm that's just visible through the paint & you can see
where a circular decal had overlayed the IH emblem. That tells me it may have been a county unit or company owned. So it might have seen some rough
use. It saw relatively light duty after that working at a Ma & Pa nursery.

In my opinion, that little tractor is built like a tank. Great on fuel. Definitely has paid for itself in what little time I've owned it. Sure
wouldn't mind having a diesel 444 after operating my 2444. That would make a good little hay tractor. A 3444 with that integrated loader & backhoe
setup would be nice too, but kind of redundant.

Mike

Thanks for the input. My son is looking at a 3444 today. He needs front loader for cleaning barn and stacking round bales. Hydraulics strong enough for large bales?

Thanks for the input. My son is looking at a 3444 today. He needs front loader for cleaning barn and stacking round bales. Hydraulics strong enough for large bales?

The brochure I have says the lift capacity is 2700 lbs. Provided the hydraulic system is up to snuff, that should be more than enough. Just make sure
it's well ballasted. Don't know how you plan on mounting a spear. A bucket mounted one will get the job done, but there's the slight chance it'll bend
the bucket depending on it's condition. For continued long term use, you might want to think about having a universal quick attach setup installed.
That would also make that tractor a bit more universal. Just my $.02 about it.

Mike

I have had a 2424 gas for 30 years now. Slightly older version of the 2444. Very rugged tractor that has always done everything I needed it to do. Hydrostatic PS is great. Enough gears spaced out well. Locking rear end really useful in the woods pulling trees out. One thing I don't care for - the seat has no suspension - simply bolted to the top of the operator platform.

Tim

I am in uk and used to work at IH dealer back in the
70's and these tractors were well made and took a
Lot of abuse.
If it's industrial version does it have rear linkage and
Live drive?
Does it have trip or power loader ?
If the engine is tired don't be tempted just to
replace rings

Thanks for all the input. The 3444 is to be delivered later this evening.

Thanks for the help. I am the son of Repairman60. I feel its a pretty stout little tractor. I will be picking up the tractor tomorrow morning (seller changed his mind I guess on delivery) I have done some research and I feel that it is a USA model due to the power steering ram being located behind the front axle. Not sure the how valid that statement is, but I read it on the internet so that has to count for something!

It has a geared transmission with High and Low, no hydra or shuttle shift. It has a fully functional 4 ram loader. It has a 540 PTO and a CAT 1 3 point hitch with no drawbar (I thought that was odd) and a 2 stage clutch. Everything seems to work for the most part. I will learn more as I mess with it. I was surprised the rear tires are 14.9 x 24. It will need tires anyway I may bump them up to 16.9s in the future.

Thanks.

Glad to hear you're getting the tractor. If memory serves, the front half of the tractor is US built & the engine on back is from the UK. Derwin, MJ
or others may be able to shine some light on this. Don't know what the weight situation is on the rear wheels, but you may want something heavy on the
3 PT to help balance it out. Especially if you're moving round bales.

Enjoy your "new" machine!

Mike

Well aint that something. Thanks for the info, I havent found much out there on the 3444's. There are no wheel weights, not sure about fluid yet. I plan to fabricate a 55 gallon rock or concrete weight, or just pick up a bale on the back if I have plenty of space. I am sure you will see me around some more once I get it home, it is alot different than my 63 Allis. Any idea on what this little beast would weigh loader bucket and all? I think it may have a 60 inch bucket but unsure.
<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto50512.jpg">

No prob! Shipping weight is 5700 lbs with the diesel engine & 60" bucket. Rear weight is a good idea. Check to see what the CAT I 3PT will handle
before you get too far. It may be able to handle the lift load, but things are different when you start bouncing around. I have a decent sized ARPS
3PT backhoe that I would really like to use on my 2444, but it's just a bit too heavy at 1500 lbs. At least, it has a potential to put more of a
strain on it than I'd like to.

Mike

X2 on the no drawbar. My 2424 had a drawbar that had been cobbled together and some kind of extension welded on the back end of it. But it did not attach to the frame under the lift arms with anything correctly - had a couple of small u-bolts I think. It is very rugged and heavy - but does not seem to fit right. So I took it off in 1988 and have used a 3 pt drawbar ever since. Have thought about trying to find a used one, in case I need to help my BIL by pulling hay wagons, but just never got around to it.

My tractor was also used in some kind of industrial application - it has a strange sub frame on the front, and the old grill screen had a round hole in it where a pump or gearbox of some kind had been powered.

Tim

(quoted from post at 19:50:00 07/14/20) Anyone have any dealings with a 2444 or 3444? Industrial tractors mid to late 60's I believe. Good , bad, indifferent?

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Update, I have received the 3444 and have had some time to mess with it. There are a few issues but I do not believe there is anything major at the moment. I did purchase an operators manual yesterday and there is some great information in there.

I cannot find a list of serial numbers anywhere. This 3444 is a 759 SS. Any input on the date and origin of this tractor?

Thank you.