trying to figure out the 2940

Hi Guys,
I am intending to buy a 2940 but I am having some trouble identifying by the dealer listings what is what. All seem to be made in Mannheim and they show the gearshift is in the floorboard (or deck)which is how most would refer to it, but then again in my searches I have found 2 that have the dash configuration and deck which are made like my 4240 and 4430 and all these 2940s had MFWD. How can I identify by the spec sheets which machine is being sold ? Most of the pics aren't very good about showing the shifter arrangement. 30 years ago I'm not too sure it would have mattered to me but now my feet are getting tangled and I don't want anything that I might catch on getting off the tractor. I read somewhere a while back that 2940's were made in both Mannheim and Dubuque. I know that no matter what I choose that I will be able to use but I prefer not to have to struggle with the gear shifts. Does anybody know ???

Look for a 4040 or 4240,,you will be much better off,,older 2940's have a lot of issues that you don't want to deal with...yes they are priced cheap and there is a reason for that...

The only reason for me to get the 2940 is that this one has the MFWD and the others that I would rather end up with are 2-3 weeks out at auctions. My old loader tractor bit the mud a few days ago and a neighbor has been good enough to let me use his. That can't last for much longer so the need to get one that I hope will hold up and should be here by the weekend if I am lucky. I am more of a 2 wheel guy but 4 wheel drive this winter has had its own special attraction.

Don't let the MFWD on a 2940 tempt you,,it's a "No Wheel Drive" when the hydraulics let you down..and having a cab on it will double the cost to "attempt" to fix it..look at a 5000 series with a cab/MFWD,,you will be much happier in the end..

Please don t buy a 2940. Like Tim said ISSUES. RB

Either way you will still be using your neighbors/buddies tractor sooner or later by buying the POS 2940. Two goods days of owning one, buying and if you're lucky selling.

GEEEZ, I have a 1981 2940 fwd w/260 loader with over 7200 hrs. Never had any issues after 9 years use. Of course I only put maybe 25 hrs yearly on it.

I agree with everyone else stay away from it. We got a 2940 at the farm with hydraulic issues.

There have been several comments about the 2940 and everyone except Randy G have been having a fun old time kicking the tractor around. I am sure everyone is right from their own perspective but the fact is that no one has actually answered my question about where this tractor was made. Are there two origination points and is the Dubuque version more like the 40 series we are all familiar from our row crop tractors or did two different styles of the same tractor come from Mannheim ? I know there is a fundamental difference between the two styles of deck platform and even though I want to lean toward what I think is the Dubuque model with its cab I am not too sure that I should because I have always found the 30 and 40 cabs difficult to get off without falling off when in a big hurry. The more I look at any of these tractors and the more I listen I wonder if I should just buy another 3020 or 4020 and suffer through the bad weather and have a tractor that I can fix in my own shop. I really would prefer to get a cabbed 5420 but I am lucky to be able to scrape up enough dinghy to pay for an old 2940.

JD 2940's were built in Mannheim not Dubuque. I remember picking 2940's at port in Houston after they were unloaded off a ship from Germany. I agree JD utility tractor hyd's on models of that era leave a lot to be desired. Only 2940's without gearshift levers in platform were tractors equipped with cabs(SGB). 2940 has dry traction clutch which isn't very good for loader operation.

. If the tractor from new always had Clean Hy-Gard and filter replaced on schedule . Maybe .
The other issue is engine coolant . If the coolant corrosion inhibitor is not kept up to spec, the sleeves could be rotten .
That said I personally know of a 2020,2120,3130,1640,1840 and 2355 without hydraulic problems . Four of those had daily loader duty feeding cattle, in addition to all of them clearing snow and varying amounts of field work.
I guess no one told us the tractors had hydraulic problems . They had the oil/filters changed and did not sit out side in the rain with damaged shifter boots that let water into the transmission .
Of course my Uncles who only serviced thier tractors etc when they failed to function. After 10 or so years of age. The trans sump filter was plugged with friction material and brake disk metal.

Hi Guys, I went ahead and bought a 2940 MFWD around Feb 20, waited a week for arrival and have used it every day in some enormous mud or frozen ruts. I prefer my old 3020 loader tractor to work off of but that is probably just because I am used to it since 1980. The 2940 has done everything that I bought it for with good loader hydraulics and the front tires pulling and going in and out of gear without fail. I do not like the shift levers between my legs and I don't know how to make the differential lock engage, and don't know who to ask just yet. It must just be sticky and some penetrating oil for the cure. One small thing that I do like is the foot throttle, it actually works and I can control it. On my 3020-4020's it was hard to keep a steady speed so I unhooked all of them because all of the young men who worked for me were entranced by the thing and I just knew something bad would eventually happen if I left it usable.

I will probably come back here crying that I should have listened about running away but I also went on several other forums to see what had been said and this tractor is either hated or truly loved with a couple saying that it was the best tractor deere ever made. I am not at that stage yet but so far I can live with it , gear shift and all.

Thanks for your opinions, Richard

. The diff lock lever on my 1640 had not been moved from 1981 until approx 2004. It required over six months of applying weasel p!ss and tapping the handle with a rubber mallet before the diff-loc pedal/lever would move .

With that MFWD, I don't see a whole lot of need for the differential lock...am I missing something?

I tend to agree about the need for the diff lock. A 2wd would be a different story. So far it has crawled through everything that it has been exposed to in 4wd and most of the time with the front wheels turned off. The big tires will go but when the back tires start to spin I engage the front and it goes right through.

I knew 20 years ago that I needed to get one for my feeding but all of those Russian MFWD we had constantly had front end problems and I thought that is one more problem I don't need here in Illinois so I stayed with my 2wd. My neighbors didn't have much trouble with theirs that I ever knew of and I had a couple of good neighbors who would feed for me when I just couldn't get thru the mud, so I didn't get one. I am about ready to quit the cattle so I doubt if I will buy another like this but a spare could be a good thing to have.

Richard

(quoted from post at 12:45:30 03/12/19) With that MFWD, I don't see a whole lot of need for the differential lock...am I missing something?

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You will be wanting the diff lock .