IH 2+2, Anteater tractors? Comments please

Sean in P.C. NE · Dec 14, 2010

What are some pros and cons to these tractors? For some reason I feel like I need to get one for my collection/ hobby. How easy can parts be to get? Alot made? Best model? Were they really any better than the 2wd, 86 series at the time?

Anonymous-0 · Dec 14, 2010

From what I've read on here, they require more time in the shop for hours of use than almost any other tractor. That doesn't make them very desirable. Dave

Lumpie · Dec 14, 2010

Good tractors, they were just ahead of their time and people didn't understand how to operate and maintain them properly. Cheap horsepower nowadays.

showcrop · Dec 14, 2010

It has appeared to me from responses to inquiries like yours that they require a lot of maintenance. You can also look at hours on Tractor House. Most don't seem to get a lot compared to the same sized 2WD. the pivot points appear to be problematic.

just another old geezer · Dec 14, 2010

Generaly a good horse and a real mud wallower. but the problem with them they (mostly) had only a 1086 rear end. It would not stand up to duals all the way around. Everyone I ever looked at For sale had a newly rebuilt rear end.

NY 986 · Dec 14, 2010

About 85 percent of the tractor shares common parts with the 86 series 2 wheel drive so that is not an issue at this point. I've seen a number of 2 + 2 tractors at different farms with different types of operators and have seen them traded away rather soon from nearly all the farms in question. The guys that I have seen have the best luck with them do not expect more out of them Horsepower and task wise than their 2 wheel drive similar power tractor. Just the benefit of extra traction when you need it. Yeah, they do mud pretty good but that seems to do the drive line in premature to other makes of tractors in a similar size. As was stated recently here you are not going to turn them into a Steiger.
Might be good from a collector stand point as a lot of them seem to be going for salvage for parts for either other 2 + 2 's or other similar era 2 wheel drives. Other than that I would only get it if it could be babied for most tillage work.

IOWA NORTHEAST · Dec 14, 2010

There were several in our comunity, but they had a very short life span, and soon were replaced.

I kind of wonder if that was about the time IH was head slapping all their dealers, instead of helping them.

I only know of one now, and he is a very small hobby farmer. He is also the type that lived with IH as a kid, and they always were the best regardless. We all know of that type.

They were indeed what looked like the very best way to go, and far ahead of the competition, but just did not pan out I guess.

I would think if you could get parts, it would be a very good unit for a colection.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 14, 2010

We owned a 3588 for about 5 years and trading it off was one of the best things we ever did. The 2+2 tractors were one of the most poorly designed tractors ever built. The cab on an articulated tractor should be on the front half. They handle much better. There was a driveshaft from the engine to the clutch which required daily greasing and inspection. If a universal joint failed it did a lot of damage before you could get it shut off. The front differential was never designed for dual wheels on the front axle and some owner experienced failures when they dualled the front. The hinge points were a little weak and needed to be replaced when they showed any sign of wear. The 2+2's were just a 2 wheel drive tractor that was modified in an attempt to make a 4wd row crop tractor. We bought one because Dad thought it would be good to have a 4wd with a PTO to use on a grain cart if it was muddy. We used it once on the grain cart and hated it. We traded it for a CIH 7140MFWD. The 2+2's had good traction but were very high maintenence.

Leroy · Dec 14, 2010

Never around them but the only one I ever new of around is still in use by I think the orignal owner all the time, think they might have 2 of them.

Moline_guy · Dec 14, 2010

There are a half a dozen of them around our area. They can be bought cheap and work great as spraying tractors. For cutting corn in the fall and using on a feed wagon in the spring you can't beat them. They have all the issues of any other 30 year old tractor, and if its just for a collection I would say get one because there seem to be fewer all the time. Love them or hate them they stand out in a crowd.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 14, 2010

cab placement on a articulated machine is a subject for debate..... ever operate a articulated wheel loader with the cab located on the front?
It sucks as you never know which direction your back end is going with out looking over your shoulder.

We had a 2+2 for several years. It was a decent machine...... keep it greased and dont expect it to be a 400HP Stiger.

old harv · Dec 14, 2010

My son works on a 13000 acre cash crop farm and his boss aquired one in a land deal. The employees call it "donkey punch" because every bump feels like you have been kicked in the behind by a donkey. They only use it when absolutly neccessary, but of course all of their other tractors are newer. He says it pulls really well, but shifts horribly. There are a few others around, but most of them run manure pumps and other PTO work.

RodinNS · Dec 14, 2010

I only know of one Ardvark around here. They had a bunch of problems with the torque amp and clutch but I think they finally traced that back to the MCV pump and got it fixed. Also rebuilt two engines for it... first time when they bought it and second time it over heated... and to be fair, that tractor was a 3588 that was probably not far off the 200 hp mark. They used it mainly for chopping silage... and it ran a 3960 Deere with 180 HP driveline... and I bought the harvester... and there was a fair amount of torque related failures with that machine. It saw big power over the years....
So aside from the fact that the poor old tractor was wound for sound and had a couple torque amp failures that ALL IH's of that vintage were known for... it really wasn't a bad tractor. This one got pucked around on a manure tank before they ever bought it too....
I think if you buy one in decent running order then it's probably had it's original problems fixed and it should be decent cheap power.

Rod

Anonymous-0 · Dec 14, 2010

I agree with you about the cab being on the back on an articulated loader. On a tractor however it needs to be on the front. We have had some articulated 4wd tractors and having the cab on the front is so much better handling. The 2+2's were another example of IH trying out a new idea with an existing design. They would have been better off starting from scratch.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 14, 2010

I am not an ih guy but have run anteaters doing varius tasks and have worked on them as a case servic tech. They have good traction and putting some of the power to the front helps extend rear end life. Theres quite a few around this area yet. Stay away from the 3788 as rear end parts are harder to find, 3788/1586, 3588/1486, 3388/1086. The shifting is difficult for any 86/88 series but the 400 series engines are excellent. I would'nt be afraid of one providing it isn't houred out, abused or poorly maintained. In my opinion a cheap tilage tractor that can be used for several jobs though not as handy as a 2wd but with alot more traction.

VicS · Dec 14, 2010

I would say you should have one for your collection, but not to use, Kinda like the next series of IHC. What kind of management would ok putting the fan on the front of the radiator, cutting a hole in same to do it, plus sucking the air in the top and blowing this hot air out threw the radiator. Cat did this also but you could turn the fan around in 10 minutes. They also put 2 hoppers on their combine,and another one without a steering wheel. I know we had them both. LOL Vic

Anonymous-0 · Dec 14, 2010

I think that if you treat it like the 150 horse tractor that it is and keep her mantained you won't have a problem. But if you treat it like the 250 horse tractor that it looks and acts like your gonna have problems. I ve ran a few and i loved running them. Takes alittle time to get the feeling of them.

Moline_guy · Dec 14, 2010

I think one reason they kept the cab on the back half was for better handling in row crops. Back when everyone cultivated corn the 2x2's would handle more like a 2wd with the front steering rather than the back end shifting and wiping out corn. Also on the cutter we have run our 4-150 white and the rear end tends to turn rather than the front and makes it a little harder to keep the cutter on the row, with the 2x2 they seem to hold steady in the back. Just my observation of two different types of articulated tractors.

mkirsch · Dec 14, 2010

That's exactly the problem...

People saw 4 big wheels and said, "Ooooh, Steiger!" then were sorely disappointed in the tractor's performance.

In reality they serve no purpose. They pull no better than the equivalent 86 series tractor with MFWA, and are disorienting to drive because of the moving hood.

But nowadays, they're cheap power if you use them like a MFWA-equipped 86 series tractor, as they were intended.

BlaineF · Dec 14, 2010

Here's my two cents worth.My thoughts are that it's a poor tractor.Grandpa bought his new and have had nothing but problems with it. It only sees light use spraying,harrowing,seeding and a little discing.It's had to have the engine rebuilt when it still had low hours on it.Gone thru one clutch already .As a matter of fact it's at the shop right now.Has a bad oil leak in center of the tractor.The shop want's $15,000 to fix a $4000 dollar tractor.It does run good when it's not in the shop.But seems to be there more then in the feild.So for a working tractor maybe look else where.For a toy and a collector they are kinda neat to look at. Thanks BlaineF(WA)

cadet trooper · Dec 14, 2010

Well in all fairness the new 7000 series was much inproved but however Case took over.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 14, 2010

the world isn't exactly full of 86 series mfd's, I've only seen one or to and even several 88 series were 2wd

bill mart · Dec 14, 2010

just a tad bit of overkill on the baler,heck the baler even has its own engine.bill m.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 14, 2010

We had a 5288 so I know what you mean about the fan shaft through the radiator. The reasoning for this was to pull cleaner air down through the top and any debris on the screen would be visible. I don't understand why they didn't use a blower fan instead of running a fan shaft through the radiator. Cat used a reversible fan to blow the heat away from the operator in the summer and back at the operator in the winter when they put a heater cover on.

Sean in P.C. NE · Dec 14, 2010

Thank you everyone for the input! I know my dad had one in 1980 or 81, last of the 30 series i guess. Think he had the smaller 3388. They had a 1066 before, then traded it for this 2+2. Said it was different driving it. Had to be sure to turn way before the fence. And doing so the implement would go into the fence first before coming away from it. They later got a 496 disc to replace the 475 the 10 pulled. It was 15' jumping to 21'. Still have the 496 disc not the tractor. He later traded the 2+2 for a 3394 case IH. Ten more horse and MFWD. Said that 3394 was better pulling. But he jumped up to big a disc for a 3388 too. Should have stayed with the 15' and ran faster.

I figured if I got one, it'd be a 3588. I would more or less pamper it with small jobs such as a 5 yard soil mover being the hardest thing pulled. Maybe a 1000 gal sprayer, some bat winging ditches, pulling a 400 bu grain cart on the headland, and change out the single 1000 PTO to dual and run it on some augers. We have the big 200+ tractors(7250 & MX255) to do the hard work, and I wouldn't expect much out of the 2+2. Sometimes I think that MX may be worse on repairs than some of the older tractors in my collection(706 & 1566)lol.

IH 2+2, Anteater tractors? Comments please

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