JD 2440 pros cons

[chas036]

I will going to an auction and there are a couple of 2440 tractors I have looking at. I have been in the market for awhile for new generation JD and these seem like a good size tractor for what I want to do like mowing with a bush hog and using a snowblower. I have never owned a diesel or a new gen JD, so is there anything I should look for that would give me a clue if these are good tractors? Are there any inherent design features of this model tractor that would make them undesirable? I assume since they are JD, it is still easy to get all the parts for them. All my past experience on the farm has been with two cylinder tractors.

 

[Steve in IL]

OH, you might have opened a can of worms! You've come to the right place, as there are a lot of experts on those tractors here. We have a 2240, the 2440's little brother. It's been a great mower tractor. Super maneuverable, plenty of power, diff lock, foot throttle, independent PTO, strong power steering. The bad side? It has the two speed power shift, but it doesn't work right... Which gets me to the challenges you'll find. The tractors in this series are known for hydraulic system challenges that can be expensive (relative to the tractor value) to fix. FYI, there are two versions of these tractors. Early ('76-'79) and late ('80-'82). If not repainted, newer versions can be told by their "tiger stripe" on the nose. I believe that some of the challenging issue were fixed in the later version tractors.

 

[tomstractorsandtoys]

The 2440 is just an evolution of the Deere 2020. They are a very good tractor that I have owned over a dozen of through the years. But remember they are getting some age to them and there are some issues with poorly maintained tractors. If coolant was not maintained they had some issues with electrolysis which can eat a small holes in the engine sleeves letting antifreeze in the engine oil. Also if the unit has a hyd hi-low (rabbit-turtle) they sometimes cause problems when abused and are very expensive to work on. I prefer the 2440 to the 2640 as a 2640 really needed more cooling capacity. If the tractor has hi-low they tend to have a clutch rattle at idle. Doesn't hurt anything but sounds annoying. People often adjust the idle speed up some so as not to hear it. Check the hyd oil if it is milky or thick look for a different tractor. It would be nice to able to check the trans screen before you buy but no sellers are going to let you do that. Parts support from both Deere and aftermarket will be very good. If I wanted a utility tractor of that size a 2440 would be my pick. Tom

 

[Tx Jim]

Ditto what Tom stated about how coolant that's been neglected can cause problems such as holes in liners. With engine at operating temp check hyd's to be sure the hyd system & power steering operates well. While engine is operating look inside hyd filler hole behind seat for moving hyd oil which would indicate leaking rockshaft control valve seals.

If tractor has hyd hi-lo,reverser or pto be sure to check with hyd control for these options in both positions.

 

[tim s]

When they are good they are Great,, when they go bad,,,they are very bad..spend a little more and get a 53-5400-10-15 with 4 wheel drive and "NO" reverser...sturdy little tractors with a good hydraulic system. The reversers give a lot of problems.