Looking at buying a 2640.

[Wildcat Farmer]

I am looking at a JD 2640 that has 3600 hours, #48 loader, duals and he's ask $10,500 for it. I haven't looked at it yet but I would like some advice before I head out. The guy said that it was used mostly for pulling a grain cart and has been parked for 2 years. He claims the only problem with it is that the brakes are sticky, he said, that after he oiled them (where he oiled, I don't know) they were better but you still have to reach down and pull the pedal back after stepping on it. Could this be from sitting around a long time or is there a more serious issue at hand? I have also noticed that a lot of people have problems with the filter clogging and most people suggest that the brakes need to be replaced. With the hours the tractor has, would it even be a concern and how would I check them? Also, does anybody know what it costs to replace them?
I would be using the tractor mostly for haying and maybe a little tillage.
This is the first tractor that I will be buying so I don't want to make a mistake that will cost me later on.
Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[Bruno]

I have a 2440 with a 146 loader. Check for proper
operation of independent PTO (may not be on your
tractor): with PTO lever on left side of transmission
case forward, yellow knob on top of case should stop
PTO when pushed down and allow PTO to run when
pulled up.
Also check transmission reverser or Hi-Lo if on your
tractor.
These can be costly to fix.
You can find a lot of nice 2440/2640's for that price, so I
would be concerned if it sat idle for 2 years.

 

[JDknut]

I have a 2350 which is somewhat similar but a little newer and a slightly smaller engine (3.9 liters versus 4.5, which I think yours is) Bruno's got some good points. The brakes are internal working off the main hydraulics and thus a pain to fix. When they go bad they tend to put debris into the hydraulic/trans oil and this shows up in the filter. ALso, I'd check a drip of the engine oil for antifreeze as the wet sleeves can pit thru and cause antifreeze to get into the oil. This happened on mine, and I had to do an inframe which ran almost 4 grand. Do the oil check after it has set a while so any anti freeze gets a chance to settle in the base. A tiny bit of clear water might not be too bad if the tractor has been started and stopped a lot and not allowed to warm up to burn off the condensation, but green antifreeze is definitely bad news. It could be a leaky oil cooler or head gasket but I was not so lucky and it was pitted sleeves. Also check the diff lock pedal, sometimes that sticks. Mine was stuck, with the tractor being MFWD the diff lock wasn't used much but I was able to free it externally. Chekc the stick shift boots, if these are cracked or damaged, water can get into the trans and cause problems there and with the hydraulics. If you can, take a drip of the trans/hydraulic oil and see if there's water or junk there. Other than that, just make the normal checks you'd do on a used tractor. The 2640 is a good solid machine, you'll like it. just my $0.02, excuse the long post.