Turn up 4440?

[JD4440]

I have a 1978 John deere 4440 that I sometimes need a little bit more power from when tilling. I dont use the PTO for more than about 30 hours a year and it does the pto work a 100 hp tractor could do.  

But, as I said, when tilling it sometimes dont have the power enough to pull the machine in the speed needed to make a good work. Will the transmission handle the extra power or will I have to stop using the powershiftsteps under heavy load? Is it possible to turn it up to about the same power as a 4640 or will the pistons be overheated? The engine is overhauled 1500 hours ago so it is in perfect shape.  Almost forgot, it is a 2wd QR. 

 

[tim s]

It's actually "to" easy to turn a 4440 up, by saying that I mean that most of them get turned up too much. Remove the little 4 bolt cover on the rear of the injector pump,using a 10mm wrench, a bit of oil will drip out, I use a piece of cardboard to direct it into a pan, (and not down the side frame), inside there is another 10mm jam nut and a screw driver head screw, loosen the jam nut and be careful not the loose track of where your screw is at (some times they will back out with the nut)now turn the screw in one full turn (I know this don't sound like much, but it "is"),now re-tighten the jam nut. There is not much room there so some times I use a pop can tab to turn the screw. This will give you a noticeable amount of extra power,taking it to around 160hp or so, this varies a bit from unit to unit.

 

[JD4440]

I know some tractors being that easy to turn up that you dont even need tools :roll:
I have read and heard about 4440s being turned up to above 200 hp but I think that is way to much.

Have you done this to a 4440 and dynoed it afterwards or do you compare to other stock 160 hp tractors? If so, will the tractor smoke alot during workingspeed or is it just when the load decreases the enginespeed? This 4440 is stock and I am the second owner of it, never turned up.
Some people say that 1/4 of a turn is 30 hp and others that 1 turn is 15 hp :wink:

 

[dieseldoc]

my 4440 runs over 200 hp on dyno. It has over 10000 hrs and besides valve adjustments and and an injector or two the motor has never been apart. It gets worked hard but i usually run it most of the time. It has an aftercooler and a 3LM turbo so that helps some.But just because you have the power to pull somethig 10mph doesnt mean you should. It probably wont last long doing that. Just use some common sense.Now my grandads tractors all have the paint burned off the exhaust side of the hood and he gets along fine. little to hot for me though.

 

[Mike M]

Let me add the first step should be to verify that it is indeed running to the proper RPM's.

If for some reason it is not your power isn't going to be there.

 

[JD4440]

Dieseldoc: its amazing with a 4440 running at 235 hp, read that in an old thread about turning up a 4630. Are you using those horses for heavy tilling or is it more for a fun build? Now I am tilling in c1 but I would like to run it in b3 and add about 4-5 feet on the machine. I am convinced that 150-160 hp om pto should be enough.

The engine speeds up to about 2300-2400 without load so I think that it is enough.
When tilling I usually run it at about 1800 rpm so if I turn it up the power should not be more at 1800 rpm than on 2200 when stock, at least not much more. As I see it I will be able to pull more on lower rpm when turning it up. Does my thoughts make any sense?

 

[Mark-Ia]

If you cut the seal cable just right, when you reinstall the bolts, you can't tell someone turned it up.

 

[buickanddeere]

First and foremost it comes down to temperature.
Install an exhaust pyrometer and don't exceed 1200-
1300F.
Just how much is your time and money worth to push
a 30 year old machine?
As previously stated. Turning up the tractor for a
brief snort of 30+HP up a hill or through a tough
spot for seconds. Is different than adding 30HP and
constantly lugging the tractor with absolute max
load.

 

[JD4440]

The sealcable is already half gone, probably damaged when making some service on fuelsystem. Or do you mean that I wont notice it being turned up?

Maybe a jd workshop could put on a new sealcable if I can show that the old one isnt cut of.

 

[JD4440]

I cant say that I push the 4440 that hard and I could probably drive with the extra part of the machine in b3 as it is now but that will be very heavy for it. That is why I would like to give it a little bit more to eat. I never lug the tractor down to when it is smoking or when it is unable to increase rpm under load (confirming it isnt overloaded).
I ask you beccause I dont want to pay a broken transmission caused by the turned up pump. Should the trans be fine if driving with the brain and not the right foot?

A pyrometer will be installed before I use it for tilling if I turn it up. Is a pyrometer needed when giving it max 1 turn on the fuelscrew?

 

[Mike Aylward]

When I got my 4440 several years ago I didn't think it had any more power than my two 4020's. I put it on my dyno and was right. It had right at 130 h.p. (as do both my 4020's). I wasn't sure how far to turn it up so I just kind of gave it a shot in the dark. I put it back on the dyno. I don't know how much power it had then because I stopped at 240 and was still over a hundred rpm's over rated speed. I turned it down and finally settled on aout 180. I found out on this tractor that 190-200 seemed to be the magic number where the blowby stopped. So I went a little further and it's been running at that level for a very long time. It does not get hot, either. Fuel consumption did not go up very much compared to when it was a pooch at 130. Mike

 

[dieseldoc]

I use the tractor for everything. about 1000 hours a year. Field cultivator, planter,sometimes even on the chopper. the chopper is hard on it though so I dont do it often. also B3 seems kind of fast to be pulling tillage equipment. Mine will pull 24 ft field cultivator in b3 and not lug it but it would melt pistons if you do it very long. I run c1 and c2 mostly but on a hot day i run it in b2. those gears are about perfect for what I do.

 

[JD4440]

(quoted from post at 08:42:20 07/06/11) I use the tractor for everything. about 1000 hours a year. Field cultivator, planter,sometimes even on the chopper. the chopper is hard on it though so I dont do it often. also B3 seems kind of fast to be pulling tillage equipment. Mine will pull 24 ft field cultivator in b3 and not lug it but it would melt pistons if you do it very long. I run c1 and c2 mostly but on a hot day i run it in b2. those gears are about perfect for what I do.

Thats a lot of hours every year 8)
This one is used for field cultivator, drilling and pulling strawbales from field to storage at home (hesston bigbale). The field cultivator is about 16 feet but it is made a bit narrower for this tractor and I want it to be 19,2 feet wide. The cultivator is a bit hevier than others due to these http://www.demottenterprises.com/Nichols/ChiselPlowSweeps.asp

If I make a quick calculation: 3,2 feet increase/16 original = 0,2 = 20 % wider.
Then I need 20 % more hp. 130 original hp x 0,2 = 26 more hp.
130 + 26 = 156 hp total if forgetting the increase of speed. Do you agree? :shock:

So I should be fine with 160 hp, would the tractor take that (using these horses for some hours but not overloading it) or do you think I will need an intercooler? (intercooler= aftercooler, right?)

If I install a pyrometer and I dont exceed 1200 F there should not be a risk of melting pistons?

B3 is about 0,6 mph faster than C2 but its making a big difference when the straw is moving through the cultivator easier. http://www.external_link/farm-tractors/000/0/9/96-john-deere-4440-transmission.html

 

[JD4440]

:lol: About how much did you end up turning the screw in when stopping at 180? I am not that worried about the temperature, it have never overheated during the thousands of hour I have had it.

 

[JD4440]

So, now is the 4440 (hopefully) 30 hp stronger. Removed the little cover and found the fuelscrew. There are, just as you said, plenty of space left in that pump, there are about 7 or 8 threads visible and if one is equal to 30 hp there are a lot of "hidden power". Gave it one full turn and put the cover back on. Fired the tractor up and now the smoke when starting is even thicker than before. The first 3-5 times you touch the pedal it will give a cloud of black smoke but after that and when it is warmed up there is almost no smoke to be seen when revving. When keeping a steady rpm there is no smoke at all. The engine is way quicker when revving up, even without load, a great improvement. Very happy with it.

Didn't get any vibrations, strange sounds etc. Now I hope that this setting will give me 160 hp or at least 155-170, dont know if I should have it dynoed or if it is enough saying that one turn is 160?

Do you know the valve to tappet clearance on this engine? It is time to adjust I think.

Now it will take a few weeks until I have a chance to test it in field but I let you know when.

 

[tim s]

This sounds like it "could" be in that area you will feel the difference for sure. The extra threads are not all equal to the 30hp or so, after you make a couple of full it sorta levels out about 250hp is about all you can get, and you will get a "lot" more smoke, plus the fuel truck would need to be kept close by. As for valve adjustment there is a sequence to follow when adjusting them, and I don't normally readjust them,,it just don't seem necessary..But it is "very" important to follow the sequence, it's in the tech manual, or I can give it to you.

 

[JD4440]

Ok, but 250 is A LOT.
Will see when it get to work if I feel the power...

I dont have the tech manual, which is the best one to get for a reasonable price? If you would like to sent it to me that would be great. email: [email protected]

One thing I think about with the 4440 is the jumping enginespeed when low rpm. When starting the tractor cold the rpm will jump a little bit up and down which disappears after a few minutes, it jumps about 25 rpm or so, it is not much. When hot this jumping is gone except when the ac compressor is starting when idling, then the jumping is back but not I cant see the rpm gauge moving, I just hear that its jumping a bit. The annoying part is when you have a high gear and slows down to idling and then tries to accelerate it will start to jump like powerjumps, maybe over a 100 rpm. A bit to low rpm for driving but it is with the tractor on a flat road with no machine after and after a little jumping it will gain speed and the jumping will disappear. It have been like this as long as we have had the tractor, from 3000 to almost 10000 hours. Other tractors I have (diesels and gas) wont ever jump, even if they are running low rpm.

 

[Tx Jim]

JD4440
I think the engine lope(surge) at idle or cold start is the nature of the Bosh inj pump. My 4255 does it as have several 40 series I've witnessed. I've never liked the way the inline pumps raise rpm's on start up but it must not hurt as my 4255 has over 10,000 hrs on it.

Technical Manual CD-ROM TM1182CD 4440 Row Crop Tractor

 

[JD4440]

Well, the jumping when start and on idling I have seen at other JD with Bosch ink´line pump and belive it is normal. The annoying part is as mentioned when jumping when driving slow on high gear, but I think I have to live with that, I have survived during the years
As you say, it cant be good for the engine with this high rpm without oil pressure when cold but it does not seem to hurt them and its fun that these are the only ones doing it (at least what I know).

Were you trying to post a link about the tech manual? I could not find anything?

 

[Tx Jim]

Technical Manual CD-ROM TM1182CD 4440 Row Crop Tractor not a link just the number that you could order the CD-Rom from dealer or JD's 800 phone number.

 

[JD4440]

:idea: ok, I will probably do that if I dont find a good manual with a real book, like the old style better

I will probably have a chance to test the power here within about 2-3 weeks and after that I will see if I dyno it, have a JD shop with dyno about 1,5 hour away (with tractor).

 

[Tx Jim]

The thing I like about CD-Rom over paper book is print off pages one needs and grease smears/smudges,torn pages are not an issue.

Here's a paper one on Ebay 150614882855

 

[JD4440]

:shock: I will go with the CD although, it is less than half the price.

 

[JD4440]

It took more than a few weeks but now it's driven in field for about 200 hours and its running really good. When tilling at 1800 rpm it will now take almost 6 gallons (26 litres) an hour and before maybe half or one gallon less. Dont understand how they managed to give it 8,6 gallons an hour stock according to nebraska tractor test.

When tilling hard it will smoke just a little (can only be seen on distance) and the temp will go up and cover about 70-80 % of the green area, never more.

When pulling trailers on the road (about 4 times the weight of the 4440) it feels a lot stronger when rpm is over about 1300. When starting from 1000 rpm its quite weak but when going over 1300 rpm it will start to smoke and I can feel it pulling. The turbo is louder and I think the engine runs smoother than before. This is how a 4440 should be when new 8)