John Deere 440ID

I finally have a little free time so here is an update.  This past January I purchased a John Deere 440ID with the Model 71 Loader and Model 52 Backhoe.  The serial number plate is missing so the best I can guess is that it's around a 1960.  This is based on a little research and some details found on Johnny Popper.  It's a 5 speed but the clutch is bad.  It had a broken fitting and some bad hydraulic hoses on the loader and we lost most of the fluid getting it loaded on the trailer.  It's heavy, no kidding.  We needed it a little farther forward so it was a slow ride home.  Anything over 25 or so MPH had the tail of the truck swaying.  Needed a little more tongue weight.

Progress so far...

I added in some fluid recently and dug a hole with the backhoe.  I added 43 Hydraulic oil since I new it was an old beast and since I live in Florida, cold is not an issue.  This was before I got the manual which says to just use regular oil in case anyone is wondering.  I recently bought the manual for the backhoe so if you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

It worked well and was really fun.  It has a bad cylinder on the crowd.  Bucket and boom are really strong.  Right stabilizer leaks bad and the valve leaks so I am guessing there will some seals and rebuilds to get all that cleaned up.

Loader was getting air in the system but no leaks as I worked out the air.  I suspect the filter in the reservoir is pretty dirty and it's only drawing fluid off the top.


I changed the oil and tracked down a wix filter.  I found these listed but the message board has some comments addressing the fit for some:
JD 440 ICD

Fuel filter: Wix 3513
Oil filter: Wix 51100 (GM 1100) 

Source: http://www.jdcrawlers.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=6927&sid=62a1851067c05fd20d963a8a802ea468

Motor sounds great, it cold starts hard though.  Once it's warm it fires right up.  Its the GM 2-53 2 cycle Detroit Diesel.  2 Stroke with a super-charger has a very unique sound I will tell you.

Clutch is non-existent.  I have to move it around with the directional-reverser.  For anyone interested, I have to put it in the reverse position and then put it in reverse to go forward and 1st gear to back up.  I think the clutches in there are shot too so I am planning a rebuilt and tranny overhaul (where needed) once I have the backhoe and loader off.

Brakes are bad.  I can't tell is something is wrong mechanically since one is stuck and the other just doesn't seem to slow this beast down much.  They are easy to get to so I will just check them out and probably just order the pads when I order the clutches.

That's all for now.  The wife and I just had a baby so this is on hold for a little bit but I am anxious.

Blog Update for 2014!

I bought a Backhoe Loader so I thought it would be good to change the name here.  I will use the same blog to post my Ford 8N projects and the JD 440ID details.  I am also planning on including some info on attachments here as well.  Please reach out to me with any questions you have about the tractors or attachments.