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.

Ford 8n at Work and Attachment List

I thought I would add in a little about what I have been getting into around the property with the old girl.  My daughter just turned 1 so I cleared and graded a nature trail for her.  I have been maintaining the road and moving dirt around with a scoop bucket.  I removed some invasive vines that had killed all the other trees and plants with the root rake.  Most of the time I just look for things to do just to get out of the office and out on the tractor.  I haven't started on any gardens or anything yet...that will probably be this growing season.

Right now my dad and I are sharing most attachments until I start bringing some home.  Here is a list of what we have (operational).  I would be interested in hearing what others have outside of this list that they find very useful...

• Scoop Bucket (loving this one to fill in a hole from a pool that has been removed)
• 2 Scraper Blades (one came with my tractor so it's the only attachment I have)
• Box Blade with teeth
• Root Rake (not the thin rake fingers style)
• Boom
• Bush Hog
• Finish Mower
• 1 Bottom Plow
• Middle Buster
• Disc
• Roto-tiller

By far the best upgrade has been my seat.  The wife bought one of those suspension seats to replace my pan style seat.  I have to admit it was a great gift.  I had it assembled and mounted within a day.

Upgrades/Fixes I will need to get into soon...

• New Tires
• Hydraulic Piston Rebuild
• Rear Axle Seals
• Clean gear oil off brakes and new pads
• PTO Shaft Seal

Fixing Lift Arms

So I should have been more careful...that part is obvious.  There is a steel bar on the outside of the left lift arm.  I took an attachment off and the wire I had tied and wrapped around the 2 arms broke.  In about 1/10 of a second the bar is up in the fender.  Not good.  A few mins on the shop press and it was better than before (was a little bent when I brought her home).  So I added a few things I had laying in the shop to help out and made some not-so-original modifications so the lift arms would stay out of the tires.  It has helped.

Adding new parts - Alternator and Lights!

So I just finished installing an old Delco alternator from an old Cadillac.  It charges so that was great.  I used some old brackets and welded up a mounting bracket for the alternator.  I created the top bar from some old conduit with some fancy offset bends.  Works great.  Have it all wired up.  Check here for great wiring instructions:

http://www.myfordtractors.com/12volt.shtml

I added lights and a switch so we are ready to deal with it getting dark around 5:30/6pm.  Thanks to Jason and my mother-in-law for the Christmas gifts, some fancy lights from Just8ns and Amazon. I used the ones from Just8ns for the fronts even though I think they are the rear lamps.  The other was a generic 12v worklamp so I mounted that in the back.  Still need to sort out a ground issue on that lamp.

Also, dad had an Ammeter in a box so I have a nice illuminated Ammeter in the dash.  I will try to upload pics soon of all the new additions.


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Needs New Engine

It has been far too long since an update.  Here is the story.

Machine shop found cracks in the block where the valves seat so it was basically a lost cause.  I looked at ordering a new block and rebuild kit and the blocks are hard to find.  I finally decided to pony up the money for a fully assembled engine.  I purchased one from http://www.waltstractors.com and it arrived on a pallet.  A few complaints I have.  Some of the head bolts leaked coolant onto the head.  it would pool in the little dips.  Walt offered to send new bolts but the head bolts were longer and have stopped leaking so I didn't take them up on the offer.  Also the paint used on the head was not high temp and is all peeling off.

Bolted up my new engine and fired it up.  Starts easy and runs great.  No more smoke so that is a great thing.

I have all my old parts and I am looking to sell them.  The head was machined already and is in really good shape.  Be sure to check out the parts page to take a look.

Parts for Sale

Time to Tear it Down...

Well, although I did get some projects around the property done with the tractor despite it's bad smoking habits, it was time to tear down and fix the problem.  If anyone has the manual, it is amazing how quickly you can separate the engine from the transmission on these.  You can pull the pins in one of the front axle bars and fold the front tires aside.  I opted to remove the whole front end and roll it out of the way.

There was considerable piston movement so they are worn out.  We pulled the caps and the main bearings don't look that bad.  Everything looks like it has been serviced before.  Most parts are marked with .010


The clutch doesn't seem bad, the ring gear is missing some teeth from when the starter must have bound up.  I also found chunks of the starter bushing in there.  Will need to order a new one of those as well.  Off to the machine shop...