" Acre Eater " 2 + 2

[brewcrew]

A neighbor of mine bought this 3788 new. My understanding is he had the 30.5 rubber put on. He also had a 3588 that was more of a chore tractor, as well as his blower tractor because he otherwise ran Deere and they don’t have right hand doors.

[Alan Dinan]

Our local dealer sold several new ones here and more moved in in the 90’s. A 3788 and 3588 are still on two farms that sit next door to each other.

[Drysleeves]

"Chin weight" package on a 2+2 is definitely a first for me. I know they can run in a "nose up" profile but since I was usually running it when the duals were on I don't know how she rode. The first time ours ran it was on a disk for summer fallow after pea harvest and she was running that way with the factory 18.4-38 radials.

[supermpuller]

I bought a  3588  and  IH 720 6/18 plow. neighbor had a 4840 JD with 6/18 plow  he needed some help getting his corn fields plowed. I had the 3588 turned up to 175 hp, to make the story short he could't  keep up with the 3588 and when we stopped for dinner, he asked me why I told him traction was his problem. He traded his 1 year old tractor for a 4840 with FWA. both tractors ran together around 5 mph. He also bought a IH  720 6/18 plow. There  were a lot of IH 720  plows pushing JD  tractors in the corn belt

[ChrisNY]

3 hours ago, brewcrew said:

A neighbor of mine bought this 3788 new. My understanding is he had the 30.5 rubber put on. He also had a 3588 that was more of a chore tractor, as well as his blower tractor because he otherwise ran Deere and they don’t have right hand doors.

That is sharp! They look good with 30.5’s 

[ChrisNY]

Here is a 2+2 that our dealer had at its introduction at our local ag field day 

[Drysleeves]

Danny Anderson related a similar tale about a 2+2 and an AWD 5488 pulling identical chisel plows. The 5488 could not stay with the (I think) 3788 and the 2+2 wasn't making as many ponies.

The 2+2 toys arrived with big single tires in part because some of the preproduction tractors released for public viewing had big singles, at least in pictures. Don't recall ever seeing one in the wild setup that way.

Seeing that dealer intro pic makes me wonder why I didn't bring a camera to the Super 70 dealer intro show in 1984.

[ChrisNY]

9 minutes ago, Drysleeves said:

Danny Anderson related a similar tale about a 2+2 and an AWD 5488 pulling identical chisel plows. The 5488 could not stay with the (I think) 3788 and the 2+2 wasn't making as many ponies.

The 2+2 toys arrived with big single tires in part because some of the preproduction tractors released for public viewing had big singles, at least in pictures. Don't recall ever seeing one in the wild setup that way.

Seeing that dealer intro pic makes me wonder why I didn't bring a camera to the Super 70 dealer intro show in 1984.

I think at the time I took a picture of it because everyone was like what the heck is that ugly thing! It was futuristic looking at the time when most tractors of the period were boxier looking.  

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

1 hour ago, supermpuller said:

He traded his 1 year old tractor for a 4840 with FWA.

Unless that is a mistake, that is one rare tractor. I have only ever seen a few pictures of some aftermarket conversions. My neighbor had a 4840 with 24.5x32 duals and I thought that thing was a powerhouse. It was very low hours and original, but there’s no way it only had 180 hp on the pto. 

[Big Bud guy]

10 minutes ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

Unless that is a mistake, that is one rare tractor. I have only ever seen a few pictures of some aftermarket conversions. My neighbor had a 4840 with 24.5x32 duals and I thought that thing was a powerhouse. It was very low hours and original, but there’s no way it only had 180 hp on the pto. 

Yep.  JD's own PFWD was never available on the 4840 and even if it was I don't think it would have provided enough pull to keep up with a 4 wheel drive tractor.  So yes either someones memory is foggy or it did have an aftermarket conversion.  

[cumminstinkerer]

6 hours ago, iowaboy1965 said:

Bto of the neighborhood growing up was ih and had several 2+2's back then. He passed years ago as has his son, but the son still had 3 of them that they had in the 4th of July parade one year. Not sure if the grandson (roughly my age) still has any of them or not.

Who was that in your area? I don't recall many around the immediate area, one neighbor of mine had one for a few years and that was the only one I can think of, oh heck I have to take that back Boston's had at least 1 maybe 2 for a while as well, not sure of what model any of them were though

[ny bill o]

6 hours ago, brewcrew said:

A neighbor of mine bought this 3788 new. My understanding is he had the 30.5 rubber put on. He also had a 3588 that was more of a chore tractor, as well as his blower tractor because he otherwise ran Deere and they don’t have right hand doors.

there was a 3588 with those short fat tires up near Coventry/Oxford NY. And another neighbor one day younger than me bought a new 3388. Forgot about those 2.

[12_Guy]

4 hours ago, supermpuller said:

I bought a  3588  and  IH 720 6/18 plow. neighbor had a 4840 JD with 6/18 plow  he needed some help getting his corn fields plowed. I had the 3588 turned up to 175 hp, to make the story short he could't  keep up with the 3588 and when we stopped for dinner, he asked me why I told him traction was his problem. He traded his 1 year old tractor for a 4840 with FWA. both tractors ran together around 5 mph. He also bought a IH  720 6/18 plow. There  were a lot of IH 720  plows pushing JD  tractors in the corn belt

The IH plow probably pulled easier than the JD. That and the 2WD would have made a huge difference. IH and White/Oliver plows were the best IMHO. Pulled easier and covered better than anything JD made. 

[Drysleeves]

20 minutes ago, 12_Guy said:

The IH plow probably pulled easier than the JD. That and the 2WD would have made a huge difference. IH and White/Oliver plows were the best IMHO. Pulled easier and covered better than anything JD made. 

John Deere Plow Company....

[Red666]

17 hours ago, ny bill o said:

Dad and my brother bought a low hour 3388 from the original owner, after I left his farm in 1980. They never offered to let me drive it, but when a local tractor jockey advertised a 3588 (right hand tractor) in 2001, I jumped on it, got it with a 6-18 700 reset plow. Jockey said it was on a snowblower at a western NY airport when he got it. It worked so well, that I bought the second 3588 in 2011 (left hand one). Second one was at a consignment sale and advertised as a "clean western tractor". Not sure if it was US midwest, or just western Finger Lakes. It was someone's planter tractor, from the way the wheels are set.

Bill what do you mean by right hand were the controls for shifting on the right? I never heard of that are they the same as a 6588?

[Red666]

17 hours ago, ny bill o said:

Dad and my brother bought a low hour 3388 from the original owner, after I left his farm in 1980. They never offered to let me drive it, but when a local tractor jockey advertised a 3588 (right hand tractor) in 2001, I jumped on it, got it with a 6-18 700 reset plow. Jockey said it was on a snowblower at a western NY airport when he got it. It worked so well, that I bought the second 3588 in 2011 (left hand one). Second one was at a consignment sale and advertised as a "clean western tractor". Not sure if it was US midwest, or just western Finger Lakes. It was someone's planter tractor, from the way the wheels are set.

Bill what do you mean by right hand were the controls for shifting on the right? I never heard of that are they the same as a 6588?

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

 

10 minutes ago, Red666 said:

Bill what do you mean by right hand were the controls for shifting on the right? I never heard of that are they the same as a 6588?

I took it to mean the respective tractor position in the picture, as in the tractor on the right and the tractor in the left. 

[Red666]

1 minute ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

 

I took it to mean the respective tractor position in the picture, as in the tractor on the right and the tractor in the left. 

👍

[SDman]

On 12/30/2024 at 10:38 PM, stronger800 said:

   Are there obscure parts that fail (after 30-50 years)  and prohibit repair?

I'll be honest with you...I don't know if all of this information is correct at present time, but through the years there have been some items only used on the 2+2s that have been hard to find(meaning EXPENSIVE). The drivehub/flexplate that bolts to the back of the engine was $3500 from CNH years ago....not sure what it costs today. The parts in the transfer case gearbox are hard to find unless you have another 2+2 to parts out. Last I knew, some of the front axle parts specific to a 2+2 were getting hard to find on the used market. 

On the cosmetic front, people have been looking for good, undamaged front grilles for 2+2s for several years. Last I knew it was still available from CNH, but wasn't cheap.

And then there was the articulation joints. Right about the time IH was done they came out with a new set of heavier articulation joints for the 2+2s that required a reamer that IH(and later CaseIH) would rent to a dealership on request. The reamer was needed to bore out the castings to allow installation of the bigger joints. I helped another tech do one nearly 35 years ago....haven't heard of anybody doing them around here since. 

 

My old IH dealer only ever sold one 2+2 new....Dad's neighbor bought it brand-new in 1979 when it first came out. I have many memories of running that tractor from 1984-86 when I used to help the neighbor some. At that time, I got to operate Dad's 1086, and this neighbor's 2+2 and his tri-stripe 1586....I thought I was on top of the world running those machines.

As far as the 2+2, cultivating was my favorite job....all you had to do was aim that big nose wherever you wanted....the back end of the tractor and the cultivator would follow right in the front axle's tracks.

As far as tillage work, the 2+2 was my least favorite tractor.....in a hard pull if a wheel broke traction, it would about knock you out of the seat. My neighbor had seriously considered getting a set of rear duals to help with the ride, but he never did. I remember a lot of 2+2s on dealership lots in the 1980s had rear duals....I can see why. The neighbor's 1586 with 20.8 radial duals rode much better.

[766 Man]

49 minutes ago, SDman said:

I'll be honest with you...I don't know if all of this information is correct at present time, but through the years there have been some items only used on the 2+2s that have been hard to find(meaning EXPENSIVE). The drivehub/flexplate that bolts to the back of the engine was $3500 from CNH years ago....not sure what it costs today. The parts in the transfer case gearbox are hard to find unless you have another 2+2 to parts out. Last I knew, some of the front axle parts specific to a 2+2 were getting hard to find on the used market. 

On the cosmetic front, people have been looking for good, undamaged front grilles for 2+2s for several years. Last I knew it was still available from CNH, but wasn't cheap.

And then there was the articulation joints. Right about the time IH was done they came out with a new set of heavier articulation joints for the 2+2s that required a reamer that IH(and later CaseIH) would rent to a dealership on request. The reamer was needed to bore out the castings to allow installation of the bigger joints. I helped another tech do one nearly 35 years ago....haven't heard of anybody doing them around here since. 

 

My old IH dealer only ever sold one 2+2 new....Dad's neighbor bought it brand-new in 1979 when it first came out. I have many memories of running that tractor from 1984-86 when I used to help the neighbor some. At that time, I got to operate Dad's 1086, and this neighbor's 2+2 and his tri-stripe 1586....I thought I was on top of the world running those machines.

As far as the 2+2, cultivating was my favorite job....all you had to do was aim that big nose wherever you wanted....the back end of the tractor and the cultivator would follow right in the front axle's tracks.

As far as tillage work, the 2+2 was my least favorite tractor.....in a hard pull if a wheel broke traction, it would about knock you out of the seat. My neighbor had seriously considered getting a set of rear duals to help with the ride, but he never did. I remember a lot of 2+2s on dealership lots in the 1980s had rear duals....I can see why. The neighbor's 1586 with 20.8 radial duals rode much better.

  I would say that the dealers in the more productive areas here sold a half dozen at a minimum of the 3X88 tractors but virtually none of the 6X88 tractors due to the very hard times then.  The hill country and most of the Southern Tier IH dealers probably 0 of either line.  

[farmall666]

On 12/31/2024 at 2:56 PM, 12_Guy said:

The IH plow probably pulled easier than the JD. That and the 2WD would have made a huge difference. IH and White/Oliver plows were the best IMHO. Pulled easier and covered better than anything JD made. 

THE BEST MOLBOARD PLOW WERE OLIVER/WHITE AND IH. JOHN DEERE NEVER COVERED RIGHT. FURROW ALWAYS TIPPED BACK AND NO CLEARANCE FOR TRASH..

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

Was there ever actually any scientific data to back which plow pulled easier? I have always heard Deere pulled the hardest. Is that just the seat of your pants feeling, or can it be demonstrated? I have heard my dad say that people told him he could pull an extra bottom if he switched brands. He never did because he said he didn’t think it was true. I wondered why anybody would have anything other than an Oliver plow if they actually pulled the easiest. Especially back when dealers were everywhere, no matter what brand you were talking about. I know there was an Oliver dealer close back when there was still lots of plowing going on. 

[Big Bud guy]

17 minutes ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

Was there ever actually any scientific data to back which plow pulled easier? I have always heard Deere pulled the hardest. Is that just the seat of your pants feeling, or can it be demonstrated? I have heard my dad say that people told him he could pull an extra bottom if he switched brands. He never did because he said he didn’t think it was true. I wondered why anybody would have anything other than an Oliver plow if they actually pulled the easiest. Especially back when dealers were everywhere, no matter what brand you were talking about. I know there was an Oliver dealer close back when there was still lots of plowing going on. 

 

Here is a video of some classic iron.  The two tractors pulling JD plows look like they are doing a good job to me. 

[brahamfireman]

23 minutes ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

Was there ever actually any scientific data to back which plow pulled easier? I have always heard Deere pulled the hardest. Is that just the seat of your pants feeling, or can it be demonstrated? I have heard my dad say that people told him he could pull an extra bottom if he switched brands. He never did because he said he didn’t think it was true. I wondered why anybody would have anything other than an Oliver plow if they actually pulled the easiest. Especially back when dealers were everywhere, no matter what brand you were talking about. I know there was an Oliver dealer close back when there was still lots of plowing going on. 

Oliver pulled the best because the hitch was so short, the front bottom was dang near on the rear tire, if you ran coulters the front coulter literally bolted to the 3 point cross bar on the hitch. The IH was slightly further back, and JD has long hitches. The closer hitch helped transfer weight to the rear wheels.  Maybe didn't "pull" better,  but you spun less and that seamed to equate to "pull better".

But Oliver also had a different mold board angle that just worked better.

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

8 minutes ago, Big Bud guy said:

 

Here is a video of some classic iron.  The two tractors pulling JD plows look like they are doing a good job to me.  Perhaps those guys know what they are doing.  

We plowed more this year than the entire previous decade put together. We sowed some alfalfa and the Deere plow did a very good job. We have a 2450 and it has more than enough room to flow the trash from a current crop here. The wear parts are in good condition and it works just fine, like other brands did too. It’s easy to find terrible plowing jobs at plow days. Mostly because people are using plows in terrible shape that are being operated by owners who either never knew how to set up a plow or have forgotten since they have been off the farm for 5 decades.