[DirtDobber]

I've got a JD 2440 1976 model tractor. The 3 pt. lift will not stay put in one place when you set it. It will either drift up or down. Makes it hard to use a bush hog when your trying to keep the cut height the same. Ultimately will slowly drift down and allow the blades to contact the ground.
Sure could use some advice on what to do.
Thanks,
DD

 

[Live Oak]

DirtDobber, welcome to Tractor Forum! :friends: :cheers: If you haven't already checked; have you checked to see if the rockshaft drop rate valve (usually located just below the seat area) is adjusted too tight? This would cause the rockshaft to respond in a sluggish manor. If his is not the case; you may have a problem in the rockshaft cylinder or valve housing. Deere makes a Rockshaft Rebuild Seal Kit for this but be sure to troubleshoot the problem and ensure any rockshaft valve linkage or other adjustments are within spec.

<img src="http://jdpc.deere.com/pimages/RWP2/RWP2292________UN01JAN94.gif">

The rebuild kit part # is AR92385 and lists for $20.10.

The rockshaft contol valve and or cylinder may have a problem but I would think you could take this to you dealer and have it rebuilt.

<img src="http://jdpc.deere.com/pimages/RWP2/RWP2291________UN01JAN94.gif">

I don't have a lot of experience on this machine so maybe some of the other guys will jump in here and throw out some ideas too.

Good luck on the repair and let us know what the outcome is. :thumbsup:

 

[DirtDobber]

Thanks Chief for the reply. I bought this tractor about 10 years ago, and the lift was like that already, but the engine had been overhauled and it ran like a top. I haven't done too much to it over the 10 years until here lately. I had to replace the injector pump last week, and since things always seem to break in three's around my house, the water pump and starter solinoid went out right before.
I did replace the brake disc on the left side of the tractor, that's about as big of a job as I want to tackle by myself.
Anyway, back to the lift problem. The lift control arm is very sensitive, it seems like it only takes about a 1/4" of travel to make the hitch move one direction or the other. I've tried different settings on all the different controls to no avail.
But I do think your on the right track with what's wrong. I'll spend some more time with it and get back with you with more detail.
Thanks for the warm welcome!
DD

 

[Live Oak]

DirtDobber, I am curious as well. I will be looking forward to your reply. I have some serious bush hogging ahead of me in the near future and it is always a plus to learn from others experiences.

 

[czrider]

I had to rebuild the lift on my 2240 about a year or so ago, when it started leaking down, chattering, and otherwise acting up on me. I replaced the two spool valves, the "O" ring on the piston, and a handfull of other seals common to the valve assy.

I described the symptoms to my buddy at the JD dealer, and he fixed me up with the parts. The only trickey part of the job was getting the piston back into the lift cylinder - the OEM "O" ring had been superceeded by a teflon ring that was a real bugger to compress enough to get back into the hole. The entire job took around 6 hours, and the lift has been functioning just fine ever since. I replaced the spool valve and so forth at the recommendation of my dealer mechanic, but after inspecting the old parts, I suspect I could have gotten by with only replaceing the "O" ring on the piston. All of the parts fit into one of those small lunch bag sized JD parts bags, but they cost me somewhere in the nieghborhood of three hundred bucks.

 

[DirtDobber]

Thanks CZRider for the help. I was looking at those spool valves in the manual. Good to know you've been there done that.
Wow, 3 hundred bucks for some o-rings and seals! That's a bunch of money! I guess the spool valves where the biggest part of the cost.
I haven't had a chance to work on the tractor here lately. Hurricane Jeanne tore up my land pretty bad. Been cutting trees up and carrying them down to the lower pasture. Hurt my back in the process, so trying to get it healed up.
I'll let ya guys know what I find when I tear into it later.
Thanks again.
DD

 

[czrider]

Dirtdobber,

You're right, the spool valves accounted for the lions share of the cost. When I saw how good my old ones looked (no visible wear at all), I thought about reusing them. My tractor is in very good condition; it had about 800 hours on the clock at the time of the lift repair. If yours is a fairly low hour rig, I would bet you could get by with just the seals.
The job was very straight forward. I doubt that you would have any trouble at all. Good luck!