Still looking for a tractor. What do you guys think of this JD 2350?

[FreeWulf]

I had a thread a while back looking for a tractor that we may move to Alaska with.
This thing really ticks a lot of my boxes.

Any thoughts based on the pictures? It's at an upcoming auction. I got the keys and was able to move it around the yard a little.

Fires right up, runs really smooth. No bubbles in the coolant. Oil levels are all good.

Hydraulics, 3 point, PTO all seem to work as they should. 4WD works as well as I can test by raising the front end off the ground and moving forward a little. One set of rear remotes, but of course I couldn't test them.

Steering seems tight. Brakes feel good and work well. Clutch feels good and works well. All the gears seem to work well. Granted I was only able to move a few feet forward and back.

7100 hours showing. I'm not going to be working it super hard, just mowing 10 acres or so, plus probably snow removal and loading and unloading the occasional equipment.

Alternatively there's a David Brown 990 with a loader, 2WD that looks like it will go much cheaper. The auction on it ends on Friday. If I can't get the JD, I'll go look at the David Brown.

 

[herm0016]

what's your budget?

 

[rScotty]

Looks like a good deal for a mechanically inclined person who doesn't need it to be fully dependable and who enjoys working on tractors. It's been beat, so I'd bet there will be some repair work needed for the next couple of years. I'm assuming that you have money set aside for repairs, a good set of tools, can get shop manuals, and are at least somewhat familiar with diesels, electrics, and closed center hydraulics.

Auctions are a huge gamble, but with some work it could be a nice one. The size, make, and model is certainly what you'd hope for. And 4WD! It's from the era when JD tractors were made to be rebuilt indefinitely, and JD parts are more available than most.
Frankly it's the kind and size of tractor I might go for if I didn't have any tractor, was young enough to have more time than money, and felt like I needed a tractor to get things done. Of course I enjoy mechanical work, and there is a lot of JD support to add to the fun.

I would also not be surprised to find that it definitely has at least one problem and maybe several problems - all of which are obvious enough that they would show up pretty quickly in a longer test run. Otherwise the owner would have sold it himself, instead of at auction. You should make sure that it starts immediately and easily from cold. That's a good general test for any old diesel.

The wide front with PS, and matching 148 FEL is a definite plus, and is probably worth from half to 75% of what that tractor is going to go for. That three point hitch is also the good one, and is a real bonus. Notice that it has telescoping arms. I'm guessing somewhere in 3000 to 6500 $$ range is what I'd expect this tractor to go for at auction.

Cleaned up and running nicely from a private party it would be worth twice that much or more. But it would have to look real good & run nicely to offset that many hours. BTW, by "running nicely" I mean that it would be running well enough that a the seller would feel comfortable letting a prospective customer work it for an hour or so.

I don't know anything about David Brown tractors.
Good luck,
rScotty

 

[jeff9366]

John Deere 2350​

1983 - 1986 2050 Series Utility tractor

Series:	2150 ←	2350	→ 2550
		2355 ↓

Production
Manufacturer:	John Deere
Type:	Utility tractor
Factory:	Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Original price:	$20,000 (1986 )

John Deere 2350 Power
PTO (claimed):	55 hp 41.0 kW
Drawbar (tested):	46.66 hp 34.8 kW
PTO (tested):	56.18 hp 41.9 kW
power test details ...

John Deere 2350 Engine
John Deere 3.9L 4-cyl diesel
Fuel tank:	24 gal 90.8 L
Engine details ...

Mechanical
Chassis:	4x2 2WD
	4x4 MFWD 4WD (optional)
Differential lock:	rear standard
Steering:	hydrostatic power
Brakes:	differential hydraulic wet disc
Cab:	Two-post ROPS. Canopy available. Sound-Gard cab optional with available heat and air-conditioning.
Transmissions:	8-speed partially synchronized
	16-speed partial power shift
	8-speed power shuttle
Transmission details ...

Photos

John Deere 2350 photos...

Hydraulics
Type:	closed center
Rear valves:	1 or 2
Pump flow:	13 gpm 49.2 lpm

Tractor hitch
Rear Type:	II/I
Control:	load and depth control
Rear lift:	2,735 lbs 1240 kg

Power Take-off (PTO)
Rear PTO:	independent
	live (with reverser)
Rear RPM:	540
Engine RPM:	540@2382

Dimensions & Tires
2WD Wheelbase:	89.2 inches 226 cm
4WD Wheelbase:	90 inches 228 cm
Weight:	6810 to 8220 pounds
Front tire:	7.50-16
Rear tire:	16.9-30 (2WD)
Full dimensions and tires ...

John Deere 2350 attachments

front-end loader

2350 Serial Numbers
Location:	Right side of main tractor frame, above front axle.
photo of 2350 serial number

Electrical
Ground:	negative
Charging system:	alternator
Charging amps:	55
Batteries:	1 (ROPS)
	2 (cab)
Battery volts:	12

Page information
Last update:	March 16, 2017
Copyright:	Copyright 2021 TractorData LLC
Contact:	Peter@TractorData.com

 

[jeff9366]

John Deere 2350 Attachments​

1983 - 1986 2050 Series Utility tractor

Series:	2150 ←	2350	→ 2550
		2355 ↓

John Deere 146 Loader
For use on two-wheel drive tractors.
Loader weight:	1250 lbs 567 kg
Height (to pin):	119 inches 302 cm
Clearance, dumped bucket:	93 inches 236 cm
Dump reach:	40 inches 101 cm
Dump angle:	40°
Clearance, level bucket:	112 inches 284 cm
Rollback angle:	16°
Breakout force (lift):	3404 lbs 1544 kg
Lift to full height (at pin):	2282 lbs 1035 kg
Bucket width:	60 inches 152 cm
	72 inches 182 cm
	84 inches 213 cm

John Deere 175 Loader
Loader weight:	995 lbs 451 kg
Height (to pin):	124 inches 314 cm
Clearance, dumped bucket:	104 inches 264 cm
Dump reach:	36 inches 91 cm
Dump angle:	38°
Clearance, level bucket:	118 inches 299 cm
Rollback angle:	14°
Breakout force (lift):	2681 lbs 1216 kg
Lift to full height (at pin):	2015 lbs 914 kg
Bucket width:	61 inches 154 cm
	73 inches 185 cm

John Deere 240 Loader
For use on two-wheel drive tractors.
Loader weight:	1520 lbs 689 kg
Clearance, dumped bucket:	100 inches 254 cm
Dump reach:	31 inches 78 cm
Dump angle:	43°
Clearance, level bucket:	120 inches 304 cm
Rollback angle:	45°
Breakout force (at pin):	3990 lbs 1809 kg
Lift to full height (at pin):	2498 lbs 1133 kg
Bucket width:	61 inches 154 cm
	73 inches 185 cm
	85 inches 215 cm

John Deere 245 Loader
Loader weight:	1544 lbs 700 kg
Height (to pin):	138 inches 350 cm
Clearance, dumped bucket:	112 inches 284 cm
Dump reach:	37 inches 93 cm
Dump angle:	42°
Clearance, level bucket:	132 inches 335 cm
Rollback angle:	39°
Breakout force (lift):	3546 lbs 1608 kg
Lift to full height (at pin):	2339 lbs 1060 kg
Bucket width:	61 inches 154 cm
	73 inches 185 cm
	85 inches 215 cm

Page information
Last update:	March 16, 2017
Copyright:	Copyright 2021 TractorData
Contact:	Peter@TractorData.com

 

[jeff9366]

Alternatively there's a David Brown 990 with a loader, 2WD that looks like it will go much cheaper. The auction on it ends on Friday. If I can't get the JD, I'll go look at the David Brown.

David Brown is an English tractor. I speculate obtaining parts in Alaska would be impossible.

Deere is better than most with parts. I expect that parts for the German built, 35+ year old Deere 2350 will be reasonably available from Waterloo, Iowa but VERY EXPENSIVE. Parts might take 3-4 weeks to reach Alaska.

Outside stored tractors sometimes have wiring gnawed by rodents.

JD 2350 in T-B-N ARCHIVE (three pages)

John Deere 2350 site:tractorbynet.com

 

[DieselBound]

As Jeff notes above, I'd be giving a lot of thoughts about parts availability: and going forward our supply chains are only likely to get worse. Find out what's in use up in that area: think "spare, used parts." Perhaps also see what the Canadians just south might have available.

Figure that with something older you're going to also have to ensure you're stocked up with TOOLS. Good luck on trying to anticipate on this. Seems that no matter how many tools one has the one that one seems to need at a given moment is one that one doesn't have! Might come down to ensuring there's a good shop around (no matter what direction you're going to have to shell out some money when the inevitable happens).

 

[FreeWulf]

Thanks for the replies.

Here in the PNW tractors are really expensive. I'm expecting that tractor to go for around $11,000, up to 13,000.

The david brown is a 990, which was the same as the CASE 990. Supposedly you can get parts for them through case. It should go for quite a bit cheaper.

 

[jeff9366]

David Brown 990 Implematic​

NO LOADER IS SHOWN AS AVAILABLE FOR THIS TRACTOR.

1961 - 1980 Model year 1961-19651965-19701971-1980 Utility tractor

Production
Manufacturer:	David Brown
Type:	Utility tractor
Factory:	Meltham Mills, Huddersfield, England

David Brown 990 Power
Engine:	52 hp 38.8 kW
Drawbar (claimed):	43 hp 32.1 kW
PTO (claimed):	48 hp 35.8 kW
Drawbar (tested):	43.47 hp 32.4 kW
PTO (tested):	51.60 hp 38.5 kW
power test details ...

David Brown 990 Engine
David Brown 3.0L 4-cyl diesel
Fuel tank:	13.74 gal 52.0 L
Engine details ...

Mechanical
Chassis:	4x2 2WD
Differential lock:	mechanical rear
Steering:	manual
	hydrostatic power (optional)
Brakes:	differential mechanical expanding shoe
Cab:	Open operator station.
Transmissions:	6-speed gear
	12-speed partially synchronized
Transmission details ...

Photos

David Brown 990 photos...

Hydraulics
Type:	open center
Pressure:	2000 psi 137.9 bar
Total flow:	7.4 gpm 28.0 lpm

Tractor hitch
Rear Type:	II/I

Power Take-off (PTO)
Rear PTO:	transmission
	live (optional)
Clutch:	dry disc
Rear RPM:	540/1000 (1.375)
Engine RPM:	540@1800 (Low) 540@1100 (High) 1000@2000

Dimensions & Tires
Wheelbase:	76.75 inches 194 cm
Weight:	4272 to 4312 pounds
Front tire:	6.00-16
Rear tire:	11-32
Full dimensions and tires ...

990 Serial Numbers
Location:	Frame, right side
1961:	440001
1962:	441323
1963:	450376
1964:	460376
1965:	472273
1966:	483768
1967:	496283
1968:	504690
1969:	808150
1970:	818301
1971:	826009
1972:	850600
1973:	854403
1974:	859367
1975:	863900
1976:	11070001
1977:	11080236
1978:	11089141
1979:	11096828
1980:	11104577
how to read serial numbers...

Electrical
Charging system:	generator
Batteries:	2
Battery volts:	6

Page information
Last update:	June 4, 2020
Copyright:	Copyright 2021 TractorData LLC
Contact:	Peter@TractorData.com

 

[RickB]

Do yourself a favor and forget the David Brown. Too many British design quirks, Lucas electrical components, sketchy parts availability. I'm not sure why anyone would think the Deere is beat up, for a 30+ year old tractor with the stated hours I think it looks pretty complete and decent. At this age and those hours I would prefer the simplicity of the base 8 speed transmission over the optional high/low or reverser configurations. I don't think your price estimate is too far off unless you discover a major flaw. Good luck whatever you decide.