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| What are some pros and cons to these tractors? For some reason I feel like I need to get one for my collection/ hobby. How easy can parts be to get? Alot made? Best model? Were they really any better than the 2wd, 86 series at the time? |
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southern saskatchewan | For us the 2&2 has its place, use 1086 or 986 to feed with till the going get tough in snow then feed with the 3588. The front end in them is light and needs a light load or trouble is on the way. Just changed the centre joints and our's has just over 4100 hrs. Third owner so not sure if it was the first time but think it was. Any parts we needed have been as easy to get as other 86 series. When it thaws in the spring we spread manure with it. Its awkward but 2 wheel drives don't have enough flotation or traction. To use one you'll either get use to it or hate it. There's likely tractors that could do a better job and more comfort but not for the same price. |
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Northwest Iowa | We run a 6788 on the disk and field cultivator. Lots of power and traction . We like the 6788 much bettertnan the 3588 we had because of the power difference. Have had no trouble getting parts and are not hard to get used to driving them. |
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Ravenna Ohio | When you look at the machine as adding 4wd to a equal horse 2wd, it did a nice job. I use mine to pull a planter and the grain cart. Other than the articulated shift when following the mark it handles pretty well. |
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Hoffman, IL | We love them!!!! We have a 3588 that we use for discing etc. Then we have a 6388 that we use to use for tilage then bought the 3588. Now the 6388 has no duals on it We use it to pull a 12 row corn planter and a 15 row 15" bean planter. Also works fantastic to rotary hoe with a 30' hoe. Parts are not an issue for us we have never had any issues trying to get any. Just remember that the rear end in a 6388 is about like a 986. I am not sure of the 3588. The only ISSUE they had with them is that people thought they bought a 200+ HP 4WD when in reality it was more like a MFWD. Keep that in mind they were designed for row crop type work and you will have no problems.
The best ones were the super 70 series (ie 7288 and 7488) very rare. Built in 1985 7288 19 built, 7488 16 built. VER RARE!!! They also had the rear end like the 50-5488 series The next best was supposed to be the 60 series built from 1981 to 1985. The 6388 had about 272 built, the 6588 642 built, 6788 347 built.
I think your best bet is to find a 60 series. IMO
BTW here is a link to some info about them.
http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/tractor-brands/ih/ih-tract... |
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| here is a real life story of one 3588 bought at an auction 6700 bucks wore out rubber one owner tractor 4600 hrs took it home put new rubber on it 6600 bucks took it too the feild pulled really good lots of power started great for a 1980 tractor i think they were ahead of their time fairly quiet cab THEN about 80hrs later the air conditioner compressor siezed up then another 20 hrs later bang a valve dropped into the piston took the piston and turbo out and broke the valve seat so need a new head then when i was loading it{it still sort of ran} i was putting the windshield cover on, the tarp strap let go as i was standing on the rear fender which sent me airborne landed dislocated my elbow which put me out of the real world for a month and a half {july and augest} and the doc said it will never be the same again and bother you for the rest of your life so far that appears to be 100% true as well my health insrunce cover hospital stay {3 days} and denied me coverage as they cover broken bones not dislocations and to fix the tractor its 8000 for a rebuild and the wrecker offered me 4500 so for a toy i would say yes get one they are cool that way but i am scare of them now |
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Mississippi Delta | Had a 3588 and 3788 back in the 1980s and into the 90s. I always really liked them. They were great grain buggy tractors for rice back before most rice fields around here (MS Delta) were precision leveled. Jumped levees and handled mud very well, all with singles. We also used them for tillage and even on 20 foot Great Plains three point drills and 30 foot GP "pull type" drills.
I don't remember any serious issues, though it's been a while and I was quite young when we had them. All in all, very good, and in my opinion, underappreciated tractors. The best part is, you can find decent used ones for $12-20K if you put in a little time. |
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Devils Lake, ND | It was a great concept for its time that was poorly executed and possibly oversold. Turned sharper than the mfwd's of the time and more flotation. The 3x88's had a litany of mechanical problems that were largely addressed with the 6x88's, and (probably) fixed with the Supers. Add to that too many people thought they would pull right along side an 8640.
The 8x00 Deere't that came out in 1994 killed the value of the comcept. Now you could buy a mfwd that turned sharp and had more than 185 hp. Although the row-crop Steigers still got a lot of play, and rightly so. |
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DE | had a 6788 years ago. Great tractor for putting all hp on the ground and great traction for spreading manure in poor conditions. However with a 7 bottom on land plow, it was a nightmare. You were wore out by the end of the day trying to keep it straight. Just felt unnatural being on rear part of articulated tractor. You didn't realize you were turning or drifting before it was too late. Seemed like you were constantly correcting the steering. For jobs where you can meander a little bit, it's fine. Like they say rears are probably undersized. Had axle bearing go out like our 10 and 1486 and seize wheel up, not cheap. For all day heavy tillage, I'd go with early model magnum before 2+2. For grain cart, manure spreader, the 2+2 would be good, cheap choice.
someone on here as stated before that the value of a 2+2 is determined by how much tread is left on the tires and how much diesel is in the tank!!! |
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Kansas | Like anything else, it just depends on who you talk to about them. There were two bought new near us, both used for the main-tillage tractor. One didn't give much trouble til it got older, the other one gave trouble from day one it seemed. Now that many know what to look for on them and how to use them they would make an ideal planting tractor (especially for a 12 or 16 row). Also good for grain carts except be aware the cab doesn't sit as high as many 2wd's from that era so if you have higher sides on your truck it will be harder to see. I've never understood why some say not to put duals on the front, and have seen ads where they have them just on the back. Kind of defeats the purpose of a 4wd doesn't it? |
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South Central Illinois | The 2 + 2 is not exactly a four wheel drive. The front axle used under a 3588 is the same as the rear axle of a 574 utility, as I have been told. A 574 did not have 38 inch rubber on it, nor did it carry 9000 lbs. If a "Snoopy" is treated as an articulated front wheel assist it will serve you well. Treat it like a four wheel drive and you will destroy it. |
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wc missouri | We have a 3588 and love it. We treat it like a MFD tractor and have had no major issues.
You will need to firgure on replacing the hinge pins if worn, you can tell if they are worn as you drive it the nose will go up and down at the hinge. Also figure on this older machine you will need to replace a lot of the hoses at the joint.
This tractor was revolutionary for its time, but was marketed incorrectly which gave it a poor reputation due to improper use.
I think that once you have it and get it back in shape it will be one of your favorite tractors. |
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| I bought a 6588 this summer, it is a fixer upper. The main reason I bought it is that I needed a tractor to pull a chisel. My 1086 wouldn't move pulling a chiesel in my ground . The tractor dynoed at 153 HP and has 4 duals when I got it. After the first time I pulled a 550 bu wagon I knew I needed more power so I turned it up to 186HP. Several people told me I could go as far as 200HP without any trouble. When I got done with harvesting, I hooked on the 9 shank chiesel and set it at 10". I was able to pull it at 4 MPH. Some places I could of pulled it at 4.6 but I didn't want to use the T/A that much. It pulled the chiesel well. Sometimes I wish I would have four "good" duals, I had about 5 to 10% slippage (gps). It does take a little to get used to. I did discover I need to replace the steering pump, I had to contiually turn to the left in certain sidehill conditions. All in all I do like the tractor.. I like that I don't need to use the brakes to turn on the ends. I also would recomend a suicide knob, it helps when turning on the ends. The thing does turn sharp, much better than a MFWD tractor of the same ara. It also does have alot better front traction of any ara, MFWD. I wish Tenneco wouldn't have kill the design |
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SW MN | It sounds like your're dreamin' and schemin' at night. For a collection, they were definitely ahead of their time. For today's high tech farming they do become a bit dated. I had experience with all three series, 4 different 2+2's, and planted for 20 years with one. Some of the specs stated above are wrong. They used the rear ends of their current 2wd counterparts. When used as a row crop tractor and tillage for their hp, they were unstoppable. The later the series, the more refined and trouble free they were. The only thing that made me go away from them was they didn't keep up with their counterparts. I always said if they would come with an MX 2+2, that would be one sweet tractor. For a red blooded guys collection the later the series the more value they will carry, and the rarer they will be. |
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Devils Lake, ND | Red Power Farms - 12/14/2010 13:23
. I always said if they would come with an MX 2+2, that would be one sweet tractor.
There was rumor of that before the MX's came out a decade ago. People saw the vents in the hood right in front of the cab and assumed it was a bend-in-the-middle. |
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Callao, Missouri | They are like a swiss army knife. Very versatile but not really good at anything. If you can tolerate the old IH flaws and intend to use it lightly its not too bad. I have one that I've bought about 4 times over in repairs and tires. If I had it to do again I would have bought a newer tractor instead of buying a cheap old one. |
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New Ulm, MN | we have a 6588, great tractor, lots of problems that would have been no differnt then the 3288-3488 would have had, TA went out, Clutch went out, Engine (466) cavitaated a sleeve. other than that and one Hinge bolt and one set of Hinge bushings its been a great tractor, Pull and 5 bottom 720 plow 10-12 inches deep, 24 foot 4500 and DMI Crumbler at 4to6 MPH. It our Big Tillage tractor and will be for the forseeable future till we get more land, i figure we can grow to 500 to 600 acres before we should look for a stieger. then it will probly be demoted to the planter.
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Minnesota | I have a 3788 and a 6788. In the spring we use the 37 on the field cultivator and the 67 on a 6 row planter. In the fall, we have used both on the grain cart and 9 shank Glencoe chisel plow. I was able to get them much cheaper than I could buy a decent MFD tractor. For my 350 acres they are perfect. If I had more acres, I would have to look for something bigger/newer, but they serve me well. They are in nice shape and I hope to keep them that way. Even if I do expand, I will probably never get rid of them, since I do think they will eventually become collector items, especially the 6788. |
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nw illinois | Buy a nice five gallon pail, tear the seat out of the 2+2 and sit on the pail--it's more comfortable.
Edited by pigfarmerj 12/14/2010 15:59
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Western Ohio; Eastern Indiana | I have a 3588 and while we have had a few issues over the years... front end... engine loss of oil pressure which caused a few problems..... overall it has been super. It starts better than anything on the farm and once you learn the feel of it its kinda fun to drive. Ours used to do all the tillage but has done the bean planting for 6 years and just retired from that this winter so it wont have much to do now but I want to keep it just because its not worth a lot and I like it. |
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| How would they work for spreading urea on wheat in the spring. Seems like they would lessen your chances of getting stuck. also was looking for a decent 6388 or 6588 not many goods ones left, or very high priced. seems like the 6788 are more available. |
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DE | ideal for that kind of job. |
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IH 2+2 or "Anteater" tractor? Comments please
