IH 254

[89cummins174]

This is the first time I am posting in the International forum. I have a question about the IH 254, I have done some research and found out that the Mitsubishi MTE 2000D is the same model. What i would like to know is if the IH 254 was a good tractor. The one I am looking at has over 1,000 hrs, turf tires, snow plow attachment, and the paint is weathered(whatever, its a tractor). What i have planned for this tractor is to run my log splitter and maybe a brush cutter, I know i have a bx24 but if the price is right and the quality is good then it wouldnt hurt to have another tractor. I was just wondering what you IH guys think about this tractor??? Thanks for your opion

 

[sixdogs]

I had an IH 265 that looks similar. I know it had a Mitsubishi engine and was a hi-crop model. It was a great tractor with a strong engine and was built rugged.
I don't think you will find much in the way of spare parts for these unless yiou find a junk model or the parts were interchangable with other models. That would be my only concern.

 

[alabama mike]

This is the first time I am posting in the International forum. I have a question about the IH 254, I have done some research and found out that the Mitsubishi MTE 2000D is the same model. What i would like to know is if the IH 254 was a good tractor. The one I am looking at has over 1,000 hrs, turf tires, snow plow attachment, and the paint is weathered(whatever, its a tractor). What i have planned for this tractor is to run my log splitter and maybe a brush cutter, I know i have a bx24 but if the price is right and the quality is good then it wouldnt hurt to have another tractor. I was just wondering what you IH guys think about this tractor??? Thanks for your opion

I have a IH 244, basicly the same tractor your speaking for, I love my tractor, I've never had any problems with it and I've had it 12 years now. My tractor is running on turf tires as well, I wish I had AG tires at times, I live in a hilly area and tire spin is a problem at times.

 

[dougnpatti]

I just bought an IH 254. I like it, but I can't find parts. I'm in need of some body parts and a ROPS. Does anyone know where to get them? I've emailed a bunch of tractor salvage yards, and the OEM parts are no longer available. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, the Mitsubishi MTE2000D is the same tractor and I know most of those parts would fit as well.

 

[sixdogs]

Well, look harder. I bought lots of stuff from the IH dealer and I saw a number of salvage ads that listed the IH254 as a salvage tractor. Ads I recall were in the upper Great Lakes region (maybe WI, MI) and were in pubs like Farm Week and such. I don't have a 254 at the moment so have sort of lost touch but you shold be alble to find what you need. Maybe not want to ship a ROPS from a cost standpoint. Southern states had a lot of them too.
Most of the body parts are typical of other models so no probs there and the engine was used in other models. Only tough stuff might be the rear drives or the front axle and I'll bet you can find those parts.
Search Tractor House to see which models look like yours and then look for body parts from those models.
What part of the country are you in? The east?

 

[Kernopelli]

I don't know about body parts and agree that salvage yards are your best bet. ROPS can be purchased from hurculesrops.com and I am certain others, just google ROPS and you'll find some.
Yes the 254/255 are very similar to the MTE2000D.....I am probably the biggest perpetuator of this statement on TBN. I have owned a 2000D for almost 7 yrs and I have poured through CIH's parts website and compared the two. The great similarity/cross over is undeniable. I have found very few differences between the two tractors. Most notably is the Mitsubishi has 3 trans ranges, 3 pto speeds, fender mounted shift and different grill. That's about it, so if you ever have problems finding hard parts through IH dealers I would check with Len Scheaffer at Sheaffer's Town & Country Tractor or some of the other Mitsubishi gurus on that forum.
BTW, it has been an extremely durable and dependable tractor, I fully expect to own it for many more years.

 

[EFC]

I don't know about body parts and agree that salvage yards are your best bet. ROPS can be purchased from hurculesrops.com and I am certain others, just google ROPS and you'll find some.
Yes the 254/255 are very similar to the MTE2000D.....I am probably the biggest perpetuator of this statement on TBN. I have owned a 2000D for almost 7 yrs and I have poured through CIH's parts website and compared the two. The great similarity/cross over is undeniable. I have found very few differences between the two tractors. Most notably is the Mitsubishi has 3 trans ranges, 3 pto speeds, fender mounted shift and different grill. That's about it, so if you ever have problems finding hard parts through IH dealers I would check with Len Scheaffer at Sheaffer's Town & Country Tractor or some of the other Mitsubishi gurus on that forum.
BTW, it has been an extremely durable and dependable tractor, I fully expect to own it for many more years.

The biggest difference is the engine. It is the Mitsubishi K3F which was only used in Japan. So most engine parts will not interchange. On the other hand the IH 245 is a match to the MTE1800D. They both had the K3D engine.

 

[Kernopelli]

That's good information Buck, I appreciate you pointing this out. I certainly trust your input on this, especially given your back ground so I apologize for any misinformation I have given. The CIH website doesn't give the engine model number, just engine parts so I was never able to verify that the K3F was or wasn't the engine in the 254/255's.
I was told one time that the K3F was a "gray market only" engine but since I had seen it listed as being used in Lamborghini tractors, marine application and gen sets I assumed that this "gray market tractor" only info was not correct. Since the only rating I had ever seen for the K3D and K3E engines was 17 or 18 HP, I assumed it was what was used in the 234 and K3F in the 254.

So, now I'm curious, what differences are there in the K3D that IH used and that Mitsubishi used in their respective tractors? In general ( I know this is always " up to interpretation"), I have seen IH lists the 254 at 24 engine HP/20 PTO HP ( same as MTE 2000) and the MTE 1800 as 21 Engine HP/ 18 PTO HP?

 

[dougnpatti]

That is good information on the engine differences. Thanks! I had always assumed that the MTE1800 was like an IH 244, and the MTE2000 was like an IH 254. I was hoping the IH 254 had 24 hp. That's one reason I bought it over an IH 244.

 

[dougnpatti]

Has anyone thought about adding steel front wheel spacers to your 254? I added 180 lbs to the front and it needs more (was box blading at the time). I thought that maybe steel wheel spacers would add weight and give it a little more stability on slopes. Any thoughts?

 

[Kernopelli]

I have switched the rims around for more offset and it helped greatly by widening the track but would still like some more. When I have my FEL on I certainly don't need more weight on the front but you can always add more than the 180lbs you currently have. I had made a weight set out of an old small residential cast iron sectional boiler some years ago. It wasn't pretty but i had about 220 lbs on the front bumper and it made a world of difference when using ground engagement implements, it also helped to hold and pull on sloped ground. I like the idea of spacer/wheel weights since it adds to "unsprung" weight and relieves stress on the front axle and spindles. I am certain it could be done quite effectively. Find someone to cut some heavy plate for you and drill some lug hole,longer lugs and you're in business. The additional track width may still add to spindle stress however.

As an aside, I had somewhat mixed up what Buck had stated concerning the 245/MTE1800 and in my mind applied the use of the K3D engine to the 254. Some recent research has led me to find information stating that the 254 did indeed use the K3D also and 255 used the K3E engine. Which leads me back to my original ( but at the time somewhat misconstrued question) of where did they find the extra HP for the different applications of the K3D engines? Buck is correct, no surprise there...he is one of the best (and friendliest!) grey market authorities in the U.S. , that the K3D was used in the 245/MTE1800 but it also appears that it was used in the 254 but with a higher HP rating.

 

[EFC]

235- K3B
245- K3D
255- K3E 24/21 HP 2800 RPM
MTE2000D- K3F 24/20 HP 2400 RPM
265- K3H
275- K3M

Larger engine running at lower RPM, where you measure the hp in the RPM band really changes the output HP#'s

Buck

P.S. Thank you for the kind words!! rare on these boards.

 

[dougnpatti]

IH 254 hydraulic O-ring question: I bought a new hydraulic fluid filler cap and o-ring because the old cap had stripped threads. The question I have is, does thei o-ring fit around the cap, or does it get seated around the screen or in the filler tube somewhere?

 

[DaLi220]

I had an IH 265 that looks similar. I know it had a Mitsubishi engine and was a hi-crop model. It was a great tractor with a strong engine and was built rugged.
I don't think you will find much in the way of spare parts for these unless yiou find a junk model or the parts were interchangable with other models. That would be my only concern.

I have an IH 254 and so far it's been a pretty good tractor. It doesn't like to get wet though, if it does, water always finds it's way into the trans/hydro oil, so I try to keep it covered and never wash it. I've considered selling it a few times, then quickly change my mind after starting it up. I've taken an interest recently in sprucing it up, but only want to use new original parts. I went to a local dealer, then found that I could order original parts online for the same price. The shipping cost is slightly more than I have to pay the local dealer in sales tax, but I like getting the parts delivered to my door! Case IH Tractor Parts

 

[BillPizzaiolo]

I own a IH 254 since it was brand new. It never gave me any trouble until today. Plowing out the driveway of over 2 feet of snow seemed to do it. I was almost finished and every time it felt a load it slowly died out. It would re-start quickly then die out. Fuel seemed good, oil level okay, hydr. level okay air filter okay. Not sure as to what to check next.
Bill

 

[BillPizzaiolo]

I re thead in the manual that the tractor uses a single-acting, plunger type jerk pump to supply fuel to the injection nozzles. Fuel flow by gravity through the paper-type fuel filter and to the injection pump. Because there is no charge pump to force the fuel through a partially clogged fuel filter, the filter must be changed at a regular interval. -- it is cold and getting dark now I will change the filter in the morning once the sun gets high enough to see. I hope it works. Good thing I keep extra filters in the garage.
Bill