case ih 244

looking at a case ih 244 on cl whats the good the bad and ugly on the model it's 4wd

I have one.
The good:
*Nice tractor for its size and runs forever on 5 gallons.
*Hard to get stuck in 4wd
*Light enough to mow my yard with 5' 3 point mower
*Can have a belly mower
*Good power for 22 hp
*Local CaseIH dealer still carries filters and LIMITED parts
*The parts I have needed were found on eBay and Amazon for good prices.
*My Loader (Which I think is an Ag-way or Ag-tech) works well and will dig pretty well when I need it to.
*The same basic tractor was carried by IH CaseIH Mitsubishi for probably 10-15 years so different model numbers will use the same parts.
*Good tractors and cheap to buy vs. Kubota/Deere/etc
*Relatively simple tractors and easy to diagnose issues.

The Bad:
*Some parts can be hard to find. I have heard other guys talk about it being cheaper to buy another than rebuild the one they have.
*It is a light tractor that only takes aftermarket loaders, which means light duty. There is a lot of flex in my loader and I don't think it would abuse well like a kubota will.
*Most didn't weather very well outside.
*2wd is not good for much.
*5' of implement is about all it wants. Not heavy enough for anything bigger. I have seen them with 6' mowers but I would suspect you'd have to crawl with it.
*They need some weight on the front. A loader is too heavy, but the little front weights aren't quite enough to balance the 3 point.
*I doubt they would handle a 3 point backhoe. They just aren't built beefy enough.

Overall mine has been a great tractor for what it is. I have been very happy with it and it always starts. I paid 5k for 500 hours, kept inside never saw rain, 4wd, loader, counterweight box, good rubber. Probably on the high side for tractor value, but it looked brand new.

I'd like to find a 234 hydro with a belly mower when the budget allows.