I am looking for someone knowledgeable about rebuilding a 1972 Case 580B - Hydrostatic Drive that would be willing to speak directly with me. I am trying to make a wise decision about whether or not to make a considerable investment of time/money in this tractor. The tractor was recently given to me by a lady in the community. Her husband died several years ago and the tractor has not been touched in many years. I do not have any history on the tractor such as when it last run or if it was running when it was parked. It had been sitting in the rain for 8-10 years with the exhaust uncovered and the block had 4-5 gallons of water in it........not a good thing. Thus far, I have removed the head, oil pan and all the pistons for inspection. Some parts are damaged beyond repair but some are usable. I have not separated the tractor so the crank is still in the block right now. Here is where I need some guidance. Without having the engine running I have no way to evaluate the condition of the loader and backhoe cylinders, nor do I know if the hydraulic transmission works. I believe I can make the engine run with some effort and cost and that is what I am inclined to do. However, I don't want to be shortsighted and wind up having to duplicate a lot of effort. I am not familiar with what is behind the flywheel and wondered if I would be wise to go ahead and split the tractor and replace/rebuild the shuttle pump/valve while I am this far into it. I do not know if the transmission works or not but I do know splitting the tractor is not going to be easy. I do not mind investing the time/money to rebuild the tractor but am somewhat leery given I have no idea where this might go. I would hate to split the tractor, rebuild the engine, etc , only to find out that parts needed for the transmission are no longer available. If anyone has the background/experience in this model to help me make a reasonable decision I would love to talk directly with you. I certainly would be willing to compensate for your time. Please call me at 850-482-5842 if you can help me. Thank you, John Hamilton
I'm a little distant re phone call, & I don't have any experience with the hydro drive either. But, if you found water in the engine, it will likely be in the transmission & rear axle as well. The power shuttle was by far, more popular. Parts for hydrostatics are expensive in general & whether CNH has anything still available for a hydro B, well you wont really know till you make specific enquiries. Money & time spent to make it all happen, is really unknown, especially since you haven't seen it running. May be a good idea to locate someone who has the same model being wrecked, for your parts? It was a big call to take this project on ..... good luck with her!
Are you sure you have the hydrostatic drive model? Those were very uncommon.
In reply to Mudpile.....No, I am not sure what it is. I thought that due to the words hydrostat appearing on the front hood and the word Hydro-Glide appearing on the side fender. I have posted some photos in a previous post that you can look at. I have talked with a few other people since posting this and still don't know for sure the type of transmission. I do know that the tractor has a "shuttle-shift" lever on the steering column and a 4-speed shifter under the steering wheel. That is all the drive controls I have. My guess is that this is not a hydrostatic drive. The tractor is a 1972 model and I do not know the history of it.....Anybody, at any time, could have put those decals on the tractor. Thanks for your help.
Re hydrostatic drive - simplest way to tell is they have a FWD & REV pedal in place of an accelerator. See Here -
I'm the last guy to ask about a Case, but your 4 speed shifter doesn't sound like the one in Alrman's thread. What drained out of the other compartments? You might get a better feel for the condition by cutting open the filters and checking for junk, and flushing the trans with diesel, or hot water if there was water in there already, and see what kind of junk comes out. I don't know about the economics of completely rebuilding an old backhoe, but that one looks like it was taken care of during it's working life at least. 40 years is a long time for rubber to last, so if you plan on keeping it around, you're going to end up replacing all of the exterior rubber seals (cylinders, and engine seals). On the other hand, the former owner may have rebuilt everything and let it sit? Have you considered putting the pan back on, putting some oil in it and seeing if the starter will turn it over fast enough to test the hydraulics? (maybe hose clamp a piece of rubber on the rod journals to hold oil pressure). Might even be able to rig a "pony motor" small gas engine belt driving the pulley to spin it fast enough to move forward and back, not a good test but as good as you'll get without a functioning engine.