My next door neighbor wants me to go look at a late 50s Case Terratrac track loader tomorrow that he is considering buying to keep at the family hunting property. In the pictures he took of it, it looks real clean. The seller claims the undercarriage is 90 percent left. The sprocket picture looks real good so he may be correct. It has the Continental 6 cylinder engine in it. He also said it has the differential steering where it hydraulically shifts one side down to keep power when turning. I really don't know much about these. Any one have any memories of good or bad traits with these. It will probably run maybe 20 hours a year if the neighbor buys it. He claims that we will be able to start and run it tomorrow. Thanks in advance, Roger
I haven't seen the hydraulic downshift steering on these, mine uses simple band brakes and a diff in the center for power with a flathead for the engine... take plenty of pics
I also had thought that it would be simple differential steering on that year machine. I suspect he thinks its shifting down because of the differential ratio change as it turns. I will be checking it out with the neighbor this PM. He also is supposed to have a newly rebuilt engine that matches the one in it. Not included in the asking price but makes me wonder about the shape of the one in it. The current owner is a state bridge inspector so he has winters off. He buys, fixes, and resells older equipment in the winter. He claims to have had this one and used it himself for a number of years. Says he has a 1050 Case on the hook and trying to raise a bit more cash to land it. He has a decent reputation around the area so we will see. I believe this one is also a flathead based on the pictures as well as I can tell.
Sounds good, can't wait to hear what you find out I picked mine up ten years ago but haven't really got to rebuilding it yet... I did finish the dismantling stage though they were built kinda flimsly... at least thats my impression after seeing a few with the cracks in the frame all in the same spots. I guess people that pick them up to use them want to do bigger projects than they were designed to do. Mine still has the original hokey loader/cutting bucket on it and also has rippers on the rear I got a spare engine with mine but I think both were in need of serious repair. I also have a case 310 dozer built just after the 500... is built a bit tougher but you can still see the similarities in the machines.
My neighbor bought this machine today. It is a sweet running machine other than both brakes need replacing or adjusting. It had the small hydraulic drum brakes that access thru a side panel on either side. Looks fairly simple to take them apart as they are external like a wheel tractor. It does have the two speed steering clutches for power turning. No master clutch is present on the machine. A torque is mounted to the engine flywheel. There is a bank of three 8" long levers. set on a console in front of the operator. The middle is forward and reverse. The right and left are high and low speed for each track. They are the steering mechanism. Pull one down to low and it will steer that way. Effortless positive steering without using the brakes. It has a manual two speed transmission also that you need the engine shut off to shift. Undercarriage is as new. The manual shows it as a diesel only so perhaps it is an intermediate machine? It has the 6 cylinder Continental gas flathead in it. I ran the hydraulics to the end of the strokes and it loaded the engine decent before it bypassed so the pimp seems good. Got to BS'ing with the seller as we discovered we both worked for the same companies over the years knew the same people and forgot to take pictures. Weight is 16,740 with loader and counterweight for the diesel version by the book. I suppose this one is 500 lbs lighter with the gas. Neighbor purchased it for $3,200 so he wont get hurt to bad. I will get some when we pick it us the weekend after Thanksgiving.
Here's some pictures I got when we picked it up and took it to their hunting camp up north .
Couple more.
Looks pretty good for a 50+ year old machine. Wouldn't think it's over 16,000lbs. though. A Cat 931B is around 16,500-17000lbs and looks a lot beefier.
That's a unique looking bucket set up on it. looks to be in good condition.
Just going by the owner/service manual. The manual only shows the diesel engine so it could be they beefed the whole machine up when they switched to diesel? The rest of the machine is as the book shows but of course we can't see how heavy stuff is built. I have a 931B with 4n1 bucket and hoe and its not as beefy as I would have thought when I bought it. The belly pans and engine enclosure are not near as heavy as on the old Cat D4 type Traxcavators. I can easily install the belly pan by lifting it into place on my belly and starting the bolts. Of course that's after I clean the crap out of it. They haven't bent nothing so I guess they are heavy enough.
When I was young I used to run a late 60's 450 Case loader & we used to think it weighed in at about 10,000 lbs. Was a nice machine for light work when it was newer. It was 45 hp if I remember correctly.
I was looking at the machine then notice there aint much trailer holding it up!! You oughta at least put a few boards back on it!!
I would think you might get pulled over with your trailer in that state of repair.
Why? The tracks won't fall threw. Same deck as many of the pulp wood log trucks use. Planks only add weight. Actually installing the new planks is a job the son-in-law is going to for me as a interest payment on the money I lent them for a house down payment. So did the chain down pass? No, I did not put one over the bucket.
I usually cross chain, right trailer side to left track shoe at rear and repeat for the opposite side. Same for front then thrown one across the loader frame or bucket. But if it worked as was non-issue. That and at least there is not two yards of loose fill hanging on the undercarriage!!
Those Continental Redseal engines run forever, had an old Towmotor forklift with a F-226, always started and it purred like a kitten, quite as can be but burned oil like no tomorrow and had absolutely no power, pulled the head to find 1/4" cylinder wall clearance, I've yet to see an engine so worn that was that reliable and quite. I've always thought of these old Case machines as the most affordable variety available at the time, lightly built, tie-rod cylinders etc. I believe they were made as more of an around the farm machine, not so much big construction like Cat, Allis, IH etc.
They had this one out cleaning trails of 1" brush at their deer camp last weekend. That's about as hard as it will work. One track is a little loose. They need to make a 2-5/16" track adjusting wrench. Carb was cleaned and it runs with out near as much stumble as it had. I think a tank or two of new gas will do wonders. They had fun with it, that's the most important thing.
We had a Miller welder with a Continental 4 cyl in it, had it on a job once about 25+ years ago when a rad hose went on it & it ran hot. By the time I found it, it would barely run. Fixed the hose, filled it with coolant, changed the oil & filter & it kept running faithfully all these years & only gave up the ghost about 2 years ago. Talk about a forgivable engine..........
If not mistaken, and quite possibly am, the old Plymouths and Dodge cars of the late 40's had Continental flathead six's in them. In HS a close friend had a 47 Plymouth 4dr was his Grandma's given to him. Had not been licensed in many years so he go it running and back together enough for a school car. Well developed a hard knock and we as junior developing mechanics tore the pan off to see what was broken. Had a rod bearing flat failed, the old crusty oil sludge loaded engine could not get enough lube and failed, we thought what the hell, stuck the cap back up and took the Mochine for a ride to see how long it would last!! No oil pan, no oil, and drove the damn thing over an hour, SMOKE, Rattles, banging and hung right in there until back in the driveway and shut it off then it seized. He worked that car into a peach with a old 318 and torqueflite trans, paint, interior and lowered as much as the original suspension would allow, was sweet for a 18 year old graduating HS to roll out with. I believe he STILL has that car.
The neighbor headed for the hunting shack this evening with a new muffler, a new governor spring and a piece of 3/4" plate that I had gave him to use to cut out a track adjusting wrench. His brother was bringing the torch and grinder with cutting wheels. I told him to figure the right angle to clear the track and still be able to grab the next nut side before he welded his 6' pipe handle on. He also had his ice fishing wheel house named "Windsor" hanging on the back of the truck. Mondays update might be interesting.
Have heard of 4 cylinder Continentals in Lincoln SA 200's going over 20,000 hours! They only run 1450-1550 RPM max and might burn oil with that many hours but are one of the best engines ever made. Chrysler had Industrial engines that were similar to the Continentals.