Looking at a Case 580CK for my new rural home (total newb to tractors)

[case580ck]

Hi Jeff

I also just purchased a 1969 Case 580 CK. Was feeling pretty good about till I read this from you

"Case 580 is 2-WD, so you cannot use it on hills because only rear tractor wheels have brakes. When weight shifts forward going down hill, you have little or no stopping power without 4-WD."

can you elaborate on this a little bit and if there is any 'remedy' for this as I definitely have a lot of hills. I assume you mean traveling downhill slopes with buckets full as it would make no sense that the tractor was out of control every time you were not on level surface.

Thank you

Here are some Case 580 VIDEOS: case 58�k backhoe - YouTube

Here are Case 580 CK SPECS from tractor data.com: TractorData.com J.I. Case 58� CK Construction King industrial tractor information

Tractordata shows both Three Point Hitch and PTO as optional. Find out if these are on the Case you are looking at. Case 580 "Construction King" may be too much machine, too much weight for your tasks.

Tractordata shows bare gas tractor @ 3,750 pounds. Loader/Backhoe @ 9,500 pounds. Therefore the FEL and Backhoe combined will be in the area of 5,750 pounds combined. It will be awkward to mount or dismount a >one ton Backhoe should you wish to use the Three Point Hitch or PTO.

How close is the nearest Case service? How will you transport the unit for service? Dealer can always transport but cost is likely to be $2.50 per mile for machinery this heavy/wide.
Forty miles = 40 X $2.50= $100.00 X 4 (two round trips) = $400 just for transport.

When buying used machinery with more than one owner the questions are always: How prudent were the operators?
How carefully was scheduled maintenance performed? Most sequential owners skip maintenance for a substantial period before they sell. So, the more owners, the greater risk you have buying.

Also note Case 580 is 2-WD, so you cannot use it on hills because only rear tractor wheels have brakes. When weight shifts forward going down hill, you have little or no stopping power without 4-WD.

Here are 20 eBay "SOLD" listings for Case 580 TLBs, which will give you an idea of prices buyers actually paid recently.
Case 580 in Backhoe Loaders | eBay


If you buy at a good price and do NOT have misfortune of (very expensive) repairs you may me able to sell in 1-2 years for the same price you paid IF the economy remains as good as today. During 2008/9 construction equipment like this went for a pittance when sold. Mechanic charges vary by region but $150 an hour would not be unusual for this equipment at a San Diego Case dealer. Mechanic charges on my three year old, small Kubota in Florida are $75.00 per hour and seem to be the cheapest service rates anywhere.

 

[Wolfy]

Actually you can use a 2wd backhoe on hills, people have and still do for decades before 4WD became common. What you need to do is extend the hoe a little, putting more weight on the drive tires. I did it all the time on my dads 2wd John Deere 410B backhoe. You can also drive down the hill in reverse, for maximum breaking.

 

[Sonny580]

I don't have any trouble on hills with mine. The hoe keeps things going straight.--the 580 is a heavy unit and if tires are good it will hold it's own! thanks; sonny580

 

[DJ54]

If needing to go down a steep slope with a bucket of material, back down. It throws the center of gravity to the rear of the hoe increasing traction, plus, you won't be dribbling material, like in the forward motion. And...., not nearly as many hickey's to beat back down with a rubber mallet, on the seat cover...

 

[rScotty]

If needing to go down a steep slope with a bucket of material, back down. It throws the center of gravity to the rear of the hoe increasing traction, plus, you won't be dribbling material, like in the forward motion. And...., not nearly as many hickey's to beat back down with a rubber mallet, on the seat cover...

My JD310 is 4wd and I still prefer to back down steep hills when the bucket if full. Your 2wd drive hoe is fine. I would definitely get the brakes working top notch, though.
Again....stop worrying, those 2wd hoes are fine. We're all still here. My buddy has one and I did for years too. His land is hilly like mine, and steep. Like him - and me - and maybe all of us construction types - even if you are careful you'll probably find yourself skidding down a hill someday that was a little too steep and with a bit too much speed and load in the bucket. Scary. I bet you'll only do it once!
Just go slow and you'll be fine. Keep the load low as you can. You can drop the bucket if the road is straight and you do it in time. Back down if in any doubt - that way is always safe if the bucket is low and THE BRAKES ARE GOOD.

If I remember right, you knew you were going to have to do brakes when you got it. Spend the money and do them right. That machine is good for another lifetime.
enjoy,
rScotty

 

[JohnnyAirtime]

Howdy all....

It's been awhile since I stopped in and checked this thread.

... I wanted to update those reading or finding this page in their searches.

My CASE 580CK had been running great.
... over time, I've had the gannon control valves rebuilt, many cylinders rebuilt, and just been running the machine.

It's done so well... I removed an embankment where my solar was going to be placed... about 10-12' wide of 7' high bank that's atleast 100' long (someone do the math on that yardage! haha). Used the hoe to dig the bank, and the loader to move the dirt to the opposite side of the path... downhill. This path, was an old access from my neighbors house to an old shack and trail that leads down into a canyon behind our houses. A perfect place for solar. Out of my sight, but within sight of the neighbors... so, I asked permission of them to place the huge 56 panel array BEFORE I started to dig.

Here's the hoe working the embankment (and sitting there, since I blew a hose);


After a few long days of the embankment work, I started on a 220' long trench;
At the time, I was finishing up the trench for my Solar ground mount electrical conduit... when, the bucket was downhill and the hoe up hill. I was about 40' from being done, and the engine started to make a horrible racket. I shut'er down immediately... and, checked the oil to find it was low. I ended up filling the oil to capacity, and tried to start it or simply see if it'd crank over. Nope. It was locked up. I pulled the plugs, dropped some oil down the cylinders and let it sit overnight. Next day... same, locked up.

I've recently purchased a John Deere 240 skid steer, with only 630hrs on it. Did some maintenance on it, and got it tip top shape. Here it is, as it sits today;


Thank goodness I had it on hand... as I used it to get the CASE out of the trench and over to it's normal parking spot 400' away, uphill, etc. Worked like a charm (of course, I did some research first to see how I'd get the hoe out of the trench, the bucket up enough and the outriggers up and out of the way). Big thanks to Google and those who have had similar issues with loading dead tractors.

Here's how it sat... dead that day; :thumbdown:


Had to rent from the local rental yard, and got'er done with the Bobcat;
View attachment 582957

Since that day, I've needed the gannon to level out the yard... but instead, had to use the skid steer. Of course it's easily doable, but not as easy as running the gannon over it all in a float mode. And, when it rains pretty good the rain ruts can get bad on my access road down the back of the property. So, it'll be nice when Ol'Betsy is back up and running.

BTW, a week later... I went out to see if it was still "locked up". I was more curious than anything, knowing it would have cooled down in 24hrs enough to possibly unlock or even crank over. At the time, it was wishful thinking on my part... but, I was happily surprised when I was able to get a rotation when cranking. Of course, I didn't push my luck and just hoped it wasn't as bad as it could be. I was pretty sick to my stomach over the issue. Especially knowing, it was low on oil (and all my fault at that point).

Which brings me to yesterday. I hired a fellow (not my normal "tractor guy", as he's too busy and much more expensive) who is retired, but willing to help. I couldn't believe what I found out about how you have to remove the engine in these, so I was a bit nervous. He was to do all the work here, at the house... out of the back of his pickup truck. Of course, he used the JD240 to move anything and everything heavy as I don't have a cherry picker or gantry (I need to make a gantry, to easily pull the gannon and hold it in place when R&R'ing to the hoe).

He removed the engine, along with his helper... in about 4hrs. Working slow but steady. We pulled the oil pan with the engine hanging from the JD240, and found that as expected... I spun a bearing/rod. He loaded the engine into his truck, and headed off back home (2.5hrs away). He'll pull it apart this weekend, and give me the breakdown on what it's going to need. Of course, since it's apart... we'll do more than it "needs" and get it back to better than before shape.

Here's the engine, hanging from the JD240:


And, the CASE waiting... for it to return home soonly!


I'm... or, we're hopeful it can be repaired without breaking the bank... As of late, I installed that solar and bought a 20kW standby propane generator along with a 500gal propane tank. But, we're also avid off-roaders and desert campers. And now, it's desert season and I've had to repair and even upgrade other 'toys' during this time of year. With a couple weeks until X-Mas... it'll be tough. Did I mention, I'm only working this on my Handyman's salary.

There might be one last hail mary at the end of all this, and the work I've done around the house with the tractor... being MOST of everything is done to this point (the big stuff anyway)... I thought of selling it all, and simply renting when the time comes for grading or digging a couple holes.
Maintenance and upkeep is somewhat costly when your 50% through replacing hoses, etc. Not sure I want to keep pouring money into a tractor that's just about worth half of what I'm going to have into it once all said and done. ...Ho Hum... Decisions, Decisions. :confused2:

Oh... and... here's a shot of the solar array my wife and I installed... all DIY (56 panels, or 17.4kW sitting on 20 post holes of 48" deep concrete or 140 bags!). Can you tell I'm gloating a little? Proud of what we accomplished, because it was a little daunting at first.
View attachment 582955
This picture, shows the neighbors house in the background;
View attachment 582956

 

[rScotty]

How is that project coming along?
rScotty