Ford 445C

[runharley52]

Besides the U-joint previously mentioned, you will need to crawl under the tractor to get the front axle pivot. It is just right of center on the front axle. There is also one on the carrier bearing about half way between the trans. and front differential.

As with any Ford with an unknown maintenance history, you should drain the anti-freeze and make sure to put in SCA to prevent cavitation.

I use the torque converter lock any time I'm driving more than a couple hundred yards (in any gear). The lock can be disengaged by moving the shuttle lever, pushing the foot pedal (same as putting the shuttle in neutral), or by pushing the button a second time. You will want avoid engaging the TC lock at a time when the TC is slipping a lot to prevent wear on the TC lock clutch. Like a gear change, I try to get up to speed, then push the button and let off the throttle about 1 second after pushing the button (expect a delay).

I absolutely love the tractor, but it is a little underpowered for its weight. You will probably find that it won't cast the snow as far as your 4610 did. Same engine, but the 445 has a lot more parasitic drag that sucks up the PTO horsepower. If you're thinking of selling the 4610, I'd say hold off a year. I have both of these, and I wouldn't do without either!

Thank you all! The operation of the TC lock explanation was exactly what I was wondering. There is no light on mine that tells me if it’s on or off so I didn’t know how it’s disengaged or when is the right time to engage it.

Thanks for the pointers on maintenance as well. I flushed the radiator, all fluids, and filters.

There are some small leaks here and there that I’m going to try to fix but I could not believe today the difference in lift power compared to the 4610. And for loader work doing timber work the shuttle shift is really nice.

I don’t have a hilly property but the comment on being underpowered is noticeable compared to the 4610 however.

My wife and kids are a little sentimental about the old blue tractor so I have a pretty good chance of keeping both. Now I just need more space to store them...

 

[jimglassford]

The 4610 engine is the 3.3L rated at 63HP gross with a PTO at 52HP. The 445C is the 3.1L rated at 56HP Gross with a PTO at 46.7HP. All in all, the gross engine HP to PTO HP have the same loss.