Ford 4500 or Case 580b

EdmundDR · Oct 11, 2009

I'm looking at two very different machines I know but I can't decide one is a 1972 Ford 4500 with big hoe and a snow bucket, Hasn't run in like ten years. It has full heated cab and a beafy hydrolic thumb. Needs both front king pins and bushings and one or two of the pistons done over from what I can see. with out me starting it. This is a big machine for my small wooded 4 acres but I do have some larger stones that need moving and stumps that need pulling.

The other is a 1977 case 580b heated cab no thumb, needs clutch and she is a real bad leaker of hyro. fluid every where. needs lots of pins and bushings all over the boom. runs good has like 20k hours on it as a cemetary machine probably why the hoe is so ruff. How bad is a clutch to do in one of these? I have a Machine shop at my disposal I just lack time to do big projects. Which one do you think is worth putting money into. I can get the case for 3k probably and the Ford for around 3500-4k. Any thoughts?? Sugestions?

irwin · Oct 11, 2009

The time and money you'll be spending on fixing up either one of those machines is one thing... not having a working tractor for your chores while you're spending money and/or time getting one of them working is another.

I'm not saying no one should be getting a fixer upper, but both of them are big question marks.... You might be putting yourself in a financial bind while discovering all the problems that might be there.

#1: 1972 Ford 4500 - hasn't been run in ten years!!! nuf said.

#2: 1977 Case 580b - Engine runs (plus) Doesn't move! 20,000 hours! Could be many things wrong that you won't find out until it's too late.

#3: they are both a little big for 4 acres...(this is only my opinion, others may differ)

I have a couple good low hour machines that work hard for me on a regular basis, so when I bought an older IH 2424 to fix up it wasn't like I needed it, but I thought it would be a help, .. a couple years later I'm still not using it for work...oh' it runs alright, but has weaknesses that I found out while fixing other things. The problem are serious enough and costly. I'll fix it, but not soon... I'm too busy working my much younger and problem free machines.

Unless you have the time to spend on what could be a big project all in itself, my advice is to keep looking.

Soundguy · Oct 12, 2009

irwin said:
#1: 1972 Ford 4500 - hasn't been run in ten years!!! nuf said.

Frankly that means almost nothing.

If she isn't stuck.. it's very possible that a fresh battery, and fuel is all that would be needed to start her up.

Ive personally revived tractors that have setup for as long as 8ys with little more than a hot battery, a quick points and plug cleaning, and a tablespoon of oil into the cyls and turned over to lube things and get the rings moving.. heck.. used the 8yr old gas in the tank and she even started up...

there's a simple list of things to go thru for a gas or diesel that has set that you check out before putting power to the starter.. it's usually not a huge amount of work either.. more precautionary checks to prevent hydro lock and to make sure nothing is stuck and that the fuel system is 'ready'.

soundguy

Soundguy · Oct 12, 2009

forgot to ad.. i'd go for the ford.. sounds like less work to make it a running tractor.

if possible.. go help the owner 'prove' it runs.. at most you will likkely invest an hour of time with the machine and will then know if it will work.

BTDT.. it's part and parcel when you collect old tractors. I've went over and helped people pull tractors out of barns that have not been run in years.. cleaned up the electricals and what not.. plugs.. got them running.. then decided on whether I wanted them or not. had plenty of times I passed on the machine and was offered money by the seller for getting it running for him/her.. always declined.. that's aprt of the fun of the hunt.

soundguy