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Antique tractors

So besides t-birds and ford pickups I also have a Case tractor problem. I’ll blame this addiction on my Dad. Grew up with Case tractors and dad still crop farms with early 80’s Case tractors. 5 or 6 years ago he bought a 1957 case 400 and a 1957 case 600, which only about 1500 were made. My brother and I decided to take them on some local tractor rides and pull them at the local antique tractor pulls. I kinda got hooked on both. I wasn’t sure about the tractor rides but found them to be relaxing, touring the country gravel roads at about 12 mph you notice a lot of scenery you otherwise wouldn’t. The local antique pulls are pretty much stock tractors and have a 3mph speed limit so you don’t have to spend a fortune to be competitive. Are tractors are stock except I modified the hooking point closer to the rear axle.  So I decided I should get my own and last summer found a 1959 Case 900 out in western Kansas fairly close to Dodge City, and if you have one of something you should have two, so this spring found a 1960 Case 930. I’ve been on a few other long haul trips this spring for a parts tractor, a factory canopy, some wheel weights, and a 4 bottom plow just because dad had been wanting one.

Around here Case tractors are kinda like our cougars and thunderbirds. Most times my brother and I will have the only Case’s in a sea of green and red. 

The top photo is my 900, used it last fall to haul some loads in with. The tractor weighs over 11,000 lbs and has about 70 hp. The wagon is 400 bushels and probably weighs around 22,000 lbs

Bottom left to right - 930, 900, 600, 400

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #1
To make the 11,000 lbs class I had to put her on a diet. Had to remove the front weight and drain most of the fuel. Could have used a little more weight up front.


https://youtu.be/dcRGdhQz83A

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #2
The best thing is that they're still in use. I love that.

How much maintenance goes into a 60+ year old tractor? I imagine that parts are a pain to get for something that obscure.
It's Gumby's fault.

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #3
Nice Case collection BodyMan! Thought you might be interested in this.... here's my Dad pulling our 930 Case diesel in 2nd gear.....all the way to the end of the track :)   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kYMx4Ywelo
1988 Thunderbird
306 HO w/ A9P processor
AOD w/ Transgo Reprogrammer
Full Digital Dash w/ twin Cyberdyne A-pillar gauges 
245/50/16 Tires on Snowflakes
Engine swap - CA smog compliant

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #4
Nice Case collection BodyMan! Thought you might be interested in this.... here's my Dad pulling our 930 Case diesel in 2nd gear.....all the way to the end of the track :)   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kYMx4Ywelo


Thank you, and thanks for the link. That’s a very nice looking 930. Looks to be a 61 or early 62? Since we got dads 600 weighted up to the 9500 lbs class it hasn’t lost. There is a MInneapolis Moline GB that is always a very close second, got him by 3 inches in the last pull.

 
The best thing is that they're still in use. I love that.

How much maintenance goes into a 60+ year old tractor? I imagine that parts are a pain to get for something that obscure.

We use the 400 and 600 on the grain augers, my 900 is just heavy enough to handle the 400 bushel wagons, but you do have to be careful about what you are doing. I plan to weight my 930 up to 12 or 13,000 lbs to handle the wagons better, and I plan on using the 900 on a 15’ grain drill this fall for putting in cover crops.

I guess like most things mechanical that depends on how well the previous owners treated them.  Routine maintenance is pretty much like any other machine, oil, filters, lube, belts, hoses, etc. The air cleaners are oil bath screen type so that’s a bit more maintenance intense depending on dust conditions, but easy to do. These are all diesel tractors so that helps somewhat that there is no messing with points, plugs, and such.

I would say the part situation is similar to that of our Fox Body birds and cougars, difficult but not impossible. A lot of parts interchange from one model to the next. My dads 600 and my 900 have the same engine and transmission with a few minor differences. Most of it is knowing where to look. If it’s old case Saeli implement out in New York is the place to call. Like everything else  these days there are a couple Facebook pages dedicated to them, so if you need something difficult to find, somebody somewhere usually has it.

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #5
We've got three 1270's and a 1370.

They'll move some stuff, especially the 1370.

turbo powah FTW.
'84 Mustang
'98 Explorer 5.0
'03 Focus, dropped a valve seat. yay. freakin' split port engines...
'06 Explorer EB 4.6

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #6
We've got three 1270's and a 1370.

They'll move some stuff, especially the 1370.

turbo powah FTW.

In the late late 80’s early 90’s Dad had a 870, 970, and 1070. My grandfather had a 13 and 1570. They were some beasts.  Dad currently has a 2090, 2290, 2390, and a 3294.

The 3294 and 600 on the auger

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #7
:like: :headbang:
'84 Mustang
'98 Explorer 5.0
'03 Focus, dropped a valve seat. yay. freakin' split port engines...
'06 Explorer EB 4.6

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #8
I believe the 930's are known for cylinder head cracking, but the engine in ours has several thousands hours on it after it's last rebuild in the 80's, during which we installed M&W pistons. I believe it made 80 HP at the crank, after last rebuild. Our 930 is mostly used for tractor cruises now and the occasional tractor pull.
1988 Thunderbird
306 HO w/ A9P processor
AOD w/ Transgo Reprogrammer
Full Digital Dash w/ twin Cyberdyne A-pillar gauges 
245/50/16 Tires on Snowflakes
Engine swap - CA smog compliant

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #9
This is a much more popular hobby than I thought it would be. It's pretty  cool
It's Gumby's fault.

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #10
I believe the 930's are known for cylinder head cracking, but the engine in ours has several thousands hours on it after it's last rebuild in the 80's, during which we installed M&W pistons. I believe it made 80 HP at the crank, after last rebuild. Our 930 is mostly used for tractor cruises now and the occasional tractor pull.

There is a lot of torque with that 80 horse. Heads cracking is a thing on the 30 series, have to keep the cooling system well maintained and let them idle a while before shutting them down. The 1030’s were the worst offenders. My 930 shows over 7000 hours and who knows how many since the tach quit working. My 900 shows 5800 and I just got the tach/hour meter working again.

 
This is a much more popular hobby than I thought it would be. It's pretty  cool

There isn’t much to do out here in the middle of nowhere. Doing a two day ride here the end of July, expecting around 150 tractors. About 60 miles each day. This will be the most organized one I’ve been on, had to pre register by a certain date, it’s split into groups based on travel speed. I went with the 12mph group, 15-16 is max speed on mine. There is a designated lead and tail driver, and had to sign a safety/no alcohol pledge. All the other rides I have been on you just show up and jump in line somewhere. 

 

Re: Antique tractors

Reply #11

 
This is a much more popular hobby than I thought it would be. It's pretty  cool

There isn’t much to do out here in the middle of nowhere. Doing a two day ride here the end of July, expecting around 150 tractors. About 60 miles each day. This will be the most organized one I’ve been on, had to pre register by a certain date, it’s split into groups based on travel speed. I went with the 12mph group, 15-16 is max speed on mine. There is a designated lead and tail driver, and had to sign a safety/no alcohol pledge. All the other rides I have been on you just show up and jump in line somewhere. 

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Cruises are always fun. I went on night time tractor cruise last year that was pretty neat to see all the tractors lighting up the countryside.  I drove our old 1946 McCormick W-9 on that cruise and Dad drove our 1951 John Deere diesel R...the 930 Case stayed in the shed that cruise  :smile:
1988 Thunderbird
306 HO w/ A9P processor
AOD w/ Transgo Reprogrammer
Full Digital Dash w/ twin Cyberdyne A-pillar gauges 
245/50/16 Tires on Snowflakes
Engine swap - CA smog compliant