DC Eagle hitch

what was the first year eagle hitch was available on a DC4. Also what year was live PTO offered. I looked at a 50 that had both and now I see a 49 with eagle hitch

First Eagle Hitch on a DC was in late 51. If you have one on a 49, or 50 it is most likely an older engine on a newer rear end.

I thought it was 52 with some 51's that did not sell that were converted at the factory and sold for a special price

it was the 52 model year. To put an eagle hitch on earlier tractors it would require changing the entire rear end housing. I think some people get the eagle hitch confused with the mechcanical PTO lift.

There are quite a few '51 SC/DC eagle hitch tractors out there, but I don't believe eagle hitch came out until 1952. But anything is possible. I have not seen a '51 with live power/hydraulics.
I believe it was DC Tom told me that the eagle hitch would have came out earlier but a parts vendor could not supply a piece for the Live PTO.
Here's a price bulletin showing reduced prices on '51 SC/DC tractors with eagle hitch. It sure sounds like they were using up left over stock by installing eagle hitch.

I have a 1952 S that had eagle hitch with 1953 style roller drawbar. According to the build card it was installed in 1955 after being removed from inventory. Probably an effort to sell the many leftovers

I also have '52 DC3 that was bought new in '54 as a left over.

Yes my 51 SC was in a warehouse for a year and was
converted. no live PTO heck it has the 51
hydraulic pump with the round top meaning I can
not run a PTO driven implement has there is no
place for the top link. Also I have that same
document along with my built card showing the
reduced price.
I have looked at two DC,s that have the numbers
on the plate and engine that match with both
owners strongly believing they have a special
built DC and have priced they as such. but one is
a 50 and the other a 49

The DI (industrial) tractors came out with foot clutches, live PTO and castings for the Eagle Hitch bolster in '52. This information is from a February decision according to Full Steam Ahead, so I'm guessing that early '52 units did not have all these features (I have a '52 DI with foot clutch and no live PTO). Also in '52 DC3's had eagle hitches. At S/N 5601106 they had thermostats, live PTO, hydraulics and Eagle hitches. The eagle hitch was offered as a field installation on late '51 units (S/N 5529340 to 5600001) since the casting included the EH.

Hope this helps.

Ken in AZ

I have a late 51 with live PTO, and Eagle Hitch. All the books say 52, but I have seen several late 51's.

If you search the archives here is what you will find:

1) Eagle hitch came out for both the SC and DC tractors in the 52' model year.
2) Case had a large supply of 51' DC "warehouse queens" (I believe somewhere above 50% of production) that were not selling because most people only wanted the eagle hitch.
3) Case converted practically all of these tractors to eagle hitch by changing the transmission castings and drawbar assemblies. However, they were NOT given the new rear casting which was necessary for a live PTO and live Hydraulics. Neither were they given a new dual-hydraulic pump. Case also offered these tractors at a discount to help them sell.

This was established by DCtom, who had the entire collection of surviving build cards for the SC and DC tractors at the time (he returned these to Case sometime around the time of his death). I should also note that there were many oddities recorded on these build cards, so it is not impossible that some 1950 model tractos were converted at the factory. However, it is more likely that earlier tractors either had entire transmission swaps, or that they had damaged transmission castings which were replaced at some dealer.
I should note that 1951 model DC tractors with the eagle hitch are not prototypes, especially rare, or especially valuable (to most collectors). True prototypes have experimental tags and castings, a large number of 51' model tractors were converted, and the valuable eagle hitch tractors are the 1952-1954 models with live PTO, dual hydraulics, and more powerful engines (although many older models were converted to the larger bore and/or AP).

Case seemed to make changes as parts ran out, and not during a model year. My 51 DC is capable of an eagle hitch, since it has the bosses in the casting, but it never had one. It does not have live power. My 51 SC does not have the bosses for the eagle hitch, but it does have a boss that is not machined on the left side of the transmission for when the clutch lever was moved to the left in '52.