870 case diesel facts

AdamEichele · May 9, 2015

In the past I have looked at 870 case diesel's for sale. Not many made. My understanding is they had a balancer issue with the 4 cylinder engine when they were cold? The lines were to small when the oil was cold wouldn't lube it fast enough? What are the facts? Also, Under the same workload, can the 870 diesel take the same throttle blast that say a 1070 can take under same workload? RPM's? Any 870 help is appreciated. We have many 1070's and 1175's. Always thought a 870 would be great for say a double 9 sickle mower. Or is one really better off with just the 1070? Thoughts? Thanks--adam

1370rod · May 9, 2015

I think 870's are very solid tractors. Gas or diesel, I have one of each and would say for raw pulling power the diesel has the best. The balancer is not a bad thing but like all engine parts can wear out. Proper oil changes can help these live for thousands of hours. I have a customer with a diesel that has nearly 20 thousand hrs on and still no issues with the balancer. I know there are fella's that follow this forum that have left the balancer out and installed a front mount oil pump. So a bad balancer does not mean the end of the tractor even if you cannot find a good used one. I do not think new ones are available anymore. Rod.

01gentdc · May 9, 2015

never heard that before ,,, we run 7-830 and 70s aroun these parts and they hold up very well ...our local ihc dealer that adopted and respects case says the motors are the best thing about a case tractor .. nuf said

DKase · May 10, 2015

I have an 870, and a 970 and far prefer the 870 on the hydroswing mower conditioner. The 870 is an open station, and the 970 has a cab so that is part of it, but the 870 is a lot handier and makes the corners much better. I can cut and rake 100 acres of alfalfa on 1 tank of fuel. Try to score a power shift if possible. It is really nice to shift down on the corners and ends. As far as the balancer in the winter, if I need to use it when it is below zero I stick a magnetic heater on the oil pan and plug it in with the block heater for 4 to 6 hours. I do not think it would be a problem if you would simply let it idle till the oil warmed up a little. This should be done with a power shift when it is cold any way.

John Saeli · May 10, 2015

I consider the 870 to be one of the greatest tractors to leave Racine. We've had one here for 35 years and Chris would sooner see me gone than "Her" 870!! The engine has been re-built once, due to a pin hole in a sleeve, Power Shift has never been touched. As for the balancer, or any internal engine parts, longevity, in my opinion, depends on oil quality and frequency of changes. We change the oil every 100 hours, and use, what in my opinion, is a very high quality oil.

870 case diesel facts

AdamEichele

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1370rod

Well-known Member

01gentdc

Well-known Member

DKase

Well-known Member

John Saeli

Well-known Member

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