630 serial number break

400ss

Member
Im restoring a 630 and the serial number is missing. Trying to get a closer idea on the year I know its a later model by so of the parts it has. Do any of you guys know when the serial number break was? Or of a way to figure out the serial number by the engine serial number? Thanks for any help
 
I also have a 630, early model, that was missing the rear side panels with the serial number. The only way to determine the serial number by engine number, assuming it has the original engine block, is to go to the Racine factory and one by one go through the build cards if the staff will allow that now. This was the response I got from Richard Tworek several years ago and he is now retired and a new person is in his place.

I pegged the year model on mine with the casting dates on the engine block and rear wheels castings (Dec of 1959 on wheels and Jan 1960 on engine block). A strike in 1960 shortened the production run about mid year I was told so not as many 1960 models were built.

Jim
 
Ok thanks for the reply I talked to the gal in racine they are going to try to find it by the engine serial number also assuming it's the original block
 
I don't know what changes were made after the little tractors were moved to Racine, but if you could figure that out you would at least know if your serial number starts with a 6 (Rock Island) or an 8 (Racine). That would help narrow down your search if you went through the build cards. My 530 serial number 8211102 was built 12-18-62 and my 630 serial number 8220988 was built 6-27-63. The build cards don't list the engine serial numbers but I can go scribble them down later today if you want them for comparison.
 
That would be great give me an idea wonder why they didnt list engine serial numbers on the build cards
 
Near as I can figure,'56 and older tractors only had the one serial number for the whole machine. The engine number was the serial number for the whole tractor.

The first build card I have to list two serial numbers, one for the chassis and a secondary number for the engine, was my Rock Island 311 round nose built in '57.

My '60 and '61 630s, also Rock Islanders with serial numbers starting with a 6, show two numbers as well. Yet....my '62 and '63 Racine 530 and 630s do not and are on a different style build card from Racine. These tractors have a serial number starting with an 8. So evidently listing the secondary engine serial number on the build card was a Rock Island thing that Racine didn't pick up on right away.

By '65 all tractors big and small from Racine were on a 3rd version of the build card and were listing both numbers again. So I don't know when they started in again with listing both numbers since I don't have any tractors or build cards from that era. Maybe someone can fill in the gap for mid '63 to late '65.

Side note: Somewhere between June '67 and March '68 the build card was changed yet again and now also lists a third serial number for the transmission. Maybe someone can fill in the gap here as well.
 
That's exactly right Tom. I should have thought to mention that first. Seems one of the Case Mags some years ago had an article on all the little running changes of the 630 with serial number breaks for each change. I'm too disorganized to find it but maybe somebody can put there hands on it. I wouldn't mind seeing it published once more. I'm thinking it was Old Abe News for some reason but I could be wrong. ???? I like Jim's idea of finding casting dates.
 
Did some looking at my two Racine tractors.

My 530 sn 8211102 has an aluminum engine tag sn 2022000 with a tractor build card date of 12-18-62.
On the build card, the engine sn is written in pen above the typed in sn for the tractor so it is on there but doesn't look very official or even say that it's the number for the engine. Looks more like somebodys scribbly notes on the margins.

My 630 sn 8220988 has an aluminum engine tag sn 2027857 with a tractor build card date of 7-8-63.
On the build card, the engine sn is written in pen above the typed in sn for the tractor but only a partial number of 7857.
Again, its on the card but looks like someone was told to jot down the engine number and they did a half arsed job of it.

I have an older 630 Rock Island tractor that does not have an aluminum engine tag like the Racine tractors but has a boss on the block with a lengthy sn stamped in it which matches the build card 302510442. It also has a date cast on the block of 2-3-60. According to the build card the tractor was born on 10-14-60. I guess I could see the engine block laying around for 8 months if they had a strike during 1960 and not many 60 model years were built like Jim said.

I next checked some wheel castings. Another 630 (couldn't get to the wheels on the others) has a wheel casting date of 10-7-59.
The build card for this tractor has a birth date of 9-22-61. Almost two years later????? Maybe the wheels were swapped with another tractor at one time?

I then went to my 600B. The right wheel has a date of 4-16-58. The left wheel has a date of 5-6-58. The engine block has a cast date of 4-17-8 which I presume to mean '58? The build card for this tractor has a birth date of 5-19-58 so this all jives.

I don't know what else I can add. I hope this helps a little in some way. It's a hunnert degrees and humid outside today and I'm soaked through my shirt just standing around writing down these numbers. I sure hope everyone is staying cool indoors or in an AC tractor cab.
 
(quoted from post at 11:49:08 07/21/16) Im restoring a 630 and the serial number is missing. Trying to get a closer idea on the year I know its a later model by so of the parts it has. Do any of you guys know when the serial number break was? Or of a way to figure out the serial number by the engine serial number? Thanks for any help

There are some ways to narrow down the the manufacture date. If your tractor is a diesel, it would have had a single filter under the tank early, and a dual filter system on the left side of the engine block after mid 1963.

There were two power steering setups on the General Purpose tractors during the 4 year production run. The early models have a char-lynn unit in the steering column. The after mid-1962 the power steering unit is contained in the nose, ahead of the radiator.

The early serial numbers (before early 1962) had an Autolite cluster, the later tractors went back to the Stewart Warner cluster with a black face (the 300s and 000B series had SW gauges with a brown face)

The very last 630s had a heavy cast iron throttle lever.

The vertical adjuster on the right eagle hitch arm changed beginning in 1962.

The very early (before December 1960) tractors had disc type breaks like the 000B series, the later had band type brakes.

There are a couple more subtle differences, but if the tractor has not been molested, we can probably get within a year with some more information. Using some of these items, I have been able to determine my 630 is an early 1963 model.
 
I guess I never thought to look at the casting date on the wheels. Where is this located on the cast?
 
Should be some raised numbers in the cast on the inside curvature of the wheel.
a232671.jpg
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top