Info and opinion on older Case

maverick302

New User
This was posted in tractor talk but was recommended to move here:

Hello all,

I am generally the type that likes to thoroughly research and make an educated and confident decision on a purchase such as this, but circumstances require I forego my methods and work with what I'm given. Long story short, I have the opportunity to buy the tractor shown below from someone whom I (and my father) have done work for in the past. He knows nothing about it, even though he recently spent a couple grand restoring it. I had to do a reverse google image search just to find out it was a Case.

It looks really nice in the pictures, but it's obviously been repainted, so it might be a cherry, or it could be a trash heap that's been freshened up.

It is currently at his getaway house in the mountains, about 3 hrs away. We are going to make a weekend trip up to check it out, but since I don't know what model it is, or even if it's gas or diesel, can anyone give any insight at all into what I am looking at? What should I be looking for? Any questions I could try to ask him? Any thoughts on the value?


Thanks in advance.
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This looks like a 530, loader is blocking my view , so I can't tell if it is gas or diesel. I had a 530
Triple Range , diesel and really liked the tractor. These tractors came in both Case-O-Matic , and dry
clutch. My tractor was the dry clutch. The one problem I did have was the seal between the torque tube and
the rear end let hyduralic fluid leek into the rear end, which would over fill the rear end and leek out of
the axle. I wouldn't let this scare me away from a 530 Case tractor , but it is some thing to look for, we
changed the seal and solved the leek. Nice loader tractor, better if it has power steering. If it is all
good to go , should be worth $2,500 - $3,500.00 Take a good look at the tires, if the tires look really
cracked , and are in poor shape, the tires could cost $500-$800.00 each to replace, so the rear rubber needs
to be good !
 

Bruce,
My 530 does the same thing. I drained the fluids and put case/IH trans/hydraulic fluid in both ends. When the rear end gets too full I suck some out of it and put it back in the torque tube.
 
fyi if you are buying the cultivator too, it is a Dearborn/ford unit. They usually are advertised for 200-300 around the KC area but I got one for
$95.
 
(quoted from post at 13:42:00 02/09/18) fyi if you are buying the cultivator too, it is a Dearborn/ford unit. They usually are advertised for 200-300 around the KC area but I got one for
$95.

Cultivator is included. Are these strong enough to rip a gravel driveway?
 
Don't know about that. I haven't used mine yet. I would think those spring shanks might not dig into well packed gravel, but I am just guessing. FYI
word is that all of those cultivators from around here are being bought up and sent to Mexico for truck farming there. Let me know if that cultivator
happens to have a Case logo on it. I have seen one picture from a VAC cataloge that showed a small rear mount cultivator. In the picture it looked
quite similar to the one I have but the picture was fuzzy. I can see this one good enough to recognize it. I am guessing (just guessing) Case may
have bought the same cultivator from Dearborn for the VAC. Mine had a ford tag on one arm and Dearborn on the other.
 
My guess would be that its a 411-b, the pto unit looks like the older style that the case-o-matic tractors had and it looks like the exhaust is coming up outside of the hood rather than through it.They weren't a bad tractor you just had to learn how to drive them and live with the parts of it you didn't like. That would make it a 1958 or 1959 model
 

It does look like a 530 agriculture model. You can find specifications for the 530 on this page.
http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/4/7/479-ji-case-530.html

Since it is an agriculture model it has an adjustable wide front axel. Look the axel over for any breaks or repair. These axels don't hold up well when a loader is mounted on the tractor. The construction version was made for this type of work. But if you don't hog on the loader while using it you should be okay. I broke a spindle on mine, but I was doing something I shouldn't have been doing with it before it broke. It bought a NOS spindle for it on eBay. There were a lot of them listed, so finding one will not be too hard.

Drive the tractor around and try different gears. There shouldn't be any noises coming from the transmission or rear end. Listen closely to the engine. You shouldn't hear any knocking or see any blue smoke out of the exhaust. Make sure the hydraulics move smoothly and quietly. Check steering for leaks. The steering gear boxes will leak where the steering shaft enters it. There is a seal at this point that wears out. You can see the steering gear box behind the grill screens down low. If the seal does leak you can add 80-90 weight oil to the gear box pretty easily. Make sure it steers smoothly. Make sure the owner doesn't warm up the engine before you get there. Some people do this to hide a hard starting engine. It should start up easily. The rear tires shouldn't have any age cracks in them. The one rear tire I can see looks good, but look them both over while you are there. Look at the rims for signs of excess corrosion. If there had been any calcium chloride in the rear tires you will see corrosion around where the valve stem comes through the rim. I bought my 530 for $4100.00 even though it had a few minor things wrong with it. I'll post a picture of mine so you can compare. Mine is all original with original paint. One more thing. Check to see how many gauges in the gauge cluster works. Some of these clusters have no gauges that work to maybe a few. If the gauges don't move when you start the tractor you won't be able to monitor how it is running. These can be sent to a guy that rebuilds them. I hope I covered everything. Good luck.
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(quoted from post at 20:47:09 02/09/18) This looks like a 530, loader is blocking my view , so I can't tell if it is gas or diesel. I had a 530
Triple Range , diesel and really liked the tractor. These tractors came in both Case-O-Matic , and dry
clutch. My tractor was the dry clutch. The one problem I did have was the seal between the torque tube and
the rear end let hyduralic fluid leek into the rear end, which would over fill the rear end and leek out of
the axle. I wouldn't let this scare me away from a 530 Case tractor , but it is some thing to look for, we
changed the seal and solved the leek. Nice loader tractor, better if it has power steering. If it is all
good to go , should be worth $2,500 - $3,500.00 Take a good look at the tires, if the tires look really
cracked , and are in poor shape, the tires could cost $500-$800.00 each to replace, so the rear rubber needs
to be good !

Bruce,
I was taking a closer look at the tractor pictured. I see a lever on the right side of the steering wheel. Did Case move the throttle lever to the right side on the newer 530 tractors, or could this be a Case-O-Matic lever on this tractor? If it is a C-O-M lever, could this be a 600B?
 
I have to agree with Roger. It is a 411B. The lever under the steering wheel on RH side and the PTO are dead giveaways. They make great loader tractors, other than a rather frail ag. front axle.
The loader is not a Case loader, and looks like it has had several fish plates added during it's life.
Loren
 
Jon, look at the crank assy. on the rockshaft arm. It is ridged mounted for eagle hitch, and not flex mounted for swinging draft arms. It is a cluster F?ckk of miscellaneous parts from front to back.
Loren
 
Bruce,Not a 530. The 530s fuel tank were part of the hood profile. The fuel tank on this one is inside the hood panels. Makes it a 400B with the lever under the RH of steering wheel.
Loren
 
Lots of good information. Basing off what I can see and the pictures I can compare it to, it does look like a 411b. So that means Case-O-Matic and gas engine? Adirondack's comments about the hodgepodge of parts has me put off a little.

Any further opinions based on this?
 
I didn't think those looked right, on tt I questioned that. I don't know much about those smaller ones.
 
(quoted from post at 01:10:56 02/10/18) I have to agree with Roger. It is a 411B. The lever under the steering wheel on RH side and the PTO are dead giveaways. They make great loader tractors, other than a rather frail ag. front axle.
The loader is not a Case loader, and looks like it has had several fish plates added during it's life.
Loren

I had a 411B many years ago. The lever in question looks different than the one on my 411B. But of course it could have been changed.

The Case -O-Matics do make good loader tractors, after you get use to using the C-O-M drive system.
 
(quoted from post at 01:39:47 02/10/18) No, not a 611B or a 610B. It has an ag front axle, and a 611B would have had 36" rear wheels. It is a 411B.
Loren

I agree with Loran, looks like 411B. 1958 model year, G148 cid engine w/Char-Lynn PS. Davis loader???

Joe
 
As I said, there is a LOT going on with that tractor. Not necessarily bad, but lets say the PO made some improvements to the outfit. I do the same thing myself.
It means that you have to be knowledgeable of what is there, because you won't find repair parts at your friendly CNH dealer.
Loren
 
(quoted from post at 01:48:53 02/10/18) Lots of good information. Basing off what I can see and the pictures I can compare it to, it does look like a 411b. So that means Case-O-Matic and gas engine? Adirondack's comments about the hodgepodge of parts has me put off a little.

Any further opinions based on this?

The Case-O-Matic drive takes some getting use to. Some people love it and others don't. I like it and wish I had never sold the 411B I had. Read up on how to operate it before you try to drive it. If you don't you might not like how it operates.

The things that Loren pointed out are important if you are looking for a historic correct tractor. Look at it as improvements or upgrades made to the tractor.

Here are the specs. on the 411B.

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/000/4/7/470-ji-case-411-b.html
 
(quoted from post at 20:24:38 02/10/18) 3 point was available on the 411b and it used the same crank
Untitled URL Link

Interesting. I wonder what the chances are of this tractor having an original three point hitch? Loren?

If this tractor was close to me I'd definitely go look it over with intentions of bringing it home.
 
Klyde, I an aware of that option. There is a guy near here that has a 310B with it on. The only one that I have ever seen. I don't think there a lot of them out there.
Loren
 

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