hey tom arnold

You've been more than helpful on my questions
regarding my case project despite my not being real
agreeable to a 321kohler . My diesel engine fell
through for the time being anyway so despite my
reservations im looking at rebuilding. The game
changer for me was a master kit on eBay with piston,
rod valves and gaskets for $110. I cant rreplace the
engine for that and I am a cheap skate above all
else. My questions before I go any further if I havev
to have it bored and the crank turned I should have
about $350 i this thing. Is it worth that? Ill have more
with paint and decals but functionality first. Second
if I get a sleeve hitch will it pull a one bottom plow? I
guess what im thinking if it will serve my purposes
for a while and I could make a buck or at least break
even after a few years ill proceed with an overhaul.
Whats your thoughts?

Sleeve hitch plows come in 8", 10" and 12" sizes.

The 10" ones are the most common, and the 12" ones seem to be pretty rare.

You should be able to pull a 10" with no problem.

A 12" might pull a little too hard depending on the soil conditions.

In any case you will want to have wheel weights and/or fluid filled tires for extra traction.

The one I have is actually for a simplicity walking
tractor. They used a sleeve hitch. It was designed to
be used with a 3.5 hp briggs in front of it. Im thinking
the drawback power would be fine because its 10" at
most but ive never used one with anything but a high
wheel. From what you are saying they do have
sufficient ground clearance and will flex enough to
be functional with one.

I forgot to mention I have wheel weights.

Your 14 hp kohler will pretty easily handle the 10" Brinly, I have on that I pull with a worn out 444 and it walks right along with it. $350.00 in a K321 rebuild is well worth it, they are great little motors. I am planning on rebuilding mine this winter and am expecting to have at least that much in mine.

Im glad to hear that much I actually meant I would have $350 invested in the whole machine lol. Guess you think I did ok then.

Condition is very important when it comes to selling a used garden tractor. Keep all the invoices for the parts and machine shop work so that you can prove what went into the engine. A decent 224 CASE with mower deck is easily worth $350.00 but one with a provable engine rebuild is worth more. Dave Beiter's advice is sound because he is an avid collector of Colt, Case and Ingersoll products. I don't believe that anyone made a 12" sleeve hitch plough but I could be wrong. Most guys are happy with the more commonly found 10 inch plough.

I have been following this post. I have long wondered, what does a sleeve hitch look like - how does it work? My tractor has a 3-pt cat-0, so the sleeve thing is new to me.

Imagine this. Two pieces of angle iron that are hinged to each side of the trans-axle housing, that stick out six inches behind the rear tires. Across those two pieces of angle, a piece of square tubing is welded that makes the three pieces of steel into a solid unit that will lift up and down. In the top of the tubing, you drill three 5/8" diameter holes in a line that are spaced three inches apart. That is the hitch basically. The attachments have a short piece of channel iron welded to the front of them. The channel iron then slips over the square tubing of the sleeve hitch (hence its name) and a 5/8" steel pin is dropped through the hole in the channel iron, through the hole in the square tubing and out the hole in the bottom of the channel to quickly and easily secure the attachment to the sleeve hitch with no need of tools.

There are a huge number of sleeve hitch attachments that have been made since the early 60's. All kinds of harrows, planters, fertilizer spreaders, single furrow ploughs, back blades and so forth. If you have a CAT 0 three point hitch, you can purchase a Sleeve Hitch Adapter that will allow you to make use of all the Sleeve Hitch attachments.

We have brought a lot of derelict equipment back to life over the years not because there is a market for it where money can be made, or even just break even for that matter, but to use it. In my opinion you are about as likely to get hit by a bolt of lightning as you are in finding a buyer willing to pay an additional $350 because the motor was just redone. My experience is also that in the great percentage of cases where dollars spent vs immediate value is the primary motivation a person is best to sell what he has and buy another tractor that runs well and has the parts and pieces he desires as apposed to repairing and gathering bits and pieces to get to the same end. Example we just purchased a very good running one owner 220 Case with sleeve hitch, deck, hydraulic tiller, blade and snow caster with spare parts, belts, and all manuals and ready to work for $450. Or $100 more than you are considering sticking in your engine.
Bottom line is if you like the tractor put the required money in it and use it as Tom and others have said. Your return is in usage. If it holds no special place in your life and your strictly looking dollar spent then start shopping for what you desire and when a bargain comes along snatch it up. Then sell you unneeded bits and pieces and stick the $$ in your pocket.
Good luck!

its only worth that to you from what see at my shop. if you doing it to sell i would not bother with it or good luck

I think I need to clarify what I was saying. I don't want to keep this thing for ever but i will be using it for a few years. Dollar wise this project is layes out like this cost of tractor $50. Cost of complete engine kit $110. Machine work estimate $150. Im sure there will be incidentals and cost ofmmaintenance. I just dont want to spend $500 initially on a $100 unit. By the sounds of things this is worth $350 more with a rebuild because it has a broken rod.

Butch,
On one hand, I don't disagree. However, on the open market a CASE H or J70 tiller will usually bring $400.00 on its own. The hydraulic PTO kits are bringing $200.00 on e-Bay every day. The Sleeve Hitch is also worth $150.00. A decent running 220 CASE with hydraulic lift in fair condition will often sell for $450.00 or more with the mower deck only. A 44 inch Utility Blade that is not bent, has decent paint, little rust and a usable cutting edge is worth another $100.00 or more. With no disrespect intended, you stole that package. On my forum, I have one section that is set aside to do nothing else but discuss the latest Colt, Case and Ingersoll tractors that are listed for sale on e-Bay, KIJIJI, Uncle Henry's or Craigslist. Anywhere from 3 to 7 new listings are submitted daily and currently there are more than 1800 such listings sitting in the archives. We often follow certain listings to see if they sell or they don't. When it comes to e-Bay listings, we know what the item/s sold for. It is that knowledge base that goes back more than 13 years that permits me to price the items you got with that 220 package. But as you and I both know, location, location, location along with condition are important.

As I see it, the OP has a 224 tractor with a dead engine. Even as a parts tractor, it should bring $200.00. If he spends $200.00 for parts and machine shop services to resurrect the Kohler engine, then he ends up with a working tractor that should look after his needs for several years. Every year of service has value to him. The more years, the better the return on his investment. At the end of the day, his CASE 224 will likely be worth $400.00 or more 5 years from now. Far too many of these tractors are being parted out and that makes the remaining ones more valuable to those who collect, restore and show them.
My discussion forum

Thanks Tom, I have seen the channel on many implements, I did not know how it was used or what it was called.

Ken

Tom, I cant part out anything. To keep my fingers busy I fix them up, use them a while and sell(usually at a loss) so there is room for the next project. Ya we bought that 220 package right, its a keeper. 10HP tractors usually sell a lot cheaper than 12 or more HP but for most uses there is little practical difference in what a person gets done with a 220 vs a 222.

Generally a good rule of thumb is spend money on the machine if you intend to keep it and use it for years, Generally guys who fix and repair these appreciate the equipment for what it is and understand they have a quality machine but will never get their money back if they ever resold it, With an engine rebuild and various other repairs your often in it $1000 or more and the machine is only still worth $ 300-$400 if you were to put it for sale.
Its good to see guys rebuilding the Kohlers as far too many machines are scrapped or repowered by guys wanting to put a V8in them