580B wet bellhousing?

Hi,
I am new to the forum, and new to backhoes. My neighbour has a 1975 580B construction king that I can get for a good price. The problem is, it no longer moves in gear. My neighbour says that the reason is because the torque converter has failed because there is oil coming out of the bellhousing, which he claims should not be happening.
After reading different posts on the forum, I'm confused as to whether this correct. I have read that some 580B's came with a wet bellhousing, and oil in the bellhousing is normal. How can I tell which transmission this backhoe has? And if it is a dry bellhousing, what would cause oil to be in the bellhousing? And, if this is a wet bellhousing, what would cause the backhoe not to move in gear?
Thanks,
Roger

Roger: If this 580B does indeed have a converter, then the bell housing is "wet", however, the oil should not be coming out. The 1st thing a troubleshooting guide would say about not moving is to check the oil level in the torque tube. Assuming the oil level is correct, it could be any number of things as to why the tractor will not move. My guess is that the trouble is not with the converter, although the converter may need attention.

Easy way to have you check is to look in the front grill and look for a iron housing with a square plate on top with four 3/8" bolts holding the cover on this will be your power shuttle hyd filter, form what you write I am betting it is a power shuttle equipped machine rather than a dry clutch model,, where the owner speaks of a convertor that is only on a power shuttle machine and will indeed have a wet torque tube as you call it a wet bellhousing. leak can be caused by a leaking gasket in a couple places,, the reason it is not moving can be a few things also,, just low on oil, worn clutch plates in the fwd/rev shuttle, a stuck open flow control valve on the power shuttle control valve,, or a issue with the PS hyd pump,, in all my years with Case loader backhoes I have seen one convertor fail and need replaced and I have been around a lot of them,, it can happen for sure but far from common,, 9 times out of ten its the shuttle packs being worn and needing service,, but most times when this occurs you will still have one way travel as seldom does both sets of clutches wear out at the same time,, there is a clutch pressure gauge on the dash that will tell us more also,, but it will need to be full of fluid and running to check this,, most repairs to this are require a split at the transmission housing to access the parts inside,, I always go through the rear to achieve this as my way you do not have to remove the loader,, the backhoe, backhoe mounts do have to come off but Much easier than a loader removal,, for this you need a solid floor to work on and basic machine splitting skills and tools and the correct Factory service manual as it will show you step by step how to do this repair correctly and safely

if it is TC put stabilizers down and try it with wheels off the ground, cold weather makes them turn slow till oil gets moving.

Thanks for all the replies guys. I will check everything you have suggested, and let you know how I make out.

Roger