1959? CASE 400 rear wheel rust repair

Salt water rusted through around the tire valve. I let it go way too long and then it sat for several years and got worse I ended up cutting out the rust and welding in new metal.

Not an easy task, forming the angle iron. That 2X4 in the bottom of the 2nd photo started out being about 30" long. Notice the charring on one end.

I could not find a replacement 30"x14" double bevel wheel for the CASE. Didn't know what else to do. Any bets on how long it will last ? So far it's been good for about a 100 yards in the past week.

Should last, just make sure
it's painted.

Looks like a nice job to me!

Ya do what you've gotta do to keep old iron rolling. Looks like a fine repair. gobble

Your repair looks fine, but I question the rim being a 14x30. That rim size is for a
16.9x30 tire, and to my knowledge the 400B tractors cera 1959 had 24" or 28"rear tire
options up to 14.9x28s and nothing bigger. Do you have pictures and the sn# of the
tractor so we can tell you what you actually have???
Loren

(quoted from post at 19:34:13 10/14/19) Your repair looks fine, but I question the rim being a 14x30. That rim size is for a
16.9x30 tire, and to my knowledge the 400B tractors cera 1959 had 24" or 28"rear tire
options up to 14.9x28s and nothing bigger. Do you have pictures and the sn# of the
tractor so we can tell you what you actually have???
Loren

Click to expand...

The serial plate was missing when I got it. I cannot locate any number on the side of the block. I included a few photographs of the engine. I don't think I'm wrong assuming it's a 400 diesel.

Yes regarding tire size.

I was wondering about loop type wheels and my best guess is the flange has a ridge at the correct diameter. During the time it took me to weld this wheel, I discovered that a 28" loop wheel might fit. It's not easy to measure the rear hub flange diameter accurately with the wheel weight in the way. Also two wheels and two tires would have been beyond my means at this time. I went the cheap way out although labor intensive.

Now what you are saying it was probably a 28" when new ? This might backup what you are saying. There are two types of clip holding the wheel onto the rear axle hub. The one-piece type of clip engages a lug along the bevel on the wheel. In two places. The two-piece type of clip (4 pairs) go on the smooth part of the bevel. I put them on the same as they are on the other rear wheel.

I had wondered about the smaller radius on the one piece clip. It doesn't match the radius of the hub flange. It makes two points of contact instead of following the curve.

You have a Racine Built "big frame" 400 tractor built prior to 1959. More like 1957 or
earlier. The Racine 400 Standards/Westerns did use 30" rims with 16.9 or 18.4 tires
on them, but most were single bevel rims, not dual bevel rims, which you have.
sn# should be on the lip fastened to the rear of fuel tank where the gauges are
mounted. By 1958 the Racine 400s were replaced by the 700 and 800Bs.
Loren

(quoted from post at 18:44:37 10/15/19)
sn# should be on the lip fastened to the rear of fuel tank where the gauges are
mounted.
<img src="https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto39017.jpg">Loren

Click to expand...

I'm fairly certain this is where the serial number tag used to be, before I owned the tractor.

I think the correct term for the rims on all the tapered axle wheels on the Case is Deep Well or Drop Center. A single bevel is same as a double bevel, except there is only one bevel built into the rim. I think the row crops quit using the drop center rim after the Flambeau models?

I'm certain this used to be Flambeau red and the tan color from the early two-tone paint scheme. I have the fuel tank off and the underside of it where the mounting bolts are, is definitely the old tan color. It never got repainted white like the rest of the sheet metal did at some point

A short piece of the steering shaft did not get painted orange, as shown in the photograph.. There are several other spots where the Flambeau red is showing from underneath peeling/flaking white paint.

When did the two tone paint with Fambeau red used ? Narrowing down what year this tractor is has become an interesting challenge for me. But first I need to get it back into service.

I forgot to add the photograph of the original Flambeau red color.

(quoted from post at 19:34:13 10/14/19) Do you have pictures and the sn# of the
tractor so we can tell you what you actually have???
Loren

Click to expand...

I finally found the serial number stamped on the flange at the back of the block near the air cleaner. It took some digging to uncover it from the layers of paint.

The serial number is 8082862 which I believe means this CASE 400 was built in 1956.

The rear axle hubs on this 400 are different than anything I can find in online photographs.

The outer side is dished in or concave and has the wheel weights attached. The inner/axle side is dished out or convex and has the same shoulder as the outside does, for supporting the wheel clamps.

Does anyone recognize these hubs ?

I'm happy to report the wheel is holding up so far. It's only been a few hours of work and not anything very difficult. Mowing a 1 acre field.

The other wheel had some wear at each spot where the wheel clamps contact it. I fill-welded up the worn spots on the wheel but neglected to do anything to build up the clamps themselves which have an appreciable mount of wear on them.

More wear than I realized. Now they are slipping already. At least the worn spots I welded on the wheel seem to be taking it and staying smooth. Looking back at photographs I took of the worn spots I cans ee where one of the spare wheel clamps was contacting the wheel due to so much wear on the wheel clamp and the steel wheel.

I have a few spare anti-spinnout clamps which I can build up with weld. Won't have to take the wheel off at least. It's better than putting in some shims for the ones that seem the most worn. Like I had in there for a umber of years before finally tackling this job.

Update :

I had to do some welding on one of the wheel clamps. Adding material back that had been worn off. Both contact points of the wheel clamp got a layer of weld.

I'll probably get around to building up the other anti-slip clamp when I have a spare moment. The wheel was slipping back and forth with every revolution.

It wore a little away from the hub but I left that and just built up the clamp a little more than it used to be to compensate. It's all tight now and both rear tires are still fully inflated.

So far so good after several hours of slow-going.

Update on the rusted and worn out wheel repair:

The wheel loosened up a little already. It got some mowing work done for me and then I parked it until a couple of weeks ago. Took it out to do some more work and that's when I noticed the wheel has loosened again. Not as much as before but it's there if I watch carefully.

I'll build up the other clamp around the drive nub (whatever it's called) and see if that does it. I'm wondering if there should be any stretch going on to keep the wheel tight. Like maybe I should build up the clamp a little extra so it has to be forced into place.