Bought 611B today - have questions!

First, I totally do not understand the Case-O-Matic. I see in the Illustrated Buyers Guide the advice to avoid these whenever possible. Why is that??? What are the advantages/disadvantages? And is the clutch pedal supposed to be real soft with no feel for what's happening inside?

Perhaps more pressing, the guy I bought this from has another 611B also, also with loader but this on is an unidentified aftermarket loader. It runs and goes, but won't steer or stop. Seems to have a complete instrument cluster (mine's a mess)and some other stuff that's missing from mine, like the floorboards, foot feed, and brake lock mechanism. Do I want to stockpile a parts tractor, or will parts be easy to get?? Last thing I need is ANOTHER dead tractor in my pole barn but interested in your thoughts.

Thanks for any help! Kirk

Buy the parts tractor. Parts are a little hard to find, especially the guage cluster. Good luck.

It seems there is a love-hate relationship with these CASE-O-MATICS - there's no in between.

These same units were used on a lot on the industrial tractor, loader, backhoes and were very well liked. Having a foot pedal to control the engine speed is a necessity, because you don't want to engage the "clutch" at above an idle. It will lurch when engaged above an idle. The foot clutch is actually a lever going to a valve that is situated on top of the torque tube. It engages the torque converter clutch pack.

Using the tractor feels like the "clutch" is slipping, but it's the normal slip of the torque converter much like the automatic transmission in your car. There's nothing "automatic" about a CASE-O-MATIC. There's a hydraulic pump on the underside of the big plate on the top of the torqe tube. It pumps oil to the clutch pack and stepping on the "clutch" pedal relieves the pressure and allows the clutch pack to disengage.

There should be a pressure gauge for the system, you will need around 100 PSI to make it operate.

There should be an additional lever on the dash for the torque converter lock-up. When you know that you are not going to be doing "stop & go" operation, it will prevent the torque converter from slipping and allows direct mechanical drive through the transmission. If you don't engage the lock-up during heavy pulling such as plowing or discing, the oil will overheat.

I had a CASE 420B TLB with this. When I got rolling, I could engage the torque converter lock-up and it would actually scratch a little gravel under the tires when it engaged and drop the engine RPM. This tractor sat ouside for about 20 years and the engine was completely seized. After rebuilding the engine, I got it going and the torque converter worked flawlessly.

The manual says to use 10 weight non-detergent oil in the torque tube. Using universal hy-trans is acceptable. Using ATF is even better. I used ATF in mine and the clutch pack gripped better as time and use went on. ATF has friction modifiers for the clutch linings much like what is in automatic transmissions.

There's a fix for the "lurching" on the bigger tractors that have the valve on the side of the torque tube. The valve spool could be tapered to allow "feathering" of the clutch much like a manual clutch. Unfortunately, it is not available for the ones with the valve on top. You must use the foot throttle to optimize the tractor's operation.

Good luck,

Ken McWilliams
Dayton, OH