'65 case 450

I'm looking at a 1965 case 450 with 4n1 bucket. U/C is in good shape, has about 300 hrs on a reman motor. Ran it this afternoon runs good and seems to be in pretty good shape. Dealer is asking 9,500 and seems to be pretty firm. Anybody have any opinions on the early case 450's? I'm just looking for something to play with....dig a small pond, move some logs etc. The price seems a little high to me but looks like its ready to work. Any comments welcome.

http://www.equipmentlocator.com/asp/dtlPhoto.aspx?id=190361&eID=53&make=Case&model=450&loc=na-en

the 450 Case is bullet proof BUT any crawler can and will be a money pit. you said the under side is in good shape how do you know? a lot of hidden things on a undercarriage will cost a ton. rollers, sprockets, rails, idlers, if you are not familiar with crawlers get some one that is to look at it you can dump 4000.00 in a undercarriage in a hart beat. 9500.00 is not out of line but for that it should be in [[REAL]] good. just be careful and check it over real good or have someone that knows crawlers look it over

Great little machines, tough as nails but like marlowe said, they usually end up as deep money pits. That 4 in 1 is a handy feature.
Price is steep.
You would be better off if you could get a better price.

I've got the same machine you are looking at. Yours looks to be in a little better shape. Mine is missing the rear counterweight.

I just rebuilt my 188 engine. It runs well and is reasonably conservative on fuel.

Check the hard hydraulic lines for wear and tear, particularly the ones that run under the dash between the left and right sides. There are others on the right arm going to the bucket. I've had to repair these lines several times. I simply cut the line where the pinhole has formed and use a small section of 1/2" iron pipe as a sleeve. I then braze it back together. Seems to work well.

There should be a large weight/cover underneath the engine. If it's missing you can sometimes get roots and stuff up there.

There is a large pipe running to the bottom of the final drive case. There is a short piece of rubber tube that connects this pipe to the rear case. Check for wear and tear on this rubber piece. When it breaks, all transmission fluid is quickly lost.

Have a look at the large rubber hose on the right side of the engine that runs from the filter (bolted to the firewall) to the charge pump. This can get brittle with age and heat.

There are two brake pedals. Each one has its own little master cylinder. The cylinders sometimes are worn and/or dry. NAPA should have replacements. Each brake actuates a little slave cylinder found under and behind the seat. These slave cylinders actuate a rod that in turn actuates a disk brake mechanism that is enclosed in its own case. These are often frozen and filled with dirt and/or goo. Parts are available from Case but its a dirty job to rebuild them. If you never use the brakes thats fine, but if like me, you happen to use them and they stick, you are going to be rebuilding them.

That's probably a Drott 4n1 bucket. Tough and heavy. The clamshell cylinders on mine have had the ears snapped off at some time. The ears were welded back on but some cylinder rod material is lost when you do that. The result is that my clamshell does not quite close all the way.

The 4n1 came with a "return to dig" feature that automatically repositions the bucket to "dig". The mechanism is on the right loader arm. Mine is long since missing.

The generator, and most of the wiring, on my loader was shot. I fabricated a little adaptor and installed a Delco SI-10 alternator in its place. Works well.

I've got the full set of manuals as well as the operators manual. The Case manuals will run you better than $300 but are valuable if you do your own wrenching.

Regarding the price, $9500 seems a little high but if the undercarriage is in good shape, and the tracks stay tight (tightened by using a grease gun), then it's probably pretty close. My loader was not in as good a shape and I bought it for $8000 or so a few years back.

The 450 is a great little loader. It will work as hard as you want. It won't however knock down 12" diameter trees without breaking the roots.

I've cleared the woods for my house and barn with my 450. You can take down most any tree but its 80% technique and 20% bruit force. Not hard to learn.

Some people don't like the 2 lever steering. I find it works well and does not take too much getting used to.

I don't recall seeing a cage on your machine. Mine does not have one either. Be careful! Its easy to get smacked by limbs or worse.

Drop me an email if you have any other questions,

John
1968 Case 450

The loader cuts the price buy about 2000,most want a dozer blade.