Purchased 555A Ford TLB

[ovrszd]

555 or triple nickle is slang for this model. Spanked might be compared to "beat", my father would have described it as rode hard, and put away wet. It is used by a family operation. The recently deceased old man cared deeply about caring for his machinery. He wasn't a super mechanic, but preventive maintenance was something he understood very well. His much younger brother is now 75. The rest of the users are a younger generation, or two. His nephew is a Hell of a fine mechanic with a work load about triple his capacity. The 555 is now not considered to be a part of the first string of machines. In a reorganization following the bosses death, the boss's son now owns the 555 as his personal property. He'd need triple A to change a flat tire, and does not spend money, EVER! It won't improve.

Got it. Thank you for the explanation. Makes perfect sense.

Also thank you for the short history of your family. Lots of information in that small paragraph!!!! Wear your family heritage with much pride!!!!

 

[ovrszd]

I have a Case 580K with foot swing. At the time I bought it, I had another 580K with joysticks, and Extend-a-hoe. As one tractor was in much nicer condition, and most of the extend a hoe had been rebuilt, I switched dipper, and control tower before selling the tired old hoe. I am very adept with "John Deere" controls, but can't do well with Case three lever. My present 580K was almost unusable, as I found the foot swing terrifying. Nothing was worn, but lubrication wouldn't ease the force needed to end a swing. Having to use one foot as a brake to stop a swing initiated by the other seemed counter intuitive. I kept wanting to use heel to stop motion. I'll sum it up that it took twice as long for me to dig a ditch with Case controls. Cat controls take an hour before I'm on my game, but I'm not stumped as I am with Case controls.

To use a friend of mine's "slang", I can't hit the ground with Case controls.

 

[ovrszd]

Willie; I don't know if this helps you with that swing problem, but it is adjustable. I took this screen shot out of the 580K service manual.
View attachment 177403

Good stuff. Thanks for posting it!!!!!

 

[Willie B]

Willie; I don't know if this helps you with that swing problem, but it is adjustable. I took this screen shot out of the 580K service manual.
View attachment 177403

No, I may have failed in my explanation. I no longer have foot swing. Case hoes seem to accelerate as they swing, if they didn't have a swing sequence valve, they'd be shattered the first day.
I said that wrong! IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE A Functional SWING SEQUENCE VALVE, they'd be shattered the first day. Lots of things go wrong with swing sequence valves. If you work on a Case backhoe equipped with one, get good at rebuilds.

Even joystick equipped ones depend on this valve. I refer to the begin swing with one foot, you must use great force with the other foot to stop said swing, or it will wipe out a truck, or building. It seems the effort to send the boom one direction must be countered with twice the force to end the swing. I usually associate this with stuck linkage. Lubrication didn't help.

 

[NH575E]

If you are going into the woods with it I think you are on the right track by removing and storing the glass.

I wouldn't care to work in a cab without AC but down here is a different animal. I have never turned the heat on in mine. The glass cab becomes an oven without the AC on.

 

[Tinkerer]

NH ; I ran my T/L/B without a windshield one summer. My gosh, what a relief from the heat. Ya we get humid days in the upper 90's in ILL also. Have you ever seen a cab with a second roof about 2 or 3 inches above the OEM ? I have seen pictures of a couple. It supposedly makes a big difference in the temperature inside the cab.
Willie ; ok now I understand what you meant. I ran a 580CK and own a 680CK, both of them with foot swing. Both were smooth as can be when swinging and stopping the swing. I do know the 680 has a cushion device in the swing cylinders. Don't know about the 580, cause I never had to repair anything to do with the swing.

 

[Willie B]

NH ; I ran my T/L/B without a windshield one summer. My gosh, what a relief from the heat. Ya we get humid days in the upper 90's in ILL also. Have you ever seen a cab with a second roof about 2 or 3 inches above the OEM ? I have seen pictures of a couple. It supposedly makes a big difference in the temperature inside the cab.
Willie ; ok now I understand what you meant. I ran a 580CK and own a 680CK, both of them with foot swing. Both were smooth as can be when swinging and stopping the swing. I do know the 680 has a cushion device in the swing cylinders. Don't know about the 580, cause I never had to repair anything to do with the swing.

Before the two 580K, I had a 1974 John Deere 410. The backhoe was SO smooth compared to the Case. I could use any combination of valves simultaneously without any jerky, sudden stuff. The Case is very different in hydraulics. When using two or more functions simultaneously, stopping travel with one hydraulic cylinder causes a sudden speed up with another. Mostly this is a problem lifting, dumping, reaching, while swinging. I have to be very careful. When in close quarters, I do one motion at a time.

Foot swing compounded the problem, and I felt the system was very awkward. I converted to joysticks, sold the first tractor with the foot swing controls.

 

[Tinkerer]

Foot swing is very awkward compared to joysticks. I would love to have joysticks, but I could only afford to buy the foot controlled machine.
I just took delivery on another seal kit for my left swing cylinder. I backed into a pile of snow and destroyed the wiper seal.

 

[ovrszd]

If you are going into the woods with it I think you are on the right track by removing and storing the glass.

I wouldn't care to work in a cab without AC but down here is a different animal. I have never turned the heat on in mine. The glass cab becomes an oven without the AC on.

Back in the days of early tractor cabs my thoughts were that most days the cab was worse than open station. Things have improved dramatically. Most notably remotely locating the hydraulic valves outside the cab and using control linkages. In the beginning the valves were inside the cab. What an oven!!!!

No AC is tolerable up here. Rare to see a hoe operator with the windows closed in Summer.

For me, this machine is a luxury. If it's too hot, I'll put the project off until a cooler day. Originally I was shopping for an open station machine. Wouldn't consider that if I was trying to make a living with one.

 

[ovrszd]

Before the two 580K, I had a 1974 John Deere 410. The backhoe was SO smooth compared to the Case. I could use any combination of valves simultaneously without any jerky, sudden stuff. The Case is very different in hydraulics. When using two or more functions simultaneously, stopping travel with one hydraulic cylinder causes a sudden speed up with another. Mostly this is a problem lifting, dumping, reaching, while swinging. I have to be very careful. When in close quarters, I do one motion at a time.

Foot swing compounded the problem, and I felt the system was very awkward. I converted to joysticks, sold the first tractor with the foot swing controls.

A friend of mine has a Case 580K with foot swing. He also has two large Excavators. I use him when replacing road culverts. The guy that runs his Case is very rough on the controls. I wouldn't consider getting in the trench when he's within reach. I always thought he was just a bad operator. Maybe I'm being too hard on him. Maybe he's struggling with the swing controls because of design?? I'll relax my under breath condemnations of him next time.

My friend always runs the Excavators. They are Linkbelt machines. I have no reservations about being around him. I've rode across many, many trenches in his bucket.

 

[cuttin edge]

I tried a White backhoe. Not sure of the year. It had individual controls for each rear boom function, but it had a joystick for the front loader. If you were swinging and raising the boom, then stopped raising, the swing would take off. I hit more stuff. It's funny how I am comfortable with joysticks on an excavator, or backhoe, and can't imaging trying to run one with all those controls, but how I can't see myself running a grader with joysticks, cause that's just crazy.

 

[Billrog]

I've had 3 backhoes in the past with foot swing and found them easy to control and smooth. I also felt there was more power using them when lifting the machine and moving the back end over.

 

[Tinkerer]

The guy that runs his Case is very rough on the controls. I wouldn't consider getting in the trench when he's within reach. I always thought he was just a bad operator. Maybe I'm being too hard on him. Maybe he's struggling with the swing controls because of design?? I'll relax my under breath condemnations of him next time.

Was he running the machine with the throttle wide open ?
Just as Billrog said, I consider myself quite smooth with foot controls and have no problem doing multi functions at the same time with the backhoe. My 680 has tremendous hydraulic power running the engine a little above idle speed. I know some of the 580 series need full or nearly full throttle to get any production out of them.

 

[mitch504]

It's funny how you say there is more power with foot swing, I just had this argument with a friend. There is no difference in the hydraulic valves, just the linkage that moves the valve.

 

[Tinkerer]

I don't think I said that Mitch. My comment may have implied that. Of course the valves are the same. I was just quite surprised the first time I ran a 680 how the backhoe could dig and handle broken concrete, compared to the 580CK's I ran in the past.

 

[ovrszd]

I tried a White backhoe. Not sure of the year. It had individual controls for each rear boom function, but it had a joystick for the front loader. If you were swinging and raising the boom, then stopped raising, the swing would take off. I hit more stuff. It's funny how I am comfortable with joysticks on an excavator, or backhoe, and can't imaging trying to run one with all those controls, but how I can't see myself running a grader with joysticks, cause that's just crazy.

I hear ya. After a couple days I can run a joystick grader, but I haven't mastered being an operator yet......

 

[ovrszd]

Was he running the machine with the throttle wide open ?
Just as Billrog said, I consider myself quite smooth with foot controls and have no problem doing multi functions at the same time with the backhoe. My 680 has tremendous hydraulic power running the engine a little above idle speed. I know some of the 580 series need full or nearly full throttle to get any production out of them.

Nope, they run their equipment half throttle.

 

[ovrszd]

I don't think I said that Mitch. My comment may have implied that. Of course the valves are the same. I was just quite surprised the first time I ran a 680 how the backhoe could dig and handle broken concrete, compared to the 580CK's I ran in the past.

Mitch was quoting Bill's comment. I agree with Mitch. No way for there to be more power. It's simple linkage variations.

 

[ovrszd]

I don't think I said that Mitch. My comment may have implied that. Of course the valves are the same. I was just quite surprised the first time I ran a 680 how the backhoe could dig and handle broken concrete, compared to the 580CK's I ran in the past.

Isn't the 680 a larger more powerful model than the 580?? Such as a JD310 compared to a JD410??

 

[Tinkerer]

Isn't the 680 a larger more powerful model than the 580?? Such as a JD310 compared to a JD410??

Yes.
Like a mouse and an elephant difference.