So many Case threads. Either really popular, or unreliable?

[JLarson]

For every deere and cat I work on seems like I work on 2 case's.

I like the cases, could have done without the cast pieces on some hoes tho, but otherwise ok machines.

 

[Willie B]

For every deere and cat I work on seems like I work on 2 case's.

I like the cases, could have done without the cast pieces on some hoes tho, but otherwise ok machines.

Yeah, & the over center latching of backhoe boom is not real convenient. I believe they are prone to damage when operator is too rough with it. Don't latch it up, you're sure to do a wheelie. These things are very rear heavy! Best way to latch it is using a stabilizer to push it up.

 

[Tinkerer]

Best way to latch it is using a stabilizer to push it up.

That is very creative way to do it Willie.
I used to extend the backhoe all the way out. The boom has more momentum when latching it.

 

[Old Doug]

First time i ran a case i didnt know about the latch i got it by accident. Next time i think had to get out the manual .

 

[Willie B]

That is very creative way to do it Willie.
I used to extend the backhoe all the way out. The boom has more momentum when latching it.

I get a dirt bath doing that. If I have a big rock in reach I use extend a hoe to do it, otherwise I use a stabilizer.

 

[JCinNC]

Well...I don't know really. But here's my two cents for what it's worth.

We were a small time operation mainly putting in septic systems for many years. My Pops was the primary (only) backhoe operator. We put a backhoe on the job 5 days a week for typically 8 to 10 hours each day depending on weather.

He used Ford backhoes exclusively for years and had good service from them. No real surprises come to mind except we broke the main backhoe boom on the last one (Ford 675D) after many years and hours of use. Must of been some fracture that was unnoticeable to us. Anyway, replaced the boom and it kept on getting it to this day.

Last backhoe he bought before passing was a CAT 420D. Several dealers let us try out comparable models before the purchase. And when I say "try out" we put them on actual jobs for full days work for 3 to 5 days. And they were new. Not from the rental lot although I'm sure these would end up being the new rentals or loaners.
We tried out:
Case
New Holland (Ford was being sold a couple of times and being re-branded just "New Holland".)
John Deere
Komatsu
Caterpillar

I went over them afterwards with the main eye towards if something would break. Fuel efficiency, cycle time, etc. didn't mean that much.

What I recall is that John Deere, Caterpillar, and Komatsu all did comparably well. Comparable power, similar sized hydraulics, and no issues after putting them through their paces.

-John Deere just seemed to want so much more for what you got compared to others. At least here and at the time.
-Komatsu was the best bang for the buck. Best price, performance, and features for the dollar.
-Caterpillar performed similarly to John Deere and Komatsu. It didn't really stand out by a landslide or anything. But enough and I think by Dad liked it. So he went with it.
Funny thing is he was so particular about it that he continued to run the Ford 675D more than the Cat.
-Case did ok. But I recall finding a leak or two in the hydraulics after only a few days of running.
-New Holland was a pale comparison of what the old Ford backhoes were. Seemed there were cuts everywhere in quality. Smaller bucket arm hydraulics, etc. And I found 3 leaks of hydraulic fluid as I recall after a few days running.

I know one of the mechanics that formerly worked at the Ford dealership and he told us that the 675D was one of the last "real good" backhoes before the sale with the New Holland brand launch.

It seems that the Italians can destroy an anvil with a banana if given the opportunity.

 

[westerner]

I broke in on a 580 Construction King, 1969 vintage I believe. Fixed a whole bunch of stuff on that machine, including an engine O/H. It was tired the very first day I saw it.
Graduated to a 580D with the same outfit. I ran it and maintained it for 2 seasons.
Bought a 580SK and used it in a slightly less than full time operation. Had it four seasons.
My neighbor has a 580E that he bought with 10k hours on it from an excavation outfit. I am the chief mechanic on this machine too.

In my 'professional' life, I supervised a shop that had two JD 410D, six CAT 420D, and one Case 580SK.

I will stick with Case.....

 

[Willie B]

Well...I don't know really. But here's my two cents for what it's worth.

We were a small time operation mainly putting in septic systems for many years. My Pops was the primary (only) backhoe operator. We put a backhoe on the job 5 days a week for typically 8 to 10 hours each day depending on weather.

He used Ford backhoes exclusively for years and had good service from them. No real surprises come to mind except we broke the main backhoe boom on the last one (Ford 675D) after many years and hours of use. Must of been some fracture that was unnoticeable to us. Anyway, replaced the boom and it kept on getting it to this day.

Last backhoe he bought before passing was a CAT 420D. Several dealers let us try out comparable models before the purchase. And when I say "try out" we put them on actual jobs for full days work for 3 to 5 days. And they were new. Not from the rental lot although I'm sure these would end up being the new rentals or loaners.
We tried out:
Case
New Holland (Ford was being sold a couple of times and being re-branded just "New Holland".)
John Deere
Komatsu
Caterpillar

I went over them afterwards with the main eye towards if something would break. Fuel efficiency, cycle time, etc. didn't mean that much.

What I recall is that John Deere, Caterpillar, and Komatsu all did comparably well. Comparable power, similar sized hydraulics, and no issues after putting them through their paces.

-John Deere just seemed to want so much more for what you got compared to others. At least here and at the time.
-Komatsu was the best bang for the buck. Best price, performance, and features for the dollar.
-Caterpillar performed similarly to John Deere and Komatsu. It didn't really stand out by a landslide or anything. But enough and I think by Dad liked it. So he went with it.
Funny thing is he was so particular about it that he continued to run the Ford 675D more than the Cat.
-Case did ok. But I recall finding a leak or two in the hydraulics after only a few days of running.
-New Holland was a pale comparison of what the old Ford backhoes were. Seemed there were cuts everywhere in quality. Smaller bucket arm hydraulics, etc. And I found 3 leaks of hydraulic fluid as I recall after a few days running.

I know one of the mechanics that formerly worked at the Ford dealership and he told us that the 675D was one of the last "real good" backhoes before the sale with the New Holland brand launch.

It seems that the Italians can destroy an anvil with a banana if given the opportunity.

I have close friends who make their living digging. They are a small outfit, have pared down to 81 year old father, 58 year old son, and one 67 year old employee. They aren't in any hurry to jump into a new trend. Last few years they have bought new or near new New Holland machines. Bought a 5 yard articulated loader, a 7 metric ton excavator & 6 ton track loader.
They still do a lot with backhoes, they own property all over town, & the ability to drive a few miles rather than trailer is an asset.
They used a 655 1988 a very long time, then a 75B. They are agreed that the New Holland isn't the tractor the Fords were.

 

[JCinNC]

I have close friends who make their living digging. They are a small outfit, have pared down to 81 year old father, 58 year old son, and one 67 year old employee. They aren't in any hurry to jump into a new trend. Last few years they have bought new or near new New Holland machines. Bought a 5 yard articulated loader, a 7 metric ton excavator & 6 ton track loader.
They still do a lot with backhoes, they own property all over town, & the ability to drive a few miles rather than trailer is an asset.
They used a 655 1988 a very long time, then a 75B. They are agreed that the New Holland isn't the tractor the Fords were.

Doing some Googling, it looks like Case and New Holland are now owned by the same company. CNH

At the risk of being behind the times and old fashioned, I bet the older stuff of both was better. But I'm suspicious of computery new stuff anyway.

 

[AzIron]

I will say that production wise in my current 310 sl hl machines is really hard to meet with anything older and while I have had down time with them the reliability is there and a few of the problems encountered were not fixed right the first time so the dealer lack of diagnostics caused me about half of the down time with each machine while under Warranty

 

[Willie B]

Doing some Googling, it looks like Case and New Holland are now owned by the same company. CNH

At the risk of being behind the times and old fashioned, I bet the older stuff of both was better. But I'm suspicious of computery new stuff anyway.

My personal experience with New Holland is limited.
In the case of Case, you'd run the new stuff & be very impressed in so many ways. I'll tell you when I see my newest 2014 backhoe. It has a great deal of computer stuff they call diagnostics. I'm worried too much diagnostics might stand in the way of repair.

My understanding is a large number of companies have combined their parts system CNH supplies OEM parts for numerous manufacturers.

 

[JCinNC]

My personal experience with New Holland is limited.
In the case of Case, you'd run the new stuff & be very impressed in so many ways. I'll tell you when I see my newest 2014 backhoe. It has a great deal of computer stuff they call diagnostics. I'm worried too much diagnostics might stand in the way of repair.

My understanding is a large number of companies have combined their parts system CNH supplies OEM parts for numerous manufacturers.

The "diagnostics" & serilization has turned into, and will get worse, manufacturers controlling equipment with software mainly for profitability on their end.
They'll lie and say it's to protect the equipment, the end user, etc. etc. etc. But it's just a lockout to keep you from repairing it without the software and/or software subscription.

No secret about the farmers vs. John Deere I guess.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7m...it-would-make-tractors-easy-to-repair-it-lied

I look for it to occur in all areas of industrial equipment and consumer equipment.

 

[edgephoto]

Manufacturers do not care about making stuff easy to repair. Much of the computerization is to lower manufacturing costs, offer features not feasible in the past and to comply with every tighten government regulations.

Manufacturers do not share their diagnostic freely. They do this to protect their dealers and themselves. Why would you spend all the R&D money, certification expenses only to give away the info? You can pay for the info and buy their equipment if you want.

I work for one of the biggest auto manufacturers in the world. We do the same thing. Software fixes many issue these days. Without a scan tool that connects to our server you can't do much in the way of repairs.

 

[JCinNC]

I agree with you. Manufacturers look to protect their dealers and themselves. The customer is an afterthought now that they have created systems and subscriptions that are the most profitable.

 

[Bote]

I shopped for a 580K or L for nearly a year. In that time I checked the local Case dealer’s used inventory occasionally, but he sold most of the machines in my price range to an outfit that shipped them overseas. He called me last year about a 580M 4wd he had just taken in trade and thought it might be a good machine for me. He had sold it new and gave me the name of the previous owner. It had a cab with heat/air. It would be a few weeks before he could service it but if I took it that week and serviced it myself I could have it for $18k. He gave me a 3 month warranty and delivered it as well. I’ve replaced the front tires, ball joints, tie rods, etc., and some other wearable items but it’s been a great machine. I’m amazed at the depth of parts he stocks. I’ve yet to have anything unavailable or obsolete. Case dealers seem to treat smalltime guys like me well. A backhoe is often the first piece of construction equipment a person buys when starting out. Take care of him now and maybe sell him an excavator or skid steer later. I think that’s part of the reason there are so many Case backhoes.

 

[Glandry]

Sold a case 580L thinking I wouldn’t need a backhoe anymore and bought a GEHL CTL .it didn’t take too long before I wished I had the hoe back. Gehl dealers in the northeast change almost annually and they do not support their equipment. The machine was only 3 years and fifty hours old when I purchased it. Here is the kicker. While I couldn’t find a dealer to service my GEHL, the case rep drives up to my house unsolicited and wants to know if there is anything I need from them. I didn’t even have a case anymore and I was just a landowner who used it at the house. The moral of the story is I am buying a case 580N with 2000 hours and I know it will be the last machine I buy. The GEHL was very well built but not very well supported. Support is the most important product a company makes, period!

 

[Tyler d4c]

I don't know. I have had three Case backhoes, two John Deere. When a Case needs work, my Case dealer has gone above & beyond. John Deere, the standard response is "No Longer Available."

Problems I have had with Case have mostly been the result of wear or neglect. Rust, & wiring harness issues could have been prevented with indoor storage.

My newest, a 580 Super N 2014 model is new enough to have too many computers & alarms. Transmission won't go into first.
Took it to the dealer yesterday. I'll let you know how it turns out.

18 years I have had nothing but good to say about my Case dealer, they are fantastic with parts, and the few times I have needed service they have been excellent.

The dealer is what makes the brand for most people 99 percent of the time!

 

[rickw]

We bought a 580CK (approx late 60's?) back around 2000 for around the farm. Ran great but pins and bushings were pretty loose but had pretty strong hydraulics and ran great. 188 diesel. Replaced hoses and repacked cylinders as needed over the years. We kept it until about 2012 then upgraded to a late 90,s Super L with low hrs one owner machine. Awesome machine! Started getting some cylinders leaking with time so we went ahead and repacked all the cylinders a few winters ago. As long as I could get the gland nuts loose I just loosened the hose on the butt end and pulled the rod out and took it in to the local hyd shop with the rebuilt kit and they reworked it and I brought it back home and reassembled. Less money and less work than pulling the whole cylinder. Some of them like the stabilizers I had to pull the whole cylinder since I was not able to loosen the gland nut with my spanner.
The old 580CK never really left the area. We sold it to a local guy. He used it for a project and then resold. this has happened several times over the years with this machine. As long as you dont overheat, freeze the block up or run it out of oil it just keeps chugging along!

 

[Deere500a]

CASE a preference they're a lighter hoe nimbler don't care for the back end plus the Cummins engine reliable and good on fuel but don't sound as good as a 4045.Deere has been making backhoe since the 50s ie base model 440,1010,300,310 etc.

 

[Catsparky1]

I think one thing with Case hoes is they were one of the first to make backhoes . So lots of shops used them . As time progressed lots of case hoes were running and as new guys came about they learned on them and passed that on . With that they are good machines . 580e I think is one of the best backhoe ever made .

In my day we had IH 260 or 580 case for dealer support . We picked IH because we preferred the product line in our area .

Last time I ran a Case I was called out to run a Case and I think it was a K series I crossed my hands from left to right so my wrists were in an X .
That was called a pattern changer.