1973 Case 580B - Swing Tower Rebuild

Anybody tried refurbing their swing tower with after-market bushings & pins like these... or alternatively, had pins & bushings machined up?

regards... d2r

d2r, I have installed over 40 kits like this on the b,c,d case 580 tractors in the past 20+ years, they work well when doing repairs where there is no access to a machine shop, or cust needs to be back to work the next day, used to keep them on the service truck, lower boom and tower 2.5 hrs, main swing upper/lower 4.5 hrs, when your set up with a good shop or truck and tools it goes together fast.

sheepfoot said:

"they work well when doing repairs where there is no access to a machine shop, or cust needs to be back to work the next day"

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sheepfoot... 40 installs under your belt, sounds like you're just the guy i need to talk to.

am i misreading here... or are you describing this stuff as more of a "field expedient" repair... rather than the "optimum solution." is there a downside to using aftermarket stuff? is there a supplier you particularly recommend... or dismiss... or are they all pretty much the same?

i do have a machine shop nearby that has been recommended by a farmer friend, but i was worried that they'd simply use whatever steel they had at hand that might not get properly hardened (fwiw, back in the day, i worked for a heat-treating outfit).

the other option here was to get a better swing tower casting (found one for $450 + shipping) and use factory components... which, i'm guessing, really jacks up the expense.

is there any other way to go here? swing tower itself is pretty sloppy, gotta do something.

really appreciate your input here... d2r

p.s. - i'm in ontario, canada... any canucks on the list know of any homegrown suppliers?

Im working on my 580B swing tower too, but I have a lathe so I can make my own pins and bushings and would it be alright to cut a bigger hole to fit the bushing in with a torch and fill all the gaps with weld?

Fordman,

Even if you can make your own pins and bushings you still need to harden them. I would have them professionally hardened

Fordman said:

Would it be alright to cut a bigger hole to fit the bushing in with a torch and fill all the gaps with weld?

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that would be a question for a professional like sheepfoot.

certainly homemade would be cheaper in the short run... but as shopteacher points out you need to have them professionally heat-treated to be a worthwhile longterm solution. not a showstopper, just a consideration.

care to post, or email a copy of the dimensioned drawings for the rest of us?

swing tower

d2r, Optimum solution is to use the kits, they work well. The differance between shop an field repair we would still install the kits unless the owner said he wanted the lineboring service. The kits can be found on the web just about any dealer that sells case equipment. I would not buy another tower unless all bores are in spec/ also if they have been machined and are loose you will end up at the machine shop
making more bushings. These kits solve this problem for you by going right threw the holes and welding the bosses in place on the tower. Now the main frame is fitted with a upper and lower bushing, along with a lower thrust washer (I always replace this, cut the welds and weld new thrust back in place) a line up shaft threw the two bushings help if you have to weld yours in place due to a loose fit (have found these already welded in before also or a machie shop made a bushing less than 50thousand over, then your back to the machine shop. These kits fix 99% with no other parts needed. Main swing you need the thrust, boom to tower you will what some pin shims, swing cylinders you will need the rod eye bushings if they are not with the kit.Take your time ,think what your doing,ask questions,be safe!!

sheepfoot said:

d2r, Optimum solution is to use the kits, they work well.

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thx for the clarification... sounds like this is the way to go. i'll start looking for a supplier here in ontario.

well I almost have my swing tower done with my machining and torch hardening, it cost about $50 compared to $600

Fordman said:

"done with my machining and torch hardening"

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fordman... wish i was handy enough to do it all myself...
sadly, just not the case.

you have any pictures of any of the process?

Nice going Fordman, I too would like to see pics if you have any.

John

Here's another fix, it uses a wedge to expand the bushing to fit the hogged out holes in the casting. The holes can be .060" out of round, more than that you have to machine it round. No relation to the company, just happened to see it on another forum. It was on that forum that somebody was trying to find a heat treat company that didn't charge a minimum of $150, even if it was only a couple of parts. So that should give you an idea of how much it will cost to heat treat, in addition to the cost of making the parts.



http://www.expanderamericas.com/

El Hombre said:

"]Here's another fix, it uses a wedge to expand the bushing to fit the hogged out holes in the casting."

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well... the claims they're making are fairly impressive. anybody know anything about this product?



This is how the Expander® System works:

A. Expander® System is installed directly into the existing mounting without expensive welding or line boring.

B.The washer presses the sleeve onto the tapered section of the expander bolt.

C. The sleeve expands in the worn lugholes in parallel and eliminates all play.

D. Double sided locking gives increased safety.

E. Easy to remove and reinstall

That Expander looks like a very good system. I wish my backhoe swing was done like that from the factory. It should never get loose at both ends. Only the bushing and pin can wear.

The last post was July 2010. Has anyone tried the Expander system yet? If so, would be interested in hearing about it. Thanks, Packratc

packratc said:

"The last post was July 2010."

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but the first post was made by yours truly on feb 2011... methinks somebody has the incorrect date (bad cmos battery?) on their computer.

i did write the expander people and ask for a quote on repinning my whole swing tower... i'll share with the forum if & when they reply.

Thanks for the reply d2r. I'm a newby here and looked back over the dates on the replies. Confusing to me. But, no matter. Will look foward to the info you get back. MY 580ck is pretty sloppy. Packratc

packratc said:

The last post was July 2010. Has anyone tried the Expander system yet? If so, would be interested in hearing about it. Thanks, Packratc

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You saw the join date as the post date, the post date is above your user name.

Heard back from the Expander people

El Hombre said:

"You saw the join date as the post date"

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okay... glad we got that squared away. heard back from the expander people...

"We do make parts for your machine, but two of the positions have two available pins with slightly different lengths, so we would need to confirm measurements."

"Also we need to determine the wear in the lugs because each size of sleeve will expand .080” and we can custom fit the sleeves to your requirement. Estimated price for 6 of our assemblies is about $2600."

"Call or email if you have any questions."

Dave Godlove

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so, probably three grand all in... once it gets installed.

obviously expander is a professional solution intended mostly for the industrial, rather than hobby farmer market. they say the repair (with proper maintenance) will outlast the repaired machine.

buying pre-finished (professionally heat treated) pins and weld in bushings is another alternative that probably comes in close to $2000 once you factor in delivery & installation.

the local machine shop offered to do this job (machining pins & bushings from 4140 steel and heating & water quenching) for less than $1000.

or if you're handy... and obviously a lot of you here are... you can do it all yourself.

hope that helps. any other input much appreciated.

clinthalbert

sheepfoot said:

d2r, I have installed over 40 kits like this on the b,c,d case 580 tractors in the past 20+ years, they work well when doing repairs where there is no access to a machine shop, or cust needs to be back to work the next day, used to keep them on the service truck, lower boom and tower 2.5 hrs, main swing upper/lower 4.5 hrs, when your set up with a good shop or truck and tools it goes together fast.

Click to expand...

Sheepfoot---where do I find a kit to repair my worn swing tower to boom without machining? clinthalbert@gmail.com