DROTT Questions

[koalamotorsport]

koalamotorsport, I would think it is a 35EC/40EC/50EC Drott by the looks, more to the 40EC. If you go to the case parts online site and bring up search by machine, type in 35 or 40 or 50 and it will bring up the list of machines, then click to see a parts book for each one, could use some better pic's to help you out more later if needed. hope this helps you some.

Thanks for the tip. Didn't think to search under CASE. According to http://partstore.casece.com , it's a 50EC Series A. The 40EC looks the same, but is not listed with the 6V53 as an engine option, but that's the only engine choice on the 50EC.

LOL, now I have part numbers to all the parts that I have no hope of finding. :0 Glad it doesn't need much but some TLC.

My next question would be, does anyone know where to find the serial number on one of these machines? I can't seem to locate any info plates anywhere. Would love to date the machine.

Thanks
Brett

 

[Willis Bushogin]

Sheep foot, are you sure thats a Drott machine in the video? I have owned about 4 Drotts (40&50) in the last 12 years and it just doesnt look like a Drott. I have said in other Drott posts, to stay away from these machines, I just bought #5 last week, Drott 40, 4-71 engine. I just went outside and looked at mine and it just doesnt look like the video. A friend of mine has had it for 20 years, he used it on a farm, to clean out ditches. It hadnt been started in 5 years, I put a new 4D battery in it, put the suction and return line in a 5 gal pail of fresh diesel, took the valve cover off and put visegrips on the rack. It started the second roll over and set there and idled.
Ofcourse, you know it blowed a hydraulic hose, when I lifted the boom, replace hose ($120 plus $200 for hyd fluid), now boom cylinder is leaking/pouring. I did get it loaded on the lowboy, without any issues. Much to my surprise, the track motors worked great for a Drott. Repacked boom cylinder yesterday, replaced two more hoses ( $500)
pressure washed for two days
getting ready to paint in a few days, do a couple of projects around my place and put the for sale sign on it
Good Luck to anyone thinking of buying a Drott machine, I guess I didnt learn the other 4 times

 

[Willis Bushogin]

The Drott 50 I had, had the serial number plate on the side of the cab. Mine had a 6V53 also, I had to replace the engine when I bought it, it had a cracked block. I had lots of trouble with the final drives. One of the weakest links, on these machines, was that small final drive pinon shaft and bearings. They are kind of easy to replace, after you get the track off, I see them listed on eBay, all the time. It was a strong machine, but the lower/bottom end was shot. I did one job with it and put the For Sale sign on it. A guy bought it that had a sandpit, he didnt have to walk much, just set there and dig
I see you havent posted in a while, what did you do about the machine?

 

[koalamotorsport]

The Drott 50 I had, had the serial number plate on the side of the cab. Mine had a 6V53 also, I had to replace the engine when I bought it, it had a cracked block. I had lots of trouble with the final drives. One of the weakest links, on these machines, was that small final drive pinon shaft and bearings. They are kind of easy to replace, after you get the track off, I see them listed on eBay, all the time. It was a strong machine, but the lower/bottom end was shot. I did one job with it and put the For Sale sign on it. A guy bought it that had a sandpit, he didnt have to walk much, just set there and dig
I see you havent posted in a while, what did you do about the machine?

Thanks Willis. I found the spot where the serial numbers are supposed to be. Both plates are missing. I have no way of knowing, but have to wonder if this machine disappeared from a work site a few decades ago. I changed they hydraulic filters, drained the system and even had to replace the screen in the tank due to crud. Now, of course, I've sprung a leak in the dipperstick cylinder. Parked it for the winter, I'll play more when I'm done with my pre-snow chores. The fluid change did nothing to improve hydraulic action, so I figured I'd put a pressure gauge on it and either bump the pressure through the relief valves, or, if necessary, rebuild the pump. Of course, that'll just make the leak worse, so rebuilding the cylinder is the first job on the table.

 

[sheepfoot]

Yes that is a old machine, and around 1962 Drott bought Yumbo produced by Sicom of France, Tenneco bought Drott and made it a divison of Case around 1968. After looking in my shop i found a service manual on the 30 35 40 50 series A machines. There is only one s/n 900 before and then after listed for repairs and it deals with the hyd system pressures and the 50 has a spec change for the travel pressure from 2050 psi up to s/n 262, after it goes to 2250 psi. The main releif's are set at 2500 psi at full rpm and oil temp170*. Good to hear the old girl is doing well for 30 plus years also!. If you need some info ask.

 

[sheepfoot]

Willis, what series did you end up with ?. The Drotts along with Case, did a big sheet metal/ machine changes starting with the B series of the 35/40/50 around the 70's. Along the way new cab's came out, single windshield from the two peice, single door from the two peice, lever controls to manual joy sticks/and then hyd controls on the 50. The case line 880 was the 35, 980/980B which was 40,200 pound machine like the 40 and later changed to the 1080 then 1080B, the 1280 then 1280B which was a 50. The final drives were changed at last on 1080B/1280B and that problem went away that you speak of, axles/shafts/piller blocks. Around 1985 was the end of the line for the Drott/Case style machines on tracks due to the case ownership of poclain. Case brought in the delta series, 125B,170B,220B which were poclains and also the smaller 688/888/1088 also poclain.

 

[Willis Bushogin]

sounds like you have been around these creatures also. The machines I have owned, I guess were the newer models, after the cab change

1088 HUMMMM, brings back other BAD memories. I bought a Case 1088, from the original owner, it had about 5000 hrs on it, great looking machine, hydraulic thumb, good walking speeds, BUT boy the hydraulic issues. If I remember, it was made in England and everything was metric/British standard and they were rare and expensive. I think it was 6000 psi working pressure, so the hoses cost alot more. I put up with the hydraulic issues for about a year and I sold it

 

[Willis Bushogin]

I went to a friends house today and he had a Case 1080, its the first one I have ever seen and after seeing your post, it rang a bell. He wants to sell the machine, but the engine is locked up, he says it is a Case engine. I guess it didnt have a cover on the exhaust and it rained in it over a period of 2 years, straight into the turbo. The machine is not a bad looking machine for its age, but someone has broke all the glass out and stole the hydraulic thumb. Thats the minor issues, he built a big storage unit, beside his shop and Im not sure if will even fit down the drive, HUMMMMM
Were they any better than a Drott 40?

 

[sheepfoot]

You have to get to a 1080B to get away from the piller blocks, the engine if it's a case is 504BDT @ around 160hp, they had cleaned the machine up alot from a 40E drott, has hyd hand and foot controls, better power sensing of pumps, around 50gpm, swing is 6+ rounds per min. The other engine offered was the DDA 4-71 in both the 1080 and 1080b. Take a look at the three bolts that hold the swing box in place and see if they are loose if your thinking about it and the hours on the meter, the 504 were used in alot of machines and had good service as long as antifreeze/liner pitting and engine oil changes/ 150-200 max hrs were done. Your looking at a 25 year old now.
You were right on the travel on the 1088, it dumps all flows, close to 80gpm to the travel while only walking. Where you useing the blue berry oil in yours also or did you switch to a differant lube.

 

[SweatingDust]

Hello all,
A used Drott 40EC excavator recently ‘fell’ into my possession lately and I am finding parts, or parts compatibility, almost impossible to locate. I have an oil cooling radiator I would like to replace [YA989950], made by Yates American Radiation, and would like to find out what tracks are compatible. I am assuming whatever parts compatibility I run into will involve Case equipment. I have spent the better part of my morning stumbling blindly around the internets and for my efforts all I have managed to do constructively other then find this site is order a manual for the Drott 40EC. Any help pointing me in the right direction for information or any information regarding the tracks or radiator would me amazing.
Thank you, SweatingDust

 

[old-iron-habit]

Speaking of Drott excavators, I just picked this one up to clean out my silt laden pond. I've googled to death and can't find anything like this machine except for a single youtube video of the exact same machine.

It has a 6V Detroit Diesel in it that runs like it's brand new. Not sure if it's a 53, but probably. Hydraulics are weak and I'm trying to identify the model of the excavator in the hopes of finding filters, etc.

I'm too new to the forum to be allowed to post attachments, so here's the link to the youtube video of the one just like mine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90E818jcwdg The only difference I see is this one has a thumb and mine doesn't.

Any help identifying the machine and maybe dating it, would be appreciated.

Brett

The 53 series Detroits have small screws around the edge of the valve covers holding them on. The 71 series have big knobs in the top middle of the valve covers holding them on. Easiest way I know to tell the difference.

 

[sheepfoot]

Sweatingdust, that machine came with around five different engines. A GMC 4-53, GMC 471, Perkins 6-354, Cummins 6v-352, AC 2900, Case 504. There are several different rad and oil coolers I seem to think. I do not think the parts book will show the engines only.The parts book will only show the hookup to make it work mounted in the machine. Also the service manual will not have any/little engine info also do to the engine books were sent with the machine as built back then. The later tracks used two raised bosses on the pads for roller guides rather than one. You can go to the casece.com online parts and type in the 40EC and it should bring up your parts book. They will more than likely have a bunch of sub numbers before you get the newest part number, you should write all the numbers down for searching the bone yards and e-bay down the road. Some parts also would come from Badger since years ago they took over some of the crus- air rubber tired units. A good hyd shop or rad shop could make or find a cooler or rad if need be. Take pic's and measurements for the bone yards before you start calling around, and find out the make of you engine to help you along.

 

[SweatingDust]

Thanks for the help Sheepfoot. I was able to figure out that the 'oil radiator' was actually a hydraulic oil cooler and am able to look for a part from there. The tracks remain, for the moment, a mystery to be solved. Much apreciated. P.S. I could not find the 40EC on the casece website, no results came up for it.

 

[Adolfcase]

Did you ever get that old Drott working?

 

[Adolfcase]

Hey there Mr. senior member. I have 980 Case crawler with 504 engine and of course the final drives are shot and I was wondering if something like the 1080B final drives could be installed or if you ever heard anyone doing up grade. Thank you for your insight.

 

[Adolfcase]

Hey there Brian, Did you ever get that Drott working?