How to Rebuild the Backhoe Control Valves - 580CK with Model 33 Backhoe

[onemank6]

My rear tire size is 14.9x24 i just went and looked at them as far as the gap i am thinking i have at least 1" i just removed my backhoe the other day so i cant measure it right now.I am getting her ready to split it this winter and hopefully fix some stuff. I am pretty sure the lines are close with them in the down position but no rubbing . I can get you a measurement after i put it back together but that won't be for a while. As far as a challenge i have also been helping my neighbor with a 1973 580b he just bought and the biggest thing i am finding with these older machines is that people didn't keep up with the maintenance on them which starts out as little problems at first but leads to major problems later.Mine and my neighbors were left outside and i have seen more water in oil than i care to. We both have barns so now thats where they live now. If i didnt have the barn it would be tarped with a quality tarp.
As far as my ck i absolutely love this tractor i only gave $3100.00 delivered for it and it did'nt move, bad lines, gauges broke or missing, leaking cylinders,tires were junk,no brakes,
and so ugly it could scare you just to look at it but it ran good and hydraulics worked.
Over the past 3 years I have been bringing it back to life concentrating on the major stuff working my way to the minor stuff im hoping after this split the majors are done. But up to this point i have worked the heck out of this and it has handled anything i have asked of it.They work so hard i swear somedays mine talks and its saying I want to go longer and im saying im beat down and done for the day, but for me its awesome knowing you can quit for the day and it survived a day of removing stumps,pushing trees,or digging a basement and it literally outworks you.
Thanks for the lead on Dale i will keep him in mind when i get there.
I am curious about the gauge on your hydraulic filter housing mine had a plug in it i have since put a old pressure gauge in mine but i would like a original can you send a good pic of yours so i know what im looking for.
If i can help with anything else on yours feel free to ask..

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

Yep, thats the size I just bought.....14.9 x 24......and theres no way the larger size would have fit.......almost made an expensive mistake. The outriggers are too close in my opinion, but thats from years of operators forgetting and leaving the legs down as they try to back up, and mine are probably bent a bit toward the tires. I will try adding some washers and moving the hose connection inward a couple inches. Since I still have the backhoe disconnected, now is the time to make the hose adjustments.

Yep, lack of maintenance and leaving the tractor outside in the elements do their toll. I would like to build a shed high enough to get the tractor in, and that means a door about 10 feet high. In the mean time, I try to use some old heavy duty pool liner pieces or tarps to keep the weather off, and try to cover all the hydraulic cylinders.

These old 580s are built pretty stout, and as long as we dont kill them due to lack of maintenance, we should be able to put them in our Wills and pass them down a few generations......ha ha, maybe.....maybe not.

Hydraulic gauge: I will look in my pics and attach the best I can find. I think it is a simple gauge, but has the color zones instead of actual pressure numbers.





These are a couple pics of the hydraulic gauge I took some time ago. There is a green zone and a red zone. The green zone appears to be about 1/3 of the needle zone on the left, and the red about 2/3 of the zone on the right. After changing the filter, mine operates right in the middle of the green zone. I have no idea what the number pressure reading would be. Dale at Tractor Stuff may be able to get new ones, and sometimes he has decent used ones available.

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

Update: Installing the Backhoe back onto the Case 580CK:

First, here is one of the crows foot and extension/wrench I used on alot of the hose ends when torqueing them to the hydraulic tower:



I found that it was essential to screw on the smaller size (7/8") hoses LAST. This allows enough room to use the large 1 1/4" Crows Foot on the larger hoses. Trying to get that last 7/8" hose in the middle of the top row was a challenge. I was using a long 7/8" wrench, and just had no room to work it, and was pulling out my hair. Wish I had a set of midget wrenches, which would have helped. Then, I decided to "think outside the box". In this picture, you can see the "box" that surrounds all these lines I was working on. I finally noticed a small gap above this "box" area, and tried wiggling the wrench in up there, and there was a perfect amount of space to then get it on the hose end and tighten away. So, remember to think "outside the box". Ha ha:





****ANOTHER IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTE******: I had the tractor running so as to slowly back her up and hitch up the backhoe. She was running at a very slow idle, and I made a big GOOF........I reached below the loader handle, and unplugged the Quick Disconnect so I could plug the Backhoe line where it needed to go. I forgot to shut down the engine first. So, hydraulic fluid came spraying out right in my face, and all over the tractor. Fortunately, I blinked my eyes before the fluid smacked me in the face, and did not get it in my eyes. Im thinking that if the tractor had been running at a faster idle speed, then I may have had that fluid hit me under alot more pressure......could have been a pretty bad afternoon. Fortunately, a quick shower and new shirt, and I was back in business.

I found it was essential to use the front loader bucket to slowly get the rig in the right angle so the big pins would slide through. Those huges washers/spacers made it more challenging, but using a small crow-bar to wedge the gap open more did the trick. On the other side, I used the backhoe controls to raise the hoe bucket a bit which allowed the other pin to slide in. I put a ton of grease on all the connection points, and on the pins.......so, next time the pins should be rust-free and come out easy.

The hydraulic tower is now totally LEAK-FREE! Great to see a job work out well, even with a face full of hydraulic oil.

~~~~~SO, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TURN OFF THE TRACTOR WHEN UNHOOKING THE QUICK DISCONNECTS~~~~~~~

Here is a pic of the Quick Disconnect under the loader control handle:

 

[onemank6]

Wheres the moneyshot with the backhoe attached i was curious about seeing you tire clearance.Sorry to hear about the bath but i am surprised your tractor kept running.The reason i say that is when i took mine off the first time i didnt loop the hose and it wouldnt even turn over the motor what i soon figured out was it deadlocked the hydraulics and i have since read where it can tear up your pump.Just something to know to save on pump. I am watching for the moneyshot (backhoe mounted) Hey 68 just had a thought i see you still need to paint your backhoe so when you get the paint mixed let me know i have a little itty bitty small baby size project going on right now hahaha

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

Xpac......well, I had fluid dripping down my face but quickly pulled the shut-off switch. That would have really taken the cake.....to do all this restoration and then end up blowing up the pump from a stupid mistake......that would have been real cake in the face, to go on top of the hydraulic fluid in the face.

I should have known better, because like you, I tried to start her with the line disconnected and she would not turn over. I even tried jump starting, charging the battery, etc., then just walked away and realized the mistake. Came back, connected the line, and she started right up, no problems.

Backhoe is so darn OOOOO-gly (ugly), that Im skirrred to take a picture of it. Here she is, the "money shot", or maybe "kill shot".



I will have to get a pic of the tire clearance tomorrow. I did adjust the stabilizer hoses so they were not rubbing on the tire tread.

Yea man......I can send you a post card with the exact color and the magic formula.

 

[onemank6]

Dont feel alone i have done that a couple times myself.I had a valve on a log splitter blow up in my freshly painted shop and oil sprayed a wall in about a 12ft path theres still battle scars on that wall from it needless to say i also got a oil bath.Good looking hoe when ya gonna paint it ???

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

Xpac.........Fellow member of the Hydraulic Fluid in the Face Club.......I think anyone who owns one of these Elderly Iron tractors will inevitable be involved with a good hydraulic bath at some point. On the bright side, we have had our's already, and therefore should not have to endure this membership requirement again.

Here is a pic of the front forks I put on today:



I took her outback in the forrest to move a few logs. Here is one of two large paulownia logs that I cut a few weeks ago after the wind blew the tree down. I am hoping someone will want to buy it, but found that the paulownia market seems to have really dried up compared to the craze in the 90s.



It has good tight growth rings, and would make some good 1" boards:


Here is a pic showing how close my back tire is to the stabilizer leg: Due to the "slop" in the hinge, the leg moves back and almost touches the tire when down. I need to put some large washers in the hinge to keep the stabilizer as far back as possible.


I will wait until spring to begin painting the backhoe. I also need to rebuild the stabilizer cylinders as they are still leaking some.

 

[Adolfcase]

the rounded crows foot wrench works little easier then open end crows foot. Still slow tightening but works little easier. Just keep reminding yourself to breathe.Boy that sure is nice looker! Could you send pictures of roll over protection system( R.O.P.S) on your machine. I'm little jealous.

 

[onemank6]

It looks like you have about the same amount of clearance as mine.I will get you a shot of mine as soon as its back on.I removed all the backhoe chains from mine i didnt want to run them over and having problems with them and i am considering new bushings and pins for the stabilizers mine are bad.Also keep a eye on the 4 bolts that are on the top and bottom cap for the swing cylinders mine and my neighbors were coming loose i cleaned them good and locktite them in and so far they are holding just something to watch for.

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

the rounded crows foot wrench works little easier then open end crows foot. Still slow tightening but works little easier. Just keep reminding yourself to breathe.Boy that sure is nice looker! Could you send pictures of roll over protection system( R.O.P.S) on your machine. I'm little jealous.

Adolfcase.......Yep, it seems you never have enough tools for all the jobs. I also want to get a set of snubby wrenches, which would have been a big help in these tight spaces. Breathe.........one thousand one, one thousand two,........attack! Or, as General Forrest would say when being attacked from two sides and outnumbered 100 to 1, "Charge them BOTH Ways!!!!!"

Thanks for the good comments......you would be surprised how neglected this rig was looking before I decided to "Charge her both ways!"

ROPS......you want detailed pics to try to make one? I will send a couple here, and if you want more detail, just let me know.

Here is one of the back.....the bottom has some pretty hefty supports that bolt to the axle, but just standard square tubing all the way up and under the roof.


Side view showing the angles of the tubing:


Heres a good one showing how the ROPS mounts to the axle at the bottom, and how it mounts up on the top of the hydraulic reservior on each side:




I hope that helps some.

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

It looks like you have about the same amount of clearance as mine.I will get you a shot of mine as soon as its back on.I removed all the backhoe chains from mine i didnt want to run them over and having problems with them and i am considering new bushings and pins for the stabilizers mine are bad.Also keep a eye on the 4 bolts that are on the top and bottom cap for the swing cylinders mine and my neighbors were coming loose i cleaned them good and locktite them in and so far they are holding just something to watch for.

Xpac......10-4 on that......no rush, but I am curious as to how close yours comes to the tire. The manual said I could use the larger 16.9 x 24, but theres no way those tires would have cleared.....and I came real close to ordering them.

I just used a chain to keep the stabilizers up so they dont keep oozing fluid and slowly leaking down. Regarding chains, my backhoe has a spot for a chain to connect about 3 feet from the bottom......I believe chains were run up to the side of the control tower for road driving, to ensure the boom did not fall down and drag on the road? In this pic, you see the hook on the side of the tower.....was that for a chain going to the stabilizer leg? If so, where did the chain connect to hold the heavy backhoe up? Almost seems it would need to be up on the ROPS.



4 bolts on the top and bottom cap for swing cylinders......Funny you mentioned this. Yesterday I looked up from the bottom and noticed one pin was hanging a couple inches out of the bottom. The other one was flush with the bottom. The loose one will push back upward with no problem, but falls right back down. Something I will have to deal with next spring.

 

[Juskatla]

Late into this discussion, have been following the other threads with great interest. A few years ago, I had severe leaking from one of my swing cylinders. I removed it and had the local hydraulics shop have a look at it. As soon as we pulled it off the truck, the foreman said, oh, old Case 580ck, the rod is probably bent. He was right and went on to advise that I check the swing pivots as the geometry could cause the bent rod. When I replaced the rebuilt cylinders on the machine, along with new hoses, I went to Fastenal and bought new bolts. Properly torqued, they have not come loose. The old ones seemed always to be loose and that probably caused the issue in the first place. Don't forget those grease nipples on the top and bottom, as they tend to be buried in debris and dirt.
I am working to get my currently dead 580CK into the shop and once I get going sometime in the New Year, will post progress and rely on those here for their experience. It will be a full 188D out of frame overhaul and a shuttle refurbishment, so we expect to cover a lot of the same territory as some have posted recently. Phil was a great resource and I do wonder what happened in his life for him to leave us here for now a few years. Anyone know the story?

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

Juskatla....(Im guessing you are down near Stone Mtn, Atlanta??....Or maybe ancient Atlantis? ) I look forward to seeing your progress as you get into your rebuild/resto.

Yep.....my stabilizers will need washers and new pviot pins, as both sides are real sloppy. As you can see in the pic above, the old tires had been rubbing against the cylinder when they were down. One side has a slight "bend", and we rebuilt it but she is still leaking some. So, I will be looking for a pair of good used ones since the price of new ones are way up there.

 

[onemank6]

Jusk I agree Phil had it together with these he also seemed willing to help anyone whatever happened i hope he is ok.I had one of those pistons come off inside the bore and when i let go of the swing it made a bang and the hoe kept swinging kinda puts you in the grab your face with both hand and pinch your butt cheeks as tight as you can while you try to figure out what just happened and whats that gonnna cost me !!! It also good to know im not the only one crazy enough to put so much into these old hunks of iron that just wont die just like 68 on here he has done a lot to his and i just seen a new to me thread where he changed his front bearings my hats off to him and he has shared all of his work with everyone.I guess it is like owning a harley if i have to explain it then you probably wouldnt understand. When you get started if i can help in anyway just let me know i look foward to seeing your thread about this as well.

 

[onemank6]

I thought that the chain is welded to the stabilizer then runs threw that loop to the boom to hold them both up while traveling. I have traveled with mine 3 times on the road and no problems with it dropping now and then i do lift the boom as it drifts very little.Ha i noticed one of those pins on the bottom of mine was also falling down when i removed the hoe for this teardown i will be correcting it when i put it back on if i remember those pins had a groove in them to line up with the bolt so im not sure why it has done that on mine but the bolt is still there in mine.

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

xpack.......Yea, those front spindles and bearings were a blast! Actually kinda difficult on one side, but I got her done, and am glad since the bearings were shot on both sides.

Funny about the piston coming off inside the bore, and your physical reaction to the dilemma. Almost as much fun as an explosion of hydrualic fluid in our face. I guess doing these repairs is kinda like hiking up Everest......just taking on the challenge and working through the hair-pulling issues, and finally getting it done right......theres a little pride to that, and a great amount of learning as you do it. Havent needed to use the ice pic yet, but who knows when I start working on the backhoe.

 

[Juskatla]

I'm actually as far west of you as possible, short of Alaska. Black Creek is on balmy Vancouver Island in British Columbia.... My project is sitting outside and the immediate task is to either get it running and drop the how, or drag the whole thing into the shop the hard way. Its amazing what a Turfor and couple of chains will do for you. I do wish I had set a few anchors in the floor when we poured it though...

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

Juskatla.......hey, you have the Straight of Georgia up there, so when I said "Atlanta", I was kinda close. Ha ha. Yep, you are way up there, but I bet thats some beautiful territory around you.
Turfor.....I had no idea what that was until I goooglled it....a super duper heavy duty come-along device. At first I thought it was some type of dozer. Learn something new every day. Good idea....having anchors in the concrete for the tufor to pull from.

 

[Juskatla]

Both Xpack and your self have cornered the postings for 580CKs these days. Its great to have pics and comments on what/how that will benefit the rest of us who own these old work horses. The Turfor is very handy for long pulls as the cable on mine is 150 ft and can be adjusted to pull anywhere along that length. I have help coming on Thursday and then my grandson and I will see if we can get her started again. If not, then the long hard pull into the shop will get underway.

Back on Topic, I had my control valve off a couple of years ago and replaced all the O rings for the adapters on each section. Solved a lot of leaks but I have two spools that still leak, so once the engine is dealt with, I will drop the hoe and pull the valve assembly out again to do the same as you have with yours. My hydraulic guy advised that for that work, to only use Case bits as his were not going to work. I will order them before staring that job, likely in the spring. The Crow foot wrench that Case shows in their parts book is the tool to have. I have two that came with the machine and they fit in between the tubes and hoses just fine, being round. I believe they are OTC, but not sure.

 

[1968 Case 580CK]

Juskatla.......Yea, xpack and I have been chewing the pfat about these old CKs......and hopefully it will help others down the road.

Control valves.....I ordered all the proper Case ORings from Tractor Stuff, and got more than I needed. I ordered ORings to replace everything in the control valve assembly, and ended up just leaving the big box together and only replacing 2 orings on each of the 6 valves. It was actually easier than I had thought to do. The cost for all the Orings, and with a couple extra for each type, was only around $40. You may want to order those top boots as Xpac suggested....but I didnt, as I had read someplace that some people felt it trapped water underneath them. Wish I had put the boots on. Yep, the Case Crows Foot wrenches would be the best.....I couldnt find my set and ordered the cheaper set.