New Case 580 Super E project!

[sporklift]

Well, I've done it now! Bought a 580SE with lots of leaks, a large weld repair on the tower, and some other "tinkering" needed.

First step will be to rebuild the boom and dipper cylinders. They leak bad enough that it can't hold itself up more than a few seconds. The dipper cylinder I'll take into the shop, but the boom cylinders I'll do myself.

Other things included on the laundry list:
-Fix poor routing on many of the lines.
-Replace many of the line clamps that are missing
-Rebuild all the other cylinders
-Replace a missing drain plug (!!!)
-Change motor oil (other fluids changed just prior to my buying)
-Brakes are grabby sometimes, need to check it out
-Auto-leveling linkage is missing
-Lights missing
-"neutral" switch on the loader control is missing
-Tach/hour meter is not spinning
-Several pin retainers need to be fixed
-New oil pan

I'll post some pics. Love to have your feedback. I'm excited to get digging!

 

[sporklift]

The bad

You guys are awesome. I've read through other posts where a helpful observer spotted something in the background of a photo that was trouble. I suspect the problems in my photos will be somewhere in the center of the viewfinder! =) But hey, maybe you guys will see something else.

The hoe is not immediately usable - I need to rebuild those cylinders and replace a few lines first. But the most pressing problem is this missing drain plug I found ... or rather failed to find! Love to have some help identifying what component this is a drain for... and how bad it is to have run without it. If there was supposed to be oil in there.... well, obviously it's dry now.

Drove it 17.5 miles home through the rurals... maybe it came loose on the trip, but nobody saw any fluid loss.

I need to get it plugged and refilled. The loader still operates fine, and I was driving it around my property with no problems -shuttle and other functions seem normal. (but I'm new to backhoes). Anyone know what size/thread this is so i can go buy a replacement?

Other things - smashed oil pan (so I don't know if the oil pickup is working properly). Bent pad bracket should be easy to fix. What else.. oh, I found a broken bracket on the diff... take a look! Seems this used to be 4wd, but now it's 2wd.

And last, checkout the redneck pin retainer made from diamond plate and WELDED to the nut... more like tack welded, since it appears to have been broken for a while.

 

[wrecd]

im no expert on 580e's but i think the missing plug is supposed to be that way, it is a hole so you can put an extension on a ratchet and drain the torque converter.

the broken bracket on the diff is for a parking break i believe.

anyhow im sure someone that knows a little more than i do will chime in soon.

hope to see some more pics of you new hoe soon. good luck :drinkup

 

[willie59]

Plug missing is no big deal, that's a dry convertor housing. The plug would be necessary on a machine with a wet convertor housing. You could stick a plug in it if ya like, keep dirt/mud out, but if you were in mud that deep, got more important problems at the moment. It's probably 1/2" or 3/4" pipe thread.

Broken bracket on front of tranny is for parking brake. That shaft sticking out that you thought might be 4WD shaft is actually shaft for parking brake disk. You'll find these parts on the parts pages at Case website.

Can't remember for sure, but I'm thinking the 580E had an inline fuel filter on inside of frame, about the area where that left step is on side of machine.

Looks like a good machine.

 

[amunderdog]

While you are diging around thinking about things see if you can find the engine side sheet metal. They are actually part of the cooling system.
Good luck with your project.
Hope you got a great deal.

 

[sporklift]

You guys are awesome. I was able to get a little work done tonight after reading that the plug is not a major problem. Thanks for the quick insight and a bit of peace of mind!

And it felt great not to be digging with a shovel anymore! Ever since I sold my mini-ex, 20 minute minor yard projects seemed like a weekend ordeal. This is my first backhoe... first time operating one actually, but after the 30 minutes I put in tonight, it's starting to feel right... the brain is starting to connect to the levers and adjust to the dimensions.

Interesting about the parking brake! Thanks for clearing up that mystery guys... the previous owner simply used the outriggers as the parking brake.

ATC, I'll poke around under the frame some more tomorrow to look for that fuel filter. Previous owner said he just changed all the filters except the motor oil filter (which he also gave me).

Oh, and a little photo here that belongs on thereifixedit.com. Nail used as a cotter key. Nice. =)

I tried to post photos of the welded tower casting, but the forum won't let me, since I already posted those photos here:
https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showpost.php?p=248064&postcount=42

Now I'm shopping around for a reliable seal kit supplier. There are dealers on ebay and numerous others that come up in a web search. Any favorites? Or more importantly, any companies to avoid?

 

[sporklift]

amunderdog, good point about the engine shroud. I'll keep an eye on the water temp until I can get replacement sheetmetal there.

 

[sporklift]

WOW. I just checked out the Case parts catalog. It's very refreshing to see companies finally distributing this information instead of locking it up and charging for it. Komatsu made me send a photo of my serial number before they let me into their secret website.

Case makes it much more accessible!

 

[Phil]

Check the boom cylinder tubes for being bent(hence scoring inside). I just put one on a C model. The Coleman Equipment site has prices on Case parts. The seal kits are very reasonable from Case. Make sure you use the correct fluid to top up the brake master cylinders, do not use brake fluid, check the operators manual first. Phil

 

[claysred]

Looks like a fun project.

 

[ScottAR]

Seal kits are only around 20-25 dollars USD. I am curious why the
dipper cylinder is getting farmed out and the others are not? After
taking them off the tractor, they all look the same on the inside.

I've used equipment parts source for some other aftermarket items and they were reasonable and I had no problems.

 

[sporklift]

The dipper seems the heaviest cylinder, and I was just hoping to avoid wrestling with it. I also read somewhere that it if I do it myself, I should dig a hole and put the boom down in the hole to make access easier... which I suppose I can do, I have space to dig.

So is the dipper do-able without a fork truck and a 15' cheater bar? The smallest cylinders, the ones running the loader, hold pressure just fine, but will eventually need to be done. I suppose I can practice on those first. Time is slightly a factor, since I would like to prove the machine is useful before my wife gets the idea it's just another big project in the yard.

Taking a cylinder in and doing the others myself seems like it would speed things up. But maybe I'm overestimating how long it takes to rebuild a cylinder. How long _does it take?

 

[ScottAR]

I used our little john deere compact to lift it out. if I'd dug a hole for the boom to lay in, I coulda used a engine cherry picker I bet...

I had a six foot cheater on my breaker and gland wrench. if it won't come loose with that. peen the end of the cylinder tube with a small shop hammer. Atco has a post around here about doing that.
First cylinder, budget 2hrs +/- so you can go slow. After first one it will go faster. Prepare to loose a couple gallon of fluid, kinda messy. Like I said getting the cylinder off the tractor is the hardest part. Sometimes it's easier to leave the tube on the machine. Outriggers for example, just undo the pin out by the pad
and pull out the rod leaving the tube on the tractor. That way you don't have to fight two things at once. If the suction is making pulling difficult you can undo the hose going to the extend side of the tube and put some air pressure to it...

 

[willie59]

I had a six foot cheater on my breaker and gland wrench. if it won't come loose with that. peen the end of the cylinder tube with a small shop hammer. Atco has a post around here about doing that.

You mean this thread Scott? https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/showthread.php?t=11396

 

[ScottAR]

That's the one... works...

 

[sporklift]

Removing cylinders

ATCO, that's a nice thread with your peening technique! I'll have to try it if things are stuck.

ScottAR, I'd do like you if I had a second tractor or lift truck available. I'm going to have to either improvise or use brute force or both.

I dropped an ad in Craigslist looking for recommendations for a local cylinder rebuilder... and got connected to a guy with an mobile hydraulic repair business. We worked out a fair price for getting the dipper and boom cylinders rebuilt, with the bonus that he'll show up on site. The backhoe is unusable as it is now, so paying someone experienced for the first (and time-critical) repair seems like a great way to go. I'll be able to peek over his shoulders and get to experience the basic techniques in person.

When it comes time for the lift and tilt cylinders and outriggers, I'll be ready to take them on myself.

Now, after finishing the digging I needed to do today, I decided to get started on removing the cylinders. Take a look at the position I put the hoe in.. it's convenient to use a shop crane to lift the cylinder out... but I worry that when I remove the boom cylinders, the assembly won't be able to support itself. Perhaps I'll block it with a 4x4 post in the joint between stick and boom. What do you guys think?

Also, since I drink well water, I'm pretty careful of what I let drip into the ground. Check out my improvised drip chute, which I slung under the boom. I made it from two reflectors (from fluorescent light fixtures in the trash), held together with sheet metal screws and hooked to the boom at one end with a piece of mild steel TIG rod. I know, I should have some safety wire handy... but lost the spool somewhere in my shop.:beatsme Works well so far.

 

[sporklift]

Hydraulic rat's nest

I'll be attempting to fix this tangle at the same time. A few too many fittings for my liking. Plus it puts the hoses in danger when I swing out to either side.

 

[sporklift]

We got the three cylinders out today. Seal kit is on order and everything should be back together by Friday!

The shop crane actually did come in handy. We didn't have to wrestle the cylinders at all... I didn't get a drop on my shirt or pants.

 

[willie59]

Looks like your doing a good job tearing into it sporklift. Keep us posted.

 

[ScottAR]

Good progress. Looks like your boom lock is missing the pin and the rubber strap.