TLB newbie in NW Montana with new-to-me Case 530 CK TLB

[OldMontanaPhart]

Hello-

Just bought this old hunk of iron and need to get it into functional shape so I can move some dirt before winter.

I'm a semi-retired RN 63 years young and know NOTHING about diesels, not much more than nothing about tractors. Have a whole lotta tools and figured I'd best be putting a few of 'em to good use before I get too old to be able to lift more than a 8" Crescent wrench.

Got a bit over 3 acres of hillside and rocks to play with and try to arrange into something my wife will think looks good [of course, just as soon as I get it arranged, she'll want to REarrange it...]

My new toy's bad points:

Leaky fuel tank-leaking around rear stud
Pretty much covered in greasy dirt on rear half due to #1
No working gauges-instrument cluster rusted
Hand throttle presently operated with a piece of baling wire
Blown gasket between exhaust manifold and muffler
Not charging [no wiring connected to generator...]
Rear tires are different sizes, unbelievable they even hold air
Swing cylinders drip, pretty weak
Stabilizers don't extend quite far enough to lift rear off the ground

Good points are:

Starts w/o ether [in this weather, at least]
Had shuttle clutch replaced ~ 25 hrs ago
all hydraulics work
Goes forward and backward
Steers easily both directions
Came with Operator's manual and parts books for both tractor and Model 31 backhoe
Cheap-just like me...

 

[mitch504]

step one on the charging issue: throw away the generator and go to NAPA for a $45 one wire alternator, hook that one wire to battery positive.

 

[OldMontanaPhart]

TY for the response, mitch54-I was kinda wondering if that would be the way to go. Just happen to have a brand new 1-wire sitting on the shelf which was supposed to go on my Massey-Harris 44 [but which will now be finding a new home via Craigslist to make room for mah new 'hoe...]

Got the tank off and to the radiator shop for a bath and brazing of the mounting studs, my new neighbor stopped by and showed me that the hand throttle was reassembled incorrectly by a previous owner-it works fine now, and I found a new temp gauge/ammeter/oil pressure gauge set I'd forgotten I owned so I should have basic instrumentation and a functioning fuel system again by Thursday PM.

NAPA had a new exhaust manifold gasket [$7!] and fan belt [$22! Us old geezers aren't used to sticker shock like that, I kinda expected together they would be at most $12-15...]. Figure I might as well spring for new radiator hoses while I have it torn apart this much and if the generator's coming off might as well pull the PS pump and change that filter, too.

In looking at the generator I can see no sign that there has ever been any sort of mechanical drive for the tach attached to it, I thought that was what I saw in the parts manual but could be hallucinating. Any suggestions on what tach to get after replacing the gennie with the alternator?

New neighbor suggests that I add SeaFoam to the fuel at 1 oz/gallon and also put some in the crankcase and run it an hour or so before draining the old oil.

Anyone care weigh in on this idea pro or con, personal experiences with SeaFoam in diesels?

The oil-bath air cleaner was pretty much solid mud, I imagine it will run a bit smoother [maybe with more power?] with new, clean oil in there.

The 3 cylinders which appear to have the biggest leakage problems are the 2 swing cylinders and the Hydra-Leveling one on the R side of the loader. Never messed with trying to replace seals or packing on one of these puppies before, any words of wisdom out there?

I've watched the YouTube videos and rebuilding them either looks like a piece of cake or something that could make a big, expensive mess really fast.