Case 446 Questions

Flyer1 · Oct 20, 2012

Just looked at a Case 446 tonight. It has the black frame. The seller said he thought it was a 1986. Comes with a tiller, 38" snowblower, rear PTO valve and mower deck. It looks to be in very nice condition with original paint.
When warmed up and running, it begins to surge somewhat. Seems to be doing this mostly at idle. Mower works okay, but when shutting it down, it knocks a bit, like a spindle is starting to go. The blower looks solid but the shaft to turn the chute is broken. Looks like it was previously welded, so that would need fixed. The bearings were all tight and it turned over freely. The tiller has some issues. It did run, but after about a minute, the LH shaft started to wobble really bad. So bad that it would hit the shield now and then. Shut it down and it is quite worn. So bad that it looks like it would need a new shaft. I could move the shaft but the bearing in the drive case appeared to be solid. The RH side is worn but not near as bad as the left. The tractor S/N is 14060544. It has the Onan 16HP twin cylinder. The steering seems a bit loose but not too bad. I'm new to the forum and wondered if anyone might have an idea what its worth. The seller is asking $2500. Seemed a bit high to me, especially with the tiller issues. I'll try to post some pictures.

Thanks in advance!

mikebramel · Oct 20, 2012

Looks beautiful. If it works as good as it looks I dont think the price is out of line. If it does have the problems you say plus any others that wont be disclosed until put under load the market shrinks very fast and you are looking more $1500

RestMyCase · Oct 20, 2012

I'm going to call that a 1984 black frame model, the only model year they were produced by Ingersoll. It looks to be in very nice condition and the OEM white seat appears to be in excellent shape, which is a plus in itself. I would put fresh gas in it with a good dose of SEAFOAM and new sparkplugs. That may cure the engine issues. There usually is not much that can go wrong with the tiller and I'm sure Brian H. can source the needed parts to repair it. These tillers can bring $400.00 in good condition, rear PTO $200.00, mower deck $200.00, snowcaster $300.00 but it would need wings to fit the 446 wheel track. Normally they use a 48" snowcaster on the big wheel tractors but the wings widen the cutting path to 42". There must be a sleeve hitch involved to mount the tiller and they are $200.00. I would say $1800.00 to $2200.00 for this package would be a fair price for both the seller and the buyer ... IMHO

:thanku:

Flyer1 · Oct 21, 2012

Thanks guys. We have settled on $1800. Just have to find someone with a trailer now to haul it for me.

petr · Oct 21, 2012

Where are you located at in PA? I may be able to help. I'm near Kutztown.

Flyer1 · Oct 25, 2012

I'm in Greencastle. Thanks for the offer petr.

maxwell1 · Oct 28, 2012

when i bought my 1982 (i think) 446 it had been used on a small farm with tiller so it did not have a mowere deck.
dealer took 3 pt hitch off and installed the 44" mower deck (white color) as most came painted orange i think.

as i started having deck bearing problems, the deck bearing housing on the white deck were made out of al, not cast iron as the older deck bearing housings. as time when on i replace all the deck bearing housing with cast iron housings ($50 each) then drill and installed grease zerks into the housings.
a deck bearing housing filled with grease will make less noise running and also keep water out.

Just my experience: do not use a water hose to wash the bottom of the deck out. the cups under the lower bearing housing will hold water and if you do not run the deck for a time long enough to get rid of that water the water will soak into the bottom bearing and soon you will be replacing the bearings.

tough machine but it does not like to be cleaned with water, just scrap off the bottom of the deck.

keep that clutch adjusted properly as it will wear and that is a big issue for someone who has never replaced one. my hold clutch assembly broke off the end of the crankshaft. only bolted on with two bolts, Onan engineers, (what were they thinking) Knoler motors had 4 bolts holding the clutch assy to motor.

Just some of my experiences over the years.

Flyer1 · Oct 31, 2012

Thanks for the advice on the mower deck, Maxwell1. Right now, I'm dealing with getting the tractor tuned up and running decently. It's not seen much preventative maintenance from what I can tell. The mower will be a winter project.

Mjoe7 · Oct 31, 2012

Yepper as stated it's a 1984 446. The year Ingersoll bought Case and the only year for the black frame and white attachments.
I would put that seat in storage some where safe and buy a black seat for everyday use. Those white seats are no longer available and very hard to find. Worth some bucks to.

The mower deck is a L46 48" and they used aluminum spindles on all the "L" series decks. There is a reason they went back to cast iron spindles.

For the engine surging try adjusting the govenor spring in different holes or the rod in a different hole. The rod from the carb to the govenor usually likes the middle hole and the spring at idle just slightly loose.

I would recommend going a decarbon on the heads and valve areas. Pull the heads off and clean everything up real good and shiney. Buy new gaskets for this. Scrap with a wooden scraper or plastic as to not damage any sealing surfaces.

As already mentioned doing the seafoam treatment is a good idea and certainly the cheapest and easiest. I've had good results with it.
From looking at the hood it appears to be running pretty rich, so some adjustment will be necessary on the carb.

Order a operators manual and it will show you key things to keep it in tip top shape.
The steering can be tightened by taking out the bolt holding the steering gear in place and removing a shim or two from the top and replacing it on the bottom. also check for worn ti-rod ends and a worn front axle pivot pin.

Looks good. I wish you the best with it. :fing32:

Flyer1 · Nov 18, 2012

Thanks MJoe.

I have already re-built the carb, new pug wires, and plugs. Took the intake apart, re-sealed the halves and all new gaskets. I was going to do the heads but wanted to get everything back together and start it up again.

Still have the hunting issue at low speed or idle. If I run the choke about halfway, the hunting seems to stop. I'll try your suggestions and see what happens. I'll probably pull the heads later this winter. Didn't want to get too much tore apart at once. Less things to trouble-shoot if a problem comes up.

Case 446 Questions

Flyer1

Attachments

mikebramel

RestMyCase

Flyer1

petr

Flyer1

maxwell1

Attachments

Flyer1

Mjoe7

Attachments

Flyer1

Top Contributors this Month

Recommended Communities