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Surprise Owner of a 446 - Progress Update

20101 Views 77 Replies 29 Participants Last post by  drhulv, 
drhulv
Well, since I have everything broken down as far as I want to go (I think), I thought I'd start a thread that shows where I'm at, what I've discovered, and what I'm replacing as I put it all back together.

Some may remember my initial thread, where I was given this tractor to me by my sister and brother-in-law. It came to me in a complete, but tired condition. It's a 1986 Case/Ingersoll (I call it that because of all the "twin-badging" on it). It was free, with the only condition that I "fix it up". Who could pass up that deal?

My initial plans were merely to do initial checks, see what seemed to be the "big" problems, fix those, change fluids, do a tune-up/routine maintenance, then try it out. After all, I was told the engine ran good and it had been used for mowing within the last couple of years. Only other problems were that it would not charge (might need a new battery) and the PTO would not engage to drive the deck.

So, I started small, bought a new battery and discovered that it wasn't the battery after all. Both the charging circuit and starter were not working correctly. Well, you all know the rest of the story as I'm sure it's an all too familiar, but one issue leads to another, and another, and another...
Before I knew it, my "just fix what's broke" approach turned into a full blown teardown! I believe Castoff mentioned this early on as the only way to know what you have, but I hoped I wouldn't have to go there. Believe me, in retrospect, if you receive something you're not sure about, that's the only way (at least for me)!! I discovered so many issues that would have only cropped up later after I had everything together.
 
What I started with (Point A) -


Where I've stopped (Point B) (I had just painted it) -


This is what I've discovered (so far) in getting from "Point A to B" -

• Missing motor mount
• Leaking lift cylinder
• High pressure hydraulic lines were rotten and leaking (outer casing literally crumbled in your hands)
• Small cuts in the low pressure (return) hydraulic lines, big leaks
• Loose oil filter adapter bolts
• Warped breather/valve cover
• Leaking/hardened/cracked valve cover gaskets
• Defective Starter
• Muffler outer cover wrap rusted to the point of crumbling
• Heat shield under muffler on heat exchanger support rusted away
• Incorrectly assembled PTO clutch, with damaged components
• Missing deck tension spring
• Front axle was bent
• Bent drag link
• Failed PTO safety switch (broken internal spring)
• Improperly grounded rectifier
• Missing hood release
• Worn out steering components
• Steering sector teeth profile destroyed due to worn out upper and lower steering shaft bushings, allowing the steering shaft to drop and improperly mesh with the sector
• Ball joints worn out on the tie rod and one end of the drag link
• Spliced/disconnected wiring
• And, of course, bent sheet metal, fender "droop", rust, bad paint, trashed dash decals, etc, etc

The "good" so far -

• It's basically all there (except for the missing deck access cover and discharge chute)
• Once I got it started, it ran and drove rather well prior to teardown
• Good compression, very little smoke at startup
• First year for integral holding/travel valve
• Engine oil filter adapter
• Structurally pretty sound, the grease covered undersides were actually very well preserved, even the paint
• Not as much of a basket case as my Impala was, when I started that project, which helps with how bad it could be

If the weather cooperates, I hope to finish up some of the painting this weekend and as I continue to rebuild, I'll post additional pics of the progress.

Did I say, "I'm glad this was free"?
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kungdrew
Great Job!!!!

You are going to have a really nice piece of equipment when you get it all done. It's just beautiful.....

Keep it up and keep us posted, You have done a great job so far.
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Mjoe7
This looks and sounds way to familiar. :fing20: Where you in my shop? :sidelaugh
The 1984 446 I am redoing was the same way. Every "wear part" was very worn out to the point of adding material and resurfacing back to specs or replacing with new.

Keep up the good work. Looks great. Good luck getting all that stuff reassembled in the proper order. :praying: I found myself taking pieces back off to get others back on. :fing20:
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bhildret
Looks like you'll have a top notch piece of equipment when you are finished ... keep up the great work!

Brian
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C
I wish that more "new owners" of Case and Ingersoll tractors would come to grips with the reality of the situation immediately, as you have done. Unfortunately, far too many of them do not believe me when I tell them that this is the best route to take and in the long run, it's also the cheapest and easiest.

Yes.... you are spending a fair chunk of change all at once but when you are done, your Case/Ingersoll will be very close to "new" condition because all of the wear parts have been replaced and all of the gremlins have been eliminated. That means you tractor is not only going to be highly reliable for many years to come but it will also perform to its very best. It will steer easily because you won't be fighting the misalignment caused by the bent axle and all the friction caused by worn out rod ends, worn out bushings and improperly meshing steering gears.

This tear-down has given you the opportunity to closely inspect the frame of the tractor for problems and since the trans-axle rarely gives problems, the balance of the issues are all small ones that are easily corrected during re-assembly. For the most part, these tractors are nearly bullet-proof but like anything else that is manufactured, time and wear take their toll on a whole bunch of small parts. It's those small issues that keep cropping up that drive some owners crazy to the point of just getting rid of a truly great tractor.

The irony here is that they won't spend the time and money to do what you are doing nor will they spend the $10,000.00 it takes to buy a new 4000 series Ingersoll to replace what they have. Instead, they go to the local big box store and buy some $2000.00 POS that can't do what their old Case/Ingersoll would do. If they spent half that amount on the tractor they have, they'd still have a $1000.00 in their bank account and they'd also have a tractor that will last longer than two or three of those big box store models.

Even if they have to spend $1200.00 more 5 years from now to rebuild the Onan engine, they are still ahead of the game because at that point, the Onan is good for another thirty-years if properly maintained. It's not about the year of the tractor. It's about how many more years you can get out of one of these tractors if you restore it. Look at all those old Ford 8N, 9N and 2N models from the 40's and 50's that are still out there on the farms and being used regularly for lighter tasks they are suited for.

If you look at what your annual cost of ownership of a restored Case/Ingersoll is compared to that of a big box store lawn tractor, the old Case/Ingersoll is a far better investment. And at the end of the twenty-year period, the big box store tractor will have no value but the Case/Ingersoll will still have decent value.
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K
That is the same approach I took on my recent purchase of a Case 444. I never tried to start the engine, but immediately removed it from the tractor for a rebuild, as I decided to redo the entire tractor as soon as I laid eyes on it. At this time, it is a pile of steel on the floor of my shop, and tomorrow I will start sand blasting it.

I'm sure there is a better machine than the Case out there somewhere, but I have never seen anything built better or that will remain serviceable for as long. Like Castoff said, the new ones are junk and in my opinion, are built with obsolescence in mind, from the start. Mechanically, these are really very simple machines, with few moving parts to wear out, in comparison with a new tractor.

I have a 2006 Craftsman I picked up recently with a blown engine and I would never think of rebuilding it. there are hundreds of moving parts and springs and such that would be a nightmare to tear down. I replaced the 20hp Briggs single cylinder with a 20 year old twin 18hp cast iron engine I had in the shop, and the first time someone in my family needs a tractor I will give it to them. Or I will trade it off for something more interesting.

Please keep us posted, as you move along. and lots of photos please.

One of your problems will be, what to do with it when you pass on. It will still be in great condition and your family will have a big fight over who gets it. Thirty years from now, some member of your family will say with pride, that they got this tractor from their great grandfather, who rebuilt it in 2010. Imagine that!

And Castoff, is very knowledgeable, in rebuilding these things and is the go to guy, when you have questions. Wish I lived next door to him.

Don't forget about the little things like the inserts where rods go through the frame and the dash. Replacing them with new ones, will take a lot of the slop out of operating the various controls. I intend to replace all of the O rings and such in the hydraulic system. I hate to see anything remotely like an oil leak.

I keep a camera in the shop, and take photos of every step in dismantling and reassembly. Getting old, and have run into problems in putting things back together in the past. The drawings are good, but as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Besides, somewhere down the road, someone will have a question on what goes where, and I may be able to help them with an exact photo of where it goes.
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C
km3h said:
Like Castoff said, the new ones are junk and in my opinion, are built with obsolescence in mind, from the start.
Click to expand...
Uh........that's not quite what I said and I take full responsibility for not making myself clearer.


The machinery sold in the big box stores isn't junk. Those are all made to meet a certain price-point so that the average wage earner can carry out light duties such as cutting grass, blowing snow and pulling a little garden cart. None of them are true garden tractors like the Case and Ingersoll tractors but then again, they sell for 1/4 the price. So it is not fair to compare them to something that costs 4 times as much.

In my opinion, someone with reasonable mechanical skills can strip a Case or Ingersoll garden tractor to the bare frame and rebuild that tractor to nearly-new condition for less money than the current cost of a light duty lawn tractor from a big box store. And in the end, come away with a far superior product than anything the big box stores have on offer. It was not my intent to disparage the current crop of entry-level tractors being sold at Sears, Lowe's, HD or other large chain stores. All of those serve a purpose but if you read other forums, the problems encountered with these machines are numerous.

Someone once said: "You get what you pay for." and to a great degree, that is quite true when it comes to the compact tractors people buy. This discussion is not about the pros and cons of big box store tractors. It's about understanding the fact that after 25 to 35 years of use, the Case or Ingersoll tractor you have, is likely in need of some serious restoration work if you want to keep it working for you when you need it the most, such as when there's a foot of snow in driveway and it's 10 degrees F.

If your tractor fails you on that day, then is it the fault of the tractor or is it your fault for not recognizing the true condition of the equipment you own?
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K
Castoff
Sorry for the misunderstanding and the misquote. It was never my intention. I do agree with your statement on the value verses cost.
Nick
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drhulv
Well, didn't get any additional painting done, but I was able to get a few more items done.

The frame is off the jackstands and back on wheels again. Rims were repainted. FYI, all paint is either Power Red or Power White Iron Gard from my local Case-IH dealer. I used a combination of spray cans (to prepaint all the hidden areas under the frame and inside close-in areas, then followed up with a spray gun, using a 8:1:1 mixture ratio (paint:reducer:hardener).


Dash decal (courtesy of Maplehunter), new dash edging, hood release mechanism, grommets, upper steering tube bushing (courtesy of Bhildret).


What I am not fixing. If I find an original decal (see the hydraulic reservoir label below) that still looks good (doesn't have to necessarily be perfect), I'm leaving it on the tractor. There are a few others I plan on doing the same thing with. Just some careful masking, then paint. I think it leaves a little character and I just feel like preserving it. The trashed decals like those on the dash and hood are what will be replaced. Oh, new PTO lever grommet.
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km3h said:
Castoff
Sorry for the misunderstanding and the misquote. It was never my intention. I do agree with your statement on the value verses cost.
Nick
Click to expand...
Let's not sweat the small stuff. :fing32:

I should have made that clear in my first post on the issue. :trink40:
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AC/CASE GUY
drhulv said:
Well, since I have everything broken down as far as I want to go (I think), I thought I'd start a thread that shows where I'm at, what I've discovered, and what I'm replacing as I put it all back together.

Some may remember my initial thread, where I was given this tractor to me by my sister and brother-in-law. It came to me in a complete, but tired condition. It's a 1986 Case/Ingersoll (I call it that because of all the "twin-badging" on it). It was free, with the only condition that I "fix it up". Who could pass up that deal?

My initial plans were merely to do initial checks, see what seemed to be the "big" problems, fix those, change fluids, do a tune-up/routine maintenance, then try it out. After all, I was told the engine ran good and it had been used for mowing within the last couple of years. Only other problems were that it would not charge (might need a new battery) and the PTO would not engage to drive the deck.

So, I started small, bought a new battery and discovered that it wasn't the battery after all. Both the charging circuit and starter were not working correctly. Well, you all know the rest of the story as I'm sure it's an all too familiar, but one issue leads to another, and another, and another...
Before I knew it, my "just fix what's broke" approach turned into a full blown teardown! I believe Castoff mentioned this early on as the only way to know what you have, but I hoped I wouldn't have to go there. Believe me, in retrospect, if you receive something you're not sure about, that's the only way (at least for me)!! I discovered so many issues that would have only cropped up later after I had everything together.
 
What I started with (Point A) -


Where I've stopped (Point B) (I had just painted it) -


This is what I've discovered (so far) in getting from "Point A to B" -

• Missing motor mount
• Leaking lift cylinder
• High pressure hydraulic lines were rotten and leaking (outer casing literally crumbled in your hands)
• Small cuts in the low pressure (return) hydraulic lines, big leaks
• Loose oil filter adapter bolts
• Warped breather/valve cover
• Leaking/hardened/cracked valve cover gaskets
• Defective Starter
• Muffler outer cover wrap rusted to the point of crumbling
• Heat shield under muffler on heat exchanger support rusted away
• Incorrectly assembled PTO clutch, with damaged components
• Missing deck tension spring
• Front axle was bent
• Bent drag link
• Failed PTO safety switch (broken internal spring)
• Improperly grounded rectifier
• Missing hood release
• Worn out steering components
• Steering sector teeth profile destroyed due to worn out upper and lower steering shaft bushings, allowing the steering shaft to drop and improperly mesh with the sector
• Ball joints worn out on the tie rod and one end of the drag link
• Spliced/disconnected wiring
• And, of course, bent sheet metal, fender "droop", rust, bad paint, trashed dash decals, etc, etc

DR-Glad I found your post. :trink39:Beautiful job you are doing. I just bought a 1986 Ingersoll 446 last spring. My tractor has the Cat. 0 three point, selector valve (nice feature) and holding valve (another nice feature). Mine definitely had some use. But it did have a replacement 18hp Linamar installed. I see a bunch of similar problems reading your post. My tractor is a leaky mess-but the oil/grease seemed to protect the lower portion. Still cleaning it here and there. Hood latch is shot. The first thing I did was some rewiring-it was real messy in there and also had splices. My dash is different than yours, I have rocker for the lights above the ignition which I replaced. The bad ignition switch was affecting engine performance. I have a Case emblem on the hood.I am in the process of painting the hood and wheel wells/fenders. I am also touching up on the frame and footrests. Got some rust here and there. A bad spot was where a cab attached to the fender. This caused deep rust/pitting. I don't have time for an full off the frame restoration at this time which would be best way to go as you are doing very well. Once I am done with the painting I am going to go through the hydraulics and replace lines. etc. If there is anything you want to ask about my tractor down the road that may help you don't hesitate to offline me. Best of luck on what is already a great restoration!:thThumbsU AC/Case Guy

:smilie_fl:Orange_tr:trink40::fing32:
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Mjoe7
I love seeing those new dash decals put on. It really makes it look new and it tells others it was a "real" restoration and you went all the way to make it the best you could.
Your at the same stage I am with my restoration, probably a little farther. I keep finding new little things that should be replaced and then have to wait forever as the dealer orders them in. I miss the days when they had it all right there. O-well at least I can still get them. :fing32: I need to finish it before snowfall. :praying:
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drhulv
AC/CASE Guy -

Thanks for your offer to compare machines. Some of the options you have, is where I want to eventually get to. I do plan on using the 446 for mowing duties, but it's beauty is the ability to do much more, with the right options installed. Sounds like yours is really well optioned out with the items I want to add. As far as dash differences with yours, I believe 1986 was a transitional year, so depending on the serial number, yours may have used a newer style (altho I'm no expert on the historical differences).

MJoe7 -

The dash decal did turn out well and it sure changes the look of the tractor. My old one was completely shot. I saw how well yours turned out, very impressed. The new dash trim I got thru Brian, was a nice finishing touch. Glad I ordered it. I did order the Rapid Tac II application fluid you had used and that stuff is great. I got the 4 oz spray bottle and still have plenty left to do any other decal work. I know what you mean about finding other items to fix!

Steering is about ready to go back in, after I finish painting the steering support, shaft and sector. Cleaned and primed for now. The support was a little rusted, so for parts like that, I'm using self-etching primer, followed by sandable primer, prior to paint. I do want to paint this week as the temps and humidity levels should be good for it. If I can just finish my painting, I could do more reassembly!
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K
Looks great drhulv :fing32:
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wurkenman
Great looking project. I too had my 446 down to the frame. I did not have time to get the spray gun out, due to the fact at the time it was my only tractor. Now that I have the 222 to sit beside my big wheel, I hope to get them both painted one at a time.
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drhulv
Well, I've made a little more progress since the last time I posted. I finally got a chance to do some painting, finished up all the sheet metal except the hood. Try to work on that this weekend.

I basically got the control tower "re-stuffed" with the steering components, controls and PTO safety switch installed.

Before -


After -


Close-up of the new high pressure hydraulic lines to the lift cylinder I had a local guy make (by swaging on new Parker hydraulic line to the original steel pre-bent ends), along with the steering area. Replacement steering sector (cast) to replace the worn out stamped steel sector I had. Re-shimmed the steering components and it is now "tight" (figuratively, not literally)! Also, replaced ball joint ends on drag link and tie rod, which helped tremendously. Oh, I made sure to put a little anti-sieze compound for the fit between the steering wheel sleeve and steering shaft (don't want to go through removing a frozen on steering wheel again).


More tractor shots, with seat, access panel, rear sheet metal installed -






I "think" I'm at the point now where I can put the hydraulic reservoir, pump and engine back in. From there, bake on a new PTO clutch lining and reassemble the clutch. Getting closer! :trink40:
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PA318Guy
Looks like it'll be "show" ready shortly. Excellent job restoring this tractor, your attention to detail is very impressive!
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Mjoe7
Turning out very nice. Keep up the good work! :thThumbsU
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Snotrocket
That looks really really nice. Are you planning on working it once it's finished?
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Mjoe7
The spring that goes around the brake lock piece should be hooked on the other side of the piece. Not being a smart @$$ just something I noticed.
With it on the other side the spring pressure helps keep the piece from moving to far to the side. In the before picture it is hooked correctly. :fing32:
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