Can I slow down my low range on my Case 448

627 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by rickw, 16 d ago

rickw

Discussion Starter · 18 d ago

I have an older 448 with a tiller. My ground is hard and the soil compacts easily. The tiller does a great job but my low range is too fast. I have to keep engaging and disengaging the travel lever so the tiller has time to do its job. This generates heat in the hydraulic system. Are there lower speed gears available or a drive motor with more displacement that can slow it down. This tractor is dedicated to tilling only.

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bigman

· #2 · 18 d ago

HI Guy
You need yourself a Flow Control Value
From the family of Case tractors it shows up on the right side of the tower
did a search "pics of flow control value" (1) Search results for query: pics of flow control value | Case Colt Ingersoll Tractors

bigman

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rickw

Discussion Starter · #3 · 18 d ago

I think I have more going on here than I realized. Went back to the garden and started tilling again with cool oil and things were better. When oil is cool tractor moves in first notch, when hot it does not. It's getting so hot under the hood that the carb is vapor locking. I found one issue- lift arm is allowing tiller to drop too far and tiller frame is bulldozing ( could cause drive relief to bypass and heat oil ) ??. I should probably take some temps with the lnfared thermometer and find out where the heat in coming from.
I need to check tiller pressure relief and look for more issues.
A flow control valve might be the answer but I was curious if another model might have a larger displacement drive motor that would give me more torque. Flow controls can be expensive and if you don't have the steel lines they can be a bugger to install, but it might be my only option. Thanks for the idea. Rick

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a66coup289

· #4 · 18 d ago

@rickw , what weight oil are you running in the hydraulic system and when is the last time you changed it? 20w40 was recommended by Case, but most are fine with 15w-40

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k0jdd

· #5 · 18 d ago

I don't have a tiller on my tractors, but I have used walk behind tillers in the past. They have a tendency to run away from you.

One thing to try is to rotate the tiller tines opposite to the direction of travel. This puts the tiller tines in opposition to the drive wheels and helps you to move slower.

This method may not help your over-heating problems and may in fact make it worse if everything is working harder... But is is free to try and nothing is to be lost in doing so. It will be obvious pretty quickly if it does not help.

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As far as overheating goes it seems more likely to me that engine heat is building up and heating up everything else including the hydraulic oil. In that case you might want to look at the oil cooler, the cooler fan, the engine tins and block, the flywheel cooling fan, and the hydraulic oil.

1. Is the oil cooler clean and free of debris? Are the fins relatively straight? You can buy a "radiator fin comb" to straighten them. I have seen these for sale at NAPA and on Amazon...

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2. Is the plastic oil cooler fan in front of the pto clutch present and moving? (See #1 below) Are all the fins still intact?

3. Is the engine (and the area under the engine tins) clean and free of debris, oil, grime, etc. Especially the fins on the heads? Are all the engine tins in place? These tins are absolutely necessary for proper cooling of the engine.

NOTE: There are both horizontal and vertical passages in the heads for cooling air flow. The Vertical passages tend to get gunked up and it's hard to see them with the exhaust and intake installed. De-greasing the engine might be in order.

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4 .There is a fan built into the flywheel underneath the front screen (see #5 below). I have seen this fan become plugged with grass and that greatly reduces the cooling air flow. Trey blowng it clean with compressed air.

5. Is the hydraulic oil clean and relatively fresh? The Mfg recommendation is to replace it every 500 hours...

Sorry if I come across like Captain Obvious, but sometimes it's the little things that can cause big issues...

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rickw

Discussion Starter · #6 · 18 d ago

a66coup289 said:
@rickw , what weight oil are you running in the hydraulic system and when is the last time you changed it? 20w40 was recommended by Case, but most are fine with 15w-40

a66coup289 said:
@rickw , what weight oil are you running in the hydraulic system and when is the last time you changed it? 20w40 was recommended by Case, but most are fine with 15w-40
[/QU

k0jdd said:

I don't have a tiller on my tractors, but I have used walk behind tillers in the past. They have a tendency to run away from you.

One thing to try is to rotate the tiller tines opposite to the direction of travel. This puts the tiller tines in opposition to the drive wheels and helps you to move slower.

This method may not help your over-heating problems and may in fact make it worse if everything is working harder... But is is free to try and nothing is to be lost in doing so. It will be obvious pretty quickly if it does not help.

===

As far as overheating goes it seems more likely to me that engine heat is building up and heating up everything else including the hydraulic oil. In that case you might want to look at the oil cooler, the cooler fan, the engine tins and block, the flywheel cooling fan, and the hydraulic oil.

1. Is the oil cooler clean and free of debris? Are the fins relatively straight? You can buy a "radiator fin comb" to straighten them. I have seen these for sale at NAPA and on Amazon...
View attachment 129421

2. Is the plastic oil cooler fan in front of the pto clutch present and moving? (See #1 below) Are all the fins still intact?
View attachment 129423

3. Is the engine (and the area under the engine tins) clean and free of debris, oil, grime, etc. Especially the fins on the heads? Are all the engine tins in place? These tins are absolutely necessary for proper cooling of the engine.

NOTE: There are both horizontal and vertical passages in the heads for cooling air flow. The Vertical passages tend to get gunked up and it's hard to see them with the exhaust and intake installed. De-greasing the engine might be in order.

View attachment 129422

4 .There is a fan built into the flywheel underneath the front screen (see #5 below). I have seen this fan become plugged with grass and that greatly reduces the cooling air flow. Trey blowng it clean with compressed air.
View attachment 129420

5. Is the hydraulic oil clean and relatively fresh? The Mfg recommendation is to replace it every 500 hours...

Sorry if I come across like Captain Obvious, but sometimes it's the little things that can cause big issues...

Click to expand...

I don't have a problem with pointing out the obviovs, it helps me eliminate issues. 2 yrs ago I stripped it down to the frame and went through it. system was flushed, new fan, straightened cooling fins, and new fluid. I believe the fluid I put in was 20wt hydraulic oil. I'll pick up some 20w40 and change it. I'm running the tiller in reverse because it chews up the sod so much better, but that produces a lot more heat. My tines are worn and should be replaced, that could add to the problem too. Does anybody know of an aftermarket supplier for tines. $300 + shipping sounds high to me. Thanks for the info. I'll put the right oil in; Rick

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CobyDog$10

· #7 · 18 d ago

It sounds like the hydraulic oil is your problem. Get that out of it and put 15/40 engine oil in. As stated above, Case used 20/40 engine oil originally in their hydraulic systems. 20/40 is hard to find but 15/40 is readily available. You will notice the difference.

As far as tines go. They have been hard to come by in the past. I have sourced replacements from the dealers on this site.

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rickw

Discussion Starter · #8 · 18 d ago

CobyDog$10 said:
It sounds like the hydraulic oil is your problem. Get that out of it and put 15/40 engine oil in. As stated above, Case used 20/40 engine oil originally in their hydraulic systems. 20/40 is hard to find but 15/40 is readily available. You will notice the difference.

As far as tines go. They have been hard to come by in the past. I have sourced replacements from the dealers on this site.

You are right about 20w40 being hard to find. I'll fill it with 15w40. As far as the tiller goes, I looked it over and it is not sitting level. The front of the tiller is about 3" lower than the back. That's why it was pulling so hard. The front of the tiller was below ground level because the bracket that mounts to the drawbar was welded on crooked. With the correct oil and a new bracket it should be a lot better. Thanks; Rick

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rickw

Discussion Starter · #9 · 16 d ago

Yesterday I made a new bracket for the tiller to make it sit level, put the lift bar pin in a different hole so it wouldn't dig so deep, turned up the tiller relief valve so it wouldn't bypass as easily, and changed engine oil and filter. I put it to work and the overheating issue was better but I still had to feather the drive so it wouldn't stall. Today I flushed the hydraulic and filled it with 15w40. No more overheating and more torque at lower speeds. It worked well enough to finish the garden but I still wish I could slow it down because the drive can still stall the engine when I'm tilling max depth with reverse rotation. In forward rotation there are no issues at all, but the sod doesn't get ground up enough. I may look for the high speed sprocket for the tiller ( they make 3) to chew up the ground faster. Overall I am very happy - Its the best tiller I've ever had. Thanks for the help, I'll have my garden in by Memorial Day ; Rick

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Harry

· #10 · 16 d ago

Rickw, I’m not sure if this will help you. I read in the tiller manual. “ it can be desirable to operate the tiller tine rotating in the reverse direction. To till effectively in this manner, the tines should be removed and turned so the sharpened edge leads when the tiller shaft is rotating in the reverse direction. ✌. Harry

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Harry

· #11 · 16 d ago

I came across this rick after using a Case center drive tiller for the first time a few years ago. I have heavy clay soil and I was trying to break sod for the first time. It was a tough go and was using it in the forward position. After breaking off the sod I reversed the tiller and I broke two tines. That’s when I checked the manual. I ended up picking up another tiller with a 444 and reversed all the tines. So I have one tiller for forward tilling and one for reversed tilling. ✌. Harry

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rickw

Discussion Starter · #12 · 16 d ago

Harry said:
I came across this rick after using a Case center drive tiller for the first time a few years ago. I have heavy clay soil and I was trying to break sod for the first time. It was a tough go and was using it in the forward position. After breaking off the sod I reversed the tiller and I broke two tines. That’s when I checked the manual. I ended up picking up another tiller with a 444 and reversed all the tines. So I have one tiller for forward tilling and one for reversed tilling. ✌. Harry

If I can find another tiller at a sale or auction (with good tines) for $300 to $500, I would buy it. New tines are $300. The manual I found on this site also recommends removing the extension for hard ground. Rick

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