[AT] DC Case

[Ron Cook]

In the mid-fifties my dad bought a DC Case somewhere.  At an auction, I 
suppose.  I had never seen one like it until last fall at an old tractor 
event.  I do not know what year it was built, but it did have an 
electrical system and was a "styled version".  It had narrow front with 
chicken roost steering arrangement, non adjustable rear axles that had 
dished cast centers and spacers to place in for different width.  It had 
steering brake pedals that were round and were operated very nearly 
straight up and down.  A hand clutch on the right hand side that 
operated opposite of a John Deere and the same as a Caterpillar.   A 
steering wheel with fancy multiple spokes and a built in spinner.   Lots 
of nice smooth, big bore 4-cylinder power and cumbersome as all get 
out.  At least for  a 130 lb 14 year old.

Now the reason for the posting..........it was purchased to run the flat 
belt ensilage blower.   Our family, uncles, granddad, neighbors, were 
involved in a silo filling ring and a blower tractor was needed.  Seeing 
as how the DC was good on a belt and unhandy for other things, it got 
selected.  Boy, did that thing work good.  Right up (my dad told me the 
real story about a year before he died) until the old DC threw a rod 
right through the engine while blowing ensilage over the top of the 
tallest silo in the community.  That plugged the blower and stopped 
things that day and they really didn't get going until after I got out 
of school that afternoon and discovered the blown up Case and our John 
Deere 70 on the blower instead of on the cutter.  Well, it WAS and old 
tractor and it just wore out suddenly.

60 years later, I find out that my dad, who was a 2-cyinder John Deere 
operator, discovered oil in the clutch of the DC while , I suppose, 
adjusting the clutch.  So, on that last day he periodically checked on 
the old DC and drained that oil that kept collecting in the clutch.  
Yep.....ran the old girl completely out of oil.  He did not know there 
was supposed to be oil in there.  Funny thing, the farm we were working 
farmed with Case equipment exclusively and was the main reason the old 
DC was bought in the first place.  I am thinking there may have been a 
little too much blackberry brandy or peppermint schnaps involved in this 
whole deal.  I never did get an answer to that.

Ron Cook
Salix, IA  who used to drive a DC Case to school with single bar flipper 
hupcaps on the front wheels.  Cool man!
On 1/15/2012 10:39 AM, Gene Dotson wrote:
>      John;
>
>      The oil filter was an option on most Case tractors of that era. It was a
> partial flow, or more commonly called a sludge trap. It only filtered a part
> of the oil from the oil pressure relief valve and dumped back into the
> crankcase. Most of the debris from the flywheel area would be in the recess
> in the bottom of the housing, making draining the clutch housing more
> important.
>
>      I have always been amazed at the ability of the Case engines to tolerate
> all the debris from the clutch wear and other wear parts. Cleaning all the
> deposits from the crankcase should be a must do task on these old tractors.
> When I cleaned the crankcase on my LA, I must have gotten a gallon of sludge
> from it. When I pulled the sleeves, I think I got close to 2 gallons from
> the water jacket.
>
>                      Gene
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "john hall"<jtchall at nc.rr.com>
> To: "Antique tractor email discussion group"<at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2012 8:03 AM
> Subject: Re: [AT] DC Case
>
>
>> Gene, while looking at the parts book on the Case-IH website, I noticed an
>> oil filter. Was that an attachment for these tractors? Considering the
>> external lines it looks that way.
>>
>> John Hall
>>