David Brown/Case/Case International

[skyrydr2]

This has been quite the journey over the years and for the most part a serious challenge to do things correctly when repairs were needed as the english talk funny, and write in their manuals the same way LOL, kidding aside, parts can be a real challenge now that CNH is involved and has basically purged all the old stuff out.
Salvage yards are starting to get DBs now but all the common bits are junk on them as well... it's too bad, for the most part they were a very good tractor! And with maintenance performed at the intervals given in their manuals and stored under cover! They could possibly last for many decades! But abuse them with neglect and you WILL BE SORRY! As your poor care will reward you with a simulation of life in haites!
I managed to get one that has not had a perfect life..... Oh Boy! What a problem child.... it is a David Brown 995/6 ( this is a north american version of the english 996) and is a very common tractor and was made from 1971-1983 then it turned into a 1390 for a few more years and finished its run as a 1394 in 1988 when the very last DB made tractor ever, came off the assembly line. The very last tractor was infact a 1594 ,the younger brother of my very own 1594 that was built almost to the day 1 year earlier and only 1075 tractors between them.
Anyways I will tell my journeys with them if anyone is interested?
It has been quite the trip.

 

[skyrydr2]

Well, my latest project has been this 995/6 David Brown, it is not a Case David Brown but a true Pre-Case unit.
Well this tractor has been a PROJECT! It is very easy to work on unless it involves a tubing or fitting. That the Europeans call pipes... anyways THEY SUCK AT IT! The fittings don't ever turn easy and the mickey mouse ferrules never seat once removed cause horrific headaches.
But they can be fixed by soldering them ! Unless it is on an aluminum "pipe" yes I said aluminum.. got to be the poorest choice of material to use second only to the copper tubes ... really lame.. but I fixed or replaced them as needed and now it works and has plenty of hydraulic functions internally and externally too.
Then I needed to replace the clutch..that would have been easy if it had not popped off and smashed my hand into the input shaft causing serious ouch! And after smashing my hand it hit the floor and damaged the pressure plate...that I did not catch until after installation and having it explode in the field! Oh yeah! That was not very good as it tore the throw out bearing assembly to bits in minutes..
$1200 in parts later it was all fixed.
And back to work... for about 2 fields.. then blammmo.. it breaks the timing gears... oooohhhhhh boy did it break themm! ALL OF THEM!
5 gears and $800 later... then while installing them I fine the piston bores had filled with water....as the muffler must have let water leak in .. pulled the head and checked everything out and it all looked pretty danged good in there so cleaned it all up and waited for gasket set.

 

[Cat385B]

Holy Carp, you need 5 gallons of diesel and a Zippo to work on that.

 

[skyrydr2]

Cat, you have no idea how many times I wanted too... But I want it running so I can trade it in. Right now all the lights work and hydraulics function like it was new. It runs really nice now too. It just needs the inlet valve replaced as it is sticky and will cause hard starting due to low pump pressure at start-up. Its a common issue with any tractor that uses a CAV dpa injection pump, like Ford, Massy, Case, John Deere they all have this issue if this valve hangs up.

 

[skyrydr2]

Now as for Big Red, my "other" David Brown made Case IH tractor, it has been a wonderful machine, always starts and has never failed in the field to the point it had to be towed home! Only issue this tractor gave me was a bad relay for the A/c and the front crank driven pump coupler stripped out before hay season ever started so I was able to get a new dog bone and drive cup from All States Tractor Parts and it was good.
This tractor is 97 hp and has a David Brown 5.4 liter 6 cylinder , crispy instant throttle and Smmmmmooooothhhhh as silk! Really nice power unit oh and wicked on fuel !
If it had a fault to whine about it would be the shifting pattern for its manual transmission, that is a bit tricky LOL it has 3 levers to shift ..
The main shifter 1-2-3-R and 2 range levers H-L and rabbit-turtle LOL yup a rabbit and a turtle!
Anyways they all add up to 12 forward and 4 reverse speeds.

This tractor has a really nice cab on it that has heat and A/C and really keeps things quiet inside so I do really like this tractor and I just replaced all the interior padding inside so its like new too.
Only thing left to do to Red is repaint the Red sheet metal . As it has faded . Going to have it done by a friend at his body shop so it is done correctly and should last .

 

[skyrydr2]

Then I plan to trade both tractors and hay baler for a scut with a cab and loader, snowblower and mower deck! I think I may go with a Mahindra as they have crazy hydraulic power compaired to Kubota and they are a lot less with the same features.
Kubota wants a small mint for a cabbed unit with a loader and snowblower and I just can't justify the price difference. Not even dealer support is a deal breaker as they are both really good.

 

[skyrydr2]

Well, in all my experiences with these DB tractors there is one good thing, all the big heavy parts fit together soooo nice! Like when splitting the tractor to do a clutch job, a cabless tractor should take you maybe 4hrs tops to split and reinstall a clutch!
Most time consuming part is getting the adjustments perfect. All this can be done looking at the clutch and tractor assembled!
Pretty clever !
Once this is done you can loosen the frame bolts/nuts a 1/4" and drop the top clutch cover on and retighten everything and install the special wedge that sets frame tension.
I will do DB clutches all day long as they are super easy to do.
Doing head gaskets are easy too but the dang thing is heavy!
Only part I don't care for but needs to be done is the retorqueing of the head bolts after it runs for a bit. You need to remove the injectors to get to some head bolts unless you have a special socket.

The electrical system on them is got to be the simplest I have seen except for some silly resistor components for fuel gage. This stuff is non existent now so if your fuel gage doesn't work.... you need to replace both sender and gage with matching resistance and also the wire from gage to sender to get rid of the resistor mess.
Now wire routing on the open station rigs is pretty slick and easy as heck to trace and replace and has a very neat channel for the ones that go to the fender lamps.
I need to take some pics of this. I like it!
Getting on and off the tractor.... well that requires a disciplined procedure LOL as the shift levers with mess with you BIG TIME!
But once on it is comfy enough to drive for 4-5 hrs easy. Only thing different from Ford, Deere, and Massey is the throttle is on the opposite side of steering wheel. Not sure why this is ? As the foot throttle is normal and every other lever for that matter, only that.

 

[Pig]

Heya!

That the Europeans call pipes... anyways THEY SUCK AT IT! The fittings don't ever turn easy and the mickey mouse ferrules never seat once removed cause horrific headaches.

Indeed! I removed the pipe from the rear hydraulic filter on my newly aquired 1594 as the filter housing was leaking pretty badly. The pipe dropped about 1" at the housing (I hadn't supported it). Installed new seals and O-Rings (and filter), and now that is completely sealed.......but now the hydraulic connections under the tractor are leaking like crazy!

This tractor is 97 hp and has a David Brown 5.4 liter 6 cylinder , crispy instant throttle and Smmmmmooooothhhhh as silk! Really nice power unit oh and wicked on fuel !

Is that wicked = good, or wicked = bad??
I have a 656 gas tractor, that everyone puts down as being a gas-guzzler (amongst other things), yet I find it VERY good with fuel economy, completely reliable and a real workhorse. I even think it uses less fuel than the diesel Kubota (with same HP).

The electrical system on them is got to be the simplest I have seen except for some silly resistor components for fuel gage. This stuff is non existent now so if your fuel gage doesn't work.... you need to replace both sender and gage with matching resistance and also the wire from gage to sender to get rid of the resistor mess.

Ha! The fuel gauge on my 1594 also didn't work. Bought an aftermarket fuel gauge, and still couldn't get it going. Just yesterday night installed a new fuel sender...

 

[skyrydr2]

Hi Pig, glad you made it on over! My tractor is very good on fuel!
Did you get that valve to work for hydraulic flow?
Any hydraulic components on these tractors you touch, make sure you replaced every seal, oring and or gasket associated with that component or guaranteed it will leak!
I finally got that 996 running too, boy that thing fought me every inch of the way too. But it runs good now.

 

[Pig]

Hi Pig, glad you made it on over!

Aye, glad to be here!

My tractor is very good on fuel!

Sweet!
How bad are emissions before the engine heats up; mine is terrible. She's a real stinker when cold!

Did you get that valve to work for hydraulic flow?

No, I haven't even delved into that yet; I am repairing, repainting & doing maintenance on a snow plow and a JD 672 rake.
Too many projects....

Not sure I want to 'hijack' your thread here, so might start a new thread for my 1594. There don't seem to be many sub-forums on this site, so not sure what the etiquette is here about that sort of stuff.

By the way, how did you redo your inside cab padding? Did you buy it, have it made, or do it yourself?
PICTURES PLEASE!
Mine is in 'fair' condition. Not SUPER bad, but certainly not pretty. At least the floor is still good, after a quick sand and paint:
(forgot to add: the rubber mat is removed in this picture; it's actually in GREAT shape, luckily!)

 

[skyrydr2]

We are the only 2 on here with 1594s lol if you like you can share this one or start a new one, these guys are very friendly and like good family members!

 

[skyrydr2]

Yup they are smokers until you work them hard! And I MEAN HARD!
Then it will clear up, but if you just tool around the field tedding or something light duty it will start all over again. It's their nature.
As for interior, mine is brand new from Jensales . They had to have it reinstated as it had been discontinued.

 

[Pig]

Yup they are smokers until you work them hard! And I MEAN HARD!
Then it will clear up, but if you just tool around the field tedding or something light duty it will start all over again. It's their nature.
As for interior, mine is brand new from Jensales . They had to have it reinstated as it had been discontinued.

Oh, okay, cheers.
I've started the 1594 up in the barn, then open all the doors, but still have to leave and go outside. I like the smell of diesel, but CRIKEY, this is one is BAD!

Jensales/padding: oh, WOW, I see it listed now. I am pretty sure that wasn't there when I last looked. Not too bad, cost wise. Does it match the original decently close, i.e. color, and with foam backing?
It's this, right?

David Brown 1594 Cab Interior

David Brown 1594 Cab Kit without Headliner - Gray | Black Basket Weave

www.jensales.com

 

[skyrydr2]

Yes that's it but the squareish part is black .
It comes with spray adhesive! Soooooo it is a bit tricky to install! The adhesive they send is CRAZY STICKY! So you better practice fit everything a few times before you apply the glue! 'Cause its one and done after its on!

 

[skyrydr2]

Ohhh yeahh they are smelly ! The David Brown engine is a cold running monster and because of it they smoke all the time until you work them hard then they burn the glaze off the cylinder walls and run clean. Old Fords were the same way.

 

[skyrydr2]

Here is the interior of my 1594

 

[Pig]

Oh, very NICE! That new padding makes it look really tidy.
I think I might have the exact same voltage meter (although mine isn't installed yet). Do all the original gauges still work??

 

[Pig]

BTW, posted this over at DBTC:
I found an exact replacement for the 1594 hood latch & catch. Not sure how difficult this is to source, so this may not be such a 'revelation'. I was glad to have found it though.
It's available from McMaster-Carr and is adjustable, and about USD12.00 plus shipping:
https://www.mcmaster.com/latches/push-t ... b-latches/

It fits perfectly!

Picture shows damaged (white plastic) old catch/latch that came off the 1594, and the new (black plastic) version that's linked above.

 

[skyrydr2]

Yes, every gage works but the temp gage reads crazy high so I installed a mechanical temp gage as well.

 

[Pig]

Quite amazing they all still work!

I am installing a whole new set of gauges on top of the instrument cluster:
- engine oil pressure gauge
- battery volt meter
- temperature gauge
- fuel gauge
- hour meter (this separate hour meter was already attached by previous owner, as the original one stopped working)

I think the only original gauge that still works on mine is the tachometer.