# need help with 580ck



## skulligan (Feb 2, 2012)

hi everybody. im new to this forum, and to tractors in general. have been looking for a few months, wanted to get a small tractor with loader to both clear my driveway and let me teach myself about hydraulics and the general workings of tractors and implements. after months of searching, i saw what i think was a fantastic deal. (2500 for a very smooth running 1969 case 580ck) got so blinded by the deal that i forgot about the fact that i know enough about engines, but absolutely nothing about hydraulics. and this thing is gonna be way too big to be a self teaching project. so i need some help, even though some of it is going to be really embarasing to even ask for.

everything works great, loader and backhoe will both lift tractor easily, but the rams leak like crazy. (looks like a water gun sometimes) my thought is to try and run through the winter just using the loader to clear snow, then really get in to it and try to fix it up a bit this spring. in the meantime, can i just keep refilling hydraulic fluid to avoid running dry, or will the leaks have long term negative effects? and if i can just keep refilling, how bad is hydraulic fluid as far as soaking into the ground for pets and plants? is there some kind of envirinmentally friendly fluid? (and heres where it gets embarassing) and where exactly do i fill the fluid. the first, and only, thought i had is the about 8 inch tall cylinder with large hex nut pattern on top that kind of looks like spin on oil filter only longer and thinner. its right next to valve control panel, but it doesnt really look like it feeds a reservoir. is there one, or is all the fluid just contained in the lines? (told you im new to all this.) finally, can i run a gasket reconditioning type fluid through the system or will that bind up with the hydraulic fluid? or is there a special hydraulic fluid with that kind of addative for older machines? (i dont even know if dried out gaskets would have anything to do with the leaks, not sure how the rams and cylinders would be packed and sealed) anyway, thanks for the time, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
chris


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## tompreato (Jul 5, 2011)

Chris:
I, too, had little experience with tractors (or other mechanical "things") so I had to resort to shop manuals on the 580CK. There are numerous businesses that sell manuals but the one I have came from Jensales (www.jensales.com). It has been a big help.

Also, many people on the forum have been a big help.

Tom


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