Case Crawler Modified To "Steer Like A Caterpiller

Case Crawler Modified To "Steer Like A Caterpiller TRACTORS Modifications 28-2-38 "Like all Case 850 crawler tractors, mine was difficult to steer. I added a pair of steering levers that make it steer as easy as a Caterpillar," says Robert Gibson, Canby, Oregon. The tractor was originally equipped with a pair of steering levers with low, neutral, and high gear speeds for each track. It also had a hydraulic valve that allowed the operator to steer with a brake pedal. The problem was that there was too much difference between the high and low gear speeds for the tractor to steer easily, and there was no way to slip the clutch in and slowly adjust the speed of the tracks. As a result, when turning with a load, the tractor tended to spin in its tracks. To solve the problem, Gibson tapped into the tractor's existing pedal steer hydraulic valve and hooked up a pair of metal rods to a pair of homemade steering levers that he mounted in the control tower behind Case's original steering levers. He removed the hydraulic lines from the pedal steering system and installed a linkage system that pushes the pistons in gradually. The rods allow the piston to move only about a half inch instead of all at once so Gibson can release the clutch a little at a time. "If I want I can still steer using the original steering levers. I think the same idea would work on the Case 450 and 1150 models," says Gibson. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert Gibson, 29176 S. Barlow Rd., Canby, Oregon 97013 (ph 503 651-2800).

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