Potential Purchase: 7580 Black Belly, questions

LB0442 wrote: Looks great, you got into it for the right price.  I have always liked the look of the big articulated 4wd.  I am glad it's not in a savage yard, good to see the big orange live on.

Freudian slip? :) lol

It is in a salvage yard technically, but we only junk out combines. :) We also do farm our ground, so it will be used on the farm.


Edited by GM Guy - 18 Apr 2015 at 8:08pm

I should have explained that better, but the tractor is not balanced , todays standards require a static (non moving) weight of 30% rear, 70% front,or even a 35/65 and in a pull they achieve a 50/50 split, when you put these tractors on a split scale they are way to heavy on the front and light on the rear, so they need more weight on the rear to get the split right, and we did it with a half tank of fuel, figuring that would be the average. Its best if you have a scale to do it on, becasue adding weight on something doesnt always add up the way you think because of leverage, ie it would take less weight on the 3pt hitch to give you a split, becasue your pulling off the front, and adding to the rear, where as fluid, pulls nothing off the front, just adds to the rear.

Kcgrain wrote: I should have explained that better, but the tractor is not balanced , todays standards require a static (non moving) weight of 30% rear, 70% front,or even a 35/65 and in a pull they achieve a 50/50 split, when you put these tractors on a split scale they are way to heavy on the front and light on the rear, so they need more weight on the rear to get the split right, and we did it with a half tank of fuel, figuring that would be the average. Its best if you have a scale to do it on, becasue adding weight on something doesnt always add up the way you think because of leverage, ie it would take less weight on the 3pt hitch to give you a split, becasue your pulling off the front, and adding to the rear, where as fluid, pulls nothing off the front, just adds to the rear.

So they are closer to 80 percent on the front, and need some weight out back to put it back to proper? If so, that is pretty wild, and good to know, thank you!

It would probably be best to do some cast on the inner centers or do the 3 point weight idea. No calcium around here, especially with radials. I know its quick, cheap, and effective, but I hate what it does to rims, and IMO radials work best dry.

GM guy, mine is SN 2134, 732 numbers older then yours.  Still, they look very similar.

@Trevman,

So far so good, got to do a little tillage with the old girl last year and she needs alot of catching up on maintenance from previous owner neglect (seals, cables, oil lines, drivelines, tires, etc) but I really enjoy the smooth ride.

I bought a distant Agco cousin this spring, a 2-180 White, and I will be swapping tires around, the White blew a inside tire on the way home from the auction, the 7580 had one new BKT on a outer rear dual (IMO a new tire on a 9 bolt dual with a near bald inside is a recipe for putting all the power through the dual and tearing the center of the rim out, so it needed removed anyhow), so I will be buying another new BKT and putting those two on the inside of the White (White's engine is no spring chicken, not concerned about 18.4x38s not being able to lay down all the power, plan to use the 2-180 like a 2-135), and finding some matching used Goodyears (GY allready on it. :( ) to put back in its place.

As far as desperately needed repairs, the PTO driveline is getting alot of slack in its slip joint, and the rear main optional oil cooler started leaking, luckily at an easy to repair place. Steering hose leaking in the dash, needs a section of the exhaust manifold. needs luberfiner housing replaced due to crack. if I can find the complete spin on kit used in a yard I will go that way, but otherwise I will keep the OEM setup.

Last year's major repair was all new battery cables. I made my own, and did it up right by using heat shrink to seal up some hydraulically crimped terminals (16 ton crimper should be adequate. :) ) I converted it to stud type batteries, so I can use group 31 stud types out of the truck.

It took a little $ to get set up for making my own cables, but IMO it was worth it, and now I can do more in the future.  I am proud to say that anything to do with the cables is made in USA, and the cable cutters are too. Unfortunately the hydraulic crimpers are chinese, but seem to be decent quality.

There was one for sale near here yesterday, black belly, didnt look too bad. Asking $6000 ca. Post is  deleted already, must have sold. Trev.

I still have the rear end of my 7080 here if you need parts/pumps