590 Turbo Advice

[CMSMOKE]

Looking at a 1991 590 turbo that I may purchase. I am well versed with 580 b,c,d,e,k,l and m models. What should I watch out for on a 590? How good were the transaxles/shuttles in these machines? Are parts still readily available for this model? How clumbsy are they compared to a 580? Any advice or info. is appreciated.

 

[Tinkerer]

I have operated 590's before I retired. The company I worked for did not have any with foot swing pedals. I hated the 590's because the levers for the backhoe worked what I would refer to as backwards compared to the Cat backhoes that I was used to. Also locking the boom in the travel position is hard to do. You have figure out the timing as to when to reverse the boom lever to pull the boom all the way back so that you can drop the latch on the boom lock. Other than those minor annoyances it was a decent machine to operate.
It had a good cab heater and air conditioning. The cab was pretty quiet and the loader was real fast.I wouldn't refer to one as clumsy. I would think that about any parts for would be readily available from CaseIH dealers,salvage yards or aftermarket sources.

 

[gggraham]

Transaxles and brakes in these units can be very costly. If the ears on the brake pistons fail and the pieces take out the pinion it's not worth fixing. You'll have as much into labour and parts as you would the machine. There was an update on the brakes in these units and it's amazing how many didn't get done. We saw one last year that had not got the updates, trashed the brakes and filled transaxle with garbage.

 

[alrman]

Transaxles and brakes in these units can be very costly. If the ears on the brake pistons fail and the pieces take out the pinion it's not worth fixing. You'll have as much into labour and parts as you would the machine. There was an update on the brakes in these units and it's amazing how many didn't get done. We saw one last year that had not got the updates, trashed the brakes and filled transaxle with garbage.

gggrraham,
Your obviously talking phase 3 transaxle as in SK model - which would be right for a '91 model. I thought 590 only came out in L series - were they being made in '91 ? -

 

[gggraham]

The 580 K phase 3 had the first transaxle, it continued on to SK and 590. 590 Turbo was being made in 1991 looked exactly like the 580SK. Same transaxle but bigger rear tires and bigger front tires. Lots of axle bearing problems with the 590's too. The transaxle from the early 580 K's to the later SK had too many updates to mention.

 

[alrman]

I don't think I've ever seen one of those - not sure if they made it here on Australian shores.... I'm well aware of phase 3 problems - I was one of the first fitters over here to look inside one - the 580 superK had only just been released here a couple of weeks.
A new owner had done what he had always done with his old machine on a certain stretch of road & angel geared it down a hill. Pinion being pressure lubricated got a little hot - high speed & low eng revs - & 4th gear welded itself to the pinion shaft. For some reason he selected 3rd & BANG! BANG! RIP TEAR BUST... front driveshaft corkscrewed & broke & it tore the output shaft clean out of the front of transaxle.
I had the job of pulling it out in the field & rebuild with only a parts book, no service manual & a set handwritten specs on a faxsheet. Those were the days........

 

[CMSMOKE]

Thanks gggraham, I had my mind made up to find a first gen. 580k (87-89). I know the transaxle and shuttle in these are separate and bullet proof, other than the occassional ring gear and pinion breakage in c and d models. The transaxle in the 590 was my biggest fear. The company I used to had 4 first gen k's. The one I operated was purchased new and when it was traded the clock read a little over 12,000 hrs. If they were maintained right, they would go forever. I wasn't quite sure how many changes were made from the k to m model. I did know l and m shuttles were electrically controled, but had not been inside one. I found this 590 close to home. It has 5100 hrs on it and was extremely well maintained, but sat about 4 years. Thanks for the insite, I think I'll pass on this one.