Its a 1973 Case 580 B four cylinder diesel and has been sitting for way too long, at least two full years and maybe more. There is always a minimum standard checklist that should be gone through for a tractor that's sat for an extended period, gas or diesel powered. First make sure the oil levels are adequate, make sure a fully charged battery is available along with a good set of jumper cables, clean the inevitable corrosion from the surface of the battery terminals as well as from the insides of the battery cables and the ground connection to the frame of the tractor should be removed and buffed clean as well as the ground connectors on the battery cable. Make sure there's an adequate supply of fuel and at least SOME coolant in the radiator. Following this basic checklist should get most tractors back up an running if they were in good running condition when they were parked. Now mind you, I'm talking 3 or 4 years at the maximum with that generalized statement. There's ALWAY'S the anomaly. Generally speaking a diesel will be more likely to be easier to get up and running over a gas because the diesel fuel acts as a lubricant as well as a source of power whereas gas engines can much more likely to suffer from corrosion or rust in the fuel circuit from the tank all the way to the carburetor. THIS one is a diesel.
The braided ground clamp was original equipment from 1973 and was about half of the strands were broken from numerous battery changes. So the first order of business was to replace that with a brand new 4 gauge braided ground cable. Ya just gotta have a big path for the heavy flow of electrons while cranking the starter. Anything to inhibit that 'flow' generates unnecessary heat and a failure to provide enough amperage for the load to adequately do its intended job.
The little rain squall the first morning afforded me the opportunity to regroup the following day with the appropriate materials and supplies to fire the old gal up...well, almost. She was brought out of her two year slumber by the unauthorized use of a screwdriver to jump out the starter mounted solonoid. So the next trip will include a dismantling of the solonoid to clean all the corrosion from its terminals because that is more than likely what is causing it to fail to operate off the starter button. This tractor, by the way, is scheduled for a rework of the charging circuit. Just checking the static voltage on the battery before starting and after starting results in no change. If the existing system was charging, the output voltage from the alternator would elevate the 'static' battery voltage of 12.6 volts d.c. to roughly 14.6 volts d.c. after the engine started....but that will be another video.
Now, before you go adding a hundred other items that should go on the list, please understand that this is not the total list of things to go through when trying to get one started but this is a basic list to get MOST of them close to running or actually running. The LAST thing a fellow new to the 'tractor collectors guild' should do on an old gas tractor is to just go buy all new plugs, points, condensor, wires and a carb kit and rush to do a complete tune up before they try anything. Now its OK if you are a seasoned mechanic or at least well versed in the mechanics of the particular tractor you have in front of you. You probably know what you are doing and will more than likely succeed in fine form. But if you are a newbie to the sport of spending money on an antique machine that will usually be worth less the the total sum of the parts you will eventually buy.....don't do it. Do what you can to get it in operation THEN with it running determine what you need to do to get it to the level of operation at which you are comfortable.
This, of course, is only an opinion column and not based on facts. But it IS based on a culmination of experience. Another opinion widely accepted by tractor enthusiasts is that everyone over the age of 16 needs a dozen or more of these four wheel money pits !!
So happy tractoring guys and remember to enjoy the intimacy you will share with each and every one of your awesome machines, whether they run or not.

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