This one is for my buddy Nellson. He likes Case’s crab-walking tractors because they had the oomph for heavy tillage, but didn’t sacrifice the maneuverability of a smaller tractor. He also thinks the 2670 stretched the 504 a little too far even with the intercooler, but that’s a discussion for another beer. ?
In the mid-70s, J.I. Case was a pretty well-established player in the game with their rigid-frame 4WD tractors. Farmers loved the 2470 for its ability to handle like a 2WD but with the grunt to run heavy implements…but they needed more capability. Farming was growing at unprecedented levels, and farmers were planting more ground than ever before.
So…Case turned up the wick on the 2470, and brought out the 2670. It was everything that the 2470 was, but with about 50 extra horse. It took a lot more than simply turning the pump screw to get there, though. To make all that extra power, it took a different injector design, a bigger pump, and an intercooler!
By far, though, the thing that made the big Traction King popular was its ingenious method of steering. If you’ve never seen a Case 4-wheel-steer tractor make a wicked tight turn before, it’s a thing of beauty, let me tell you! You can turn one of these tractors around in under 16 feet! Furthermore, on steep hills (think wheat fields in Eastern WA), the crab-steer function almost eliminated implement side draft!
This particular 2670 Traction King lives about 45 minutes north of Sedalia, MO until the end of August. It’s got just under 8000 hours on it, and it’s in surprisingly good shape for its age. It’s not a museum piece per se – the new owner is going to need to address some hydraulic issues. Still, the tin work is fairly clean, it’s got reasonably good rubber, and it’s in good running condition as far as I can tell!
