Deere 855 - new tach / hour meter setting

[WinterDeere]

So, I have a new-to-me deere 855 with 886 hours on the electrical/mechanical meter, and a tach with a missing needle. I ordered a new tach, and now that it's here, the question is... can I somehow pre-set it to the 886 hours I have on the machine? I have no plans to sell the tractor anytime soon, but I hate the idea of having to explain to a potetial buyer 10 years from now, why the hour meter is not reflecting the actual hours on the machine. I also like to have it read correctly just for my own maintenance purposes.

Thanks!

[Gordon Gould]

You probably can't preset it. Easily anyway. It would defeat the purpose. Hour meters get changed all the time for various reasons in equipment. Each owner should use it for his own maintence purposes. That is really what they are for. When selling just be honest. Tell the buyer the history you know. When buying look at the meter and compare it to what the rest of the machine looks like.
If you like even numbers just do your 1000 hr maintenance now and go from there.

[WinterDeere]

Okay. Sounds like a plan. As you implied, I'm not even sure the 886 hours shown on the current gauge is accurate for this 1986 machine. I think I'll just engrave the hours on the old gauge at time of replacement on a dog tag, and hang that from the back of the new gauge.

[The kid]

So, I have a new-to-me deere 855 with 886 hours on the electrical/mechanical meter, and a tach with a missing needle. I ordered a new tach, and now that it's here, the question is... can I somehow pre-set it to the 886 hours I have on the machine? I have no plans to sell the tractor anytime soon, but I hate the idea of having to explain to a potetial buyer 10 years from now, why the hour meter is not reflecting the actual hours on the machine. I also like to have it read correctly just for my own maintenance purposes.

Thanks!

Take a permanent sharp tipped marker and write the hours and date you changed that right on the side of it. Write it where one can easily see it if opening the hood and looking under the dash.

[Agent Blue]

Why worry about writing anything... Keep the tach with your spare parts and it goes with the tractor at time of sale. This is actual proof if there is such a thing. I would believe many new hour meters are replacing high hour reading guages for resale purposes. When a machine is over twenty years of age one looks at condition... not 100% on the sales speech or a meter that can be disconnected for years.

[MHarryE]

Cat supplies an adhesive label with their service parts hour meters so you can record the hours from the meter that is removed and stick it to the dash. That only helps the owner who is keeping track of service intervals because I doubt anybody would believe numbers when evaluating a trade-in or used purchase. Condition - the important thing. Here is a picture of a L5740 HSTC at my dealers. It has approximatley the same hours that my similar tractor has, but after looking at it I wondered if I had made the right decision getting a Kubota. Okay, the dents and scrapes are operator induced, but the fading has to have resulted from sitting outside vs. mine which is always inside except when being used. A bit off subject but pointing out that condition is more important than hours.

[CharlieS]

While not really practical, you can always clamp the tach down, use a short piece of tach drive cable chucked into a drill press and spin the hour meter for the required amount of time. Course you're looking at + or - 30 days to accomplish the feat.

[mikehaugen]

I like agent blue's idea about keeping the old one to show a potential buyer. If I were buying a used tractor, that would be a good selling point. I think it demonstrates honesty and attention to detail and that you cared enough about the hours to do such a thing. Of course, it could all be BS but hard to imagine someone being that creative as most people that don't take the time to maintain their equipment are not going to take the time to find a used hourmeter to show you.

If you still want to change the hours, another option would be to dissect both gauges and pull the hour meter out of one to put in the other. I have never tried to do exactly that but have taken the fuel gauge and temp gauge apart to re-solder a resistor onto the side of them. I know that they come apart that far so I would think it would be possible.

[WinterDeere]

Thanks, guys. What Agent Blue suggested is exactly my plan. In addition to marking the new gauge with hours at time of replacement, I'm keeping the old gauge with my spare parts. If I'm still alive when this tractor is sold, the new owner will get it with the tractor.

[kneedeep]

I would tend to be more impressed that a owner would tell the hour meter is +855 Hrs. Would certainly influence my decesion to buy