Ford 5500 vs 4500 pictorial

[LD1]

Well...after my "seal adventure" yesterday, I got things back together and took the girl over to mom and dads. Getting ready for building a house. (septic and basement).

I already posted some pics of the 5500 beside my L3400 'bota, so I thought I take some of her beside dads 4500. And the last picture is a huge boulder (granite?) that had been in the corner of the fencerow I dug out.

Here they are. Enjoy:thumbsup:

 

[joemd11]

LD, that 5500 is a beast! That rock looks to be every bit of 4000#'s. Ford sure made some great machines in their day. Thanks for posting the pics.

 

[LD1]

LD, that 5500 is a beast! That rock looks to be every bit of 4000#'s. Ford sure made some great machines in their day. Thanks for posting the pics.

Definatally a beast. I wish I had a way to weigh that darn thing though just so I know

 

[4500GUY]

That is an awesome machine! I have a 1975 4500 and it continues to surprise me with its capabilities.

If you want to get an approx. weight of that rock, just measure the width x height x length = cu.ft. Then multiply by 175 for granite or 150 for sandstone. This will give a reasonable estimate of the weight. You might find that rock weighs more than you think! I have lifted a rock that weighed approx 7000+, about 2 ft. off the ground! That was max my 4500.

Dave

 

[LD1]

That is an awesome machine! I have a 1975 4500 and it continues to surprise me with its capabilities.

If you want to get an approx. weight of that rock, just measure the width x height x length = cu.ft. Then multiply by 175 for granite or 150 for sandstone. This will give a reasonable estimate of the weight. You might find that rock weighs more than you think! I have lifted a rock that weighed approx 7000+, about 2 ft. off the ground! That was max my 4500.

Dave

Thanks for the compliment. I am honored your first post was in my thread

I have tried to rough guess the weight by measuring, but that can be off by a thousand pounds either way.

The rock is kinda cone shaped. 3' x 3' on the big end you can see in the picture. Then it tapers down to roughly 2' x 2' on the small end that you cant see. And it is about 6' long. (for reference, the cutting edge to top lip of the bucket is 32" and the cutting edge to heal of the bucket is also 32") Nearest I can guess is about 37-38 cu-ft and it is granite. But 6500lbs just seemed too much. The loader is only rated @ 4500lbs.

 

[4500GUY]

That rock sure looks heavy! The 740 loader on the 4500 is rated at 4500lbs as well, but that is the full height load. The breakout force at ground level is rated at 7100lbs. What is the breakout force of your 5500? I was able to lift rocks heavier than 4500lbs, but only to a certain height (approx. 2ft off ground), then the relief valve kicked in.

 

[LD1]

I cant remember what the B/O force was rated at but somewhere around 7000 sounds right.

I have never actually seen a rating on the 4500's loader. And I looked high and low (cause dad has one). And the only place I found one for mine was the owners manual from 1967 that came with mine.

I do find it odd that the 4500 is rated just as high though. Cause the loader on the 5500 us built WAY beefier. And has 4" cylinders vs 3" on the 4500. What is the loader operating pressure on the 4500??? Cause the 5500 is a very low (by todays standards) 1600psi

 

[4500GUY]

Not all 740 loaders were rated the same. The older units from the late 60's were rated lower. I have a later model loader, component 19-501 and I see it operates at a higher relief pressure of 1900 psi. This info comes from an assembly manual for the loader and specifies the component #19-501 with all the specs.

The loader on the 5500 is built heavier, which adds weight and may also have a longer reach, which will put the load out further from the lift cylinders. As you know, a little leverage makes a big difference in lifting capability. I really wish I had that backhoe from your 5500 though! My machine has the smaller 753 hoe (13ft).

What year is your Dads 4500?

 

[LD1]

Dads is a 1966 model. And his has the 755 (15ft) hoe on it.

 

[mongomay]

Nice pictures.

Where did you get the seat for the Ford 5500, my bottom seat has a corner torn out of it. I like the hard foam that was used back then.
Thanks for your time.