Search results

Everything working out in the end can sure make one forget a whole lot of trouble, that's for sure! 🙂 Good catch Ted!

Unless I'm mistaken Ted, the flow goes to the loader valve first, then out from there to the backhoe. At least, that's the way it is on the 455, 555 and 655 according to my service manual. Is the 445 different?

Keep in mind that once you bend something like this, it's bound to wear out at an accelerated rate. Instead of even pressure across a large surface area, a bent bracket and/or pin will result in pinpoint contact at high psi and much more rapid grooving wear. It pays dividends to pay close...

So you said that the loader lever will not come out of float, right? Perhaps it is actually stuck in between float and powering the bucket down, which is putting a load on the hydraulic system, bleeding off some of the necessary pressure to fully apply the clutch. That's the only other thing I...

Ohhh, that's not mud anymore. You're buried. The front bucket not working with a full oil reservoir is a little puzzling if the backhoe is working and running from the same hydraulic system. Maybe you've got some crud in the loader valve? Are you certain that you're not just hitting the relief...

I take it you've already checked the hydraulic oil level to be sure you didn't spring a leak and pump it all out into the mud? Is the backhoe working normally? Or also dead?

I own the stock too. It doesn't mean that things couldn't be better... But again, nobody is blaming Amazon. The consumers are the problem. There are many many people who don't understand the difference between a high quality item that costs more and a piece of junk that barely works, and won't...

I don't see any bashing, I see facts. A vast majority of the stuff sold on Amazon is cheap imported junk. So much so, that at times, during a search it can be hard to filter through and find things that are not. That's not Amazon's fault, it's due to the fact that most average consumers buy...

I believe the controller is the same. The item in your picture looks like a diode. You should be able to easily test it with a multimeter that has a "diode test" function. Most modern digital meters have that. It should conduct and display voltage drop in one direction, and "OL" in the other...

Sounds like you may have a hydraulic pressure issue. What did the mechanic do? The electric clutch disengagement is only going to be on or off like a light switch. It just cuts off or turns on the voltage to the solenoid that activates the hydraulic clutch in the transmission. If the loader is...

Fred, on my 555D, it's just as the usual and as these guys have described. Push the lever fully forward until it hits the detent and stays there. Pull it back to get back out. If the lever won't go forward into float position, don't force it or you may bend or break the linkage. You may need to...

Deeper lug fronts will help, but you probably need more weight on the tail with that big of a load, too. I like these Carlisle Ultra Guard fronts, super deep lug. Ag (R1) tires would probably be even better. Not much will keep moving heavily loaded in super nasty mud, regardless. Don't know...

Yep.

Mine has multiple Lynch pins. Never lost one yet.

There should be 3 places. The one up in the front of the machine is the hydraulic fluid reservoir. There should be two separate fill points in the floor pan by the operator's seat. The front one is for the transmission, the one further back is for the rear axle. All use the same oil, MC134D. The...

I agree, maybe solenoid coil. Check for voltage at the coil wires when it's not wanting to move and see if it's trying to activate the solenoid or not.

Everyone needs to decide that for themselves, it's a very individual thing. And so is the amount of money spent. I generally sit patiently watching the secondhand marketplace for attachments, and pounce on a good deal when I see it. It's easy to spend maybe 1/10 the cost of new that way. Many...

They will last a good deal longer than a lead-acid battery, generally. But not really worth the trade-off at the current price point. They are usually considerably lighter for the same capacity also, but that's not something I worry about too much for a tractor or a trailer.

I'm sure they would work great, providing you get the battery with a proper capacity, but they aren't very cheap yet.

This is absolutely not true. My dad ran a re-refinery for Safety-Kleen, recycling old oils for many years. The recycled oil was not visually discernible from new oil. I know this for a fact because he brought glass sample bottles home to show me.

You were talking about the normal darkening of the oil being due to water earlier, not the choco milkshake. Big difference between those and their causes.

Water in oil is immediately obvious. It doesn't turn it brown in the manner you're describing. In any real quantity, it turns the oil into more of what looks like chocolate milkshake. Oil turns darker in use over time due to particulates and carbon that build up in the oil and are suspended...

I have a little John Deere x595 with a loader that could use some teeth if I actually wanted to dig with it. So I bought some...in the form of a 4WD backhoe, lol. And no, that (Ford 555D) does not need any teeth to dig with the loader bucket - in any soil I've run across, anyway. I use the hoe...

Yep. I got my 1994 555D for $8,500. 4wd, extendahoe. Needed front tires, will need rears eventually, starting to crack - but if they hold air, all good for me. Needed a little shuttle electrical work and a starter. Engine runs like a top, pins and bushings are tight.

If you can get a backhoe and then adapt it for front QC and add a thumb on the backhoe, I don't think it could be beat for working around personal house/property. Backhoes are bigger, heavier (more stable - caveat: used safely) and stronger than most any skid. Skids are good because they're...

I agree with TT, sounds like an electrical issue. My 555D has a little "computer" that is basically just a shift control module. Shift solenoid not getting activated sounds like the problem you're having if you're getting no reaction anywhere. I would check the shuttle fuse, first thing. Then...

Well, isn't that about the gist of it? Everyone learns and adapts at different speeds. For some, it's jump in and go after 5 minutes. For others, it's very slow going, and tedious. I've been lucky and always fit into the former part of that range.

If you were closer I'd probably take you up on that. Good mowers.

Ordering off of Amazon may be part of the problem. Most of the replacement parts sold there are of low quality. You'll need to expect to replace most of them more frequently.

Probably splash lubed. Oil doesn't splash so well when it's cold.

Best way to get stumps out in my experience using my Ford 555D backhoe is to not cut the tree down at all. Dig a hole on the side of the trunk away from where you want the tree to fall, break or cut the roots on that side, then reach up high and push it over with the bucket. Leverage and weight...

Yup, they made excellent stuff. I always keep my eye out for any at yard sales and such.

I picked up this set, worked great on my backhoe in the tight areas. You use it with an air hammer and the offset punch tool. Sold by Milton.

Adhesive lined heat shrink.

?? Your first post in this thread that I see was tonight at 7:07 pm? Mine was 3 weeks ago. But at any rate, if we agree, that's called a consensus... And yes, most common use electrical solder used to be 60/40 tin/lead. These days it's mostly lead-free, and that's mostly tin. No, it's not the...

Those melt-in repairs work awesome. I've been using one for a few years now. A guy I know threw out a DeWalt ¼" hex drive impact because he dropped it from a high ladder onto concrete and the base where the battery slides in cracked almost completely off. I saw it in the trash and stuck a...

Check the filter bowl first. If that looks clear and un-gelled, check your fuel shutoff solenoid next.

I have run my IR on only 3 maintenance oil changes in 20+ years. But it's in a heated garage. It still hits it's rated CFM with nothing done maintenance-wise but an electric motor change, air filter changes and the couple of oil changes after the original break-in oil change. I don't like...

I just changed some 10 ply 12-16.5s. broke the beads with a stabilizer.

That's just fine if you can get by with it. Won't work at all for high flow tools. A big impact, for instance, will be next to useless with such a little compressor. But most are using electric ones these days anyway. I have a blast cabinet also though; small compressor won't fly there, either.

I've got a 5 HP, 80 gal IR as well. About 2001 vintage. I don't generally time it from 0- anything as it's always filled. I shut the valve when not using it and it holds the pressure for months on end. I did time it once just to sanity check the CFM and it checked out at ~16. It's a simple...

Yeah, a bit, I suppose. But it's worth it to get a good machine in the end.

We're getting into nit-picking territory here, IMO.

The factory relief pressure on these machines is only set to 900-1000 psi, which is why they're anemic as they come. Doesn't take much to wake them up a little. The K92 hydro in these is rated for 1500. That's a 25 HP gasser with a 54" deck hanging in the air. Just gotta be sure to have enough...

I like this battery load tester a lot better than the modern ones. And while I would agree that cables are a good first place to check, I never make assumptions about what I will find as a problem. Every machine has been through different things. Differing levels of experience and expertise of...

Yes, especially as I altered the relief pressure a bit... 😁

I have a JD x595 (23 HP diesel 4x4) and a Ford 555D (~72 HP diesel 4x4/backhoe). They both have their individual uses and I would rather not be without either of them.

I think whether you can "dig" with a loader is a matter of two things. One, the kind of depth of cut you're trying to take at once. And two, the weight of the machine. My 14,000 pound backhoe, for instance, doesn't have any trouble at all taking a cut with the loader bucket. My 2,000 pound JD on...

There's no easy way to answer that question without you doing the work of pulling the starter out and having a look at it, the solenoid and also the positive and ground wires from the battery and their connection points. All of these are possible points of failure that may cause slow cranking. I...

That's a nominal rating on the solenoid label, too bad there's no data sheet. And intermittent duty doesn't seem correct, these coils should be continuous duty rated... Intermittent duty solenoids are for something like a starter where they're only used for a short period, then allowed to cool...

What fluids are you concerned about? I've picked Shell Rotella T6 for engine oil, Shell ELC for coolant, and my hydraulic fluid, trans, rear diff and front axle fluids (all the same spec'd fluid on these) are due for a full flush/change in the spring but I haven't decided what to use yet. I've...

I figured, but not everyone that reads these boards is as technically minded...I try to keep things straight for those guys so there's no confusion. Being a moderator at another technical message board, I just know somebody will be asking themselves "How does a solenoid have a 'speed?'" Either...

Fred, where are you seeing that the solenoid should not exceed 10V?

That's actually the pulse width, but I know what you meant. 60% means it's only sending 60% (averaged) of the battery voltage out to the solenoid...

No, the lockup would basically make the tractor drive away at idle, and would also stall the machine if it came to a stop via the brakes. There will always be a slight clunk going into gear. My machine did the same with its original controller. It was never a smooth soft shift engagement. It's...

I would not lower the voltage, I would instead try increasing setting number 1 on the controllers to a higher number of seconds. That should bring the voltage in slower. I disagree with your guy about lowering the voltage. By doing that you could end up inadvertently slipping the clutches. By...

Be sure your idle is low enough. Shifting on my machine feels a little harsh at higher rpm if I leave it up higher with the lever after a cold start on accident, but so did the original controller.

Excellent news, congratulations!

Hmm. Where exactly are you placing the meter leads when you check "power to motor +" and "power to motor -" as you should be checking with one meter lead on each of those terminals, not checking them separately. Those two motor terminals should be connected one to each side of a solenoid coil...

Very nice boat. She's a beauty. You will have a problem with setting 4 if it's at zero. That one needs to be at 100. That's the default value, and means that the controller can output 100% pulse width, or full DC voltage. If you have it at zero it can't output any power at all.

You're going to have to start at the beginning again. What exactly have you hooked up and where, first of all. Are both controllers fully wired into the harness and connected? Also, are the controllers powering up when you shift the shuttle lever into Forward & Reverse? I could probably have...

When you put your meter leads on "Motor +" and "Motor -" on the controller (you can just touch the screws with the leads, red lead to +, black lead to -) is there any voltage while the controller is powered up?

Fred, are your controllers wired in to the harness now? Are you saying that you have power in to the controllers but not out to the solenoids?

The solenoids are not polarity sensitive. Either wire can go to positive or negative.

Got the starter in. It was much easier than I was fearing, too. Most of that was down to the rear bolt starting on almost my first try at the end of the long extension. I couldn't reach in there to grab it with my fingers barely at all. I could touch it, but not turn it. I've got pretty big...

Do you mean on the controller minimum voltage protection setting? That minimum voltage is just the voltage at the battery below which the controllers won't activate the solenoids. Not really likely to ever even come into play for our application, so I just left it where it was at default. If...

Fred, here is the relevant section from my service manual. Note that the white and green wires are the + and - wires directly to the forward solenoid. And also the relevant section regarding the test pin voltage on the back of the TCM:

There are test pins at the rear of the TCM that run around that voltage if I remember correctly. Those are not the outputs to the solenoids though. The solenoids themselves run at 12V - at least on my machine. You'd need to double check in your service manual to be sure, but I would be very...

Properly formed crimps will not fail due to corrosion. If a crimp is properly made, the stands of wire basically cold weld together. No air or liquid can get in to corrode the joint. If you just use a pair of hinged plier type crimpers, you're bound to be making improper crimps. You need a good...

Glad to have been of help Fred, and you are very welcome - I'm more than happy to have lent a hand. Also happy to have helped find a solution for anyone who ends up in the same boat as us. These are great old machines still, I'd sure hate to see them junked because of the inability to get a TCM...

Here you go Fred. The only ones you really need to worry about are 1,2 & 7 (and 8 only if you want to change what's on the display when running to show the coil amperage). The rest will be fine at default settings.

Fred, hang tight and I'll take a picture of the section of the instructions that you need and post it here.

You should get power on the gray or brown wires only when the key is on and the shuttle shifter is moved to forward or reverse. You should have a list of the settable parameters on the paper that came in the box and also there's a reference sticker by the terminals. To cycle through the options...

The lockup is basically just an internal clutch that locks the torque converter so it doesn't slip. If it never worked before I think that answers your question right there. I think it's more useful when roading or when in a very very low crawling gear maybe. A special circuit would involve...

*I* do, yes. But Fred said that he had just powered the controllers from key switch voltage. I think that's not a great idea. I'd just connect them to the harness, then there's no danger of that. Fred, remember that the controllers immediately switch on and would try to power the outputs right...

Fred, yes, mine is working. Drove perfectly using the shuttle shift lever for shifting - until the starter went out. I'm still waiting on my starter to ship.I may just yank the old one apart and see if I can't fix it. The soft stop function is just a timer that drops voltage over a set time...

Yeah, I'm not particularly looking forward to getting it back in. It will probably cost me a few choice words, I think... 😁

Oh, and as far as how to wire the switch for the converter lock-up, I would just use a toggle switch to run 12V to the solenoid when you want the converter locked. You might want to use a relay in that circuit since there's no soft start. Most of the wear to a switch's contacts is from when it's...

Yep, already out. The only part I dropped was that really hard to reach rear starter bolt, which was, in fact, still there. It just fell to the ground.

Fred, I don't think so on that one. You can probably just add a switch for lock-up. Did you use the torque converter lock-up much? (Switch on the end of the shuttle lever).

Well, that turned out to be much easier than I was fearing. 15 minutes and it was out. Partly helped by Fred's idea of removing the filter bracket bolts and pivoting the filters out of the way - but I didn't need to loosen any fittings. The lines were already loose as a goose and pretty freely...

Thanks guys, appreciate the tips. It's a big one, that's for sure.

@TractorTech - ever changed a 555 starter? Wondering how much fun I'm in for.

I think he's wanting to confirm the wire colors on the other side of the harness plugs. I think you might be fine just to run the wiring as I did, Fred. I would be surprised if the other end was different than we are expecting it to be. I know there were several updates to the controller and...

The only panel on my machine that needs to come off is the flat panel under the steering wheel up under which the module was bolted in. And yes Fred, the red wire is extraneous in this application. You can just leave it taped or capped with heat shrink. On that note, I finally received my...

It looks like they match up with the later "D" schematic to my eye. Does that look correct to you Fred? If that's right, on your gray connector you should have Light Blue, Pink, White, Green, Dark Blue, and Yellow. On the black connector you should have Red, Black, Orange, Brown, Gray and...

A nice thing about the service manual for my machine is that it has a section specifically for the transmission electronics. It gives a little more detail than the normal electrical section. You might check your transmission book and see if yours has that also.

Post a photo of your TCM that shows the wires and harness plugs, Fred.

Looks like the FWD/REV solenoids on your machine according to that schematic are a pair of blue/yellow wires and a pair of blue/green wires. Green for forward and yellow for reverse would be my guess, based on my machine's colors. The +/- connections do not matter on the solenoids, the polarity...

I'm not sure I am following those wire color codes. What is U/K for instance? UG, UY may be green and yellow? Ah, missed the color legend in the previous image... I'll have a closer look shortly.

Fred, do you have the service manuals for your machine? The schematics in those are priceless when doing electrical repairs and diagnosis. I was lucky in that my machine came with the full set of service manuals when I bought it from the previous owner. If you don't have them, you may be able to...

Fred, you are very welcome. FYI, the extra two wires on your machine are going to be for the torque converter lockup solenoid.

Ok, here is the pinout and connection guide for my 555D using 2 controllers, one for forward and one for reverse. The controllers are "Hanlei CCM-TK." This will allow the machine to function just as it originally did with the shuttle lever. Merry Christmas! Be sure to check your individual...

Sure, no problemo. I will draw something out for you and add it shortly. Keep in mind that your wiring harness and colors on the 445 may not be exactly the same as my 555, so I will add descriptions, not just wire colors.

It doesn't look like that controller has soft start, is the only thing. And frequently, these controllers need a mechanical switch flipped to change direction, which would add another complication. I just want to use the original shuttle lever. I could create a small circuit with a couple relays...

No, you'd have to make or add something for that. Raspberry pi Ford 555? 😄

Yeah those Wagos are very handy. I have a stash of them that I use all the time for electrical stuff. Handy for making meter probe extensions and long jumpers too. The controllers have an up/down PWM adjustment that could be made on the fly with an added remote momentary toggle or something...

I think that this is normal in the lower gears. Just like it is with a car that has an automatic transmission. You need to hold them back with the brakes at idle, especially so in a lower gear. You might want to check your idle speed and make sure it's at the lower end of the range. That will...

I just grabbed them from eBay, myself. I think at the quantity I purchased (4) they were right around $20 each with free shipping.

Victory! Just ran the machine for a couple hours with zero issues. Pulled a couple stumps, then hauled off the wood and graded back over with the loader bucket. Not a hiccup the whole time. I only had this set up in a temporary fashion at the moment to see if it would work. I happened to have a...

Got an idea for a complete replacement of this module that is pretty cheap and readily available today. Going to try it out and I'll report back.

Oh boy, the back side is a little bit hairier, haha! I don't see any signs of damage with a cursory glance, but I'll check the relays individually and all the solder joints for any cracks tomorrow. Probably check out the pair of electrolytic caps for high ESR too. I broke diode D5 removing the...

Did not know that, thanks for the info. I did notice what looked like a Japanese inspection mark on the opposite side of the metal case. I am pretty impressed with the quality of the circuit board. Very nicely made, and every component and its value where applicable are screen printed. Not like...

I'll be GD'ed. Didn't see that one coming. Doesn't help much though. Doesn't seem to be any availability on that part number either.

Yeah, I figure if I can't de-pot and fix it, I'll just make my own. Basically just a delayed activation switch as near as I can figure. In a pinch I could probably just send 12 volts to the solenoid and be fine.

After about 20 minutes, forward went out, as usual. Checked resistance at the forward solenoid coil just after and it's sitting at 10.1 ohms. Both sides of the coil to ground are high Mohms still. I have a good input signal to the control module at battery voltage from the shuttle switch when...

Well, cold resistance across the coil is 9.4 ohms. No problem there. Both sides are 25 Mohms to ground too. I'm gonna fire it up and drive it around a bit and see if that changes.

Definitely. I've determined all the wires I need to check so that I can do most of the troubleshooting before needing to pull everything apart. I've got the sheets from the service manual printed for checking out the controller as much as I'm able to as well. Might be able to get to it this...

Yeah, I figured likeliest culprit is coil too. I'm surprised the resistance would change when it gets warm is my only qualm. I figured it would overload immediately if there was an issue there. And yes, looks like the fuel tank needs to come out to get to those solenoids. I was hoping it might...

It sounds like you know these tractors pretty well. I have a problem I'm about to dive into on my 555D, do you have any insights? I think the area to concentrate on is going to be the forward solenoid or the wiring to it. Tell me if you agree. The machine starts and works perfectly when cold...

I know this is an old post, but figured I'd add to it in case anyone else is ever searching for this info. This is inaccurate info for the newer 555s. I have a 555D and it is definitely able to shift gears while on the move. There is indeed a red button on the gear shift and also one on the...

Hi guys, my x595 (2004 I think) recently had an electrical failure. I've traced the problem to the small printed circuit board mounted under the radiator shroud on the right side of the tractor. There's a burned up resistor in the board that I can pretty easily replace but it's so charred that I...