1990 Ford 555C Backhoe - Should I buy?

[RickB]

give you a little insite on a cat bachhoe it is a case motor and trans and a newholland rear end so how can they be much better than the others

Decals & paint, the same two things that make Deere so good.

 

[Martian]

Decals & paint, the same two things that make Deere so good.

It is so true... the main difference between backhoes is the dash and that's about it...

 

[whodat526]

Decals & paint, the same two things that make Deere so good.

that is exactly why i am thinking of painting a ford 3000 johndeere green and yellow so that people can get a good tractor but have the color everybody seems to like and i might even get a little more money for the tractor

 

[Martian]

that is exactly why i am thinking of painting a ford 3000 johndeere green and yellow so that people can get a good tractor but have the color everybody seems to like and i might even get a little more money for the tractor

Haha, most people would have no idea.:laughing:

 

[Equipmentlocatorman]

Also, remember that we typically see a 2% to %5 premium on case and cat equipment. That has been our experience anyway. I think it has to do less with quality and more with brand recognition.

 

[jml755]

Can't speak specifically about the 555, but I bought a Ford 755 TLB about 6 yrs ago. Tires were in worse shape than the one you're looking at. Replaced the fronts over the last couple of years, few hundred bucks each, mounted, IIRC. Easy enough to call a tire place and get a price. Have had tubes put in the rears due to flats and there's not much tread but..... this machine cost me under $10k. I put my own driveway in with it which paid for the TLB by itself. I've used it to transplant trees and have dug countless stumps, reworked my property, dug ditches, etc. Yes, it's a tired old machine (1980) and the pins are a little sloppy, but I'm not making my living with it. One of the bad things about heavy-duty construction equipment is the price of repair parts. But I've been able to find the things I've needed online and avoid the pain of the NH/Ford dealer pricing. I've replaced a fair number of the hydraulic hoses due to leaks and I can even get a complete engine rebuild kit for around $500 if I need/want to do it. The scariest ($$$) thing would a failure of the shuttle transmission, but a Ford mechanic told me they're pretty bullet-proof. Not sure if it's the same design as on the 555.

I also own a Ford 3600 tractor which is a great machine. Cost me under $5k. Yeah, Case is a real popular b/h and Cat makes great equipment but for what I use it for and what I've got invested in it, the Ford TLB does me just fine.

 

[Martian]

Alright guys, salesman still hasn't gotten back to me and its starting to tick me off so I've been looking around a lot lately and I think I've found a pretty good tractor. It says its a 1996 Case 580SK (Super K) but I've looked around and can't find any others that new so I think the guy is either not aware of what he has or its a typo but heres the link:

1996 Nice case 580 super K.

Looks like a pretty good machine, haven't called the guy yet but for that price I think I could do it. Especially since the Ford I was looking at was 6 years older and a couple grand more. I would hope he would trade but I will have to see.

Can anyone tell me what that actually might be (I don't think its actually a 580SK because I can't find any others that new) and also if anyone has had a good or bad experience with them:thumbsup::thumbsup:.

 

[whodat526]

from what u can tell from the pics it seems to be a decent price if it is how they described it

 

[Martian]

from what u can tell from the pics it seems to be a decent price if it is how they described it

True, hope it doesn't have the four stick cause that will be a deal breaker!

 

[Martian]

I also found another Case, a 1994 590 Turbo. Real close to me which is another huge plus. You can look in the cab and see it is the Case controls... which is really disappointing. Anyone think its worth the shot? How long does it take to adjust?