Considering a 1978 JD 755 Crawler Loader

[Birdhunter1]

I have 23 acres in SW PA (half woods/half pasture) and I am considering a crawler loader for handling the following:

- Clear 2 thickly wooded acres for pasture (no old growth, all 10" or less trees)
- Move a large amount of dirt from a high area to a low area to build up level around a barn for an addition
- Level an area for an outdoor riding ring
- Level an area for a large pole barn
- Make some trails
- Make some shooting range back stops

Budget is $10k. I would like to buy one machine, utilize it for a few years, then pass it on.

I have looked at some "450" size Case, JD, and IH machines and most have steering/brake issues and seem very worn out in general. I'm capable of a lot of repairs but I really need something I can put to work right away. I'm already fixing up a dump truck I purchased, working on the house, and fighting to take back a small farm that was let go decades ago. Not much time for another project repairing a machine (thought I know anything can go wrong with a used machine).

My search has lead me to a 1978 JD 755 crawler loader for sale for $10k obo. Undercarriage looks great and I believe when the seller says it was all replaced several years ago. I am familiar with the current owner and previous owner. The previous owner used it and I believe he would of taken care of it, which included the UC replacement. The current owner has not used it. The only known issue at this time is a leaking input shaft seal on what I believe is the left hand transmission pump (under the operator seat and batteries). New seal is on hand, and it looks like a job I can handle, but I'm told it was run that way for a long time and the fluid level was maintained.

The machine has sat for 3-4 years without use. It was parked on cribbing up off the ground, out in the elements with the exhaust covered. Overall, the machine looks good. Way better than all the others I have looked at in my price range. Foot controls would be nice to have for steering.

The seller is getting new 24v batteries and fluids so we can start it up this weekend and I can test everything.

I will probably bring some diesel fuel and additives since it has sat for so long. Maybe even drain the fuel that's in it now?

This weekend I plan to check the manual he has for any cold start up instructions, check the fluids, and then fire it up and let it warm up since it is a full hydro machine.

The full hydro seems like a good thing to me, as long as it all works and stays working!

If everything works I plan to make an offer and hopefully arrange a truck to bring it home.

Is there anything else I should expect, other than checking fluid levels, inspecting the UC closely, and running it through the motions once the machine is warmed up?

If you could budget up to $20,000 I don't see anything you couldn't handle with a T180/T190 sized tracked Bobcat or even the larger 800 series rubber tired Bobcats. Rent attachments to help with brush and tree removal, much more versatile or a machine.

 

[leadfarmer]

I spent most of the winter months getting my CAT 955L Traxcavator ready to work.

Adjusting the brakes turned into rebuilding the pedals with new needle bearings. Then that revealed that I needed to rebuild the shift linkage. Changing filters, cleaning screens, and changing most of the fluids got it ready to work. I've been pushing over trees and moving tons of dirt reclaiming my old farm from decades of neglect. So far I have about $500 in parts and fluids and a lot of hours invested, as well as an appreciation for the contortion abilities of heavy equipment mechanics to get in the awkward positions needed to work on these things.

Honestly, I can't wait to finish all these big projects and then sell it! I see now why some consider these machines to be ticking time bombs. After working on mine, troubleshooting some things, and learning what the worst case could of been, I've seen how these machines can quickly be a horrible investment. HOPEFULLY (knock on wood, rub lucky rabbits foot, cross all fingers and toes, sacrifice a house fly) I can get my projects done without anything major happening.

When I sell the crawler, I plan to save up some more money and buy a compact track loader for landscaping and maintenance work around my property. I'm glad I bought the crawler for the major earth moving and tree clearing that I am doing now. It would take a lot more time with a skid loader. I just hope my karma is good and this machine doesn't let me down.

 

[fried1765]

I spent most of the winter months getting my CAT 955L Traxcavator ready to work.

Adjusting the brakes turned into rebuilding the pedals with new needle bearings. Then that revealed that I needed to rebuild the shift linkage. Changing filters, cleaning screens, and changing most of the fluids got it ready to work. I've been pushing over trees and moving tons of dirt reclaiming my old farm from decades of neglect. So far I have about $500 in parts and fluids and a lot of hours invested, as well as an appreciation for the contortion abilities of heavy equipment mechanics to get in the awkward positions needed to work on these things.

Honestly, I can't wait to finish all these big projects and then sell it! I see now why some consider these machines to be ticking time bombs. After working on mine, troubleshooting some things, and learning what the worst case could of been, I've seen how these machines can quickly be a horrible investment. HOPEFULLY (knock on wood, rub lucky rabbits foot, cross all fingers and toes, sacrifice a house fly) I can get my projects done without anything major happening.

When I sell the crawler, I plan to save up some more money and buy a compact track loader for landscaping and maintenance work around my property. I'm glad I bought the crawler for the major earth moving and tree clearing that I am doing now. It would take a lot more time with a skid loader. I just hope my karma is good and this machine doesn't let me down.

I wish you luck.... that time bomb could go off at any given moment!
Don't ask me how I know.

 

[Liquidsilver]

Yeah, hopefully you keep going trouble-free.

I'm curious as to why you are so averse to renting.

I've been figuring up all the numbers for renting a JD 655 track loader, since I have some mature oaks to clear in an 4 acre area that I want cleared and graded. The rental and delivery will be about $4000 for a week, plus fuel. Afterwards, I won't really have need for a machine like it. For me, it's probably not going to be much cheaper than hiring a pro, but I kinda want to have my own hands on the controls.

 

[leadfarmer]

Boy I can't think of anything I have ever rented. I'm just a own it and work on it kind of guy. Probably due to the influence of my family, who have always owned their own machines and my enjoyment for working on things. I'm always tinkering on and using my 63 Jeep CJ5, 91 square body Chevy Suburban, 83 K30 dump truck, and 86 C30 bucket truck.

Typically, I have a hard time getting multiple days in a row off of work to rent something, and I usually take a couple trips a year with my vacation days so they're treasured...BUT, thanks to COVID19, I won't be going anywhere this year, and work has slowed to the point I can take off all the days I want without issue, so renting does make a little more sense to me now.

South-western PA weather sucks most of the time, creating random days where it is dry enough to do work.

I had some notions of keeping the machine around for a longer period of time, like several years, until I was sure I was done with the large projects, but now my plans have changed.

For me, owning equipment is a balance between worrying about maintenance and pride in owning. Most days the good outweigh the bad.

The one negative of owning is that I have a couple friends who keep asking if they can rent my machine to tackle their own projects. I am almost certain that would be the day the machine dies, when it is stuck on someone else's property. I just let them know it will be for sale later this year and anything I can about heavy equipment ownership to steer them away haha.