John Deere 855

[Snojetter]

This tractor doesn't look abused, by any means. The PO was definitely good about keeping the tractor clean and protected. I've added one hour to the clock moving rocks, dirt, and a little firewood. It's the perfect size for my little property. The wife approves, as does my father-in-law...

 

[JLwoodworks]

That's definitely a well kept tractor. Congrats. I wish I could have afforded to keep mine along with the new tractor. That thing was also the best mower I've ever had.

 

[buildinit]

That looks awesome. I'm sure you will have that forever.

I have a 955 with 3700 hours on it. I've also added a grapple and tooth bar to the 70A loader and standard 54" bucket and love them both. I had to beef up the upper section of the bucket with 5" channel to keep it from bending.

Otherwise the tractor has been a beast, and I only have Turf tires.

I run a 7' King Kutter rake, 5' KK hog, 6' blade, 5' breaking disc that weighs about 700 lbs, and a few other items.

 

[Spanner]

Your tractor does, indeed, look 'clean'.

As above, drive it with care and reverse slowly. Do nothing 'fast'.

The thing to note is the size of the loader bucket. These tractors have a bigger bucket than older tractors twice their size. (e.g. MF35 etc.)
You don't have to fill it all the time. Mulch and soft stuff is fine. Rocks and sand - half a bucket-load is fine.)

 

[Snojetter]

Thankfully I don't charge myself by the hour, so nothing I ever do has to be done quickly. I tend to be slow and methodical in my operations, so I think we should be able to keep the wear and tear to a minimum. I've had plenty of loader experience logging with my grandfather to appreciate a heavy load on a short wheelbase tractor. Anytime I hang weight out in front of a tractor, it's slow and steady for me. Even with ballast, an extreme turn of the wheel or a little slope can change the tractor's balance and start to bring up a rear wheel. Good thing a by-product of slow and steady is less wear-and-tear.

 

[Spanner]

:thumbsup:

 

[Shady oak]

I have a 955 with 2000 hrs. The Yanmar seems bullet proof, and has more than enough power for anything the tractor itself can drag around. It weighs in at a ton, which is my only regret. The rear lift is rated at 957 I think, and that's easily exceeded. (With care) I don't run at full throttle unless working hard, or PTO. I try and match the throttle to the job. The original fuel filter mounting brackets must have broken easily, the new ones are far heavier. I did rebuild my hydraulic lever to take out slop. And yes, the bucket is weird, sort of shallow. Btw, I have yet to add an ounce of engine oil between changes.

 

[techwrtr2]

I love my 855. The only complaint I have about it is the lift capacity, but considering the front axle....

A rule I have with my 855 as well as my older Satoh is operate in 2wd as much as possible. If you can do the work in 2wd, do it that way. If you aren't driving that axle, it's less likely to fail.

 

[Snojetter]

A rule I have with my 855 as well as my older Satoh is operate in 2wd as much as possible. If you can do the work in 2wd, do it that way. If you aren't driving that axle, it's less likely to fail.

That's exactly the way I've been running this tractor. Only needed 4wd for some dirt work in the ditch, otherwise 2wd has been sufficient.

I received the operator's manual in the mail a week ago (the original owner did not have it at the time of the sale) and I read that the tractor could be shifted from from 2wd to 4wd on-the-fly. That surprised me...I don't think that I ever would have done that. And I'm leery enough that I probably won't do it even though the manual says it's perfectly acceptable. I guess I just feel that there's no chance for a problem if I shift when the wheels are stationary. Of course, I was also surprised that the tractor doesn't have a clutch pedal!

 

[Mechanos]

That's exactly the way I've been running this tractor. Only needed 4wd for some dirt work in the ditch, otherwise 2wd has been sufficient.

I received the operator's manual in the mail a week ago (the original owner did not have it at the time of the sale) and I read that the tractor could be shifted from from 2wd to 4wd on-the-fly. That surprised me...I don't think that I ever would have done that. And I'm leery enough that I probably won't do it even though the manual says it's perfectly acceptable. I guess I just feel that there's no chance for a problem if I shift when the wheels are stationary. Of course, I was also surprised that the tractor doesn't have a clutch pedal!

No need for a clutch on a hydrostatic machine. Also, you may have be rolling in order for the gears to mesh and allow you to shift into 4wd. Generally you have to back up just a little to "unload" the gears to allow you to shift back into 2wd.