555 John Deere track loader dozer w/ ripper/ Buy it or not buy it ?

[duke7595]

I have a chance to buy a 555 John Deere track loader dozer w/ ripper.
The guy is asking $6900.00 obo , the undercarriage is about 40 %
at best, but this is ok since I will not be putting to many hours on it,
Just for use around my farm. I just sold a 450 and didn't put more than 200 hours a year on it.

My concern is, I have heard that the transmissions are weak and prone
to failure. I like the idea of more h.p. but can't afford to replace the transmission.
Can anyone give me advice on this machine as to what to look for, or just stay away from it

 

[moriboy]

It's not so much that the trannys were weak, the problem is getting parts. The company that supplied JD with the transmissions hasn't been in business for quite some time and most of the parts are now hard to find and expensive. I've heard of guys spending $15-$20k to rebuild them...

 

[RedNeckRacin]

My grandfather has a 450C with the H-L-R transmission and it works great. I would suggest getting oil samples taken from the motor, transmission, hydraulics, and final drives. If that all checks out, get the machine hot and make sure it will spin both tracks and the transmission shifts well.