Buying Advice 86 Ford 555 Special Backhoe

Backerthebiker · May 16, 2014

Hello Everyone,

Don't mean to double post here, but I put my first post in the general buying/pricing section, and didn't get a reply, and I'm wanting to make a move here.

I've recently purchased about 60 acres of wooded, hilly land here in Southern Indiana, where I plan to build a home. I'm looking for a used backhoe to get things going with. My first job will be to cut a road and clear some land, and this is all very hilly, wooded land. I'll need something big enough to push over some rather large trees. The next job will be to dig for septic, trench for electric, then I'm not sure how much of the foundation / building digging I'll do myself, we'll just have to see when the time comes. I've been doing my homework and I'm pretty sure that 4WD and a 4 in 1 bucket are necessities for me, and the extendahoe would certainly be nice. I've got my eye on an 86 Ford 555 Special, and was hoping I could get some general input from you all on it.

It's 4WD, 4 in 1 bucket, and extendahoe. Says it has 2800 hours, 15,000 miles on it. I talked to the guy who has it, and he said he's just a reseller, didn't know much about the history of it, but he said he operated it, and everything worked, except he said the boom on this backhoe moves side-to-side, and he couldn't figure out how to operate that part of it. He also said that one of the clamps on this side-to-side mechanism is leaking a little, as is the dipper cylinder. Other than that, he says this thing is in good shape. Asking $13,500, and it's about 270 miles from me, so I'll have to figure out what delivery would be - anyone have input on that?

I've never operated a backhoe, or any larger equipment. I'm not concerned about that, I'll figure it out, but I won't know what to look for if I go look at this thing, or how to operate it. Any advice there would be helpful. I've worked maintenance in an engine reman facility in the past, so hydraulics are no mystery to me, I'll feel comfortable checking all that out, and fixing what needs it. My main question is, how do I run the thing? And is there anything in-particular I should know about this specific model machine? And, if anyone in south-central Tennessee that's experienced would like to earn a few bucks, I might be willing to pay for a professional opinion.

Thanks!
Backerthebiker

Sportsman762 · May 17, 2014

The price for the machine seems really good. The side shift backhoe is useful for working in tight quarters. However the stabilizers that go straight down do not provide as much stability as the arm style outriggers. The tires look in good shape, and the price is a steal. I do not know how he got the miles as they do not have an odometer. Ford 555 parts are easy to find. I would buy that if I needed a backhoe!

Rock knocker · May 17, 2014

15,000 miles?

Backerthebiker · May 17, 2014

I thought it was odd to see mileage too, but there is a picture of the speedometer, and it has an odometer in it. Thanks for the replies, guys! I was beginning to wonder if anyone was going to talk to me.. Looks like I'll be going to take a look at it this week.

Anyone have a rough estimate on shipping costs for me? 270 miles..

RickB · May 17, 2014

Speedometer and side shift tell me that this machine was built for a market other than North America. I'd question how many side shift specific parts are available here, as I have never seen or heard of one in my area, and the dealership I work at has been here over 40 years and sold literally hundreds of Ford and NH TLB's.

Backerthebiker · May 17, 2014

Interesting thought. I have the serial no, would that show where it was sold? Anyone on here know where I could look that up? I'll ask around, see what local dealers have available for parts.

Sportsman762 · May 18, 2014

This is looking like a European spec machine. I would see what type of engine it has in it. This might be an entirely different machine than the US spec 555. That would explain the price difference if the parts where hard to find. What is even more confusing is that the odometer is in miles. The data plate says "made in France". Perhaps this was a European unit brought into the US hence the "special"?

EddieWalker · May 18, 2014

How far away is your New Holland construction dealer? Don't confuse construction with farm tractors, they guys with the blue tractors can't help you with a yellow tractor. I have a 1998 555E with 4,000 hours on it that I bought with 1,500 hours on it for $18,000 ten years ago. It's 2 wheel drive, open cab with a standard bucket and hoe stick. Your price seems fair, especially with so few hours. Used dealers are about as dishonest as they come, so double check everything they say and rely on nothing that they tell you. It's easier for them to claim ignorance then admitting to something wrong with it. Also remember that he is going to make a profit on it and it's up to you in how big of a profit that will be.

Leaking cylinders mean that you will have to replace the seals and maybe the piston inside the cylinder. Leaks only get worse, so it's just a matter of time. They are kind of a pain, but something I've done dozens of times. New Holland has the parts, but they sell them in kits and you have to buy a lot of extra stuff that you don't need to get what you do need. Fortunately the parts guys there are great and they told me where I can go to get just the parts I need for a lot less money.

Even if everything is working on it great, you will have to wrench on it. The older the machine, the more time you will spend working on it. Hoses will need to be replaced when the go. They need to be specially made since each hose is unique. Napa does them, but they are pricey there. You will need to find another source if you want to save money.

With mine, the biggest issue I'm having right now is rust in my fuel tank. I've added extra, inline filters that I have to change every couple of months. Keeping the fuel clean is a big deal. The starter and alternator came from Eastern Europe and where junk, but the new Bosch ones I bought for it are great.

Do you have a set of large wrenches? Mine go up to 2 inches for my backhoe and dozer. I don't think I have anything over 1 1/2inches on the backhoe, but there might be. Tractor Supply has decent large tools for a fair price.

You cannot push over a tree with a backhoe. They either bend, break or just stay there. You can dig out around the truck and through the roots on all four sides and then push it where you want it with the hoe stick, which is what I do. My dozer will push over trees with a 12 to 16 inch trunk most of the time, but it the ground is too dry, the size of the tree it pushes over decreases quickly. My dozer is 170 hp and weighs 40,000 pounds. Usually I just dig the tree out with the backhoe since it's faster and creates less of a mess. Once you learn how to take them out, there isn't a limit on how big of a tree you can take out.

Buy it if you like it and can get parts, walk away if you cant.

Eddie

RickB · May 18, 2014

EddieWalker said:
How far away is your New Holland construction dealer? Don't confuse construction with farm tractors, they guys with the blue tractors can't help you with a yellow tractor. I have a 1998 555E with 4,000 hours on it that I bought with 1,500 hours on it for $18,000 ten years ago. It's 2 wheel drive, open cab with a standard bucket and hoe stick. Your price seems fair, especially with so few hours. Used dealers are about as dishonest as they come, so double check everything they say and rely on nothing that they tell you. It's easier for them to claim ignorance then admitting to something wrong with it. Also remember that he is going to make a profit on it and it's up to you in how big of a profit that will be.

Leaking cylinders mean that you will have to replace the seals and maybe the piston inside the cylinder. Leaks only get worse, so it's just a matter of time. They are kind of a pain, but something I've done dozens of times. New Holland has the parts, but they sell them in kits and you have to buy a lot of extra stuff that you don't need to get what you do need. Fortunately the parts guys there are great and they told me where I can go to get just the parts I need for a lot less money.

Even if everything is working on it great, you will have to wrench on it. The older the machine, the more time you will spend working on it. Hoses will need to be replaced when the go. They need to be specially made since each hose is unique. Napa does them, but they are pricey there. You will need to find another source if you want to save money.

With mine, the biggest issue I'm having right now is rust in my fuel tank. I've added extra, inline filters that I have to change every couple of months. Keeping the fuel clean is a big deal. The starter and alternator came from Eastern Europe and where junk, but the new Bosch ones I bought for it are great.

Do you have a set of large wrenches? Mine go up to 2 inches for my backhoe and dozer. I don't think I have anything over 1 1/2inches on the backhoe, but there might be. Tractor Supply has decent large tools for a fair price.

You cannot push over a tree with a backhoe. They either bend, break or just stay there. You can dig out around the truck and through the roots on all four sides and then push it where you want it with the hoe stick, which is what I do. My dozer will push over trees with a 12 to 16 inch trunk most of the time, but it the ground is too dry, the size of the tree it pushes over decreases quickly. My dozer is 170 hp and weighs 40,000 pounds. Usually I just dig the tree out with the backhoe since it's faster and creates less of a mess. Once you learn how to take them out, there isn't a limit on how big of a tree you can take out.

Buy it if you like it and can get parts, walk away if you cant.

Eddie

Any New Holland Agriculture dealer can supply parts for Ford TLB's.

Backerthebiker · May 21, 2014

Alright Guys. First of all, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts and info. I spoke to my local New Holland dealer, who said the side-shift backhoe was available here in the states, and all the parts should be available. He said, even if it was built for a foreign market, the only difference should be in the wiring system. SO, with that information, I went ahead and made the trip to see the machine today.

The tractor ran great! Started right up, sounded good, had good power. Transmission pulled fairly well, although I don't have a real feel for what this should be, so I'll explain, and hopefully you can tell me what's normal.. When I first took off, I didn't realize it but I was in the wrong gear, 4th, the highest gear. It seemed like it had no power, and I was a bit worried about it. In fact, I went down a little hill, turned around, and tried to take off up the hill, but it wouldn't go. Full throttle, and it was just barely crawling. That's when I realized I was in the wrong gear, so I put it in 2nd and it took right off. My question is, is that expected? Would it not take off and pull itself up a small hill in 4th gear? Also, when trying to lift some dirt in the front bucket, driving into the pile, it wouldn't really spin the tires, but it was turning the rear tires over slowly (slowly spinning), and the fronts were maybe moving a little. Is this expected, or should it really spin the tires? It seemed to have good power / dug in to the pile.

Aside from it running and driving really well, there are a few issues, which I expected for the price. Since I have zero experience with operating, maintaining, working on backhoes, I'm looking to you guys to advise me on how serious these issues are, how much I might expect to repair some of them, and an overall opinion on whether the price is still right for this TLB.

First of all, there are several cylinders leaking. The worst leak is the clamp cylinder for the side shift mechanism. I ran the machine for about an hour, and there was a patch of fluid leaked on the ground afterward. I'd say the cylinder was leaking at a rate of about 1 drip every 5 seconds... A considerable leak.

The dipper cylinder also has a fairly considerable leak, and I found that it actually has some surface rust on the cylinder shaft, obviously causing hte leak. This isn't leaking as bad as the clamp, but still running down the boom.

One of the boom swing cylinders had oil on the cylinder shaft, but wasn't enough to drip.

One of the stabilizers had fluid on it, I'm guessing from a leaking cylinder.

Both power steering cylinders had oil on the shafts.

One of the front bucket clamshell cylinders had an oily film on the cylinder shaft / not really bad.

I don't know what's normal, or acceptable as far as leaking cylinders. I have an industrial factory maintenance background, and any of these leaks would have been an issue and put on the list to be fixed. Is some level of leaking acceptable on a backhoe? How quickly would a leak like these progress?

Possibly more concerning is that I found what I would classify as considerable play in a few of the pins / bushings. I have videos and pictures below that will show it. The two boom swing pins were my biggest concern. What is the remaining life expectancy of these? How hard / how much would it be to replace them? The play in the bucket bushings seems less concerning, because it should be easier to get to them and do repairs..