Backerthebiker
New member
Hello Everyone,
New to posting here, but I've used this site for information many many times. Great site!
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 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
New to posting here, but I've used this site for information many many times. Great site!
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 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