Finially a tractor owner! JD855

[shooterdon]

Just purchased my first tractor. An old (1988) JD 855 compact with 1100 hrs on it. It comes with a FEL, rototiller, a King Kutter brushhog, 60" mow deck, York rake and back blade. One of the attachments is some kind of "boom" that is supposed to be used to pull logs so I need to research that. I will post pictures later.

It has two flat tires that hold air for about a day or two. It would not start and I got a new battery for it. The battery is a 22F and no one here stocks it, not even the dealer! Would up getting a battery that would fit from NAPA...series 86. Put the new battery in and the starter solenoid did not even click. A friend who had used it before got it started by fiddling with the HS pedals a bit....must be some kind of interlock that is not always making. It ran well for about 15 minutes yesterday except for a fuel leak near the fuel filter.

Tomorrow the dealer is picking it up to do a complete service, change fluids, give it a once over, and repair/adjust what needs doing. I have $3500 into it and hope that another $1500 in repairs will get it performing well.

I bought it from a local widow and she was asking $3000 for it but I thought she was light. I bumped it to $3500 and told her if the repairs come in under $1000 I will give her another $500. That puts me at my budget of $5000. I knew the previous owner and he did not take care of his stuff and the machine is in rough shape. The mounting holes on the front rims are elongated and I will defer to the dealer to see if I need new rims. Do you guys think that is a fair price for her?

The brush hog seems a bit large for it but I will see how it runs when I get it back from the dealer.

Does is make sense to try to salvage the leaky tires by tubing them? The are the original tires (TURF) and 30 years old. When I first saw the machine the rear tire was not flat so I am not sure why it is losing air now. The front tire has been a problem for over a year. If I need new tires, any recommendations for a turf type tire?

Any other advice on this old baby is welcomed.

Thanks for helping my out.

 

[Tractorable]

Nice Yanmar. Those are great tractors. Good that your dealer is giving it a once over. For a good turf tire I’d recommend the Titan Multi Trac. Easy on turf and good in the snow. You may also want to consider R4’s if you plan on doing a lot of loader work as they have stiffer side walls.

 

[TractorGuy]

You're a hellofaguy taking a chance on a tractor that was abused and offering to pay more if it works out for you.

That said if you get into a decent 855 with loader and some equipment for 5 grand you done good.

Love my little 855!

 

[Jstpssng]

The implements alone are worth $3000, and those were tough tractors even if it's been abused. I think that once you get the bugs out, you will be glad that you bought it.

 

[crashz]

Congrats! The 855 is such a great machine. You'll love it. Even though its a pain, do yourself a favor and get new rims for the front and all four tires. If the fronts are OEM, most likely the rears are too. Those old turfs have thin side walls, and my 770 had a blow out that was a big hassle. Might as well get it over with. I got the Titan's and love that tire.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[Thomas]

Congrats on your new investment and welcome to TBN.
JD855 are working little mules :thumbsup: and if in descent shape you done well.
If the tires are to weather crack I'd save least one,and if your able to find rim tube the tire have spare ready to go just in case.

 

[wassup8687]

Congrats on the new to you tractor. It sounds like you got a pretty good deal with all the attachments included.

I have an 850 that needs the engine worked on but it was one **** of a tractor.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Have the dealer look in the fuel tank.. and not just change the filter.. {VERY IMPORTANT}
A 30 year old abused machine has got to have an inch or 4, of crud in it.!!!
& the last thing you wanna do is "try" to get the injection system repaired..
Congrats on the new purchase..

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate, congratulations on the tractor and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site.

 

[Jstpssng]

G'day Mate, congratulations on the tractor and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site.

Good call! Somehow the rest of us missed that, hopefully we didn't chase him away.

If I may be a johhny come lately, as well as borrowing a little thunder from our friend down under- :welcome:

 

[Otgaugres]

Congrats on your purchase. I had a 955 of a little later vintage. Can’t remember the exact year. Heck of a tractor. I was the original owner. I was going thru a period in my life when I felt I didn’t need a tractor. My mistake to get rid of it. Replaced it several years later with a 2720, itself not a bad tractor, but I think the 955 was preferable. Less idiot proofing, therefore less to go wrong. Hope all works out and you enjoy your new tractor.

 

[CADplans]

Our 855,,,

I bought it for my daughter,, (son-in-law wanted no parts of tractor driving)

After the son-in-law ran the 855 a couple times,, he took over ALL tractor operation duties,,,

Funny how that happens!! :laughing: Millennials,,, :confused2:

 

[shooterdon]

Thanks everyone for the welcome and for the advice.

I was able to get more info and it looks like the fuel tank has been cleaned twice. One of the local guys worked on it when the tractor needed it. I think I will have it done again and use a fuel conditioner to keep the fuel "fresh" or at least fresher. I am planning on using 5 gal plastic fuel cans to keep diesel on hand. I had a 300 gal fuel storage tank installed when I moved here to keep gas for the UTV's, gas powered tools and generator. It is green so it would work with diesel but I doubt I will go through enough a year to switch it over to diesel. The closest place to get fuel is 10 miles away so not too bad.

Tractor is scheduled to be picked up today and I will post further as the dealer gives me updates on the work needed. Some I may be able to do some minor stuff myself or with help from others here on the site.

One thing I am wondering about is the practicality of using the mower deck. It seems like a pain to take on and off. Can anyone here comment on that and advise? I have a 48" Husqvarna I use to mow with now and a lot of trees to deal with on over an acre of lawn. The Husky is bad enough around the trees.

 

[TractorGuy]

I've never had a mid mount deck so can't answer the question on ease of changes.

I was using a 50" Craftsman zero turn for a few years. Sold it last year and bought a 6 ft Agmate finish mower to use behind the 855 and love it. I wish the blade speed was a little higher but it does a pretty good job.

For an acre with trees I would stick with the lawn tractor and sell the mmm.

You won't need much fuel on hand for the 855. Get a couple of 5 gal diesel cans from wally world and diesel spout and vent kits from tractor supply and you will be in business. My 855 uses less than a gallon per hour and that is working it. I mowed 4 acres and disc harrowed 1 on 2 gallons.

 

[Dwellonroof]

I had a 755 with a 60” deck and I would drive over the deck in 4 wd , I had to put a 2x4 on each side to help with driving on it

 

[shooterdon]

Update....

Dealer found a bad front wheel bearing and other lesser issues to address. The brush hog and rototiller are OK. The brush hog has a slow leak in the gear box but the dealer said to just keep if topped up every use and it will be fine. It looks at this point I am at about $1700 for his work. Seems high but I will get a breakdown. I found a back blade and six Ag tires and rims for $200 through a contact from a member here (K7LN). So with the new battery, the total at this point is just over $5500.

My hope was to come in under $6000 for this project. The tractor came with the MMM, King Kutter brush hog, JD rototiller, landscape rake, back blade (that a "friend" now says was given to him...so I let it go...found a used one anyway for $100), FEL, and a boom for the 3 pt hitch. The widow I bought it form also threw in Curtis plow for an ATV that looks like new.

I plan on selling the MMM ($750), the ATV plow ($400). I bought bolt on pallet forks ($125) and am planning on getting a Land Pride BB1254 box blade ($650), Carter EZ Hitch ($100) and carry all frame ($150). Will probably fill the tires myself ($100 with WW fluid) and make my own canopy (I have the roof of a Polaris Ranger that I hope to adapt). So just about break even on those items.

Looks like I will be well under for $6000 for a JD 855 with a lot of useful attachments and less than 1200 hours on it. For a hobby user like me that will put maybe 50 hours a year on a tractor it should be good enough. I am in my late 60's and it should last my lifetime...LOL

One of my friends has a similar tractor with a front mounted blower and he is looking for one for me. His cost $800 a couple of years ago. That would be a worth while addition as we get a lot of snow here. If I can find one, I can sell my plow truck and that would save me a bit on money and net $2000 in cash.

BTW, I had planned on getting a new Kubota SCUT when I moved north 6 years ago but could never justify the cost. It does not take long to get to almost $20k. If I had been 20 years younger it would have been easier to justify. The cost of used machines at the local dealers are nuts so I knew I had to find a private seller.

Keeping my fingers crossed at this point but it is looking good. Should get the tractor back next week. Hopefully the weather cools a bit by then.

 

[shooterdon]

The tractor delivers tomorrow. Seems like it has taken a long time to get to this point. Total cost is coming in just shy of $6000. I have decided to sell the mmm as I have too many trees to make it worth the effort of taking it on and off. The mmm was checked over by the dealer and he says it was not used much...it is fine...just a bit rusty. Will clean it up and put up for sale. I should be able to get a nice box blade for what those things are going for. If anyone is interested in it, send me a PM or email. I would be interested in a 5 ft box blade as a trade or snow blower. I know the blowers are expensive so I would add cash to the deal.

 

[shooterdon]

Tractor was delivered.

Bush hogged the 100 yard range, then widened the drive. Bush hog works!
Installed the pallet forks and moved the attachments onto pallets. Also used the forks to move a tree that had fallen across the drive way a week ago. Useful attachment for the money

Did a bit of grading but ran out of steam.

Now the bad....parking brake does not work and I cannot shift out of 4WD. The machine was at the dealer a long time to get checked out. I woukd think these two things should have been discovered. Or am I being too critical?

 

[Dwellonroof]

It should make you a great tractor
Maybe it only needs lubricant on the joints

 

[searcyfarms]

enjoy that sounds like a heckuva deal - I wouldn't worry too much maybe something just loose or bound up from sitting - we can all miss a few things now and then - your dealer is your friend, keep talking you guys will work through it in my experience, when you quit talking is when things to bad