JD 755 Project

[lumberbean]

I was finally able to purchase a JD 755 with FEL and finish mower. The tractor has over a 1000 hours on it and has some rust as you see in the pictures. The one major issue with it is that the hydrostatic transmission stopped working. The previous owner was able to purchase a new tractor so he didn't finish fixing it. The furthest he got was to get the output drive off the tractor and get replacement parts, new washer and bolt. The issue with the hydro trans is that the bolt and washer sheared off of the output drive and fell into the transaxle. I got the tractor back to my house with the help of my brother-in-law and his friend and a nice wench from Harbor Freight.

Now I just need to get the tractor back up and running. First things first is to retrieve the bolt head and washer in the trans axle. I bought a couple of retrievable magnet tools off of amazon and hope they can do the trick. I really don't want to disassemble the trans axle but I guess I will if the magnet tools don't work. I know that there's an upgrade to the output drive that JD has but when calling the local dealer, the parts department guy wasn't able to find it. Does anyone happen to know what this part number is?

Currently, the tractor from what I see needs the following:
-New Grill
-New Taillights
-New Gas Tank
-New front headlights - ones above the grill
-New Paint

My plan is to work on fixing the tractor to an operating state and then work on the cosmetics and other things that need fixing. I have no experience working on tractors but hope that with enough resources out there, I can do a lot of the work on my own since money is tight. I do have the operator's manual, maintenance manual, and parts manual for reference. I might even try to make some youtube videos if there's enough time. Anyways here's the tractor.

 

[texasranger556]

Sounds like a good plan, get it usable then see what else it needs before you spend any money on cosmetics. I'd put a cheap LED bar on the ROPS so you can use it after dark, the OEM lights in the hood aren't very bright anyway. Once you start using it you'll probably find some oil leaks, hydraulic hoses seeping, etc. Then you'll want some implements, etc etc.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I will enjoy seeing how you fix this tractor up but let's be honest, the "nice wench from Harbor Freight" sounds pretty appealing. Pictures?

 

[Spanner]

What is always intriguing about those x55 series tractors is the size of the FEL bucket. :shocked:

It's huge compared to the size of the tractor itself. (!!!)

They have some serious hydraulic power and are a very desirable machine imo.

Best of luck and we're here for you if needed.

:wrench:

P.s. Yes HFW (Harbor Freight Wench) deserves a seperate thread. A nation-wide "HFW-of-the-Day" thread perhaps? die:

:wrench:

 

[Ed of all trades]

Had a 755 back in the day and it was a great tractor. Hope all goes well with your project. Ed

 

[TimberHole]

Awesome project. I would love to find a fixer upper like that. I bought a fixer upper JD 950 but need a fel for it.

 

[lumberbean]

Thank you guys for the responses back, I'm looking forward to working on the tractor and sharing my progress with you guys. I was finally able to work on the tractor and try to fish out the washer and bolt head in the transaxle using the magnet tools from Amazon. After about 30-45 minutes of trying, I wasn't able to get them out. I did hear the magnet catch onto something and then heard one of the two fall off when I was taking it out. I'm now looking at removing the transaxle from the tractor in order to get them out since I don't want them sitting in there.

I have no experience in working on tractors, let alone removing a transaxle from any piece of equipment. Has anyone done this before on their tractor? And if so, how long did it take to disassemble and reassemble? My thoughts going in on this is, I'll need a jack, some jack stands, and impact wrench. Is there anything else I'm missing? And this might be a dumb question but I have to ask, will it mess with the structural integrity of it?

And another thing, what do you guys use to clean your tractor? Its been sitting outside for pretty much all its life and there's a lot of grime on it and was wondering what's the best cleaner to use. A friend of mine mentioned Simple Green and that sounds good but wanted to get some opinions first. I'll have to take a picture of the output drive and upload it to let you see how bad it is. Thanks for all the help.

 

[beenthere]

If me, I'd get a cow magnet and feed it up through the drain plug in the tranny.. with the hopes that over time it would attract the loose washer and bolt head.
Cow Magnet Choices - Master Magnetics, Inc.

For the wash-down, I've recently picked up an attachment for my air hose that sucks either mineral spirits or paint thinner out of a container and sprays down the oily/dirty parts followed by the Simple Green for a rinse off.
Harbor Freight - Central Pneumatic Engine Cleaning Gun - YouTube

 

[Spanner]

My first suggestion is that you purchase the genuine JD Workshop (Technical) Manual. It has all the step-by-step instructions for your planned operation.

Read it 3 times before commencing work.

Now, you can buy the manual from JD as a hard-copy book and/or a CD Rom (for half the price). The book is awesome to have in your hands. You can flick back and forward with ease, mark pages, compare pics on various pages etc. This is not cheap but it will be a great 'investment' for you.
Don't be tempted to buy a cheaper non-JD manual (I refer to your acknowledged lack of experience. You need the best manual you can get. Get the JD one)

The CD is useful to Print pages from as you need them and if they get dirty, print a new copy.

I would buy both book & CD in your case.

You will also need a flat concrete floor to work on and an Engine Crane with some lifting strops or slings.

The Tech. Manual has a simple trick for use to help you -

To dismantle the Trans find the section called Transmission Disassembly.
Before you dismantle the trans you have to get it out. Find the section called Transmission Removal & Replacement.
Before you remove the trans you have to remove the seat base etc. Find the section called Seat Base Removal.
Before you remove the seat you have to remove the wheels. Find the section called Wheel Removal...

Can you see how it progresses? The sections are not in that order - You need to skip back and forward which is why printing pages as you need them is useful to create your own custom procedure manual.

Don't deride JD for this! The reason they write the manual like this is simple. They only write one procedure once. They refer you to other required procedures as necessary. On the CD they use 'live links' which helps but can get you side-tracked. So having the book version helps a lot too.

The manual will help you remove all the gear lever knobs etc needed to enable you to remove the mudguards and sheet-metal.

The manual will also help you disconnect the hydraulics safely and reconnect everything back up in the correct order. And it will show you how to disconnect control rods and linkages etc. Leave the FEL on the tractor, It will help stabilise the chassis with the rear wheels removed.

It (CD version) will also help you cut/paste sections to here for more guidance if necessary.

Once you have the sheet-metal off. refit the rear wheels and roll the machine outside to wash the grime off as thoroughly as possible. It is easier to work on a clean machine and you can see small clips etc better.

P.s. You need all Metric tools to work on this machine. All fasteners are metric.

:wrench:

 

[texasranger556]

Good tips so far, however I wouldn't leave the loader on. Put it outside out of the way if you have the means to get it off your dead tractor. Cut small wedges of wood and hammer them in between the front axle and the frame on both sides so it doesn't flop back and forth once you split the tractor. If you don't have an engine hoist you can use a bottle jack on one side and a floor jack on the other. Block the stationary wheels so you don't accidentally knock it off the bottle jack when you're going apart or back together.

You can find cheaper versions of the JD manual in a PDF download. I paid about $20 for mine and have printed the sections out as I've needed them. The book is nice to have, but I saved the money to spend on parts