New owner of Ford 555b

[Bostonian]

Hello,

I am new here and very much a novice as far as tractors and deisel engines are concerned. Im in the process of purchasing a 1986 Ford 555b. I intend to use it at my new house to help clear stumps, spread loam/fill, move some large rocks, trench some utilities, possibly dig a garage foundation, and of course snow removal. I hope to only need it for a few years to complete all the big projects and then possibly get rid of it (unless I fall in love with it of course!).I admit its a bit of a risk investing the money in somthing I know so little about. But I figure if I can only get half the things on my to do list completed the machine will owe me nothing.

The guy I am buying it from is a heavy equipment diesel mechanic and says he bought it from the original owner. It seems to be very well cared for, its only got 3300 hours, still the original paint, cylinders are all tight and recently re-packed, tires are all good, no cracks/welds on anything that I could see, even the buckets look close to new, all the glass is there. No smoke or noticeable noise from the engine. Its got the shuttle shift transmission. Regular hoe with 2-stick controls.

The only issues I could see are the cab is starting to rot, the floor of the cab is pretty well rotted. The othee issue is the neutral switch. You have to jiggle the shift lever around to get it into neutral to get it started. I need ti get this fixed right away anyone ever had this issue? Any advice? I just ordered a service manual for the macine online.

Any thoughts? Advice? Anyone have one of these machines? Do you like it?

Thanks

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site and I'm sure that someone will be along to to advise/assist.

 

[CCWKen]

The neutral safety switch is an important safety feature, especially for a new tractor owner. That being said, mine has been disabled since I bought the tractor used. I have 1986 Ford 3910 that, I believe, has the same core as the 555B. If so, the NSS is connected by the two wires that come out of the shift plate on top of the transmission. Check the wiring first. If the switch is bad or loose, you can get to it by removing the top cover.

 

[Bostonian]

Ken,

Thanks for the info and advice. Picking the tractor up today and my manuals havent come in yet so I will tinker with this over the weekend. Thank you.

 

[TractorTech]

The neutral switch is not hard to replace, but the easiest way to start it is turn the key to start first, then move the stick to find neutral. If you're already doing that to start it and it is hard to find that sweet spot, then good to replace.

Great tractor to own and you may very well fall in love with it. One thing to ask the previous owner is if he used a coolant with SCA additive. Most likely he did, but you need to keep the maintenance up on it too.

Have fun!

 

[Bostonian]

TractorTech,

Thanks for the advice.

As for the nuetral switch I tried holding the key to start and playing with the shifter to find the sweet spot and eventually it will start but it takes a good 5 minutes at times. I had to jump the starter just to get it off the delivery trailer because of course it wouldnt start then.

Thanks for the heads up on the SCA additive. I dont even know what that is but i will try to research it and then call the previous owner and ask him about it. If you have a moment and can elaborate please do. Like I said I am very much a novice with deisel engines but looking forward to learning as much as I can.

Thanks again!

 

[TractorTech]

Bostonian, sorry about that, I should have elaborated. Diesels can suffer from cylinder liner pitting or erosion. Starting with 555B's and other Ford tractors of that vintage, Ford changed their engine block design which made that engine a little more susceptible to this. This is not to say this is a bad tractor. The problem has to do with type of coolant used, water mixed with it if a concentrate coolant was used and operation of the engine.

Even if a coolant with the additive hasn't been used to this point, it isn't a negative for this tractor. Just start using a coolant that is recommended for diesels that contains the SCA additive and you will have piece of mind.

Again all diesel engines from all manufacturers are prone to this problem, just some more so than others, so it is not something to be alarmed over, but just good preventative maintenance.

Have fun with your new investment!

 

[Opti-Mist]

To add to the above, he is alluding to air impingement, which is air bubbles developing in the coolant and erupting on the thrust side of the cylinder which erodes the metal over time. It is a more serious issue with parent bore engines than with sleeved engines, and is more prevalent on higher horsepower engines. Like he said, just start using the additive and be comfortable with your tractor.

 

[Bostonian]

Thank you all very much for the info. I've learned a few new things just from this thread and I appreciate the help.

I think Im just going to replace all the fluids and filters that I can once I get the owners manual and service manual and read up a bit.

Thanks again.

 

[Bostonian]

Just a quick follow-up question for you guys on the coolant. I was at a napa auto-parts store today trying to find coolant for my machine. The people that worked there were trying to sell me the green stuff for older machine. The other coolant that they had said "for cars and light duty trucks". I didnt get any because I was unsure but I would like to get this done on saturday so Im trying to figure out what I need to get or where to get it.

Should I be looking for cooland that says for "deisel" engines or "heavy duty" trucks? Or do you think the one I saw that said "light duty trucks" is sufficient?

Anyone have a brand I should look for?

Maybe Tractor Supply would have it?

Just trying to get it right the first time. I appreciate the help very much.