Ford 755 TLB

[Dan S (NY)]

I have been looking for something bigger than my Ford 3500 TLB and may be looking at a 755. It looks like an early model based on the pictures. Any known problem areas to look out for on a 755 TLB other than the usual wear and tear? This would just be for personal use around the property.

Thanks.

 

[JoeM(GA)]

If you’re looking at a 755 TLB, you’re looking at a monster! Realize they weigh in at around 16-17,000 lbs and are long and wide.
We sold lots of them in the 80’s and 90’s to large water departments here around Atlanta, if it’s a plain 755 or an early 755A look at the swing post and swing cylinder linkage very close, they were way over engineered with lots of links and pins and bushings that required lots of lubrication that they often didn’t receive, very expensive pieces that may or may not still be available. The later ones did away with all that. As with most all Fords of that era, they had issues with cavitation and resulting cylinder holes, but hopefully that issue has already been addressed in its 30 year life! JMHO but something the size of a Ford 555 would be a lot easier to get parts for and move around. Nothing on a 755 is little or cheap. Still a cool old tractor, that 17’ hoe and a big bucket were a beast, they became a has been when the little excavators came on the scene.

 

[Dan S (NY)]

Thanks for the reply and information on the swing post. I would be keeping it up in the woods where a long reach would be very useful and the bigger loader bucket would make quicker work loading my dump truck. One of the considerations in buying a 755 is finding a way to haul it home, way to big for my trailer. I would keep the 3500 for smaller jobs.

 

[Roy Suomi]

Look closely at the joint between the transmission case and rear section.. A lot of older machines that have been "hammered" will leak between the cases.. Repair is to split tractor at that joint and replace the gasket.. Quite a job.. Also , if you do end up with that "bruiser" of a backhoe, You can take a used backhoe boom cylinder and install it in the place of the crowd cylinder. Slightly bigger diameter and will add tons extra power to digging function.. We did that on a couple of hoes and were the owners ever happy with the results. It didn't break the booms... At the dealership we called them " Super Duty" and had decals for them.. I think if I were looking for a good balanced hoe , I'd look at the 555-655 series. The 755 is way too heavy for most jobs.. I broke a ton of sidewalks with the 5500 I had back in the early 80's.. Too heavy...

 

[Dan S (NY)]

Thanks for the info. I am keeping my options open at this point. Looking at the 555 models, they are often more expensive than the 755s. Probably more popular and practical, so the price goes up.