Ford backhoe ?.?

[Harold Hubbard]

I plow snow for several residential properties. In the distant past, when heavy equipment was not as universally available, I used my JD 1010 dozer as a backup and push back machine. That is off the table now, except in absolute disaster conditions. Nobody wants to pay for that machine crawling around at two miles an hour when there are faster more powerful alternatives available.

So several years back, I started renting machines from a local excavation company. That worked well, until they started requireing insurance coverage that I couldn’t afford, for the short time I would use them. So I used their machines and operators for a few years. At this point I can just barely break even on that, and I want to buy my own backhoe. I need 4x4, cab and heat.

Ford x55 models seem to run cheaper than comparable Cat, JD, or Case. But, three out of the five ads I have seen, mention transmission issues. So, is this common, or am I just seeing owners trying to unload something before it gets worse. I understand these are all 25-40 year old machines, but so are there other brands I have looked at. Almost none of those mention transmission problems. They are more likely to be bad engines, rotten tires, leaks, broken glass, and general wear.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

The x-55 machines ran to the "D" suffix , then New Holland acquired the Ford tractor line.

Short answer, no, there are no chronic transmission problems, but things do occasionally go wrong , like any used machine.

We've had 6 and 555s from the D all the way back to the 4500, all torque converters, which all had the same basic power train for the most part.

One thing that may be of value to your inspection is check to see how much brake adjustment you have left. If it is all or mostly used up, that means the paper is coming off the disks, and you will eventually have no brakes depending on how much you use it. The paper comes off for a variety of reasons, like water in the oil, or the brakes are chattering. It is major surgery and the disks from New Holland were about $600.

If you do procure a Ford, it would be wise to spend the big money for Dealer oil and change the trans/rear end oil right away. Dealer Oil has the specific anti-chatter additive to protect the brakes. If the brakes are not chattering, so much the better, just keep a pail of Dealer oil around for top-offs.

 

[4020 tractor nut]

I bought a well used Ford loader/backhoe. Unlucky for me because it never really worked after I bought.
I fixed the starter issues but one that has me stumped is the injection pump. I don’t know how to check it before you buy but somehow try to make sure it works.

 

[Destroked 450]

Most of the transmission issues I’ve heard about on those machines has lose or worn out shuttle shift linkage

 

[DanielW]

You may be thinking of the slightly earlier #5500 & 5550 backhoes, not the the x55 series (like the 555, 655, 755). Ford's numbering was a little odd. In chronological order they went 5500, 5550, 550, 555 (and other x55 series). I picked up a 5500 about 6 years ago for our Southern farm at an auction. I wasn't intending to buy it (I didn't even know it was at the auction), but the bidding started on in and it wasn't moving, so I thought, 'what the heck' and picked it up for a couple thousand. Possibly the best buy I ever made. It's been a more robust and problem-free unit than the much newer Deere 510C we have at the other farm. But since buying it, I have read a few times on other forums that the 5500 and 5550 were known to have tranny problems if they saw a boat-load of heavy loader use (ex. spending their life filling trucks at a gravel pit). I also read that the later X55 series were more robust.

But that's just what I read on another forum: I've never had to tear into my tranny or do any work other than replace a blown power-steering line, so I can't tell you how accurate that info is. And I think any hoe of that age is likely to have tranny problems if it saw a boat-load of heavy loader use, so I'm not sure that the Ford hoes were much different than any others.

No matter which series you buy, for the light work of pushing and loading snow, I suspect as long as it's tight when you buy it, it'll probably last you ages. Change the fluids when you get it (maybe check/clean the tranny suction screen while you're at it), make sure valve linkages are tight so they're shifting fully, and it'll probably outlive you. If you get one of the early series, change the coolant and add proper conditioned diesel coolant, because the Ford engines of that era were known to have block porosity issues if lousy coolant was used.

 

[DanielW]

I bought a well used Ford loader/backhoe. Unlucky for me because it never really worked after I bought.
I fixed the starter issues but one that has me stumped is the injection pump. I don’t know how to check it before you buy but somehow try to make sure it works.

Re: 4020-Nut's injection pump problems: If you get one of the earlier 5500 or 5550's, it will have a Minimec injection pumps that many Fords of that era used. If maintained properly, those are some of the longest-lasting injection pumps ever made. But the two problems you often see with them are:

a) The oil in them was never changed. It's important that the oil in them be checked and changed at least somewhat regularly. The oil in them slowly gets washed out and diluted with diesel over time.

b) The oil level plug or drain plug was threaded in too tight and cracked or stripped the pump casting, so the oil leaks out over time. Both the pump on our 5500 hoe and 6600 tractor had some goofball PO over-tighten the drain plug and crack the pump casting. The pump casting is cast aluminum and easy to crack or strip the threads if over-tightened. The PO of our hoe had goopified the whole area around the drain plug with JB weld, which seems to be holding, but makes it so you can't drain it. Whenever I've "changed" the pump oil (admittedly only twice since I bought it), I over-fill the pump a few times and let it drizzle out the level plug, such that it flushes out most of the old oil and fills with mostly new. On the 6600 I filled the crack with gasket goop and am careful to not over-tighten the drain plug and open the crack up more. Make sure you have a new, squishy gasket (not some old hardened one that needs to be cranked really tight to seal).

On our 5000 tractor with a Minimec pump, it once ran dry and started misbehaving & surging (while my brother was using it while I was away for a year). It definitely didn't do the pump any favours, but when I got back I topped up the pump oil and it's been running dandy ever since. I was expecting to need a pump rebuild shortly thereafter, but that was at least 10 years ago and it's been running dandy (as long as I keep the pump oil full).

 

[DanielW]

I might add: If looking for a good and cheaper hoe or loader for moving snow, don't discount some of the Massey units. The 50H and 50HX were superbly robust hoes that are often found quite cheap (not to be confused with the earlier #50 industrial tractors). Bulletproof trannies and Perkins engine with a great shuttle shift and very convenient controls. They were some of the first hoes to have a button on both the loader and shift handles that you could press with your thumb to pause movement and inch forward. That button activates the same valve as the clutch pedal. It sounds trivial, but the first time I drove one I immediately thought, "Why don't all loaders have this!". Very convenient for loader work. Especially if working in a tight/awkward area where you might want to stand while driving to get a better view.

They also made the 50E and 50EX, which were the same unit but without the hoe on the back and with a three-point and PTO instead. Superb units to have around the farm: Heavy-duty industrial loaders with great shuttle shifts and torque-converter trannies, but the three point and PTO makes them useful to run some farm implements.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

I plow snow for several residential properties. In the distant past, when heavy equipment was not as universally available, I used my JD 1010 dozer as a backup and push back machine. That is off the table now, except in absolute disaster conditions. Nobody wants to pay for that machine crawling around at two miles an hour when there are faster more powerful alternatives available.

So several years back, I started renting machines from a local excavation company. That worked well, until they started requireing insurance coverage that I couldn’t afford, for the short time I would use them. So I used their machines and operators for a few years. At this point I can just barely break even on that, and I want to buy my own backhoe. I need 4x4, cab and heat.

Ford x55 models seem to run cheaper than comparable Cat, JD, or Case. But, three out of the five ads I have seen, mention transmission issues. So, is this common, or am I just seeing owners trying to unload something before it gets worse. I understand these are all 25-40 year old machines, but so are there other brands I have looked at. Almost none of those mention transmission problems. They are more likely to be bad engines, rotten tires, leaks, broken glass, and general wear.

I have a 655A which has been a wonderful machine. And it obviously had a hard life before I got it. (Both the loader and extendable boom had damage) I had to have the injector pump overhauled as the previous owner(s) apparently didn't service it. I change the oil in it every time I change the engine oil. For reasons unknown to me, several 555's around here(with the 3 cylinder engine) have had engine replacements. My 4 cylinder has been fine.

 

[T in NE]

The gas company dad worked for had a 555b. He got a 555a and worked it for ten years. Traded it on a b, ran it for 10 years. It took brakes right after we got it (they would tighten up on the road) and it got overheated after a hired man cheated on a water pump replacement (you can't get it in without rolling the gasket with the radiator in place) but otherwise the only trouble it had was some o-rings in the transmission. Dad talked to Kafferlin's about it when we had the engine out and they handed him some o-rings and a description of where they went. Got it together and the shuttle worked properly again.