Buying advice for old Ford backhoe

[Combinationofthis]

Hello,

I have decided to buy a backhoe that I could use on my private property. At first it would be used to help with digging and lifting while building my house but hoping to find something that I could keep for years to come.

I have gone through many forums and overall looks like old Ford machines are recommended over others. Recently one 78 Ford 550 came up for sale and I would like to go and have a look (especially because because not so many see to available here in northen Europe).
My only problem is that I have almost zero experience with heavy machinery, so far I have only driven and repaired one old soviet tracktor.
I`m looking for advice about what to check on old backhoes. Maybe somebody even knows these old Ford backhoes more thoroughly and can comment which parts are critical to check and if there are any well known errors that these models suffer from?

I`m aware that machines this old need constant attention/repair but I`m eager to learn and not afraid of that. Just want to make sure I would be capable of recognizing major errors that could make the investment not worthwhile.
Seller is asking for 9K and of course claims that everything is in good condition, machine starts well, no welds etc. This unit has chain swinging mechanism and looks like it is not movable sideways. I also have some photos to share. I think that I have spotted one crack on one photo but I have no idea which part of the machine this is.

Any advice is much apprechiated.

 

[Combinationofthis]

Some more photos.

 

[thepumpguysc]

When u tell him you’re going to come look at it..MAKE SURE TO TELL HIM, DONT START IT..
This way u can see FOR YOURSELF.. if it’s a good starter or a bottle baby..(starting fluid)
And when u get there, put your hand on the motor and exhaust to see if it’s warm/hot..
If it starts right up, at least you know the inj pump has some life and it has compression..

Check to see if there’s any teeth left on the hoe..they aren’t expensive but it’s just a problem you’ll have to take care of..
Good luck with the purchase..

 

[Delmer]

When were those pictures taken? I'm guessing you don't have snow on the ground now. Like Thepumpguy, I'd like to try to start it when it's cool, so you can see how much cranking it takes, if they use ether, if it works right away or if the hydraulics or transmission take some time to warm up. Then work it until hot ideally, to see if the hydraulics or transmission get weak when hot.

That crack doesn't scare me one bit, easy place to fix. Go over the backhoe and loader booms carefully to see any cracks or old welds, not that cracks or welds are a deal breaker, but you want to see what shape it's in. Pick the backhoe up level stretched out, and move side to side, it will flop back and forth, just a matter of how much and if you can live with that amount of slop. Pins and bushings get expensive, and even more expensive to have all those joints line bored because they will be out of round. Basically assume you will use it as is for wear, fix what's broken and breaks along the way.

I wouldn't limit yourself to one brand, but that does look relatively clean, and a good price these days. Is that a quick attach front loader bucket? doesn't look familiar, but very handy if it comes with forks or another bucket, like a four in one. Beware that a 2wd will be useless with the loader bucket on that wet ground most of the year, you can crawl around with the buckets and use the backhoe, but a full loader bucket will keep you from moving on soft soil.

 

[joe--h]

Recently one 78 Ford 550 came up for sale and I would like to go and have a look (especially because because not so many see to available here in northen Europe).

Why would you buy a machine that is rare? When it breaks where will you get parts for a rare machine?

You should be looking for the most common machine, not rarest.

Joe H

 

[Check Break]

Ford is a good choice for that era of machine. However, I'd pass and wait for a 555 or newer model. Chain swing is a PIA to work on. The 555 has quite a few upgrades from the 550.

 

[Combinationofthis]

Wow...thanks guys for all the input.

Currently it is summer here and can't test in low temperatures. He did mention sometimes using starting spray during winter.
Machine will also come with forks but no other attachments.

Definitely good to know how to test the hydraulics because I had no idea how to do so.
One thing I did note from the forums is that leakage from the part where transmission and engine meet is walk away scenario.
This would be definitely steer me away as I currently don't have any heavy equipment to take machine into to two parts and later precisely mate them back together again.
Just have to make sure I can find the correct place on the machine for checking this.

By PIA you mean that chain swing is not convenient when operating the hoe or is it unreliable and difficult/expensive to repair?

Perhaps somebody can also point out from where the hydraulic fluid /power steering fluid and gearbox oil can be checked on 550?

I actually prefer 2WD machine over 4WD which is mostly not needed here. Maybe only if you need to go to the forest during winter time and temperature is above 0. For me 4WD would mean more complex machine and probably more parts that are worn out and could fail resulting in expensive repairs.

I don't think that old ford backhoes are that rare in europe but definitely in my small country (Estonia). Here on the market there are only 20-30 backhoes available in total and most of these are much newer and out of mu budget. Mist common name here is JCB. However, many fords pop up when I search european websites. Every now and then they are available in Finland and Sweden which are quite close but transport would still be 1000 EUR at least. Apparently they seem to be much more common in US for sure.
What I have read is that New Holland still offers most parts for old Ford machines in US and I hope that it is not any different in Europe.

Regarding 555 vs 550 are these upgrades just things that make 555 more modern and comfortable to use or have they considerably improved the design and reliability on newer models? How different are 550 and 555 beside 4WD and increase in power?
If there are no major improvements reliability wise I would rather not wait because it could take a while before any 555 machines come up for sale.

I think that I will go and have a look and make an offer if the machine is in good condition.
Will tell the seller not to start the machine before I get there.

 

[Delmer]

PIA means Pain In the "rear end", not the best system. I'd say it's better than the hydraulic swing motor of some old backhoes though. Those are unreliable and very difficult to repair, or convert to something else.

I actually agree with you mostly on 2wd, for that kind of money, you DON'T want to look at 4wd.

I don't know about walking away from something like this just because of a leak. If you operate this, you WILL leak oil, you WILL have breakdowns, you WILL fix major components if you run it long enough. Some of the best deals are machines with neglected engines, an engine is often easier to repair than the hydraulics or transmission, or especially undercarriage on a crawler.

 

[HarleyHappy]

I won’t have another 2 wheel drive backhoe in my life.
I just saw snow in a pic, that means mud when you drive on it.
Good luck with 2 wheel drive.

 

[Check Break]

The crack in your picture is in the backhoe frame above the stabilizer. It's weldable. I'd check the boom carefully for cracks. It appears to be the light duty version and the lower pivot pin area often develops fatal cracks. The 555 backhoe is a generational upgrade from the 550. From Stone Age to Iron Age. The boom asnd swing tower are much improved and the chain was replaced with swing cylinders. The chain was an area prone to failure and isn't fun to replace. You don't need many tools to split a backhoe. Floor jack, jack stands and hand tools will do the job. You can build a wood crib if you don't have jack stands and a pallet jack is a good substitute for a floor jack. If you want to look at some parts diagrams, go to messicks.com and look at online parts new holland. Plug in 550 as your tractor model and go to the backhoe parts page. Your machine is a center pivot. Side shifts were big in Europe but you don't see many over here. They have their place in the big city digging around buildings but aren't much good in an open urban/rural environment. As mentioned previously, check for slop in the backhoe. When you put slight down pressure on the bucket and it touches the ground, do you see movement between the swing tower and the boom (lower pivot pin) or the swing tower and frame. When you swing side to side and come to a stop, does the backhoe stop swinging or keep moving from side to side. How much wear is there in the bucket pins and in the pin that connects the dipper stick to the boom. Is there movement in the pivot pin on the stabilizer when it touches the ground. Look for cracks in the loader frame above the lift cylinder. Look for wear in the bucket pivot pins. They often don't get grease. Check out Messicks. The parts diagrams will help you inspect the machine.