Ford 555 Backhoe

Well, we bought a backhoe for a price we couldn't refuse. Can anybody give any detail off this dataplate? It's a 86 I believe and built in France. Any other information is appreciated. The manuals are on the way. Thanks!

(quoted from post at 14:11:04 05/16/17) Well, we bought a backhoe for a price we couldn't refuse. Can anybody give any detail off this dataplate? It's a 86 I believe and built in France. Any other information is appreciated. The manuals are on the way. Thanks!

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LF2111 is the model number.

LF2 - The first 3 characters tell what the marketing name was for that model. My references don't actually list LF2, but LF1 is a 655A and LF3 is a 655C, so one would assume that LF2 is a 655B, but I think that it is really just a design change on the 655A, but was still called a 655A, as there is nothing anywhere that i can find that even mentions a 655B, and the date codes fall into the middle of the time that the 655A was made.

The first 1 says that it has a diesel engine.

The second 1 says that it has no PTO.

The last 1 says that it has a 4x4 torque converter auto reversing transmission.

6B25B is the unit number, which some folks call the production or date code, and it says that it left the factory on February 25, 1986, during the day shift.

R300421 is the serial number. The R at the beginning says which factory it was made at, so I would assume that the R means that it was made at a factory in France, but I don't know much about that factory.

L8962036B13A should be the serial number and date code for the engine. The L at the beginning means that it was built for the "L" series of tractor models, which agrees with the "L" at the beginning of model number itself. The 6B13A at the end means that the engine was assembled on February 13, 1986 during the midnight shift.

6B17B is the date code for when the transmission was assembled, which was February 17, 1986 during the day shift.

6B18B is the date code for when the rear axle was assembled, which was February 18, 1986 during the day shift.

The 555 had a 201 ci 3 cylinder engine and the 655A had a 256 ci 4 cylinder engine, so if your tractor has a 4 cylinder engine it is a 655A, not a 555.

Thanks so much for the info Sean.

Can't wait to get back out to it and count cylinders!

It's a 655A. Thanks!

Have fun! Ford used more of an automotive rather than ag mindset when they made these; so they make more sense when you're working on them...you're not constantly wondering why they did it that way...LOL

How can you tell if it is a 655A and not a 655B? The post above says the LF1 is a 655A and the LF3 is a 655C, the poster then guessed the LF2 that you have must be a 655B and maybe all the B models were made in France?

Thanks

(quoted from post at 21:07:35 04/14/19)
How can you tell if it is a 655A and not a 655B? The post above says the LF1 is a 655A and the LF3 is a 655C, the poster then guessed the LF2 that you have must be a 655B and maybe all the B models were made in France?

Thanks

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If you search the New Holland parts site for 655A, 655B and 655C, You will find that they never actually made a model 655B tractor (at least there are no parts listings for that model). The 655A was made from 6/85 through 10/88, and the 655C was made from 11/88/8/93.

Sometimes they had a design on the drawing board with a model number/name assigned to that design and decided to never actually produce any, so when they started producing the replacement model for what was already being produced, they skipped a letter. They did the same thing with the 545 series, they went from 545 to 545A to 545C and then to 545D without ever producing a 545B for sale to the public.

They also changed the 3rd character in the model designater without actually changing the model name/number of the tractor a few times. The 2600 was BA1 from 1/65-10/76 and then BA2 from 11/76 until the end of the production run of the 2600 in 1981 when it was replace by the 2610 which was BA3. They did the same with the 3600(CA1 & CA2), 4600(DA1 & DA2), 5600(LA1 & LA2), 6600(EA1 & EA2) and 7600(FA1 & FA2).

(quoted from post at 05:16:28 04/15/19)

(quoted from post at 21:07:35 04/14/19)
How can you tell if it is a 655A and not a 655B? The post above says the LF1 is a 655A and the LF3 is a 655C, the poster then guessed the LF2 that you have must be a 655B and maybe all the B models were made in France?

Thanks

Click to expand...

If you search the New Holland parts site for 655A, 655B and 655C, You will find that they never actually made a model 655B tractor (at least there are no parts listings for that model). The 655A was made from 6/85 through 10/88, and the 655C was made from 11/88/8/93.

Sometimes they had a design on the drawing board with a model number/name assigned to that design and decided to never actually produce any, so when they started producing the replacement model for what was already being produced, they skipped a letter. They did the same thing with the 545 series, they went from 545 to 545A to 545C and then to 545D without ever producing a 545B for sale to the public.

They also changed the 3rd character in the model designater without actually changing the model name/number of the tractor a few times. The 2600 was BA1 from 1/65-10/76 and then BA2 from 11/76 until the end of the production run of the 2600 in 1981 when it was replace by the 2610 which was BA3. They did the same with the 3600(CA1 & CA2), 4600(DA1 & DA2), 5600(LA1 & LA2), 6600(EA1 & EA2) and 7600(FA1 & FA2).

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I just bought a Ford 655B or else it was painted wrong.

I just bought a Ford 655B or else it was painted wrong.

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Very interesting. As I have come to learn, don't ever say "always" or "never" when it comes to Ford tractors.If you don't mind me asking, what's the model number on the data plate?

(quoted from post at 13:01:21 04/18/19)

I just bought a Ford 655B or else it was painted wrong.

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Very interesting. As I have come to learn, don't ever say "always" or "never" when it comes to Ford tractors.If you don't mind me asking, what's the model number on the data plate?

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Looks like similar to the guy before and built in France
LF2 and built 5/19/87 on the day shift?
So could this really be a 655A? Need to know for parts and service

Looks like similar to the guy before and built in France
LF2 and built 5/19/87 on the day shift?
So could this really be a 655A? Need to know for parts and service

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Given that the parts site doesn't even list a 655B, using that as the model number when searching for parts is going to be a bust.

7F10B means it was made on June 10th 1987, so my bet would be on calling it a 655A when looking for parts, unless you can find a used hard copy of a parts book for a 655B. The hood and fenders definitely look like the 655A tin from the drawings on the parts site.

Given that the parts site doesn't even list a 655B, using that as the model number when searching for parts is going to be a bust.

7F10B means it was made on June 10th 1987, so my bet would be on calling it a 655A when looking for parts, unless you can find a used hard copy of a parts book for a 655B. The hood and fenders definitely look like the 655A tin from the drawings on the parts site.

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Thanks Sean! I will refer to this being a 1987 Ford 655A. What about the stabilizers which are straight vertical as opposed to others that extend outward at an angle?

Thanks

Rod

Funny how the lower filter body is bare like a 555A. The 555B had an integrated step.

(quoted from post at 11:27:54 04/18/19)

(quoted from post at 05:16:28 04/15/19)

(quoted from post at 21:07:35 04/14/19)
How can you tell if it is a 655A and not a 655B? The post above says the LF1 is a 655A and the LF3 is a 655C, the poster then guessed the LF2 that you have must be a 655B and maybe all the B models were made in France?

Thanks

Click to expand...

If you search the New Holland parts site for 655A, 655B and 655C, You will find that they never actually made a model 655B tractor (at least there are no parts listings for that model). The 655A was made from 6/85 through 10/88, and the 655C was made from 11/88/8/93.

Sometimes they had a design on the drawing board with a model number/name assigned to that design and decided to never actually produce any, so when they started producing the replacement model for what was already being produced, they skipped a letter. They did the same thing with the 545 series, they went from 545 to 545A to 545C and then to 545D without ever producing a 545B for sale to the public.

They also changed the 3rd character in the model designater without actually changing the model name/number of the tractor a few times. The 2600 was BA1 from 1/65-10/76 and then BA2 from 11/76 until the end of the production run of the 2600 in 1981 when it was replace by the 2610 which was BA3. They did the same with the 3600(CA1 & CA2), 4600(DA1 & DA2), 5600(LA1 & LA2), 6600(EA1 & EA2) and 7600(FA1 & FA2).

Click to expand...

I just bought a Ford 655B or else it was painted wrong.

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Clearly it is painted incorrectly. A 655B, if one exists, would be badged as a Ford, not a New Holland.

(quoted from post at 16:01:21 04/18/19)

I just bought a Ford 655B or else it was painted wrong.

Click to expand...

Very interesting. As I have come to learn, don't ever say "always" or "never" when it comes to Ford tractors.If you don't mind me asking, what's the model number on the data plate?

Click to expand...

Could it be, if 655B is real, it was only foreign production?

Thanks Sean! I will refer to this being a 1987 Ford 655A. What about the stabilizers which are straight vertical as opposed to others that extend outward at an angle?

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Those stabilizers look like the ones for the European side shift version of the backhoe as shown in the parts drawing at the link below:

https://partstore.agriculture.newho...&sl=EN&currency=#epc::mr48900ar794253

Could it be, if 655B is real, it was only foreign production?

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I guess that's possible, but I doubt it. The parts site lists other tractors that were only ever made in other countries. They are an international corporation after all. Plus, that paint job looks way too clean to be original for a 1987 tractor, so it has definitely been repainted and whoever did so took liberties, like putting the New Holland name on it instead of Ford, so I would bet that they got the model number incorrect also since we can't find any real information about a 655B ever being made.