My "New" Oliver 550

Thanks everyone for your help over the past 2 years, I finally made the jump and purchased an Oliver 550. Its a 1969 "husky" model. Only 3 previous owners. Original owner purchased it new and owned it for a couple of years then sold it to his employee who kept it to run his 100~ acre farm. When he passed his son purchased it from the estate and has owned it ever since.

Its been well taken care of and I am very happy to be the new owner. It has almost 1800 hours, its gas and its all painted up nicely. I anticipate being very happy with it for years to come. :)

17750.jpg


I'll upload some more pictures of the tractor in its new home when I get a chance and I am sure I'll have some questions as we get used to the newest member of our family :)
 
(quoted from post at 16:33:07 05/20/13) Even has power steering! You hit a home run.

It does! My wife is loving it so far. I ran it for an hour and she ran it for about 30 minutes yesterday after we got back.

Couple little issues but nothing to big to deal with so far.

The 3pt when under load (load raised) settles and every 10 seconds or so it will lift back up...anyone know what is causing this? Is this normal? Is it critical to fix right away?

When I bought it the gentleman I bought it from says he always turns off the fuel bowl valve when not in use. Said he always has. If its not turned off gas drips from the Carb...Again, is this normal? I had an old 9N with the glass bowl and I never had to turn the valve off. Seems like kind of a pain to have to remember every time, I can just see myself forgetting to shut it off and then having gas all over the garage floor when its parked.

The only other thing was, it ran great while I was mowing/dragging for about an hour but then when my wife was running it after about 25 minutes of driving and then using it for dragging it started to sputter out when under load...if you would stop and let it sit for a bit and then start out it would run fine for a little bit (like 30 seconds or so) and then start to sputter out again. Really acting like it wasn't getting enough fuel.

Anyone have any ideas where I should start on the troubleshooting for that?

Also I would love to add a drawbar (don't care whether it swings or not (in fact might prefer a straight so as to avoid any contact with the 3pt arms) anyone know where I might search to get a draw bar?

Thanks!
Patrick
 
(quoted from post at 13:20:07 05/20/13) If it runs as good as it looks, you did good!

Other than the issue with it sputter out on us last night (see post above) it is running great, no smoke, smooth, I'm liking it.

I am hoping the issue with the lack of fuel (assuming that's what it is) is a quick and easy fix.

I can see this little tractor quickly becoming our favorite and getting lots of use. It is such a nice size to weight ratio and the live PTO/Hydraulics are super compared to the 9N I had before.
 
You seem happy with your purchase, even more than that! That oliver seems to be the ideal small-holder tractor.

Turning off the fuel may be a small issue of carb inlet valve not seating perfectly, but turning off the fuel is a simple safety precaution - always.

No comparison with the Ford, I'm afraid. Different league altogether!

RAB
 
(quoted from post at 17:09:08 05/20/13)
No comparison with the Ford, I'm afraid. Different league altogether!

RAB

No argument on that front...I was always frustrated by the Ford's lack of power (for what I needed) and lack of live PTO/Hydraulics.

That's why I sold it last year (without having a ready replacement) to my hay supplier (neighboring farmer). It's perfect for him as a raking tractor and wagon puller for his baling operations. :)

Glad it found a good home and extremely glad I got the 550 now to replace it.
 
Nice find- and power steering to boot!

Sputtering caused by not enough fuel is common when the inlet/sediment bulb fixture is partially plugged- but it usually happens not long after you start using it. To diagnose, next time it sputters, pull choke out and see if you can adjust choke so it runs good.

But if it ran fine for over an hour, then sputtered, I'd suspect the vent in your fuel cap is plugged. Next time it does it, loosen the fuel cap and see if you get a "whoosh" of air into the tank.

Replacing the fuel cap is one of your easier repair operations. . . LOL
 
(quoted from post at 17:40:46 05/20/13) Nice find- and power steering to boot!

Sputtering caused by not enough fuel is common when the inlet/sediment bulb fixture is partially plugged- but it usually happens not long after you start using it. To diagnose, next time it sputters, pull choke out and see if you can adjust choke so it runs good.

But if it ran fine for over an hour, then sputtered, I'd suspect the vent in your fuel cap is plugged. Next time it does it, loosen the fuel cap and see if you get a "whoosh" of air into the tank.

Replacing the fuel cap is one of your easier repair operations. . . LOL

I think the fuel cap is fairly new but I'll look at it when I go back down to the farm tonight.

As far as the other, this tractor has been garage kept and very rarely used the last couple of years so its possible that all my running it yesterday got some fresh sediment on the screen and that after nearly 1.5 hours of running might be slowing the fuel flow. I am going to take a flashlight to the tank to see what the inside looks like and check the bowl screen to see what I'm dealing with. :)
 
Had the same 3 point problem with my 445 long.The
cover plate that holds the filter in place was
leaking/catching air causing cavitation and "jump"
in the 3 pt.
 
Ok guys, been able to run the tractor a little more and getting used to it. My wife and I both really like the tractor, its been working good for her to drag the arena with.

But now that I am getting to know it I am also finding some little things I need to figure out if anyone has any advice on troubleshooting I would greatly appreciate it.

First:
Battery/Alternator - Yesterday we were running the tractor and after we ran it (maybe 30 minutes or so) my wife shut it off and when we went to restart it (like 5 minutes later) it had barely enough power to roll over the starter. I jumped it but the AMP light on the gauge didn't light up once it was running. I threw a charger on the battery for the moment to get it some juice but what are the best steps to take in troubleshooting the why the battery went dead and what the true problem is?

Second:
Power Steering - We were really excited to find a 550 with power steering but are finding it to be sluggish much of the time. If you sitting still, even with the throttle somewhat up it often turns quite hard. Its better when moving and usually when the throttle is up but is definately stiff. This is the Industrial front end with the power steering pump up by the alternator. Incitendally power steering fluid also sometimes "overflows" from under the cap and runs down the side of the hood...not a lot but some...So any insight on why would be great.

(my oliver 770 also has similar characteristics in the powersteering but without the oil leaking so maybe we can kill two birds with one stone) :)
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top