Ford 555 loader/hoe

INCase · Sep 29, 2016

Couple Questions:

-What years were the Ford 555 loader hoe tractors built?
-What is the difference between a 555 555A 555B ect
-I presume since it's a 5** it is probably based on a Ford 5000 series?
-Anything to watch out for on them?
-How close/common are parts to its farm tractor cousins?

Thanks.

Mike M · Sep 29, 2016

I had IIRC a 555B a few years back. I think it was from the 1980's ? There were some different trans. options and control options too. I am thinking those models were similar just as the newer versions came out improvements would of been made to things like lift capacity. I have a very good ford/new Holland ? dealer close by and was able to get maintenance parts right off the shelves and some other stuff they could order no problem. These Fords have really good lift capacity on the loaders.

RodinNS · Sep 29, 2016

The 555 started around 1980 with the A model running for a couple years and the B for most of the remaining years of the 80's. The C and D came into the 90's with the E around 96 or so.
IIRC, all but the E use the 3 cylinder 201 engine with about the same power as a 4000 series engine of it's time.
Over the course of time I think you'll find that the parts diverged more from the ag models but there would still be a lot of commonality. I think at some point in there they went to a divorced transaxle but I could be wrong about that....
Most of them were pretty tough little buggers.... but it's like anything else. You use it hard they wear out. I'd evaluate any of them pretty hard before putting much money down for one.
Keep in mind that they are a small, low power machine but are reputed to have good digging power.

Rod

Blackhole49 · Sep 29, 2016

The City I used to work for bought a 555B new in 1984. Other than having to replace the engine in the mid 90's, it was one tough little machine with good digging power. They are still using it today.

Bob Bancroft · Sep 29, 2016

I have a 655A, and a neighbor has a 555B, which are the same age, from around the mid 80's. Both good machines. I don't know what there is about that 3 cyl. engine being replaced, but his has. My 4 cyl. engine is still original.

RBoots · Sep 29, 2016

I did the engine in a friend's 455C last year. Those 201 blocks are known to have poor casting quality or cavitation issues. I belive it was cavitation. The one I did, someone borrowed and ran it low on coolant due to a leaking radiator hose and overheated it, smearing all 3 pistons. The shop I took it to wouldn't bore it unless they bored/sleeved/rebored, due to that issue. To have that done and to have the head and rods rebuilt, was $1300, plus the parts for the engine rebuild. But thats cheap really. It is a good strong, reliable, and simple backhoe. I just got parts for a Ford tractor engine, can't remember what model, it was the later block with the bigger headbolts. The specs came from a tractor as well, as I didn't have a 455 manual. Tillman hardware looked up the coinciding tractor based on the engine SN I gave them, and gave me the specs based on that, with the assurance they were the same. They went above and beyond what I needed from them. They told me that backhoe specific parts would have to come from a New Holland industrial dealer, which I don't know of any, anywhere near me.

in-too-deep · Sep 29, 2016

Parts availability from New Holland is still good.

Blackhole49 · Sep 30, 2016

When we replaced the engine in the City's, every local dealer (Detroit area) had an engine sitting in the parts dept. for it. I'm pretty sure it was a casting/cavitation problem as previously stated. I do know the replacement engine has been in it for 20+ years with 0 issues.

T in NE · Sep 30, 2016

They moved production to a new plant shortly before the end of the B series. The last several months of the B was a C with some different sheet metal. A New Holland dealer can run the s/n and tell you which shift on what day the machine was built, and if you have a true B or a hybrid B/C.

I think the 555 got a 4 cylinder in the D series, if not it did in the E series, which is when they did a significant redesign.

The older 555s will lift a lot more than they have any business lifting, more than a 580 sm Case. But they are slower. They have better ground clearance and skinnier tires than the Case, if you have an extend-a-hoe, you can balance them on the back wheels, and they will walk through mud a newer machine with wider wheels can't push itself through.

They'd be the first I'd look at if I were looking for a backhoe.

Ford 555 loader/hoe

INCase

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Mike M

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RodinNS

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Blackhole49

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Bob Bancroft

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RBoots

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in-too-deep

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Blackhole49

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T in NE

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