John Deere 555 Dozer

I have been looking for a JD 555. What is a good price for one in average condition, what is the weight, what should I look out for? I am new to dozer world, but I still want one. Thanks in advance, Dick

If you are looking for a 555 you are looking for a crawler loader, not a dozer. A dozer (bulldozer) is a machine with a blade for pushing material.

As with any machine you need to evaluate the engine and drive train.

You can find specs for the 555A and 555H at this site https://www.deere.com/en/loaders/crawler-loaders/non-current-models/ . Prices will be a wide range affected by condition and at times location. I would expect you will be looking at from $15,000 to $25,000. Condition of the undercarriage will be a big item as replacement is not cheap. Even if you can do your own work, you will do well to get it done right for $5000.00 using the lower end aftermarket components. And likely could be more. A tape measure, calipers, and a big pin can get you some measurements to check against the specs to determine how much the tracks are worn.

This is a Dresser document, Undercarriage Basics (41 pages), that is a good read on undercarriage to give you an idea of what is involved and measurements to be taken. The principles are the same for all undercarriages, you just need the specs for the machine you are measuring.
( http://trac*tor*parts.com/pdfs/undrcarguide.pdf ) Due to the title of where it comes from, you will need to copy and paste this into your search engine, delete the asterisks, then search.

As a fellow on another site has said many times "there is no such thing as a cheap crawler."

Pull the filter under the operators seat, and cut it apart.. Look for a lot of metallic particles.. If there's a bunch of crap in that filter, don't walk... Run away from that machine.. British Twin Disc transmission's are VERY expensive to repair.. I could rebuild 3 HLR's from a 450 crawler for what that 550-555 trans will cost. If you get into the G series 450-G 455-G - 650-G 655-G, now those are a lot better transmission..

Good information from Jim.ME below but the first thing to look at on a JD crawler is the
track tensioner. It's hydraulic, at the front of the track, and you pump it up with a grease gun using a special big adapter.
If it's all the way extended, that's a bad sign.

that's an old machine. I wouldn't want to put over $8000 in a good one. Go to some big auction sites like Yoder & Frey or Ritchie Bros. to check past sales & see what they're bringing.

Lots of good info. THANKS ALOT Dick

I agree with Roy, I had a 555B , they have a weak 3 speed power shift that's made in England. Stay away from those, I now have a 555 G, it has a 4 speed trany witch is a much better machine, it weighs around 21 thousand. I like the G model.