John Deere 555a vs. Caterpillar 933f

Airman89

Member
New to track crawler loaders and I wanted to see what you all think is the better route. I have either a John Deere 555a or a Caterpillar 933f both near me for similar prices. The CAT won t start but ran this year (I seen a lot of corrosion on the ignition connections), and the John Deere 555a runs great but tracks are frozen. So with what s been said, taking into parts availability and the strength of each machine, which do you all think is the better option?

Thanks,
Adam
 
I think I would stay away from the 555 because of the British Twin Disc transmission. Extremely pricey to fix, if parts are available. Last
one I overhauled cost over 9K in parts alone, 30 years ago. Plus , you're looking at track chains to purchase. The 933 was a good machine in
it's day. However they will either make you a man or break you. I wouldn't want to operate a manual clutch machine all day, then go
clubbing at night. Plus , whatever you find after purchase that needs work on. I'd keep looking and not settle on either of these
machines.
 
(quoted from post at 21:04:25 10/17/22) I think I would stay away from the 555 because of the British Twin Disc transmission. Extremely pricey to fix, if parts are available. Last
one I overhauled cost over 9K in parts alone, 30 years ago. Plus , you're looking at track chains to purchase. The 933 was a good machine in
it's day. However they will either make you a man or break you. I wouldn't want to operate a manual clutch machine all day, then go
clubbing at night. Plus , whatever you find after purchase that needs work on. I'd keep looking and not settle on either of these
machines.

Thanks for the great input. Dang I was leaning towards that 555a because it s newer, more power, and seemed to have decent parts availability but those kind of prices on an overhaul aren t affordable for me. Does the twin disk transmission last or is it known to have problems? Also, the guy is telling me some heat, oil, and persuasion should free the tracks, does this sounds right? I ll probably pass and keep looking but I m still curious on the 555a.

I did come across the Allis Chalmers 7g today. What are you thoughts on that?
 
Roy I agree with you the guy telling him oil and time will free the track chain we both know better and then the transmission to deal with I certainly would pass on either one.
 
You can heat and beat till the cows come home. Ain't gonna work. Been there. The pins are frozen inside the bushings. In all the years I've
been working on Deere equipment, I haven't been able to free up pins and bushings. The affected pin and bushing will rotate in the link and
not come loose where it needs to. I will cut the pins and bushings and drive in new replacements with a sledge hammer and torch. At every
joint, you will have to make it a master link/bushing setup due to the protrusion of bushings on a sealed track. I don't know why people put
fresh rails on a machine that will sit. At least lube them and roll the machine around before it sitting for a year or two. I had an OTC
125 ton track press and twisted and bent links before they would come free. I had an AC HD6 dozer one time with AC power. It was a good
dozer, but again.... A hand clutch and gear shift. I was a lot younger then.. Do you really need that big of a machine ? There are lots of
other machines out there that are smaller. If your heart really says you can't live without the Deere 555 , at least ask the owner if you
can cut the transmission filter apart to see if it's full of brass or iron shavings. That filter is located under the seat. Cut it apart and
spread out the paper pleats to get a good look at it.
 
(quoted from post at 14:36:13 10/19/22) You can heat and beat till the cows come home. Ain't gonna work. Been there. The pins are frozen inside the bushings. In all the years I've
been working on Deere equipment, I haven't been able to free up pins and bushings. The affected pin and bushing will rotate in the link and
not come loose where it needs to. I will cut the pins and bushings and drive in new replacements with a sledge hammer and torch. At every
joint, you will have to make it a master link/bushing setup due to the protrusion of bushings on a sealed track. I don't know why people put
fresh rails on a machine that will sit. At least lube them and roll the machine around before it sitting for a year or two. I had an OTC
125 ton track press and twisted and bent links before they would come free. I had an AC HD6 dozer one time with AC power. It was a good
dozer, but again.... A hand clutch and gear shift. I was a lot younger then.. Do you really need that big of a machine ? There are lots of
other machines out there that are smaller. If your heart really says you can't live without the Deere 555 , at least ask the owner if you
can cut the transmission filter apart to see if it's full of brass or iron shavings. That filter is located under the seat. Cut it apart and
spread out the paper pleats to get a good look at it.

Thanks for the great information. So the main issue with the CAT 933 is the operation difficulty because of the hand clutch? Is it possible to get parts for that one? The guy said he ran it but went out to start it and won t fire. He put a starter in it and gave up. He isn t what you would call mechanically inclined. He wants $3000 for it and I have a guy to pick up and deliver it for $400.

I think these are the size of machines I need for what I m looking to do but I suppose I may be over shooting it. I m building a home and leveling out about 2 acres of land, leveling 2 building sites, then I have about 25/30 stumps to remove that a 9000# excavator couldn t get out ranging from about 12" diameter to 26" diameter.

I just found a CAT 955 also that supposedly runs and needs nothing but tracks adjusted for $6000. But now I feel that s too big.

Also found a IH Drott 150 for $4000 says it has some leaks but runs and works good.

I d say you have me off of the Deere 555a, the guy wouldn t answer some simple questions about the transmission. He read them but wouldn t respond..

This post was edited by Airman89 on 10/20/2022 at 11:47 am.
 
Two acres to level? How much cut and fill
are we talking? How far does the material
need to be moved? Are the building sites
included in that 2 acres? A 9k excavator
is not a very big machine, so, yeah stumps
of that size you would be there quite some
time. Don't know where your at, but,
before you buy a headache, consider buying
something newer/better and resell when
done. Do you need a track loader? Whats
your skill level? Can you use a dozer?
Buying an older bargain machine is real
crap shoot. You can spend that money, and
still not get anything done.
 
Can't you just rent a machine to do your work ? I get the thrill of owning your own and saying I did it myself. But is it worth all the
hoops you have to jump through ? Fixing a well worn out machine takes time from building your home and out buildings. Plus the cost of
replacement parts and professional help sometimes needed to repair these machines. I couldn't get a sprocket hub off a D-6 once, called Ohio
Cat to press it off. They charged me driving time, mileage, charge to use the truck crane to lower the portable press to the ground. Press
the hub off, and back on after sealing it. Lost my Tookass on that one.. Your call, What ever you want to do. Someone with a larger track
hoe could pop those stumps out in no time.. John Deere crawlers are noted for breaking the engine main frames from stumping. I've changed
dozens in my lifetime. They are not weldable. Lord knows many have tried including myself. They break back where the engine mainframe bolts
to the steering clutch housings.
 
Why mess with scrap, go to a self drive equipment and hire your self a Cat D3 or a Komatsu and clear your house pad and then take it back and be done with it, buy a machine you are stuck with it and you will pour money into it that you will not recover.
AJ
 
(quoted from post at 01:45:37 10/21/22) Why mess with scrap, go to a self drive equipment and hire your self a Cat D3 or a Komatsu and clear your house pad and then take it back and be done with it, buy a machine you are stuck with it and you will pour money into it that you will not recover.
AJ


DITTO
 
I would rent but this is how I ve worked for about the past 7 years. I don t like to have no return on money so renting a machine is not something I like to do. I like to grab something, fix it up, shine it up after I m done using it, and sell it.

With the CAT 933f, I cant find the breakout force spec and it looks like it s a 50hp? That s the same as a little case 380ll that I have and it won t touch these stumps. Is the CAT 933 strong enough to push/pull a 20" +\- 6" diameter stumps out or am I going to be bogging it down to the point of useless?

Thanks for all the input guys.
 
(quoted from post at 05:35:47 10/24/22) I would rent but this is how I ve worked for about the past 7 years. I don t like to have no return on money so renting a machine is not something I like to do. I like to grab something, fix it up, shine it up after I m done using it, and sell it.

With the CAT 933f, I cant find the breakout force spec and it looks like it s a 50hp? That s the same as a little case 380ll that I have and it won t touch these stumps. Is the CAT 933 strong enough to push/pull a 20" +- 6" diameter stumps out or am I going to be bogging it down to the point of useless?

Thanks for all the input guys.

Anyone know the breakout force on the cat 933f?
 
I don't know the breakout spec on the 933f but I can tell you that you will have the 933f sweating big time on those size stumps. It also makes. a difference what tree species you're working with, even a cat twice the size of the 933f still has to wrestle a good while to get a 20" + or - diameter stump out of the ground.
 
Moving dirt and snow are alike. Both take wieght and power. I would either hire it done,rent a machine or get the 955. 24 inch stumps with a short stump will make a D9 work for them. An excavator about the size of a 308or bigger will get stumps out faster than a dozer will. And I would have a gringer come out and get the stumps. If you dig out 24 inch stumps you will have a huge hole to fill back in. at least 10 feet across and 3-4 feet deep or more. I had a bigger than yours stump in a filed. Dad said just leave it be abd work around it. I said if it is ground out I don't have to haul fill nor deal with a stump to move. Been happy with that. You would also just have the roots to deal with if you are cutting it down rather than the whole stump. You will be an hour or more each digging them out. They can grind a 40inch stump out in a couple hours and work over it when done. that was about the size I had ground out was 40 inch Oak. We have planted 2 crops over that spot now. I got it done for $200.00 ,Im sure it will be more than that now with fuel and location.
 
Hello, I prefer the John Deere 555a because it is more powerful and has more parts available. I bought a used John Deere two years ago, and
it still works perfectly. Purchased this <a href=https://www.gwequipment.com/equipment/used-equipment/>used vehicle</a> at a low cost. So
it would be best if you went with John Deere. Thank you
 

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