Shop manuals for 1550

Looking for opinions on the shop/service manuals on the 1550, anyone's real experience as which is more informative/ helpful, the Jensales Manual, (more costly) or the I&T Manual ? Don't have a problem with the cost, but is it that much better than the I&T manual ? Any & all opinions who be helpful. Thanks for any & all replies, Alan

If the jensales manuals are copies of the original Oliver manuals, they're better. I haven't seen an IT manual better than the factory. But if I was going to order a factory manual I'd get a copy from the Floyd County Museum.

(quoted from post at 08:13:59 08/28/21) Looking for opinions on the shop/service manuals on the 1550, anyone's real experience as which is more informative/ helpful, the Jensales Manual, (more costly) or the I&T Manual ? Don't have a problem with the cost, but is it that much better than the I&T manual ? Any & all opinions who be helpful. Thanks for any & all replies, Alan

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Al, I've been going through the process of learning about and fixing my '88 diesel rowcrop. I got the IT and the Jensales manuals. The IT manual in my opinion is for someone already pretty knowledgeable about the tractor or at least other similar tractors and will pull out most of the more technical processes that the mechanic needs to know to fix things without a lot of background information. It is fairly easy to find what you need and read about it quickly.

Jensales is much more extensive and covers more explanation of each of the components ot the tractor and also alot of the options that were available during the production years of your particular model. It is also less handy to use as it is 10 times or more the number of pages of the IT. For me it is somewhat difficult to find the exact section or sections you need without setting down for an hour or two to peruse the manual.

At my level of experience (which is that i was a vehicle and diesel mechanic 50 years ago for about five years, and I have a fair understanding of most of the vehicle mechanical principles) [b:84850f5657]if I had to choose one, I would choose the Jensales. [/b:84850f5657]

That being said, for me the IT manual is great also and [b:84850f5657]my preference would to have both manuals[/b:84850f5657]. [b:84850f5657]I would also recommend the Jensales parts manua[/b:84850f5657]l as it helps to see things broken down into individual parts and which order they go on the sub-assembly or component. At this stage of the game I need all the help I can get. Ed

I have I&T manuals for my COOPs, Deeres, Ford and 1550 and have gotten along fine and consider them a good investment. I'm not a mechanic but was a T&D maker and around a lot of different machinery in my working days. I&T mainly covers R&R and assembly which I found helpful as well as specifications. My machinery experience takes care of the rest such as determining what to replace or repair. Factory service manuals are great but I find can be overwhelming for the inexperienced.

Ed, I'm curious about the Jensales manuals. You seem to like it better than the I&T. I have 2 or 3 Jensales operators manuals and I'm really disappointed with them. Pages skipped, extremely poor pictures, they seem to be disorganized. Maybe the shop manuals are better, but I wouldn't waste the money for a Jensales manual unless I looked it over good first to check the quality. My 2 cents. Chris

Reprints are usually poor quality,I buy original manuals off ebay not cheap but worth it to me.

Did you check with the museum in Charles City about buying the original Oliver manuals?

Princeton Bill, I looked at their site, but seem to have trouble finding where on their site to see them for sale & cost ? Maybe I'm missing something ? Thanks, AL

You have to call.

Al as Scootergmc says you should call them. Whenever I need something from them I call. The number is 641 228-1099. Have your serial number available, because some models have different manuals at certain serial number breaks. You can also order a build card for your tractor if you dont have one. Buying from them also helps fund the museum which is a very unique asset for all of us Oliver owners.