would you buy a versatile 555 tractor ?

Hello Everyone,
Sale coming up in the neighborhood with a 555 Versatile. By its numbers, it seems to be just about what I'm looking for. But, some folks around say that this model is no good. What goes wrong, and what are your general thoughts ?
Thanks ,
Tom

From what i understand the v6 was a great little engine when new but expensive to over haul and just hard to get motor to hold together after the first over haul????,,,,,,,,have herd that when you DO over haul then to ....ALWAYS,, put in cam brgs.,,,I would say if you can get by with lower HP to check out an ol 800 with the 855,,,,my personal with older 4WDs is they are big $$$$$pits,,,The main hinge is expensive to repare if its never been done so know what your looking for,,,,Personally il take a big 2wd any doy unless you really need the traction?????and also remember it takes a lot more HP to pull a heavy 4WD around verses a 2WD so dont go comparing apples to orainges......

I was a Versash!t mechanic at a JD dealer in SW Kansas.
ALL Versash!ts are primitive, hard to work on POS, and the 555 is the absolute worst of the bunch.
From simple maintainance, such as having to stand on your head, and blindly feel for the master cylinder to add brake fluid, to the absolutely idiotic routing of heater hoses in the cab, to the POS Cummins engine, and the other design 'features' of ALL Versash!ts, but the 555 takes the cake. Versash!ts were undoubtedly 'designed' by Canucks who spent to much of their lives out in the cold, and froze the intelligence center of their brain, rendering it useless.
Again Versash!ts were primitive, cheap, horsepower when they were new, and ANY 4WD from that same time period was a much better, and far easier tractor to work on, and ANYTHING newer is far better than whatever Versash!t, Ford Versash!t, or Buhler could ever HOPE to come up with.
Did I mention that HATE any and all things with the Versash!t name on them.

If your looking for heavy tillage i think you would be better off with the 800 series, the v8 555 cummins engine gets a bad reputation. My neighbor put one in his old 145 and just uses it for dozer work and has never had problems, i think if you work them hard they had some problems. The nice thing about the 555 tractor is it has adjustable axles, pto and sometimes a 3pt so it is an all around tractor and they usually sell fairly cheap. They had inboard planataries, don't know if they had problems with that part, never heard anything anyways. If its going to be used for lighter work, it will be ok, but for heavy tillage might want to lokk at the bigger ones. I think the thing to look for is that it doesnt have any anti freeze in the bottom of the oil pan and that it doesnt have compression in the radiator, would be the red flags i guess with any cummins engine. just my two bits i know.

W W,,,If you think the versatiles was that bad well ovules sly you never had to try to keep a JD 84or8630 running ,,,or by far the best one yet ,,,8850 v8,,, running,,,yes ,,the versatile were a Little crude but they made a lot of farmers $$$$,,,Iv seen it

W W,,,If you think the versatiles was that bad well ovules sly you never had to try to keep a JD 84or8630 running ,,,or by far the best one yet ,,,8850 v8,,, running,,,yes ,,the versatile were a Little crude but they made a lot of farmers $$$$,,,Iv seen it

You have to ask why were Versash!ts NEVER testet at Nebraska?
What were they afraid of, as it is a tractor that has not been tested at the University of Nebraska, CANNOT be sold in Nebraska.
The tractor testing done by the UN tractor test labs are recognized worldwide, yet Versash!t refused to have ANY of their 'tractors' tested there.
Poor quality?, afraid that their junk would make it through the test program?, afraid of being forced to admit that the products they sold were inferior?, couldn't develope the capabilities they bragged about?, use of engines rejected by Cummins?, no money set aside for OFFICIAL tests,? I really would like to know.

ANY John Deere 4WD was a much more reliable tractor, the only problems with the 30 series were updated by John Deere. Lots of updates, yes, but at least they made the effort to do something.
I NEVER saw any JD 4WD that needed work on the hinge, the wet clutch was infinitely better than the truck clutch Versash!t used, as was the transmission, the cab, the rear ends, the air in the tires. ANYTHING, Steiger, Steiger clones, IH, your fathers Oldsmobile, was better than Versash!t ever dreamed of building. Cheap, PRIMITIVE horsepower that couldn't legally be sold in Nebraska, that is all Versash!t could ever aspire to.

Not sure what "rabbits" problem is with Versatile - I really liked the ruggedness & simplicity of my 895 Versatile.

I dragged a 2146 45' Krause disk and a 9x6 Versatile sweep plow over thousands of acres for several years...

My personal record was draining 10 tanks of anhydrous ammonia over a half section of ground in one day by myself one time...

I liked being able to work on almost any part of it myself.

I think the 855 Cummins is much more highly regarded than the V series of engines...

I also have a JD 4840, which is also a nice tractor, but the Versatile would pull three 4840's backwards...

Just my Versatile opinion based on owning and relying on one for several years...



HH

Id like to here more about the 8850,,,he he,,,Or better yet why did Deere put a Cummings in there next seres and its still one of there best sellers

Bought a 555 new in 1980,ran it 15 years with no trouble.We used it for tillage but we didn't pull the guts out of it.Some 555's around here had rear end troubles.Soft gears that were updated.
If you don't need adjustable axles,pto,3 point hitch buy a 835,855 or 875.I had a 875 for 7 years.What a pullin horse.
For W W,the 555 has a wet clutch.
My neighbors had one of them under powered no torque piece of sheet JD 4 wheelers.Traded it off for a 875.Liked it so well they bought a second 875.These guys bleed green but the happiest day of their lives was when that green piece of sheet left the farm.
855 Cummins,100's of thousands of em out there.Must be one he11 of a motor.
Mark

Hey guys, here is a link to a few(25) of every Versatile tractor model ever built that were all tested at the Nebraska tractor tests since the late 70's. One headline shows one of the late Buhler / Versatiles being best fuel economy of all 4 wd tractors tested.

They were /are one of the best 4wd tractors ever built, in fact all brands including deere, now use the simple, efficient , easy to repair and service design, pioneered by Versatile
Versatile models tested at Nebraska tests. partial

I also found the claim that they had not been tested in, nor could they be sold in Nebraska a little odd. They were/are great tractors and still making money for their owners.

Leave it where it sits unless you can buy it for a sum of money you'd be happy to leave at the casino...
The triple nickle Cummins is the problem. It might run great for a while, but when it does blow, and it will, it'll require a lot of money to fix.
With the higher engine speed it's not quite so easy to drop another lower speed engine in there and maintain the functionality of the drivetrain.
You don't want to rebuild the triple nickle...
It would be easier to simply buy a tractor with an 855 Cummins or 3406 Cat right off the mark and be done of it.
It'll probably cost a bit more now, but if you intend to keep it a long time it'll likely pay you in the end.

Rod

Awwww, do you want a pity party? Take your meds and shut up! I must be one of those Canucks with a frozen brain, because I call central Alberta home, and I work at a New Holland dealership. I work on Versatiles and Buhlers everyday. You know what? The Buhler Versatile Genesis FWD tractors are running circles around the Deeres in my area. One of the very best FWD tractors ever built. And the old Versatile four wheelers? I have yet to talk to a farmer who didn't like their Versatile or Steiger (They were freaking amazing tractors too) four wheel drive and wanted to trade on a Deere. No offense to the Deeres, but they just didn't have the simple ruggedness of a Versatile or Steiger. Oh, and check your facts better next time. Versatile has been through a number of Nebraska tests. The 555 is test # 1331, the 835 is test # 1356, the 835 series 3 is test # 1482, the 875 is test # 1279, 1332, and 1483, the 895 was test # 1335, and the 1150 was test # 1462. And this is only information I have up to the mid-80's. They continued testing on newer tractors as well.
But, to get back to the original topic, a 555 is a good tractor, just don't work the engine to full capacity. Those V-type Cummins engines had a tendency to fly apart to worked at full power for long periods of times. For tillage work where you need all the power a tractor can put out, go with an 800 series Versatile with the 855 Cummins. One of the best engines ever built.
One last thing, Wabbit; don't slander your northern neighbors. All you do is come across as an idiot southerner so lost in his own self-importance that he can't see past the end of his own nose. (No offense to the rest of you, I have a fair ammount of respect for most Americans)

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now! ;-)

Lyndon

We have a 500 which is real similar to the 555.3700 hrs and only wet clutch has been replaced once.It may be a little rude and crude,but it's rugged as heck and easy to work on.

We service it regularly,change oil and filters every 100 hrs.,grease it twice yearly,fuel filters every year,coolant and filter and Cummins approved coolant chemical every few years and a few other maint items, and the brute has served us VERY well.Mainly used to pull a JD 36' field cultivator and Glencoe disc-chisel.

I'd buy another in a heartbeat if the price was right.

You have got to be kidding!! They are one of the easiest tractors out there to work on. Versitile's that is. The clutch went out of one of ours and we put a new clutch/pressure plate in it IN THE FIELD, by our selves in about 3 hours and that counted going to town and picking up the new parts that took about an hour!!!! Try that with a JD. First off, they would have had to order thet parts in the first place!!!! DON"T TELL ME THEY ARE HARD TO WORK ON!!! Not fimilar with the 555 though.