I have a friend that is looking seriously at a 1986 Case 855D Track Loader with the 4 in 1 bucket on it......so far no Ser number for me to post. The information he does have on the engine (not sure how correct it is) states that it has a 590 Cummins engine in it. On the plus side it is a one owner machine & the owner does not use it much any more & hasn't used it much for a number of years. Would any of the members here have any feedback about these machines? It has 11,000 hrs on it he said. I plan to accompany him to look at it tomorrow, as he has little experience with track type loaders. Any comments would be appreciated.
Great machine! 6-590 Engines are almost bullet proof. Check if the belly plates have been kept clean, the oil pans can get holes in them if not. Check the transmission for even & consistent shift times. Check the trans pressure cold & hot during range shifts - at an idle - low oil flow/pressure will show any weaknesses.. There is a hole in the chassis in front of the sprockets, to access the transmission mounting bolts - (3 each side) + 2 on the front of each final drive located under the machine - make sure they are all there.... Look at the bottom of the final drive housings, these can wear thin on high houred machines, depending on how they've been operated. They can crack chassis behind the loader lift cylinder mountings. Oil leaks at the loader control valve spools can be expensive to repair if the chrome on spools is worn through, likely on an 11K hr machine. Ask if they used the brakes for steering or if they used the shift levers, the brakes should only be used to stop the machine.
Thanks for your reply...…….now it is my friends hands to decide on it.
That’s great info, thanks as well.