Hey all, I don't post here often, but I sure learn a lot here, so thanks! Long story short, I'm back to looking for a small dozer....had one, sold it to a buddy who said I could use it any time I wanted, then he sold it. Renting really isn't an option because the projects I have are all going to be drawn out over time and aren't the kind I can schedule (weather has to cooperate, etc), so I'm looking for what most folks consider a farm dozer. I've been keeping a close eye on Craigslist, Equipment Trader, Machinery Trader, various auction sites, and a couple of other places. I've seen a number of Deere 450s (C or newer) and 550s that should do what I need to get done, and wouldn't completely break the bank that have me interested. What got me wondering was that I've seen a couple of 550s listed for prices that seemed lower than what I would expect, and lower than what some 450s in similar condition were listed at. Something negative about the 550s I'm missing? How would you compare the reliability of the two? I've been reading about both, and it seems they've each had some transmission issues over the years. I plan to take a heavy equipment mechanic with me to look at anything I'm considering buying, but thought it was worth asking general opinions here. I'm not stuck on the brand or the models, but other than some decent Dresser TD7s and TD8s, there aren't many finish dozers for sale around here at a price point I can justify. Fire away with your thoughts!
You hit the nail on the head about the 550's, anything before the G models have a bad rap regarding transmissions with almost no factory parts available.
I'm working on a straight 550 at thr moment and have not had any trouble finding parts for it. We currently have the entire undercarriage out from under the machine and almost have it ready to go back in. We also have a 450b track loader that has been fantastic. I think the major difference is the weights. I wouldn't be too concerned about moving a 450 with a pickup but a 550 would need a serious gooseneck to get it done!
I think you're thinking of the 555 maybe? I think the 550 is a "tween" machine... a little too big for many jobs compared to the 450, and not near the snoose of a 650....
I should have said very few factory transmission parts. I believe the company that made the trannys has been out business for sometime.
Hmmm...parts availability certainly has me concerned, since there's always risk when buying an older, inexpensive dozer (or anything else really). These two ads, and a couple of others that are similar are what got me wondering. Obviously, without seeing them in person, it's hard to get any real idea of what a fair price should be, but I was surprised the 550A was listed for less than the 450E. It's funny, but they are almost exactly in opposite directions from my place, but are within about 5 miles of being the same length drive. http://centralmich.craigslist.org/hvo/5441020413.html http://dayton.craigslist.org/grd/5440875679.html
I was in the same boat. I wanted to buy an older machine for my ranch and after looking at every make and model in the 20k lb range, I decided to spend a little more and get a newer machine than what I set out to get. I'm really happy with my 650G.
I'd love to do something like that, but after buying a relatively new backhoe (2006 Case 580SMII), F800 dump truck, 14K dump trailer, and a Genie scissor lift in the last year, I've burned up almost all my equipment savings stash
550A is at least a decade older than a 450E, which more than justifies the price difference. A model probably has dry steering clutches for one thing.
Pretty sure the 550 had wet clutches and the 450 had dry for a couple models. Not 100% sure though.
My bad, memory brain cramp. The early 550's did have the torque convertor so yeah, I would probably avoid them for that reason. Great tractor but if you have torque/tranny issues....
450C and newer were/are wet steering clutches. Not sure about earlier than that.
Not really. The 450E ran from 1985 to 1988 (some overlap with the G model). The 550A ran from 1983 to 1985. At most the 450E might be a couple of years newer than a 550A, but probably not enough to matter compared with hours and condition.
Going off stuff posted in the JDCrawler website, and a few other places, it seems there were some very late 450B that got wet clutches as part of the transition to the C model. Regardless, all of the C and later had wet clutches.