Just bought an early 80's Ford 555 backhoe/loader and the guy I purchased it from warned me that he had adjusted 3 of the valves too tight and that I needed to be very careful when putting strain on the motor as it would be more apt to blow a hose. He recommended that I loosen the valves down before I put it to a lot of work (keep in mind that this is my first experience on a backhoe so I'm in total beginner mode). Yesterday I loosened the 3 valves a full turn and proceeded on to attempt to dig up some stumps; within in an hour I blew my first hose! Can anyone explain to me how that works and how I can set the valve to the proper setting to avoid blowing hoses? I'm also a beginner to this site and any help would be greatly appreciated and helpful.
old hoses,,,replace as needed have fun with machine
If you're gonna work on it yourself; get a manual, get a manual, get a manual.....a backhoe is a really complicated piece of equipment. I worked on cars and trucks for 20 years before I got my hoe. First thing I bought was the factory manual, because I had zero experience with hydraulics. Or diesel engines. Get a manual and figure it out....
And a good quality hydraulic pressure guage with a suitable length of hose, and some adapters to fit whatever test ports that machine has. Don't guess when it comes to pressures, it can be unbelievably costly not only in terms of money, but injury or even death. A pinhole leak that you can't see can inject oil at high pressure through your skin for one thing and even the smallest such injury is ugly, painful, usually requires surgical cleanup, and is very slow to heal.
I appreciate all the input, everyone brings up good points. I do plan getting a manual asap so I can start learning and do repairs right the first time. And I'll look into a pressure gauge as well....any way to find out what they are supposed to be set at? Also, jimg984, do you think the valves have less of an effect than poor hoses? I guess what I'm asking is, should I be afraid to put pressure on this machine if the hoses are good? Everyone I've seen run a backhoe seems to always put the backhoe under some strain.
got have pressure to do the work,,hoses get old and worn out,, there is no way to dig without putting pressure on the system,,, I had an old timer operator digging for me, I asked him if he had to pull harder on lever for hard diggen,, he said no,, in 3 minutes I looked he had both hands on same lever,,, told him I would cut him a 4 feet of pipe to go lever,, he shot me a bird LOL I got complete wiring diagram for 555 if needed
That's what I sort of thought. At this point I'm gun shy and afraid that ever time I go to dig I'm going to break something. I wonder what tips you may have about getting the hose off that I busted? It's in a miserable spot and I can't get any tool on it! As for the diagram, I'll take anything I can get my hands on.
Been there, done that. You will have to remove the outside hose and work your way in to the busted hose. You may find space limited as I did. I went and grabbed some cheap wrenches at Harbor Freight or Tractor Supply and cut them up to fit. They work great!
Ive seen a couple of posts about that and my son is going to try and make me some this weekend, do I need to release the pressure on these hoses before I start trying to remove them?
for sure,,,,,,,,,,sometimes on loosing, a hammer and cheasel will help,, a strong basin will help, that tool in mostly used by plumber under a sink to install a facuet
I have a 555A and manual. Loader valve main relief is 2400-2700 PSI @ 2200 RPM with oil at 165 F. Backhoe valve main relief is 2450-2550 PSI @ 2200 RPM 165 F. There are a bunch of circuit reliefs set at different pressures for different functions and tests for pump flow using different procedures and at 1700 and 2200 RPM. These are all laid out in the shop manual. Highest circuit relief in the system is 4000-4300 PSI, so the hoses should meet specs for that pressure, unless you take the time to spec hoses for other lower pressure circuits. There are flow tests to measure pump condition using a flow meter, which usually affect circuit speeds.
Thanks seabee, sounds like I need to get a gauge and start testing; although I'll admit I don't know how to do that either, more reason to get a service manual. On a high note I finally got the hose off thanks to my son's custom tool he made to get up there in the tight spot. Thanks to everyone for the tips!