My father-in-law passed away in 2016, and we inherited his 9 acre property and some heavy equipment, including a Ford 555 backhoe/front end loader. He purchased it to excavate for the house he built and the septic system. The land is mostly flood plain with a river on two sides, but the house was built on a hill, and I need to do some terracing and erosion control. I also want to do some excavation for some raised beds on the flood plain. I can operate his Kubota mini-tractor with FEL, and use it to maintain a long gravel driveway to the house on the hill, but I feel like I might need a bit more instruction than watching a bunch of youtube videos to safely operate the backhoe. The closest metropolitan area is Greenville, SC, but I seem to be having difficulty finding any type of class.
welcome its best to learn by watching and doing. Take it slow and easy and youll get the hang of it. Try to stay away from anything when learning then when your better you can trust your self around stuff. I got a bunch of videos on youtube if you wanna check them out. my youtube user name is MRGIOVANNIX12
Thanks! So I'm not crazy for wanting to learn on my own? I have a big field so I can practice without destroying anything. I will check out your vids.
Every 1 has to learn somewhere. GO in the field and dig a big hole. Then backfill it. I think youll get the feel for it quick
Thanks. So I guess the most foreign thing to me is there doesn't seem to be a clutch. I can find neutral and start the machine, what then? I don't want to tear up the transmission.
im not familiar with the ford 555 but maybe I can find you an owners manual to read
When it's running make sure the shuttle shift on the steering column is in neutral. Then put the trans mission lever on the floor into gear. second is good to learn. Then put the shuttle shift into forward and drive. Once it's in gear you just use the shuttle shift. When it's in forward or reverse it's like an automatic transmission just put on the brakes to stop it[/QUOTE]
[/QUOTE] same setup the case has. No clutch is nice
Hi thudson77, congrats on the new to you machine and only shift the gears while the shuttle shifter is in the neutral position. also always make 100 percent sure you know what is in the ground before digging! since you'll be starting out on your own property I'm sure you know whats there but sooner or later friends and neighbors will have you digging for them when word gets out you have a machine and there is no worse way to end a day than hitting a pipeline or cable of some sort... so have fun and be safe
One basic technique for digging is long shallow slices, the idea is to hold the teeth at a slight angle to the ground, and maintain that angle and depth of the cut for the length it takes to fill the bucket. This requires three controls at once. You can practice this by extending the boom out most of the way and setting the bucket teeth several inches off the ground, then retract and repeat until you get it smooth. In different soils you'll use different methods to fill the bucket, that's just a good practice. If that's too much, then just practice with two controls at the same time till you can do that smoothly, then add the third. The toughest for me to get smooth is always the swing. Probably worse because of the slop in the worn pins and bushings lets the boom bounce side to side and the swing always seemed too fast (slower would be too much force for the design of a backhoe maybe?).
If you ever go off your own property for those friends and neighbors you really need good insurance for those utilities that always show up where you least expect them. In my area if you rupture a natural gas line you most likely have to pay for the gas that escapes plus the repair of the line.
I have the same backhoe..ford 555 1980s vintage, its a great machine, best advice is to properly maintain oils and filters for a healthy life, its an easier machine to use, COMMON SENSE is a must, im not a professional and had to learn with minor instruction from a pro, it doesnt take long to get a feel for the machine, and being over cautious is a good thing...like others said change gears when in neutral on the selector by the steering wheel..if you can get a service manual that would be great, so start the hunt for that..otherwise watch some videos and practice on your own property, and if you need to dig and not know if utilities are in the area there is a toll free number to have them marked for free, at least in my area there is..and if you are gona work off your property..GET INSURANCE or DONT do it....you are liable for anything that happens, evn if you loan your machine to a neighbor and he uses it..just DONT.....good luck with any projects and it sure beats a hand shovel..lol..a good set of double d chains for the rear tires will give a big boost in where you can go in softer ground and yes I got mine stuck a few times in the mud and it wasnt all fun getting it out..lol..but if you do get stuck shut off the machine and step back and look at the big picture before you sink down to the chassis, then you got problems, an idling machine will sink from the vibrations, so thats why you shut it off..
Thanks for all the advice everyone. I went through a drawer full of manuals last night and found the operators manual. That helps a lot. Now I can start practicing.
Stay off any slopes, especially any kind of side slope. Hoes are narrow, high centered, real easy to get up on two wheels if you're not careful. I was on a side slope that was nothing, maybe a half foot drop from one back wheel to the other... Nothing you'd really notice driving across it, which I had done dozens of times. But this time I got a 3+ ton boulder in the front bucket and pulled back on the lever to lift it. I think what happened was the hoe pivoted around the front tires and lifted the rears off the ground, then it swung down hill at the back at the same time. Felt like it was going to flip with all that going on at the same time. Got my attention....I decided to just push the boulder....