I recently inhierited a 555E hoe from my father. He was sick for over a year and the backhoe sat for that time. I put a new battery in it and it started right up. The motor sounds great and powerful. However, I checked the transmission fluid and it was overfull and milky. The transmission will not engage or make any sounds whatsoever. I have been told to drain it, clean a screen and change the filter and it will run again. The rubber boot around the gear shift has a cut all the way around it. Did water get in it this way? I have been told that there is a second seal under the cut one for water and the cut one is for dust. This machine has appox 1,600+ hours on it. Can anyone tell me the approximate value of my 555E 4x4?
I'd say start with the obvious. I've never seen a second water seal under a boot, but you'll be able to tell when you take the boot off to put the new one on. Definitely drain, screen, filter and try it again, then go from there. My guess is $10k, a lot less as it sits, a little more running in good shape.
I would definitely do the drain, screen, filter, refill thing first. Then cross your fingers and try it. If it looks good and has no sloppy pins, which it shouldn't at 1600 hrs, if the transmission is fixed, I would say in the $16-20,000 range. With non-functional tranny, $4-6,000.
Thanks, Delmer. Unfortunately, my eldest sibling inhierited the property it sits on and will not allow me access to it. She says I have to have it moved to my property (3 miles down the road)to work on it. Next Sunday, I am allowed 5 hours to remove my property. My question now is, is it safe for me to pull it to my property with my F250 or do I need to have it put on a rollback wrecker?
Thanks, Mitch. I've had a couple of people that dad knew stop by and make some really low offers. Not being allowed on the property it sits on has been very frustrating.
It weighs about 16,000 pounds, so it's not really a good idea to put it on a trailer behind an F250, and I definitely wouldn't tow it on it's wheels until you know what's wrong with the transmission, as you could change a easy repair into a tough one. Before you count on a car type rollback, make sure the driver knows how much it weighs and how long it is. A regular F650 rollback is only good for about 10,000 lbs. I am sorry to hear about your father passing away, and even sorrier to hear about your family relationship. Keep your chin up, maybe time will heal the wounds. Mitch