I Bought an old Ford 555... Can i even operate this?

Hey Everyone!
So i finally got a hold of some heavy machinery, to help me with all the hard work, around here.
This was not really what i was looking for. but i found this older Ford 555 Backhoe, not far from where i live, and just went for it.
I needs a bit of repairs. but it not meant to be a mojor project/restoration.
for now, i just had to fix a few things, and it can be put to work... if i can even figure out how to operate it?
Music by: ‪@teknoaxe‬
Thanks for watching along!

[@focus678]

Sound like a healthy diesel.

[@douglasbasinger2513]

Nice toy, looks like fun and you can tear lots of stuff up! Woo Hoo!

[@rhkavli]

Pro tip: When welding near glass with MIG or MMA, cover the glass. The welding sparks really dig into the glass, causing brown burn marks. Don't ask me how I know.

[@FAR2G]

Oh, my phone learned that the hard way, heh

[@KJOff-Road]

Haha yeah, i have also learned that the hard way :) But it was already too late on this door. the last time someone cut and welded it, they hadn't covered the glass. so it's already full of burn marks. That's why i didn't bother to cover them up :) But thanks anyway! :)

[@tubularap]

So enjoyable to watch. Thanks for all the camerawork.

[@KJOff-Road]

Thanks for watching along :)

[@davearobb]

Nice buy, looks like a tidy addition to your fleet, here in the UK we would often call that bucket a ditching bucket, handy for scooping out drainage ditches. Seems a good solid machine.

[@chele-chele]

Backhoes are a hoot to run. I learned in a mid-90s 555D 4x4 which had essentially the same functions as yours sans the traversing boom mount and vertical downriggers. Have fun, it's a great skill to learn =)

[@nobrakes7247]

Cool Swales and ponds everywhere Cover the exhaust you don't want to get rain into your engine it should have a flap on top of it

[@quintincairncross1088]

Hope we get to see a resto on this!

[@rogercurnow180]

Love it! Every little boys dream!

[@kevinmic6740]

Bought one of these machines with fwd, very reliable durable and economical to run.

[@trevorcourt1403]

I love diggers, I really enjoyed this episode 👌🏻

[@Lou1ouze]

Nice find ! My first piece of equipment was an old jcb, way worst condition than yours but i always managed to keep it operating. The hydraulic power of these things is amazing !!

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

👍👌👏 All in all it looks and sounds as if you bought yourself a really nice device. Having good tires is essential (and so are functional brakes). Congratulations 🎉 With all the necessary maintenance, grease jobs, some repairs and eventually some new hydraulic hoses, this old backhoe will be a pretty helpful/useful machine. I totally agree with you, that the way how the rear excavator arm is attached, is way better than the American made ones. The hydraulic support feet are way better too. Please kindly allow me to suggest that you try to make the door fit a bit better. Otherwise rodents will love the big gaps. I'm eagerly looking forward to watch the next part about this Ford backhoe. Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and health in particular.

[@jimurrata6785]

Here in North America the wide one would be called a grading bucket. They're for shifting loose materials (sand, gravel) or scraping cover. Interesting to see how different the digging arm is on European models. The 555 really is the Multitool/Swiss Army Knife of earthworks.

[@KJOff-Road]

Ah yes. Grading bucket. That sounds familliar! Thanks! :)

[@jimurrata6785]

@@KJOff-Road They often wear out because the smooth back side is used to push around and compact loose material. I hope you show repairing them, if you decide to. A backhoe is a very useful piece of equipment for a property your size. 👍

[@johnvender]

Great buy, I'm sure you'll find plenty of use for it and with your skills you can do the welding required to fix up the buckets, replace the hydraulic hoses that need to be replaced and sort out the bushings that need it. Proper service on the engine, fuel system, brakes and hydraulics and good run with a grease gun and you will have very reliable machine. I don't think it will take you huge amount of time to sort out the lights wiring issues and hopefully it won't be too difficult to get the tacho and hours meter working.

[@SluSharkND]

Splotchy black on the yellow for a yellow/black camo pattern. Think about it...Looking forward to seeing you use it!

[@clintstallone]

Next step, build an off road course for the mogs!

[@dougdavidson175]

Nice score! Take care & stay safe.

[@chriastr]

Congrats on a nifty piece of kit! @CaptainKleeman has one of these 555's from '78 that he's fixing up. Might be worth a look. :)

[@Daniel-gi3jo]

Now you can fix your own road, build a custom test run for the 2x and 4x.

[@johnmchardy4502]

Looks a good old machine but they need a lot of looking after plenty grease and the cab can rust badly but that's one looks well worth putting the time and effort in to it

[@allanhunks5134]

Nice machine 👏

[@karlsjov]

Congrats with your new exciting vehicle 😊

[@mattkubler5740]

This machine was also in Australia. My dad had a brand new machine

[@Unimerk]

Another piece of material! But not the army green I would have thought 😉 But ideal piece to have around, will come in handy 👍

[@KJOff-Road]

Haha no, i was hoping to get a green one. but i guess i just wasn't allowed to buy it? :)

[@justjoe7313]

There seems to be a screw on the mirror holder and you can extend the mirror arm by a centimeter or two. Then the mirror wouldn't hit the screw and could turn enough. Maybe. From a few thousand kilometers away :)

[@KJOff-Road]

Yes, you are right. unfortunately that will only give it a few more milimeters. and it has to come in a lot more than that. But thanks :) And thanks for watching along!

[@IBEONECOOLCAT]

Lil lubrication makes everything better!

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

Be fine!!!

[@oskarbud525]

Nice!

[@johncollings6799]

Looks like you need to check some of those pins in the bucket seems pretty sloppy and loose FYI

[@KJOff-Road]

Yeah, the buckets are very sloppy. they are gonna' get sorted :)

[@miroslavUnimog]

👍

[@floranfauna3090]

More RPM, your hydraulics will be twice as fast and powerful.

[@KJOff-Road]

Roger that. Thanks :)

[@ronaldmatros9890]

Looks like your new at stick controls but don't be afraid to increase your ram's. It will help in your ability to operate. That may not make sense, give it a try. Preferably in an open area. Have fun .

[@andrewk6844]

with the front you could adapt the euro hitch brackets

[@KJOff-Road]

Might just do that. that would be neat :)

[@iamrichrocker]

think you somewhat lucky on cyclinders and hydrohaulics..when i saw the oil filter dated i was hoping the previous owner did his best to maintain..anyways..great videos ahead..

[@humbucker0076]

A goofier alternative would have been to get a front end loader for your Unimog.

[@KJOff-Road]

Absolutely! But for some reason, one of those original front loaders, cost more than i paid for this whole machine :/

[@humbucker0076]

@@KJOff-Road you tell me you got this thing for around 500€? Damn. To me it always seems like everybody is always selling them. However for many people it's probably just wasted space. Technically you just need the attachment points to your Unimog. The loader itself is a standard tractor from i.e. baas.

[@KJOff-Road]

Hah, well no, not quite. i was exaggerating a bit :) But as you also point out, it's not just the loader. i would also need the right brackets, and i would also need a bigger hydralic system, and that all adds up pretty quick. But no, it would not quite get to the price of this though :)

[@humbucker0076]

@@KJOff-Road You could get good deals for that stuff and your new Pump should be fine for a front end loader. But you probably also want the tougher front springs, which your Mog probably already has if it was a snowplow. But in the end it will always be a front end loader and not a proper digger. Although they accel at loading trailers with their long overhag/reach

[@hove007]

JUST A PRO TIP PUSH BOTH SUPPORTLEG HANDLES AT THE SAME TIME MAKES IT FASTER TO SET IT UP FOR DIGGING

[@myfixesandrepairs6842]

nice buy increas engine speed for the hydraulics to work properly

[@KJOff-Road]

Roger that. Thanks! :)

[@CM-ve1bz]

@@KJOff-Road Things I’ve learned through trial and error Low RPM to learn, then kick it up as you get smooth on the controls. Don’t ram front bucket into what you want to scoop up. Use torque of motor to push into it. When you ram into it, you end up with gaps around your bushings you can stick your fingers into. There’s a lot of filters, change them often. Be careful what fluids you use especially in the differential. If it’s like mine, the brakes are in there and the wrong type of fluid makes the brakes chatter and groan. The steering is powered by the fluid. If it’s low on fluid you can spin the steering wheel until hell freezes over and nothing will happen. When you park it, turn the bucket and front loader bucket so they won’t hold water when it rains, so they don’t rust out. Just a few things I’ve learned

[@fishaussie9112]

🇦🇺I can not believe you did not purchase a military loader to add to your collection You will have to paint the Ford in green military colours

[@KJOff-Road]

Hah well, nither can i. I tried to get one, but i guess i just wasn't allowed to buy it. haha :) Thanks for watching along!

[@doolittlegeorge]

Hamilton Farm on KZbin great resource for this

[@erik_dk842]

Now you're combining Watch Wes Work and Arthur Tussik

[@philhallam2496]

when are you going to finish the Unimog?

[@rongray4118]

Nice... how much did you pay for the unit?

[@LogitechXibanga]

@TeamArmyTrucks bro you already have 2 unimogs in pieces some other cars in need of attention and you just go buy a broken digger when you dont have the time and the money to work up on the current projects 🤣 I know what happened you saw it thought i dont have time for another project but... its so cheap! 😂

[@KJOff-Road]

I can't help myself. Haha :)

[@LogitechXibanga]

@@KJOff-Road i know the feeling

[@johnolszowy8663]

Good common sense digging

[@KennysClackyGarage]

Det ser da ikke så tosset ud👍 det får du hurtigt lært. Øvelse gør mester.

[@metricstormtrooper]

Jealous much 😁