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carpetfarmer 05-27-2012 18:38:33 76.7.239.206 Report to Moderator	I appologize for this being so long but I got quite a bit more informaiton about that Super 55 today. I talked to someone in the residence on Friday and the fella I need to talk to was out of town and won't be back until later this week, so I'll call then. Stopped and looked at the tractor again today, this time with a multimeter, paper and a pen. Here is the information I wrote down. Specification #: 15-0005 Serial #: 16 111-518 It has a 12V electrical system, 12.4-24 rear tires (brand new) and 6.00-16 3 rib front tires (fairly new). The front spindles are in good shape (no cracks or signs of wear), however someone has broken and welded the left front hub and the front axle kingpin shows significant wear and could stand to be replaced. I could not find any welds on the center section of the machine and when looking at the casting number, did not see an "A" at the end of the number to signify a replacement. The rear rims look to be only slightly older than the tires. Moving towards the rear of the tractor, there is a small oil leak from the inspection plate on the underside of the tractor in the center section which I am assuming to be the location of the clutch pack which, if so, is not a good sign. I took the two fill caps off that are under the shifting lever. There was no fluid visible in the front hole, and the rear one was low on the dipstick and was new but a bit milky so I'm suspecting water contamination. The guages didn't work when I turned it over, but I didn't have the key so that's probably the reason there. I don't know if the hour meter works but it shows 2/361.0 hrs. with the hour marker in between 2 and 3 so I'm guessing it doesn't work properly. The steering seems tight at least just with it sitting there, I'm waiting until I get to talk to the PO to start it, run it and all that good stuff. Again, without it running, the PTO lever clicked into position very strong as I have read that it should. Finally, on the PTO, its got a 1 3/8" PTO with some sort of collar around it at the base where it just comes out of the tractor. Is this normal? I was going to spin it by hand which it did freely, but I noticed it wobbled around a bit, almost like it was removeable, I was also wondering if this is normal too? There is a very small leak out from around the PTO shaft as well, but it is minor. Unless from this information, you all notice somthing that could be a problem, the only thing that really concerns me is that something has been patched on the left side of the block, right around the cylinder walls. Looks like somebody smeared a whole bunch of JB Weld on an area about 3" tall and 8" long. That area concerns me, but we'll see what the PO says, don't know how much more problem that would be compared to my thirsty qt/hr oil burnin 2N Ford. My price keeps coming down. The dealership wants $4900 for it, but again depending on what the PO says, I'm going to offer $3000 and then 3500 top dollar. [Reply]   [No Email]
Super 55 05-28-2012 22:59:26 70.69.44.167 Report to Moderator	Re: What to look for in a Super 55 - Update in reply to carpetfarmer, 05-27-2012 18:38:33   I'm with Ollie GM on this one. JB weld on the block, walk away. Especially for for what they are asking. Sounds like it needs a lot of work, and you can get better deals out there. Keep an eye on the Photo Ads here, there have been some really nice Super 55s and 550s on there lately for the same price range. You would probably put a lot of $$$ to get this one to be in the same category. [Reply]  [No Email]
J. Schwiebert 05-28-2012 05:30:48 209.143.33.253 Report to Moderator	Re: What to look for in a Super 55 - Update in reply to carpetfarmer, 05-27-2012 18:38:33   Lot of interesting facts in your post. On the PTO shaft. Early PTO shafts were reverseable,(your removeable thing) 1-3/8 on one end 1-1/8 on the other end. Does it still have the short handle to engage it. Short handles do not have the knob on the handle. Is there any trace of coolant in the oil? The JB weld is interesting as well since most blocks if they crack do not crack up like that.Is this a diesel or a gas as the gas were all 6 volt tractors till January of 57 and this one is an early 1955 model. No the gauges would not work unless it is running. The first cover that you removed to check the oil is the transmission fill and there will be no dipstick or will you be able to see the oil. The second one is the hydraulic and was there a short pipe between the housing and the cap? Was there a remove valve? Do check the steering when you drive it. Enough comments for now. It is over priced. [Reply]  [No Email]
bob herring 05-29-2012 13:56:42 75.142.189.22 Report to Moderator	Oliver 55/ PTO in reply to J. Schwiebert, 05-28-2012 05:30:48   I just read a little that you posted and it seems you have some experiance in Oliver. I am in need of a PTO clutch hub and pressur plate for my Oliver that I have farmed with since I was 9 years old in west Texas. do you have any ideas where I might find an assembly. Thank you so much. Bob [Reply]  [No Email]
carpetfarmer 05-28-2012 17:59:40 76.7.232.168 Report to Moderator	Re: What to look for in a Super 55 - Update in reply to J. Schwiebert, 05-28-2012 05:30:48   Yeah, thats kind of what I was wondering. The way it wiggled, it acted like it was reversible but I knew there was no way it could be flipped from 540 to 1000, thats what threw me. Never thought about 1 3/8" - 1 1/8" but it makes sense. Based on your description, it still has the short handle. I would not have called it short previously but with my lack of knowledge on these tractors, I didn't want to make any statements. It does not have a knob on the top of the lever. I checked the oil and didn't notice any coolant contamination but the oil looks brand new like has just been changed which adds another question after seeing the patch job. It is a gasser and has been converted to 12V. The generator has been replaced with an alternator and it's got a 12V battery (verified it with a multimeter). On the hydraulic oil, I didn't notice a short pipe, and I'm not sure about the remove valve. Thank you for your wisdom, it helps tremendously. [Reply]  [No Email]
ollie gm 05-27-2012 22:57:57 63.229.141.1 Report to Moderator	Re: What to look for in a Super 55 - Update in reply to carpetfarmer, 05-27-2012 18:38:33   The JB weld would scare me away. Sounds like it got caught in the cold and froze. Myself, I would buy a case of oil for the 2N and keep looking. When an engine freezes everything gets pushed around when it thaws, the water pump, radiator, even the block & head can get twisted. Too many things just waiting to fix in the future. [Reply]  [No Email]