[JimK]

After about 3 days of ownership, I dropped my "new" 955 with 70A loader and #7 backhoe off at the JD dealer for service. I blew out a hyd hose on the BH bucket, and the hoe was not working well. So, after about $480 in parts and about $320 in labor , I have a much happier CUT. It turns out my 955 is a 1990 model, so the 1411 hours it has is not bad for it's age. The JD service manager agreed with my guess that the BH is not original to the tractor, as it has much more wear and was not maintained near as well as the rest of the machine. I still have some minor things to do, but I can defer them for a while. When things slow up over the winter I plan to roll it into my garage, fire up the heaters and rebuild cylinders and do alot of detailing.

BTW, the poor BH performance was due to two primary issues: the pins and side arms were so badly worn that it was binding, and the hyd. fluid was in very poor condition and the screen was very clogged. It is much stronger now.

Thanks for your input so far. I am sure I will have some more questions (some probably dumb) now that I can finally use my machine.

 

[bontai Joe]

Sorry to hear about the repair bill, but glad to hear it is working for you. Any pics?

 

[Live Oak]

Glad to hear you got your machine back in good working order. Tough break on the cost for repairs. Hopefully you will be able to maintain it from this point on. Do you have a shop manual for this machine. Might be money well spent. I have the John Deere shop manual on CD which I have found to be VERY handy to have.

 

[JimK]

Thanks Joe & Chief. Sorry, no pics yet, but I will have some in a week or so. I don't shoot digital, just film.

Chief, I plan to do all the maintenance from here on out. I just wanted to get the unit to a reasonable operating condition before I started working it. Although expensive, my local dealer is actually a reputable, competent resource. They could have really beat me up for stuff that was not necessary, but they only did what needed to be done.

I plan to get the I&T paper service manual for the tractor, and the J.D. CD-ROM. I also need to get the service manual for the loader and backhoe, but I think my only resource for those is J.D.

 

[bontai Joe]

You might want to check out John Deere Parts on line. You have to register, but it is free and it sure is nice to pop in a model number and get complete exploded diagrams of each assembly's parts, the part numbers, and with a little extra manipulation get the list price on parts and if they are still available. Here is a link:

http://www.johndeere.com/en_US/parts/corpparts/index.html

 

[JimK]

Thanks Joe. That is pretty cool, but I still have to figure out how to get the p/n. I'll spend some more time on that site and figure it out.

BTW, where in NE PA are you? I am in the Poconos, near Tannersville.

 

[bontai Joe]

Jim,
We're neighbors! I'm in Saylorsburg. As for using Deere parts, just typing in the model number 955 will give you the whole tractor broken down into subassemblies, the loader's model number and hoe's number will do the same for each of them.

 

[JimK]

Hey Neighbor!

Shoot, we sure are neighbors :cheers:

I actually live in Reeders. I was in Saylorsburg yesterday at a friends house.

BTW, I had the 955 serviced at Pocono Tractor up near Marshalls Creek. Seemed like a good crew, although I had a bad experience there years ago with an old Wheelhorse.

I figured out how to get to the part numbers, so now I guess I have to call the dealer for availability, or is that available from the web site too?

 

[bontai Joe]

Once you are looking at the parts diagram, you'll see a list of the parts at the bottom of the screen. Check the ones you are interested in and add them to your shopping cart. You haven't bought anything yet! So don't worry. Then check the box where it says something like see shopping cart and the whole screen will change and all the parts in your cart will be listed with prices or listed as no longer available. You can print your list for when you go to the dealer. and then delete it all and start over for the next time.

 

[bontai Joe]

I don't know the dealer you are seeing. I do know there is a Deere Industrial guy in Stroudsburg, but I've never done business with him, so I can't give a recommendation. I do most of my stuff in Trachsville with the garden tractor guy there. He sells compact utilities too and might be able to work on yours if you are so inclined. I haven't had him do work for me yet, I just buy what I need there, so again, I can't vouch for his work, but they have been ok to me on parts.

 

[JimK]

Joe,

5 Star is the "Big Deere" service place. I called them about having my 955 serviced there, but they did not sound to interested, and they had at least a 4 day backlog before they would even look at it. They will make up hoses and such if I need them, but I think I will stick with Pocono Tractor for serious service if I can't handle it, as they sell and service alot of CUTs as well as the smaller garden and lawn tractor machines.

I used the hoe for about an hour tonight. What a great machine. I am still learning technique, but it is coming quickly. I am getting the "feel" for the bucket, and know when to finesse it instead of bullying it. Fun.

 

[farmallmaniac]

glad you got everything figured out and can now have some fun
Ryan