On the advice of a friend, I bought a Ford 655c backhoe circa 1991.
Parts are cheap, parts are easy, parts are plentiful, the dealers are good... I was told... They aren't. Parts are expensive, many obsolete, certainly not plentiful, definitely hard to find, not many places stock stuff and the local dealers really couldn't give a toss. I dont think I would have had such issues with a 3cx but was advised not to go that route. For my JD tractor of similar vintage the dealer is expensive but they stock most bits and will source aftermarket alternatives.
Anyway... on the 655c digger... I need the low pressure hydraulic pipes that take oil from the cooler to the hydraulic tank and then from the tank back down to the pto driven pump.
Genuine parts come in at over £300 for two pipes that are about 6 inches in length in total. And the rest are unobtainable easily from Ford/NH.
The cooler to tank pipe is easy. That's about 750mm of 25mm ID pipe that's fine with hydraulic oil. I can source that.
The tank to pump setup is a different matter. First pipe is a reducer 70mm ID down to 50mm ID. Then a steel link pipe that takes us vertically to a pipe that starts at 50mm ID, reduces to 38mm ID and then bends 90 degrees to run forward about 120mm and then a horizontal 90 degree turn about 120mm onto the pump.
Where on earth can I find aftermarket alternatives? There are reducers but most are silicone and none state they are OK with continuous use with oil. I could use metal reducers bit can't find any. I so wish I had a lathe as I could.make.up reducers that way, but I don't.
What options are there that I haven't found?!
Parts are cheap, parts are easy, parts are plentiful, the dealers are good... I was told... They aren't. Parts are expensive, many obsolete, certainly not plentiful, definitely hard to find, not many places stock stuff and the local dealers really couldn't give a toss. I dont think I would have had such issues with a 3cx but was advised not to go that route. For my JD tractor of similar vintage the dealer is expensive but they stock most bits and will source aftermarket alternatives.
Anyway... on the 655c digger... I need the low pressure hydraulic pipes that take oil from the cooler to the hydraulic tank and then from the tank back down to the pto driven pump.
Genuine parts come in at over £300 for two pipes that are about 6 inches in length in total. And the rest are unobtainable easily from Ford/NH.
The cooler to tank pipe is easy. That's about 750mm of 25mm ID pipe that's fine with hydraulic oil. I can source that.
The tank to pump setup is a different matter. First pipe is a reducer 70mm ID down to 50mm ID. Then a steel link pipe that takes us vertically to a pipe that starts at 50mm ID, reduces to 38mm ID and then bends 90 degrees to run forward about 120mm and then a horizontal 90 degree turn about 120mm onto the pump.
Where on earth can I find aftermarket alternatives? There are reducers but most are silicone and none state they are OK with continuous use with oil. I could use metal reducers bit can't find any. I so wish I had a lathe as I could.make.up reducers that way, but I don't.
What options are there that I haven't found?!