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1985 ford 6500 loader

Delmer

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2013
Messages
8,864
Location
WI
Apparently the transmission gears have a max speed of 4, 7, and 18mph, with the same in reverse (don't use 3 reverse:eek:)

That's not a tractor transmission but it is just fine for a loader tractor. I'm assuming this is a torque converter with a standard gear shift transmission behind it, not a dry clutch or powershift. I think it would work OK for towing a trailer that's not too much heavier than the tractor, but that doesn't look like it even has a drawbar. You mention a pintle hitch, that might be a good idea, mount that a little closer to the tractor than the drawbar would stick out so you have less sway from the trailer. With trailer brakes, I wouldn't hesitate at all to drive that at 12mph on FLAT or SLIGHTLY downhill, any slope at all and I'd be going 2mph up or down.
 

Tiogaglide

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
16
Location
Tioga Center
hanks Delmer Yea your right there is no hitch. It was at one time a backhoe. There nothing on the back. No pto no three point. I got up at 7am to head up to see it. I only got 2 hours sleep last night. Got about 40 miles and the transmission in the truck I was driving acted like it was slipping. The fluid was ok. I turned around and went home and parked the truck.A friend of mine is friends with a group a State Troupers . He was going to ask them about what is accepted on county roads pulling with a tractor. It was just an idea and not a good one. I still would want to pull a tandem dump with gravel and a load in the bucket. Around the property. I now have doubts using an automatic. The guy who delivered my 450c dozer up from PA had a Dodge 350 with a hotshot. I sure it was a Cummings Diesel and Alison transmission. My other truck is a ford 350 with a 460. But I know it would not last long pulling anything heavy. If you keep the total truck trailer and load under 26000 lbs you can move it with out a CDL. But if you go over that and they catch you are in big trouble. I am thinking about just bagging the whole thing about this 6500
 

rust farmer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2012
Messages
58
Location
illinois
As far as towing something with your 6500 just attach a couple slow moving vehicle orange triangles on the tractor and trailer and your good to go. Just make sure you don't tow after dark. I run my tractors from my house to other parts of my farm all the time and have never had a problem as long as you have an orange triangle on your tractor and trailer. People will think you are just another farmer moving equipment.
 

Check Break

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Messages
468
Location
USA
The transmission is a 3x3 powershift. For some reason I want to say it was made by Funk but now can't remember why I believe this. They have a torque converter. I don't think towing would be a good application for this machine. I think you'd overheat as Ford converter transmissions of this era weren't designed for pulling for long periods of time.
 

rust farmer

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Joined
Nov 30, 2012
Messages
58
Location
illinois
Your opinion may be correct Check Break, I guess it would depend on how much weight was being towed and what gear was being used. That 6500 looks identical to my 5500 ford backhoe, my machine also has a 3 x 3 shuttle shift transmission. The torque converter and shuttle part of my transmission were made in England by a company called Brockhouse. I don't know if the 6500 had the same shuttle as mine or not. My machine does have a transmission oil temperature gauge. If the 6500 has a working transmission temp gauge then the operator could tell if he is over working the transmission. After thinking about it though a clutch type transmission would be better for towing really heavy loads, but if all I owned was that 6500 then I would at least give it a try.
 

Check Break

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Messages
468
Location
USA
That 6500 looks identical to my 5500 ford backhoe, my machine also has a 3 x 3 shuttle shift transmission. The torque converter and shuttle part of my transmission were made in England by a company called Brockhouse. I don't know if the 6500 had the same shuttle as mine or not.

I'm going to claim the aluminum pot defense again. My memory of that 3x3 being a Funk has to be wrong. Your transmission is the same as the 6500 and 7500. I don't remember now if it was optional on the 5500 and standard on the 7500. I also don't remember anyone mentioning problems inherent in the powershift. I'd just hate to be faced with a repair.
 

Tiogaglide

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
16
Location
Tioga Center
As I mention before I got this brainstorm when I saw a dodge ram with Cummins tow my 450C 40 miles up from PA. It was using a Gooseneck or 5th wheel hotshot. The truck had a pickup box and I saw the 3500 on it .So it was not the 4500 or 5500. I would guess that trailer bed was 30ft.I sure it had the Allison transmission and dual wheels. I assumed a tractor this large would have enough strength. I looked at the specs of the Top end Ram 2014. With them Cummins turbo and 6 speed Allison . It had 350hp with 660ftlbs torque. This 6500 has 77hp with 220ftlbs torque. Big difference I see now. But this is engine torque not wheel torque. The 3 equations for wheel torque. Engine HP at RPM X the gear ratio X final drive ratio. 2) Engine HP X 5252 X final drive ratio X trans gearing, divided the RPM of the engine. 3)Engine HP X 5252 and divide by the RPM of the tire. Yea right give me a few years to figure out the gearings and gear ratios. But the last equation ends with divide by rear wheel RPMs. I know the truck has tall tires. The 6500 16.9-28 are about 5 feet? Are they really this tall? They look like industrial tires not agriculture? That's also less rubber touching the hard road surface. But I get back to the non tractor transmission of the 6500. Delmer stated the 3 speeds are 4 , 7, 18mph which would mean a lot lower gearing with 5 foot rear tires. Again he also mention there is no hitch on this backhoe with out a hoe. I don't know what's under it for connecting a pintail correctly. Check Break is right about this old time tranny. I have read 2 places where they are having problems with a 6500 shuttle .
In the forums here there are different post about other 5500's shuttle problems. I these shuttles design is just for moving the hoe not towing . So carrying a load in bucket and pulling a dump trailer back and fourth not a continued long distance tow. I has no 3point . The ad said it had PTO. The operator was saying it just had the flat not bulging cover where the PTO should be. He was assuming that you could just slide a shaft in and then you got a PTO. I assumed you had to have the modified transmission to have PTO. I never heard of any one adding PTO to a tractor. But I am not an experience operators Like Delmer and Jimg and the rest of you guys. I can just imagine going down a hill and the shuttle blows a seal. Or electric brake controllers decides it break time.
 

Deon

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
768
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
I have a JD 310D with a 4 speed gear transmission and torque converter. I built a dump trailer that carries 6 yards of dirt when heaped over the top. It's surprising how well that JD can handle that trailer but you do have to keep the gears low when going up hills. I've got it hinged so that I dump it with the hoe bucket. There is a latch on the front corner that I release with the bucket tooth and just lift to dump. I have a slow moving sign under the rear just behind the axle.
 

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Tiogaglide

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2008
Messages
16
Location
Tioga Center
Wow that's a real nice machine. That is about the same size machine as that 6500. Is that a 4 speed standard shift? I just read for brakes it has differential hydraulic wet disc? yea right compared to the 6500 mechanical wet disc. Both of which I have no idea what one or the other means. What are those cylinder shaped things you are putting in the trailer? They look like septic tanks, I just found out after you post something you can go back and edit it. are those industrial tires agriculture?
 
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Deon

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
768
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
Wow that's a real nice machine. That is about the same size machine as that 6500. Is that a 4 speed standard shift? I just read for brakes it has differential hydraulic wet disc? yea right compared to the 6500 mechanical wet disc. Both of which I have no idea what one or the other means. What are those cylinder shaped things you are putting in the trailer? They look like septic tanks, I just found out after you post something you can go back and edit it.

4 speed stick shift but there is no clutch pedal. You press a button on the stick shift knob to clutch off the transmission to shift.
Wet brakes mean the disk is kept wet with transmission oil. They last much longer than dry brakes.
The cylinders are concrete well rings.
Trailer tires are 22" truck tires. They come from a transport trailer.
 
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rust farmer

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Joined
Nov 30, 2012
Messages
58
Location
illinois
Hey Deon, that is a really cool rig you have there. That set up would be great for picking up tree rounds for firewood. When I cut wood, I like to cut the trees into 16" lengths load them onto my trailer with my loader and then split the wood at home. I can get a lot more wood home in a short amount of time that way. Then I can work on splitting the rounds a little at a time. My knees and back these days determine how many hours I can work on splitting wood. Thanks for the great idea.
 

fpgm04

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Joined
Dec 31, 2009
Messages
214
Location
USA
Deon,
Nice set up. I am curious how the hitch attaches to the backhoe vehicle? (at least with my computer screen I can’t really tell from the pictures)
 

Deon

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
768
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
Deon,
Nice set up. I am curious how the hitch attaches to the backhoe vehicle? (at least with my computer screen I can’t really tell from the pictures)

Just a home made clevis and an old 2" pin from a previous repair on my backhoe. Lots of slack so it won't bind in rough terrain. I push it in from the bottom and slide a bolt through a hole in the top. This way I can remove it by pulling out the bolt and jiggle my dipper to shake the pin loose so it drops to the ground. I slip a clip through the end of the bolt to hold it in.
 
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Deon

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
768
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
Can you post a pic of your hitch?

I don't have the trailer close by so I can't send you that photo. The trailer tongue clevis goes over and under the hitch welded to the backhoe. There is about 1" of slack to prevent binding in rough terrain.
 

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mitch504

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Feb 27, 2010
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5,776
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Andrews SC
OK, cool. now I get it, I was envisioning a clevis that went around the swing pin or something?:confused:

Temporary (hopefully) stupidity on my part.:pointhead

Looks like a good idea, wonder why more people don't do that.

Wonder why I never did that.
 
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Deon

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2010
Messages
768
Location
Nova Scotia, Canada
OK, cool. now I get it, I was envisioning a clevis that went around the swing pin or something?:confused:

Temporary (hopefully) stupidity on my part.:pointhead

Looks like a good idea, wonder why more people don't do that.

Wonder why I never did that.

This is my second one. My first dump trailer I towed with a 1981 JD 410. That was a 8 speed standard transmission with shuttle. Had lots of fun with it. Don't have any pics of the old one but here is a few more of the present one.
 

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carogator

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Joined
Jul 17, 2009
Messages
232
Location
south carolina
might help

I don't know where you are with your problem, but these pages give some information.
 

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