Don’t know how I started watching this video and failed to finish watching it. Just completed video. Picked it up just before testing. Couldn’t help but laugh when the hose blew, all I could think was, at least the glass is still good and blocks the spray from the hoses. Best fix the hoses prior to taking any windows out while rebuilding the cab. Don’t forget the video from tractor time with Tim. He said the hoses only cost like $10 over the cost of parts to be made. Wishing you and your family the best.

Great job Mike. Nice to see the old gir come back to life. But now you're running out of excuses for all those trail projects that you've been pushing off!

"IT'S ALIVE"!!!! Woo hoo 🙌. Sounds pretty good too. Couple more little things to do and you'll be digging & tearing down trees like crazy!!

Just watching you work outside makes me cold. I don’t know how you do it. 🥶🥶🥶🥶

With all the modifications, new parts, redo old parts I’d say Dr. Frankenstein your monster is alive. Yay!!

Labor of Love Mike. You'll getter.

Damn; almost like watching a Diesel Creek video! IT LIVES!

One step at a time…. It’s looking real good

Not everyone can have your perspective(s) ….they wouldn’t be able handle the unlimited amount of epiphanies that flood your mind. That goose call seat being but one great example. Just an FYI …I did something recently that my wife was pleasantly surprised about. She didn’t say anything at first because she didn’t want to be a boo bird (negative) in the early days but after it was obvious I was getting traction and looked committed to completing something 😢unlike anything that I had undertaken in the past, she spoke up. What made you even attempt that project? I’m not mad about it, in fact I’m impressed. I let her know that by watching my KZfaq buddies work through issues where their blind self confidence (and frugal ways) accomplish so much ….it inspired me. Thank you !!

Great sequence of videos. You show patience and optimism that all envy you for. Keep up the good work. Brad..........

Marty T... "Welcome to my world Mike".

You number of times I laugh out loud during you video is awesome. Your one liners and random thoughts are great content.

Yes, you got it running. There was bound to be more work to do, like hoses. You're getting lots closer to working.

L.T. It was fantastic seeing your baby come to life. Perserverance, willpower and sheer determination has paid you dividens. You are a role model for all of us that think we cannot do this stuff. You have shown anything is possible. 🙂👍🇮🇪

You are so lucky the backhoe came with a trowel to clean the dirt around the control tower 😆 You take the challenge of fixing things you have little knowledge of your willing to put the effort in to learn new skills. I enjoy watching your video's.

My My need small rubber arms and hands on this puppy ! What a job and in the ice... Nice Job.

Super progress! The 555 starts, drives, and stops. You knew hoses were always gonna be an issue after sitting for years. It’s a process for a $3300 investment. Once all the gremlins are gone, the machine will pay you back in spades! Thanks for sharing Cap!

Did I notice a different tone in your voice today, more serious and straight to the point?🤔 Love the tree/555 dialogue. Captain hang tuff, it’s coming around. Your a tuff cookie!!💪👍🇺🇸

And now the Hydraulic Hose dance starts. I feel for you Captain, You'll conquer the Beast! Thanks for the videos.

She sure sounds and moves good. Shame you still have issues but I know you will work thru them. Great series. Keep them going.

Well Mike, you almost got that tree down before the showers erupted. The Good news is that you are only 208 hydraulic hoses away from a leak free machine, maybe. The engine sounds great and the pumps are quiet, so it certainly looks like you are getting close to a solid working machine.🤙

Shock them fittings with a hammer one crack they'll come rite off Cap 👊👍

Great to see the triple nickel moving all its joints, those hydraulic lines are going to be a constant headache for you though and it is no surprise there are a few dollars in hoses on it. Just keep using it she seems to be ok and will make a heck of a worker on the homestead!!

I loved it when you said, I’m throwing it out the window because that’s the way I feel about that. THAT WAS AWESOME

Captain, you are Well on your way to be the Very first KZfaqr I know of that Built a Concrete Paddle Boat, Deep in the Woods of Indiana that are Navigated by Fierce JD 755, a Rogue Mad Max Suburu UTV, along Avenues and Bridges Built by Yourself. while Creating an entirely new Body of Water on the Very Same Hillside as the Concrete Boat. Now Upping the Game, as if enough Worldly Records haven’t been Challenged, Bringing an Iconic 555 Scratcher Back from the Grave. Everything I was Hoping for in a Creator to Follow! Thank You for having us along for the Journey, I’ll Certainly be Back on the Next One ( We are Crazy Busy Thank The Lord). Keep It Safe Out There Mike

Way back when Clint stuck you with this 4wheel disaster I nearly spat my coffee across my room, I actually commented on his channel that I thought he had dodged a bullet , too which he replied with a couple of smilie faces and a laughing face… you know what Mike… this has been a brilliant little series , this world is short of characters.. you are definitely what is needed to brighten the place up. Thank you Sir.

this repair series could go on for YEARS ...lol

I’m 70 years old and you are my DIY inspiration.

She moves! I'm totally laughing with you and that tree! I'm on-board with the plan of fixing it in small bursts. Use it, fix it, use it, fix, rinse, repeat.

Hello Mike. I hope you feel good about the progress. The things that went wrong, I don't think were addressed during the rebuild. That tree will come down soon using the tractor. Have good days!

“In the meantime we’re just gonna tosser out the window”…😂😂😂 Another amazing job, great work Mike!

You need to rebuild the right bucket tilt cylinder. Its dripping fluid steadily.

She’s Alive! She’s Moving! Well done, Mike! A couple of hoses? Not worth mentioning!

We got to get you some kind of shelter made! Heck with the elements.

This should be named the misadventures of The Captain.

Happy, happy boy!

A Mechanics Lektion with Ice Oil for the old Backhoe and to fastening from Radiator and other Components and then, the Motor begin to run, the Backhoe drive. You Happy, but You have still to work. Thanks for this interesting Video, and much Joy by the farther Work!, 👍👌💪 Greeting from Austria

Nice job Captain, I'm excited for you! As Ernest T. Bass would say, "You can afford to be mighty proud of yourself."

Morning Captain, its heart breaking to see all of the extra malfunctions after all that you have put into this project. If there is a bright side to ponder, your learning curve is increasing dramatically with every video. Keep up the good work, your great attitude will pay awesome dividends in the long run.

Can you believe you just remade an engine and it's working ? amazing work ! well done !

It must be hugely satisfying to hear that thin crank and have it actually work. Fun to watch.

After all of your work, I would anticipate detecting more minor repairs as you complete your shake down cruise. Congrats on getting the 550 running and operational.

Captain, given the conditions you're working under and issues that keep popping up I gotta say you're doing an outstanding job on the old 555. It's going to provide lots pf channel content once it's fully ready to work.

Holy Christmas, working in that weather has to be a serous challenge. Mike,, so everything didn't go as planned on the first attempt, you gotta stand tall in fixing this thing as much as you did. You sir have tenacity.

I could only imagine how much you would accomplish if you had a two bay heated shop with a couple of lifts, not fighting the cold, rain, mud. Being comfortable while rebuilding items like this sure makes it go easier and faster. I hope one day soon you’ll have that luxury. My compliments on a job well done in hard conditions Sir. I’ve worked in cold frozen conditions over 1000 feet in the air and it makes things extremely difficult to accomplish.

Hi Mike, The biggest drawback of old tractor backhoes and excavators is replacing the continually failing hydraulic hoses, which always seem to be in a confined area! Ideally it would be nice to replace them all, but that in itself would be quite the challenge, as well as a big expense!

Great positive attitude. Just one productive thing😊. Keep plugging away. Very enjoyable to watch.

Hats off to the Captn. for putting out content when its sub-freezing. I guess when all your stuff is outdoors and you're in the Mid West such temps are unavoidable. Its been quite a project and I'm impressed with your perseverance.

Welcome to the wonderful word of old equiupment with rotted hoses, Good job so far, and good luck.

Thank you for showing this. One the control pattern of levers. That's where (SAE) Patterns are the standard of the time. FORD and (MF) follow the standard for the crane operators. It was CASE that followed big mining with foot control for swing. And (JD) that came out with joy sticks that were backwards than when CAT came out with the standard, that basically every excavator uses TODAY. I realized that it seems confusing for why they had a control pattern that way. But when you look back at backhoes, excavators, they were trying to follow a pattern of standard controls, it may seem funny to wonder why these backhoes had the control pattern they had. Manufacturing was just following the SAE pattern of cable backhoes.

I really like how you show the real struggles. Not just say well that took a while or now that that is done. Thanks for taking the time.

I wish it was that easy, to have an extra nut to make your bolt stand a little more proud. 😆

This is the video we have been waiting for! 👍🏻👌🤞🤞🤞Minor inconveniences, you will have a nice machine once the hose bugs are worked out. Congrats Captain Tenacious! 😁

H i Mike. The Ford part number for the filter , cover and tube is D4NND893A. It's all one piece and it's around $105.00 . That seams to be the going price. Hope this helps and good luck. Max

Hey Mike. Crow's foot wrenches are game changers. Have you thought about maybe getting with DP to go in on a hydraulic hose fitting crimper kit? Buying hose and fittings in bulk and making your own hoses must be cheaper that paying what shops charge for making them up. Just sayin'. Thanks for posting.

Congrats on getting the rust pile going again! Mean nothing negative by calling it a rust pile, I’m jealous of it and happy you got it going!

Great job Mike. Good to see the tractor moving around. Thanks for sharing.

Don’t lose hope, Cap’n! You’re almost home!

I picked up an old case backhoe i drained and flushed all the fluids over and over but most of the hoe functions were seized .So went to a shop wasn't worth repairing and cost for new was more than i paid for whole unit so i got a frontend loader .Engine sound good if we live closer i would have given you all my hoses yes got new hoses before i new it was a bad idea .Oh well win some loose some Anyway well done sir Captain

Great to see your hard work pay off!

YAY, what a great achievement Capt'n!!! She purrs real nice, it's awesome!! :)

You are a hero to rusted busted equipment everywhere. Bless your heart! Praying for all your adventures

Big progress on the backhoe project, other small fixes and it will be fully operational! Great job captain!

Well done you

That’s exactly how I was thinking of fixing the rad hose issue. As they say. Great minds think alike. 🤣😂

your killing me with your commentary ! Love your humor

Cap’n you just done shade tree mechanics worldwide PROUD! And, you did it without any leaves on the tree and no tree overhead! When you started cranking on the engine I held my breath… my heart started beating in rhythm with the crank… as it sped up I could feel my blood pressure rise… then it started… I exhaled and felt my heart relax and a smile spread across my face so big, it pushed my ears together on the back of my head. Cap’n congrats on a successful resurrection of the triple nickel. One that will go down in Kleeman History as an epic win in the continuing saga that is your life on KZfaq! Congrats bud. You done great!

Ahhhhh!, the trials and tribulations of owning older equipment. Well, keep the faith Cap'n. At least you can work on it without having to fight the computer.

Nothing more satisfying to see it start after you tore it all apart and put it back together. Great job.

Also a good set of crows feet wrenches is great for working on the main control block ive changed many on our 555b without coming through the top

Love your enthusiasm. Change the controls over you will thank yourself for it😁.The hoses will be a pain till you get most of them changed , just keep at it and you will have a good machine to get all you projects done. Keep up the great attitude and energy. 😁👍

Great job on the engine, one day at a time,you’ll get it, at least you don’t have all the computer and def to deal with ,great job Mike, watching from ft. Myers fla.

Well she's a needy girl but almost got her !!!!! 🤣🤣🤣 Great job Captain 👍

It running first major great thing to happen now everything else is gravy great video thanks Captain

Welcome to backhoe life bud! Get a cheap backhoe they said. It will be great they said! Ha! Your doing great man, you have a running and moving machine for less than scrap value. I like the rebuild one part at a time plan, you know that you will have to touch everything on that machine at least once so fix them and paint them as you go. Good job bud!

Your almost there Captain! Keep up the great work Bud. Your hard work is paying off. Can't wait for the next one.

WhoooHooo! I’m happy for ya Mike!

Great to see it finally up and working. Im pretty sure I would have just let the Boom eat and replace the Hydro Fluid. Or pushed it over with the Loader. Made my Day Captain.

Glad to see that the backhoe is running joys of owning one is always blowing hoses

We were there during the live broadcast. Not in the excavator business but still enjoyed it. Asked a few questions and even got you guys to move around a bit. Something makes me think you should buy those hoses and fittings in bulk might be cheaper that way, but let’s hope I’m wrong

Great job Captain!! You have done an amazing job with the 555

You are so close and I am so happy for you. Hopefully after replacing some old rotted hoses you'll have a fully functional backhoe. Your work ethic and sense of humor make watching your channel a real joy. I can't wait to see what you get done with that Ford after watching everything you've done with your John Deere. Great video Captain. Thank you. 👍

thanks for the videos... dam thats dedication , i live in canada and have done a winter outside clutch job.....hugging a backhoe in sub 0c cant be fun , nothing worse than working with cold metal

Congrats....Mike! Well Played.

More pats on the back, your persistence and ability are admirable. Great to watch your videos. Thanks.

Good work glad u changed the oil pressure line!

This is always the hard decision point for me. Do you swallow the frog - replace more than what are leaking? Or does one wait for the hose rupture at the worst time? Great channel. Deserve KZfaq’s best attitude award. Just remember nobody is ever completely worthless. They can always serve as a bad example!

I HATE working on hydraulic hoses! Great video Mike and it was great to see what positive progress you got on the Ole Triple Nickle! Lee

No. 555 Alive!

90° headed wrenches are quite handy doing hydraulic lines. Take care Captain.

Brilliant! One mans junk truly is another mans treasure. Very pleased for you. Can't wait to see it after bodywork and paint.

She lives, looking good, looks like a Darlene to me, let's have a naming contest. Gonna be a bunch of nickel dime problems the major stuff seems to be in tack. Excellent project.

Hey Mike you look like an archaeologist scraping around with that trowel Looking for those bolts. If you keep digging down there you might find yourself a top pocket find!

I am sure someone else already said it but swap your hoses between your boom and stick so the controls operate the way your used to. Great job buddy. !!

Regards from Lebanon CK 👍🇱🇧

Your backhoe is obviously more advanced than DP’s 210. It seems to operate on voice commands. 😊😂

She's getting there Captain. Runs pretty sweet - and an onboard fountain too! Great video. 👍

You go Cap'n! I started on the latest episode first - oops. Watching from bed, began to shiver two minutes in. Looks way too cold for me. Though I do remember 30 years in Northern Illinois.

Pro-tip an old door spring works well for bending metal lines. You are going to have fun with your triple nickel. Sounds good can't wait for you to get more video of you working it. I'm with you that's a good excuse for a hobo freight for wire feed FYI they're easier to use than stick and if you get the Flux filled wire for the welding you do you shouldn't need argon gas if use the Flux filled wire. As always good luck and God bless.

Great video, just a idea . Mark those radiator hose that you installed pipe into … if the pipe didn’t have a ridge , that hose will slide … visual line in the pipe will give you a quick reference.. 👍🏻