Buying Advice Looking at a used 855

[jocola]

I'm going to look at a used JD 855 soon. It has a MMM but no FEL.

First question concerns the fact that it's 2WD. Does anyone consider that a deal-breaker? (All the tractors I've operated so far have been 2WD and I have to say it never seemed like a big deal. Sometimes tires spin, then you figure out a different approach.)

My other, more important question - does anyone have any advice on what to look for when I check it out?

I'll ask him to leave it cold so I can check for oil in the cylinders on startup, will look for leaks, undercarriage damage, etc, but aside from the obvious - are there any tips or tricks to spot common problems with a roughly 30-year old JD 855?

It has about 1,000 hours on it. Original owner. Some rust but doesn't look terrible. Here are the specs:

TractorData.com John Deere 855 tractor information

Thanks for any tips and advice you have.

 

[terryknight]

what do you want to do with it?

dad has a 750 2wd with turfs and a 60" MMM. it is a great at mowing and running the tiller, don't use it for much else. has 955 hours, but the meter is broken. paid 2500 for it 3 years ago with a rotary cutter and scraper