Hi John,

I just arrived in town to visit my mom and on this trip have very limited time to take care of a bunch of things that need taking care of.  My mom is old and is now living in a retirement community.  My stepdad has passed away, his nickname was Buck: thus Buck's550.  He was so proud of that tractor it was one of his best purchases.  I drove it a lot when I was in high school and some after.   I am the one who really worked (even slightly abused) the tractor.  I can attest that the 550 is one nice workhorse for it's size, especially with the power steering.  I'm staying with my mom and so I'm about 30 to 45 minutes from the farm and the tractor.  

I don't have the hood off at the present time, but I can take it off if you need me to look at something.  I really need to get the power steering fixed.  A very nice neighbor uses his gas and time to mow the fields (20 acres) several times each year.  I usually try to pay and give them gifts for their family but his time is invaluable to me since I live out of town.  I'd like him to have power steering so the turns aren't so difficult.  

My phone number is [b:cec8y9zn]865-789-4115[/b:cec8y9zn], I'm in Maryland now so it's eastern time for me.   I'm pretty good mechanically, so if you can describe what you need, I'll be all over it.  When I'm at the farm, I won't have access to this site, but I can access my email via my cell phone.  Feel free to email me directly [b:cec8y9zn]bobdodd9@gmail.com[/b:cec8y9zn].  I might could even email you a picture from the phone - it is possible but I haven't done it before.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope I can get the power steering fixed.  Remember, this is a 1969 550 gas tractor.  I have serial number here with me in the manual if you need it.

Best Regards,

Bob Dodd