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The Renault 155.54 was produced from 1991-2000.
The one that I found is a 1996 version. The tractor belongs to Luke Douglas, who just happens to be the son of one-time Renault dealer Alan Douglas.
The tractor is stored at the family garage, which is now a well-established Claas dealer in the midlands.
To the non-Renault expert, it looks pretty perfect
The move from Renault to Claas happened in 2004 when Claas took over Renault. This tractor was purchased by Luke in 2015 from a fellow Claas dealer in the west of Ireland with the intention of restoring it to its former glory.
Luke said that the tractor was rough when it arrived and looked like a serious undertaking to get it to where it is now. They started from the front and worked their way to the back. The front axle was completely rebuilt with all new seals and bearings and any part that looked to not be in perfect condition was replaced.
The front linkage is not a standard Renault extra.
The engine was running but not very well, so a whole new fuel system was fitted and a set of shell bearings to make her sound a little a better. Other than that, the engine was in good order when they got into its internals.
At this point, the whole tractor was stripped down to its bare chassis and the cab was removed. With the cab taken off, it could be seen that the chassis was solid and all the electrical wiring could be checked. The chassis was then cleaned down and prepared for a coating of grey two-pack paint.
While the cab was removed from the chassis, it was stripped down to bare metal and any rust or other damage was repaired before the fixtures and fittings were re-fitted. Alan said that the headlining in the cab was “green” when they got it, which is hard to believe as it looks pristine and the correct grey colour now.
The paintwork is immaculate.
All the panels from the bonnet were also removed and any blemish was repaired correctly by cutting out the piece and replacing it, removing the need for the use of fillers in any of the bodywork. You can see the time and effort that has gone into doing this restoration properly.
The front linkage and PTO currently on the tractor were sourced from another brand of tractor, possibly a Lamborghini, so the fitting process was some serious engineering. Looking at it you would think that it had been ordered straight from the Renault parts book with some lovely tidy welding and panel work to make it look the part.
When Luke opened up the differential to give it a health check, he was amazed to find that it had been welded by a previous owner so a whole new diff kit was sourced and fitted. All the wiring on the tractor was checked and replaced if required. Every single piece of electronics on the Renault is working the same as the day it came out of the factory – even the neutral warning beeper is working perfectly.
The engine was completely rebuilt.
Once all the mechanical and electrical pieces were sorted, all the panels and fixtures were sent to be painted in two-pack paint and then the process of putting the big Renault back together could begin. This tractor came with a 6.2-litre turbocharged diesel six-cylinder engine, which when it left the factory in 1996 produced 145hp. With the rebuilt engine and a few small modifications, it is now producing at least 170 hp.
The tractor is kept busy by Luke. He uses it most weekends for charity tractor runs and has even recently done some tractor pulling with it, where he had good success with the French powerhouse. Occasionally, Luke will deliver trailed and mounted machines to farmers for the family business and has been known to travel significant distances in the orange lady.
Final touches
The final touches were a set of brand new tyres and a new pickup hitch. Luke has also added a stainless steel exhaust pipe to it, but the original is kept for days when originality is required. The whole process from start to where it is now has taken hundreds of hours and so far €13,000 has been spent on parts alone. No labour was charged as they were doing it at weekends when Luke was at home from school and over the last two summer holidays.
The Renault is used for machinery deliveries for the family business.
The tractor was originally bought for €8,000 plus vat. They have had offers to buy it that would cover the material cost but it is not for sale, as they are not finished. There are a couple of little engine guards that are missing and some more pieces to be sourced or made to get the tractor to the perfection that Luke and Alan want.
To the non-Renault expert, it looks pretty perfect, but the lads can see where improvement can be made and it is lovely to see such passion to return this beautiful, and rare on this island, tractor to its former glory.
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