I need a tractor to clear brush and help me make my land usable again. Our old farmhouse on 5 acres burned in November, and we're building a new house there (should start any time now, but I've been hearing that for a couple months!) At first it seemed like the best tractor I could expect to afford ($2000 budget) was a Ford 8N or maybe an NAA, or possibly a Ferguson TO-35. My problem was that the more I learned about brush hogging, the more I wanted a live pto, and lower gears to crawl along while a cutter chops everything up. I kept searching Craigslist, and came upon this 1972 Massey Ferguson 135 diesel that had some sprayers all over it. Turns out there's an apple farm that's been using this tractor since 1978, but it isn't big enough to run the big flail mower they have (he kept calling it "the chipper".) It was probably 7 ft with big hammer knives on it, not the little "Y" shaped ones I usually see. Anyway, they're getting another tractor that can run the "chipper", so this one's for sale. He started it up for me, and ran the pto with a flail mower on it, so I could see it all work. From what I know about these (which isn't much) it doesn't have the dual clutch, it has independent pto, with a lever by your left heel to engage it. I had read that was an option. It is grimy and very banged up, but seems mostly there and operational. Many machines in this price range have been sitting a long time, or need something like a clutch or at least a battery, but this one is currently in use. They can't even let me take it because their new tractor isn't delivered yet, and they don't want to be without a backup, so I don't take delivery until that happens. Now I'm on the hunt for a sturdy brush hog (5 ft.), a 135 Operator's Manual. My main concern about the tractor is that while one of the tires is fairly new, the other, with OK tread, is OLD, and has serious sidewall issues. I'm actually wondering if there's something I can do to protect the exposed cord that's showing in multiple places - RTV? Some sort of super-silicone caulk? Can't make it worse, that's for sure! It seems they just figured run it until it goes, which is what I'll do, but brush hogging duty will be rougher than spraying Round-Up all day. What does an 11-28 AG tire go for, anyway? I guess I'll find out!
Looking forward to learning a lot here!
Scott in Brighton NY (while our house in Penfield NY sits boarded up)
Looking forward to learning a lot here!
Scott in Brighton NY (while our house in Penfield NY sits boarded up)