mf 360

looking at a massey 360 with a loader and MFWD. I know nothing about that model. Anything I should be looking for?

Hi, the Turbo 152 360 was not at all common in the UK as the 236 engined 362 found far greater popularity. The 360 is a lower HP version of the 362. The 300 series as a whole is very sound and reliable and hold their value very well in the UK. Does it have an MF 832 loader? This was designed for the tractor. I do not know of any major weaknesses however you need to look very carefully at several areas. Has the tractor done hard loader work maybe from brand new? look for any signs of oil in the exhaust or at the leak hole in the manifold. If found the turbo may be passing some oil....expensive. Is this a 6 or 8 speed or 12/12 shuttle? Check the clutch operation and shuttle(if fitted) for excessive slop in the movement. If the loader has double acting cylinders lift the front wheels clear of the ground and shake the wheels particularly at the swivel hub. Any play here will indicate worn swivel bearings and in a worst case wear into the axle centre beam which will prevent the correct fitting of the swivel pins. I have just refurbished a 362 axle for a customer and sleeved all 4 pins and machined the centre beam out to suit. Check also the axle pivot pin for wear and wear into the centre beam. The beam on this axle was machined out and sleeved back to pin size. The axle pin was only available from MF (Made in India) at a cost of around ?168 ($220)
The 300 series in general are simple and reliable but like everything else you need to look closely before buying.
DavidP, South Wales