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MF 35 4 cyl diesel?

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Shane

08-05-2001 09:49:58




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My father-in-law just recently told me where I can find a MF 35 4 cyl diesel that is good shape body wise and motor runs good for about $1500 to $2000. He tells me that the 4 cyl diesel gives trouble starting and that I might not want to buy it because of this. Does anyone know much about the 4 cyl diesel and this problem or if it is a problem and how it may be corrected. I have never owned a tractor but my father-in-law owns a MF 35 gas burn and it is a good tractor. So I thought that this would be a good tractor to start out with. Any information on the MF 4 cyl diesel would help.

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Bob in CA

08-06-2001 18:23:07




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 Re: MF 35 4 cyl diesel? in reply to Shane, 08-05-2001 09:49:58  
Shane,
The tractor that you are looking at is a truly great machine. The 4 cyl Standard Diesel can be a difficult starting engine in cold weather. I have three of these Standard powered tractors, one with the Perkins 3 cyl and one with the Continental gas engine. If I am going to sit on the tractor all day, I would choose the Standard diesel because it runs so smoothly and steadily. If you use the tractor year round or for short little jobs, you may be happier with either the gas or the perkins. The perkins is a much better engine in design. It is cheaper to overhaul and parts are more readily available and it starts instantly in most weather. The parts for the Standard are available but you have to hunt for them some times depending on the parts that you need. There are many on this web site that can help with parts. The U.K. still has a good supply of parts. The best of the Standard diesels were the later engines from 1959 on. These engines were designed with glow plugs in the head. The earlier engines had one glow plug in the manifold. Do not use ether for starting! Some people get away with it but this is not an engine that takes well to ether. I have rebuilt two of these that have had the piston ring lands blown out by ether. The perkins will practically run on ether with no problems but not the Standard. I have adapted the glow plug head on one of my tractors to use GM glow plugs. This tractor starts down to 25F with no problems.

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ferrell freeman

08-06-2001 08:27:44




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 Re: MF 35 4 cyl diesel? in reply to Shane, 08-05-2001 09:49:58  
I,know several people who own MF40B LOADER/BACKHOES which use the four cylinder Perkins AD4-203 diesel engine . Starting has never been a problem with them as long as you, use good clean diesel and keep the filters changed and make sure the glow plugs are working properly.



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Chevy

08-05-2001 20:02:41




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 Re: MF 35 4 cyl diesel? in reply to Shane, 08-05-2001 09:49:58  
Shane I have a 1959 Ferguson 35 with the four cylinder. The four cylinder is a little hard to start in the winter but is a better engine than the Perkins. They were sold mainly in Europe and Canada, mainly because at the time we weren't trading with the States, therefore they had their own version of the Ferguson 35 with an American motor. The four cylinder is a Standard 23C Diesel,and yes parts are still available for these tractors. The Standard Motor factory in Coventry England still produces Massey Ferguson tractors. From the sounds of it the tractor you are looking at is a good deal, I've seen them go for $4000 to $6000 at auction. If you do buy it try and get the glow plugs working, ether dries out the cylinder walls and puts excessive wear on the rings, then she'll end up burning oil. Good luck.
Mike Leggett

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mike

08-05-2001 17:54:41




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 Re: MF 35 4 cyl diesel? in reply to Shane, 08-05-2001 09:49:58  
I had one a few years ago,couldn't find parts.
That is an English diesel.The 3 cylinder is much
better.The 4 cylinder gas was a good engine.



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Craig in NZ

08-05-2001 17:08:10




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 Re: MF 35 4 cyl diesel? in reply to Shane, 08-05-2001 09:49:58  
Hi Shane - I have this same tractor and your father-in-law is correct - at times it has been difficult to start. This is however mostly in cooler weather - say under 15C (not sure what that is in F). When the weather is warm (and the battery is fully charged) there are no problems. On a cold morning I use some ether over the air intake and this allows the engine to start. From experience I know the tractor will not start on a cold day without this ether (I would only drain the battery). Actually I still use the ether on a warm day to take some load off the battery. Having said all that once the tractor is running it will run all day with no problems and does all I ask (mowing, towing, pulling a blade etc). Good luck!. Another idea is to search this site (on the left) for various MF-35 postings to see what everyone else thinks and what problems they've had.

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