MHF 35 questions

I bought a tractor a few weeks ago, some may remember. It has a date stamp on the left hand side of the gearbox 21-6-56. Other markings are prefixed by MHF. It is grey with red fenders and bonnet cover although this may not be original. 4 cyl diesel motor. ID plate is badly scratched but I can make out "SDM 1625". There may be a few numbers in front of the 1625.

My questions are;

What should the serial number be? Can we deduce that from the date?

Is it an FE 35 or MF 35?

Should it have a 2 stage clutch (actuating gearbox/engine clutch in the first stage of pedal travel and PTO in the second stage)? I don't have a PTO driven implement to check it yet.

What sort of cold start aiding system should it have, if any?

What's an oil filter part number for it that I may be able to cross reference?

Does it have an hydraulic filter, if so where is it?

The machine is going great, I've fitted a BIG battery, bled and checked the diesel system, cleaned it up and lubed the pins and links. I am going to repair a puncture and change the engine oil and filter this weekend, the hydralic/gearbox oil and fuel filters soon after that and fix the brakes not long after that. I am still waiting for some implements and an operators manual that I've ordered to turn up. I can't seem to find a genuine workshop manual.

Kind Regards
Michael Oakes

Well you're not far from me at all. I'm in Canberra and the machine is in Royalla, do you know of Royalla?

If I knew more about these serial numbers I'd be better off. The casting date on the transmission is most definitley 21-6-56. All I can read of the serial number is SDM 1625. Like I said there may be a number or 2 in front of the 1625 but I don't think so.

Where are you precisely?

Kind Regards
Michael Oakes

Yes, You have a Massey-Harris-Ferguson (MHF) FE-35. They were called so in '56 - '57 after the merger.

You need an oil filter, part nr: A-837595M1 for Your engine. The diesel fuel filter has a part nr: A-1851890M1, and I think it's wise to change those too.
There is no additional hydraulic oil filter, the magneto in the oil plug does the job.

It should have a heater plug burning diesel oil in the inlet manifold, part nr: A-893501M1, actuated by the starter key. The diesel oil is supplied from a little "tank" behind and screwed to the fuel tank. It should probably be cleaned if the heater isn't working properly.

The serial number is also punched in the plate around the starter key, but it is perhaps lost.

The original colours are grey-gold, but many are painted with the newer colours afterwards (red-grey).

I'm the lucky owner to a M-H-F FE-35 '57 in Finland, the engine is working very smoothly.

Many happy hours with Your's!

Best regards,

Johan S