is Massey Ferguson a bad tractor?

Hey folks,
when I bought my farmall, they were cheap (??). Looking to upgrade maybe and farmall's are pretty high now with MF's being the cheaper and LOOK very nice. All are diesel, 135, 133, and a 274 is what I see so far and like.

Also, my 26 HP does everything I've asked it so far and is within the recommendations for my baler, would a jump to 40hp be enough to let me run things? Or is it not enough to fool with and just be happy (paint & add a few weights) with wht I have?

Dave

MF 135 is possibly the best utility tractor of it's era. 'course when it was new it wasn't considered a utility tractor. The Perkins diesal is unbeatable. If parts availability is not a problem in your area go for it.

I dont no much about masseys but if you upgrade to a 40hp tractor in 6 months you wont no how you survived with the little tractor. Also if you keep the old one it would surprise you how many times you would use both. Saves changing implements all the time. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TO MANY TRACTORS OR HP. Also depends on your future plans

You'll be happy with a 135, 133 I believe was a lower spec 135, 274 should be a Landini built MF tractor.

Can't go wrong with a 135 for the size.

You'll be happy with a 135, 133 I believe was a lower spec 135, 274 should be a Landini built MF tractor.

Can't go wrong with a 135 for the size.[/quote]

Still red :roll:

Forsake the IHC and go MF????????????(Been called an MF plenty of times)

Could prolly put my farmall on ebay and get close to the price of the MF 135.

How about an older (mid 60's) MF35???

Dave

If you can afford it get the bigger tractor and keep your tractor too Your wife wiil get over it sooner or later! lol

I may bleed JD green but I would rather see somebody on a little Massey. Instead of an unhandy and dangerous Ford N series.

oh man, are you ever looking for trouble! even though I have one I do have to say since I got the model 2000 Ford I hardly ever use the 8n I fixed up the 8n because I use to use one years ago when I was very young with my dads uncle. The one I got at the auction and fixed up reminded me of it.

(quoted from post at 03:40:12 05/31/10) If you can afford it get the bigger tractor and keep your tractor too Your wife wiil get over it sooner or later! lol

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It's pretty much impossible to make you folks visualize the size of places here. In my case, my house, barn, stalls, tack room workshop, patio, etc, etc is on less than 1/4 acre. Much as I'd like to keep the other tractor, just don't have the room.

Dave

I didnt know you had no room Dave Im sure you would keep it if you could , Are all the places like that in Germany? Sounds a lot different than around here., very interesting tell us more thanks

My uncle had a 135 and a 165. They outlived him.
They are still running. If my uncle couldn't destroy them, then they are outstanding tractors!!!!!

Gene

Dave:

The MF35 is the predecesor of the 135. It's very similar but a bit older. The 35 was offered with a four cylinder Continental gasoline engine, a 4 cylinder Standard Motors diesel engine and the most derirable 3 cylinder Perkins diesel. The Standard Motors diesel engine is a notoriously hard starter.

I've had two 35s with Perkins diesel engines.Nice little tractors and very economical.

I currently have a 2007 MF533, which is the 2007 version of the 135. It's very basic by todays standards but comparatively inexpensive.

If you look for a 135, try to find a late model with the 4x2 transmission rather than the earlier 3x2. Most folks avoid the Multi-Power because they are expensive to repair.

Dean

What is inherently dangerous about the N series Fords that is not applicable to other small utility tractors of similar vintage?

Dean

The 135 is a good tractor for what it is...
If you need something in that size and you find one that's in good shape I don't think you could go wrong.

Rod

(quoted from post at 04:36:22 05/31/10) I didnt know you had no room Dave Im sure you would keep it if you could , Are all the places like that in Germany? Sounds a lot different than around here., very interesting tell us more thanks

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Not all, but in my town, my place is decent size. Up until the last 4 years when some old folks started retiring, within 200 meters of my house, you could find about 180 cows, about 50 sheep and 300 pigs that you'd never guess were there. Our place is 20 meters wide and about 60 meters long. The idea is everything in one spot to take care of at the house and the fields outside town. The idea of finding 5 acres and putting a house trailer on it don't fly here :roll: .
There are some bigger places farther into the boonies (some just a few miles from me) but mine is a typical setup. If I can figure how ti get it in the right format, I'll post a satelite pic of the area.


Dave

Unhandy? Dangerous? Really? I would think that a steel wheel 1939 JD B is pretty "unhandy" but not so sure it's dangerous. The JD A and G that we used farming 320 acres in Nebraska in the 40's and 50's were not nearly as "handy" as our N but they did do most of the big work.
You must be a special judge.

told ya you were going to poke at a bees nest !

I am a IH leaning person, But the 135MF is a very fine tractor. They are among the most mentioned utility style units as being desirable. Check the tractor over well (as it will save you frustration and cash. Every unit can be abused, so a history and research on the Prior Owner would be helpful. Go for it. Jim

Very very common for a person on one of the N series tractors to have it flipped over etc. The simple fact that the 9N and 2N where not set up for a swing draw bar made them unsafe of the yuppies that are buying them now. Yes in there day they did what they where needed to do but now days OSHA would take them off the market

Diesels are preferred over gas, as the Perkins AD3-152 may well be the best engine of it's size ever built. But the gas models aren't bed either. In the early production of US-built 135's, there was a Deluxe and a Custom version. The Custom was a low cost alternative for the most part. It didn't have a 2-stage clutch (no live power) had fewer gauges, wasn't offered with power steering, and had a pan type seat. The gas version used the Continental Z134, where the Deluxe used the Continental Z145. Mid production gas models used a Perkins 3-cylinder gasser that shared many components with the diesel. Towards the end of production, Perkins couldn't keep pace with the demand for both diesel AND gas, so Massey went back to the Continental Z145 4-cylinder. As I understand it, UK built 135's were almost all diesels. Only a very few gassers were built for a special need.

135's are a little short on hydraulic capacity by todays standards, but were on par with most everything in its size range back in the day. And the early models of UK built, and ALL of the US built 135's had a swept back axle that is a tad light for loader applications. In later models, UK built versions went to a heavier straight axle. US had the MF150 with a heavier axle, so the 135's were never upgraded.

MultiPower equipped tractors need to be looked at CAREFULLY. As mentioned, the BEST tranny option is the 4X2 found in later model years.

Diesel 135's had one common problem. Leaky oil pan gaskets. The rear "rope seal" would give way, resulting in oil seeping into the bell housing. (weep holes in the bottom of the bell housing will drip oil after use) A drop or two isn't an issue. A LOT of oil is. AGCO/MF now offers an improved seal in their lower end gasket set. Changing pan gaskets is a fairly straightforward job, usually taking an average mechanic about 3 to 4 hours total. That solves the problem if it is present.

MF didn't keep specific production numbers on the 135. US models shared a serial number sequence with all the 100 series tractors (135/150/165/175/180) making serial numbers useless in determining unit production, as well as 135's built in the UK, France, and I believe in Mexico. There were hundreds of thousands of 135's built. Had the numbers been available, the 135 would rank amongst the highest number of tractors built of that particular model of any tractor of it's time, maybe even in the top 3 or 4 of all time. There were a BUNCH of 'em built.

Find a GOOD one, and you'll have a tractor you'll never want to part with.

I've 5 vintage fords as well as a small Kubota, a 2007 MF533 and a 2009 NH T4050. My 51 and 52 Sherman equipped Ford 8Ns are still the first ones out of the barn for most jobs because they are user friendly and maneuverable, i.e., handy.

Dean

B&D,
I have a MF 165 diesel which is a good tractor but I would consider my Ferguson TO-20 which is similar to the Ford N's to be a much safer tractor for the work that I do. The larger tractor is unhandier to climb on, the brakes are harder to set, it doesn't shift as nice, there is less visibility and it is not as nimble as the smaller tractor.
The reason that people flip the N's over is from not using the stay bars on the original draw bar. That way they can raise the draw bar up to pull a lot more. I have done it myself in a pinch to pull something out and pulling way more than I should have with the front wheels in the air. Now if all of the old 1940's John Deere's came with the N type three point hook up and people raised up the draw bar to do things they should not do they would also be dangerous and there would be a lot more people using them for projects like the people with the N's do.

I am still new to working on tractors. But I have worked on two 135s. Don't think anything has been done to them since they left the factory. Total wrecks as for as gauges and body work goes. Both have the Perkins engine and both still running and working.Worked on a 35 that had been sitting for three years. Had injection pump rebuilt. Installed pump cranked it up and it is back to working. So they must be good tractors.

I've never heard of a gas UK model but 270,113 UK 135's were built from 1965 to 1979. This doesn't include U.S., France production or other countries. They were the best selling tractor in the world in their day though. There are several other tractors with different model numbers that are almost exactly the same. The MF 140 is an emample and the 148 is the same except for a 7 inch spacer in front of the transmission for more cab room. Dave

I read in "Tractor & Machinery Magazine" once where there were a handful of "petrol" 135's, purpose built for a specific buyer. I don't recall the purpose. I've heard over the years estimates of anywhere from 165,000 to 235,000 US built 135's. Those numbers MAY reflect unit numbers of US built MF150's also.

I am like buickanddeere I usually bleed GREEN. I will admit that in the 30-40 hp utility tractor market John Deere did not have a very good one until the mid 60s. MF 35 and MF135 are fine little utility tractors. If you are going to get a diesel get a 135 the perkins in a much better diesel. The remote cylinder operation is not high flow or pressure. Will work just not like the more modern. As for the value being lower it is supply and demand. The MF35 was built for ten years. The MF135 where built for eleven years. That is a total of twenty-one years. They had to be doing something right. There where hundred of thousands of 35 and 135 built.
Just make sure to get one without multi power. You would not use it very much but it can cost more than what you give for the tractor. A good friend of mine does MF repairs and he says that the average repair on a multi power is getting close to $3000 now. Agco is raising the parts cost terrible. The Multi power input shaft that used to be $350 is now $1100, that is in just five years.

What a silly question. Of course Massey Fergusons are good tractors. I'll echo what others have said, find a clean Perkins diesel 135

Two things...The hydraulics on a 135 are low volume/HIGH pressure. Pressures are comparable with just about anything else of the day. They are low volume by todays standards, but comparable to their competition in the day.

Numbers quoted are estimated production of 135's only. NOT 35's and 135's combined.

Get a good MF-135 diesel, 2 X 4 transmission, 2-stage clutch. Use it your lifetime, pass on to children, they use, pass on to your grandkids. One of the best, well balanced utility tractors made. Tom

So what are you going to do today? Ride around on your tricycle front end two cylinder JD with the exposed flywheel and no 3 point hitch and mount a Canadian flag on the back and pull a float in the memorial day parade? Maybe get the Buick out and get thrashed by some 18 year old kid in a 5.0 Mustang? Or sit on the internet and complain about everybody elses tractor? So many things to do, so little time.

We don't do memorial day up here. Stock 5L stangs of that era had to hide from stock GN's or get whouped.

The problem with them in the area I live in is the complete lack of dealer support. Its over 2 hours one way to a Massey dealer.

There's no internet in your area? UPS and/or USPS doesn't deliver in your area?

Buy a parts manual and order parts drop shipped to your door. The Massey Dealer I trade with is 7-1/2 miles from my house and I use emails to order parts and UPS to deliver. Most routine maint parts are available through NAPA, ect. Even John Deere dealers sell basic parts for Massey Ferguson tractors.

If N Fords are killers, do pencils mis-spell words? Use ANYTHING wrong and the odds of injury increase.

A stock gn is nothing but a 14 second car ,even on a good day.

Look up the stats. Back in the dark days of the 1980's with carbs and throttle body fuel injection.
The GN was the lowest 1/4 mile time North American built car 86,87 & 88. The GNX was even quicker. Wasn't anything faster until the 89 Turbo Trans Am and the 1990 Vette.
Any old stock GN was 3/10's second faster on the same 1/4 mile track than a stock 5.0 86-87 stang.

Correct, but it's only a 14 sec car.