I purchased my MF 1240 with 1246 FEL and 66” box blade a few months ago. The tractor had 150 hrs at the time and had been the pride & joy of an elderly gentleman who mostly cultivated his garden with the Bush Hog rippers, had it dealer serviced, and always kept it garaged. The rig is as close to new as it gets, even the paint on the loader bucket wasn’t scratched and the PTO had never been used, so for $12,200 I got lucky. I have to say that after a few months use I really like this machine, it runs quiet & smooth, is powerful, easy to maneuver, and its compact size is just what I needed.
I had previously looked at new tractors and gave NH, MF, & Kub serious consideration, and they are all good machines. My preference is gear/shuttle and I have absolutely no interest in HST. I’ve owned a lot of tractors over the years, including the big stuff, and at this point in life I just want what I want, not that any one brand or transmission type is better or worse. My local MF/NH dealer had 1 new Massey that was sold right after I looked at it, but I really liked what I saw. Trouble is he never got any more in. I think that’s my biggest complaint with MF in NW Nevada, no inventory to look at.
As far as I can tell, the 1240 is no longer in production but is close to the newer 1400 series, in fact you really have to know your stuff to tell ‘em apart. It looks to me that the 1240 combines the best of what is currently available, it has a foldable ROPS, tilt wheel, flat deck with swing down pedals and a step, 16x16 syncro shuttle (Yeah!) and a fender mounted gear shift with gears 2-4 synchronized in any range. That’s really cool, I can shift on the go when the going get tough in the field or I can drive her down the road like my pick up just shifting thru the gears. A pretty well equipped machine, even has a horn.
It has an independent PTO with a gear engagement selector on the left fender and a separate electro/hydraulic PTO clutch switch on the steering column. I gotta tell you if you have never had an independent PTO you don’t know what you’re missing! I can Bush Hog into corners, back up, shift gears, all without messing with the PTO, or worse yet having the tractor jump around when I change gears as can happen with the transmission driven type.
The instrument panel is large and simple with big easy to read analog gauges, that was one thing I did not like about the Kubota L3130, the electronic display. I priced a new NH TC-30 from Tarheal for $15,600 delivered, and it’s a good machine, but it lacks the syncro shuttle, foldable ROPS, independent PTO. etc. The NH 29DA has a lot going for it, but still no independent PTO and no syncro transmission. In fact to get a shuttle shift in NH one has to go up several model sizes. I did like the NH 14LA loader though. The Kubota DT had pretty much everything I wanted, but price was also higher. I was quoted $17,200 plus tax w loader and R-4’s. It’s also a bigger machine, which for my use was a negative. Still, I liked the Kubota.
The loader specs on the MF, NH & Kub are pretty close and all are adequate for general farm/utility use. None of these machines are made for highway construction, and serious dirt moving is best left to a full size Cat or Case 580. As I said though, the looks of the new curved NH loaders is nice and it does appear beefier. My experience with a TC-30 and a loaded 7308 bucket was a little short in power steering response, I have not experienced that with my 1240. We just removed a concrete patio where we repeatedly had the loader bucket filled to the max with tightly packed pieces of concrete, steering was easy and the loader cycled smoothly and effortlessly. If I have one gripe, it’s the somewhat slow bucket dump time. Rollback time is OK, but the dump cycle is a little slow, though acceptable. Power wise I’m more than pleased with the 1240. I can drag a box scraper in hi range about as easy as I could with my old 40hp Ford. The MF of course has less brute force, but the syncro shifting and nimble power steering seems to make its 28 gross hp seem more than it is.
The R-1’s came unloaded and I was going to fill them with ww fluid, but since using the tractor I’m having second thoughts. In 4WD its hard to stop, and the loader has yet to have a balance problem with the attached box blade, also the lighter tires are easier on lawns which I sometimes have to cross. So for now I’m going to leave the tires un-loaded, we’ll see how it does in snow. I did extend the rear track (distance between the tires) for more stability. The 2 piece wheels allows for a wide range of factory approved adjustment by switching sides, rims, etc. I now have mine set about mid way.
The operator platform is comfortable and is mounted on shock absorbing rubber blocks. All controls are where they should be. I especially like the fender mounted gear selectors and the flat uncluttered deck that has a tool box under the rubber mat. I found the original seat suspension springs to be way too stiff, so I changed them (so happens they are the same size used on riding lawnmowers) so for a $5 bill the improvement in riding comfort was enormous. The tractor came without a grill guard or a loader bucket hook, both of which I fabricated in my shop, I’ll post pics of these as they turned out very nice and look factory. The parking brake lock is really slick, MF uses a simple toe catch which is the easiest setup I’ve come across. The engine starting interlocks are kept to a minimum, although still safe. As long as the transmission is in neutral the engine will start, no need to set the parking brake, depress the clutch, etc. There is also an engine shut-off if the tractor is running and is in gear and seat pressure is relieved. I like that, safe but not ridiculous. MF uses a bevel gear front drive, which provides a very tight turning radius; this tractor turns on a dime. Routine service is easy, though I’m not thrilled with the removable engine side panels, I would have preferred a one piece tilt up hood, but its not a serious issue. With the loader off the panels are easily removed and the front grill hinges down for complete access to everything.
The loader comes off and goes on in minutes, although the owner’s manual is a little off on procedure. After pulling the release pins, the manual says to back up to dis-engage the front loader support. I found that leaving the tractor still & using a tire iron to ease the loader loose works a lot better. There are no separate storage supports, the loader hydraulics simply swing the frame down to the ground and is self supporting. About a 10 min job.
At first I thought 16 speeds was overkill, however the way its set up makes sense. It actually is just a 4 speed gear shift (synchronized in 2-4) that runs in 2 ranges, and each range has its own ‘low range’. Sounds complicated, but its not and proves to be a practical easy set up that also provides a handy creeper gear.
I think by now you know that I like this tractor, and I really do, it’s a lot of bang for the buck. If you can find a good used MF 1240 buy it!

Date Purchased: 7/2004
Purchased: Used
Price Paid: US$12200
Pros: Smooth and powerful. Lots of bang for the buck.
Cons: Would have liked a tilt up hood. Little MF dealer inventory to look at.
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