I'm a newby and looking for some advice on an MF175 I'm looking to buy for work around our 23 acre hobby farm. I've read through the MF threads, but couldn't find anything specific to the 175, so if any of you have comments or suggestions on anything I'm about to say, please do so. This is a long post, so grab a coffee and amuse yourself at my ignorance. The only knowledge I have of tractors is a couple of hours on my neighbour's using a post hole auger, and what I've been able to find online. I apologize for the length, but I wanted to be thorough. I'll be using the tractor for loading and pulling a manure spreader, auguring post holes, and a myriad of other chores including snow clearing in the winter. We live in Eastern Ontario, Canada. We'd like to eventually harvest our own hay, so mowing, raking and baling about 10 acres for our 2 horses will be on the do list in the near future. I also need to put a new road back to the barn, and bring in sand for a riding arena.
The tractor is a 1971 MF 175, with the Perkins A4 236 engine, an MF Model 200 loader with down pressure and a very solid bucket, a Whistler Cutter Model# W5MO (bush hog style) attachment and a George White & Sons Model# 90717, 72 snow blower with hydraulic chute. It has 6381 hours, with a new clutch at aprox 6000 hours. There's a block heater (critical for -20C starts, I would think). The fuel gauge isn't working, but all others are OK. All the lights work. There are 2 rear hydraulic lines for the blower chute. The owner is asking $8000.00 Canadian ($6900 US) for the works. I have a neighbour who is a diesel mechanic joining me on the second look at it to make sure everything is sound, but I thought I'd ask if there's anything in particular we should look for with this tractor? Now that the clutch has been replaced, what will likely be the next major repair?
It looks like it has been well cared for, with some new hydraulic hoses to the loader, decent tin, new 26 rear tires (with calcium), rebuilt front cylinder injector. I looked all around it for leaks but couldn't find anything other than sweating around seals. Oil and transmission fluid looked clear. It shifted easily, however, I had difficulty finding the S (neutral?) location on the High/Low range shifter to get it started. The owner said the smaller rear tires (26 vs. 28 inch) where recommended to him in order for the rear end to sit a little lower to help offset heavy loads in the bucket.
Shifting the PTO lever from hydraulic drive to ground drive was difficult, because the lever was loose. I couldn't tell if the looseness was the lever connection to the shaft that went into the transmission, or something internal that wasn't engaging properly. I may be confusing the terms here, but there were 3 positions for the PTO lever. The owner explained that the PTO could also be driven in the ground position (lever fully forward) where the PTO speed was governed by the speed of the wheels. The current owner split and re-assembled the tractor himself, but had the clutch rebuilt at the dealership. Could this be a simple case of the new clutch needing adjustment, or something worse?
I welcome any advice on specific things to look for during my second visit to the tractor.
Thanks for your help.
The tractor is a 1971 MF 175, with the Perkins A4 236 engine, an MF Model 200 loader with down pressure and a very solid bucket, a Whistler Cutter Model# W5MO (bush hog style) attachment and a George White & Sons Model# 90717, 72 snow blower with hydraulic chute. It has 6381 hours, with a new clutch at aprox 6000 hours. There's a block heater (critical for -20C starts, I would think). The fuel gauge isn't working, but all others are OK. All the lights work. There are 2 rear hydraulic lines for the blower chute. The owner is asking $8000.00 Canadian ($6900 US) for the works. I have a neighbour who is a diesel mechanic joining me on the second look at it to make sure everything is sound, but I thought I'd ask if there's anything in particular we should look for with this tractor? Now that the clutch has been replaced, what will likely be the next major repair?
It looks like it has been well cared for, with some new hydraulic hoses to the loader, decent tin, new 26 rear tires (with calcium), rebuilt front cylinder injector. I looked all around it for leaks but couldn't find anything other than sweating around seals. Oil and transmission fluid looked clear. It shifted easily, however, I had difficulty finding the S (neutral?) location on the High/Low range shifter to get it started. The owner said the smaller rear tires (26 vs. 28 inch) where recommended to him in order for the rear end to sit a little lower to help offset heavy loads in the bucket.
Shifting the PTO lever from hydraulic drive to ground drive was difficult, because the lever was loose. I couldn't tell if the looseness was the lever connection to the shaft that went into the transmission, or something internal that wasn't engaging properly. I may be confusing the terms here, but there were 3 positions for the PTO lever. The owner explained that the PTO could also be driven in the ground position (lever fully forward) where the PTO speed was governed by the speed of the wheels. The current owner split and re-assembled the tractor himself, but had the clutch rebuilt at the dealership. Could this be a simple case of the new clutch needing adjustment, or something worse?
I welcome any advice on specific things to look for during my second visit to the tractor.
Thanks for your help.
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