MF 40 industrial tractor...good, bad or....

[oz in SC]

Here is a link to some pics:
Picasa Web Albums - iNETEXPORT - MASSEY FERGUS...

Info I was given by seller:

HAS ABOUT 3900 HOURS, AND ABOUT 10 HOURS SINCE TOP OVERHAUL, NEW HOSES, NEW BATTERY, ETC.
EXCELLENT WORKING MACHINE, I HAVE OWNED IT FOR OVER 5 YEARS - EVERYTHING INCLUDING PTO. 3 POINT, LOADER, SHUTTLE SHIFTER ETC WORKS PROPERLY.

Thoughts??
We have 17 acres that need clearing,a 1/4 mile driveway to keep up and in the future chores around a small farm.

[JayCat]

I have a MF 30B industrial which is quite similar to the one you are looking at. I believe mine is quite a bit newer than the ones in the picture but it's similar.

My 30BI has a Perkins diesel engine in it. It is a BEAST! I have run mine for a couple of years moving dirt, plowing snow, brush hogging etc and have had no problems with it. I am actually going to sell it because it is just too big for my use.

You didn't give the price you are looking at. I could give you a range but in Michigan we are in our 8th year of a recession so prices are skewed.

J

[oz in SC]

The guy is asking $5950 and I can get it delivered to our land for that price.

As long as this tractor can be used for 'regular' tractor work like bush hogging and tilling some areas it could work out for us.

[JayCat]

That price would be high here in Michigan but cannot say how it would fly in your area. For comparison, my 30B is in good shape and will fetch about $4500 here.

J

[bmarian]

Oz,
The one thing I notice is the left rear tire is just about shot. If you plan on using this tractor anywhere soft you will need better rear tires. This tractor looks like it was used on hard surfaces, but I guess that is what industrial tractors do.

Other than the new starter and battery the pictures really don't show me much. Do the usual check for leaks etc. Also, I like to show up unannounced first thing in the morning to see how it will start after sitting all night.

Bruce

[oz in SC]

Okay...found another MF40 only a few miles from our land in NC for less money and says it is well maintained.

1970 Massey Ferguson 40 industrial tractor w/Loader

Do all industrial tractors have a PTO and three point hitch system?

I tried finding out what is the difference between this and a similar agricultural model but couldn't find anything.

[JayCat]

Couple of tips....
Make sure the tractor is an industrial. When I was buying mine there were a couple that claimed to be industrial but were not. The industrials are built heavier--front ends, axles, tie rods...etc. My loader sub-frame is box steel...big box steel. Looks like they took the frame of an old 4 door Imperial and attached it under the tractor frame!

Also, from what I could gather, most industrials did not have PTO's and/or 3pts. Many had an "open" area for rear ballast since they were used with loaders. Or they had an open area for backhoe attachment.

Remember...my tips are worth every penny you paid for them..

J

[oz in SC]

Okay found this one close by our land....

1970's Massey Ferguson Tractor w/Loader

2900 hours,shuttle shift,has 3PH and PTO...





We can hopefully go take a look tomorrow at it,I finally sold the rifle and ammo to finance the purchase of the tractor.

[bmarian]

Hi Oz,

This message may be a little late but the tractor looks much better than the other MF40!

It looks to me that the bucket is narrower than the front wheels? I like the bucket to be wider than the front tires especially if you are going to dig in the dirt.

Hopefully, you are a Massey owner by the time you read this!

Bruce

[oz in SC]

Well we went up Saturday and took a look at it,seemed in nice enough shape,smoked a little but the guy doesn't use it much.
Without any prompting he dropped the price to $4000 and said he would sell it with a very new looking box blade.

We decided we needed to talk about it and also find out about borrowing a trailer to haul it back.

Called him this morning and went out and gave him a deposit,will pick it up next weekend.Also drove it around and checked it over more closely.
It has a few leaks,nothing major however.
Also will need to replace a hydraulic hose for the loader,it looks ready to pop at any time.

Loader worked good,PTO worked and the 3PH went up and down....

Had some issues getting the tractor to actually move but I think that was operator error...

It has 'shuttle shift' which took a little getting used to.

The bad points are:
Smoke on start up but this cleared up although it still seemed a little smoky,more than my 1998 Dodge diesel anyway...

Linkage to the hand throttle is disconnected and while it all appears to be there some parts might need replacing as it looks like a part is bent...hopefully this is easy to find.

Has a small bucket,42 inches I believe he said.It also has only one hydraulic cylinder to tilt the bucket...most of the pics I have seen of other tractors have two.

Alternator belt squeals and there is no more adjustment,this 'might' be due to it having the regular fan removed and an electric fan put in it's place....or it just needs a new belt.

Missing toplink...easy enough to replace.

Unfortunately we forgot the camera and had to use our new cellphone...and took movies instead of pics.