MF 1225?

[IMCA38]

I am currently shopping for a CUT and have come across a few MF 1225's in my immediate area. Most of them are low hour units, and a couple even have loaders. Are there any 1225 owners out there who would care to share their experiences with their machines? Pros? Cons? What do you use them for? What's a good price for a "gently used" (under 400 hours) machine?
Thanks!

[IMCA38]

I've narrowed my search down to two 1225's I have looked at this week. Actually, they are almost identical and the prices are very close. (Both about $10,500)
Unit A- has approximately 210 hours, MF1242 FEL w/ 4' bucket, turf tires. Front tires are worn and would need replaced fairly soon. Top of the hood has some paint peeling. Otherwise, unit is in great shape. The prior owner used it at his business to move boat trailers and remove snow. (The FEL bucket still has almost all of the paint inside it) Was driven on pavement a lot, thus the worn tires. Is for sale at a Kubota dealer about 50 miles from home.
Unit B has approximately 250 hours, has a Westendorf 55 FEL, 5' bucket. Loader seems to be a little heavier then the MF unit. The joystick is closer to the seat by virtue of a sliding mount. There are some rattles where the FEL posts rest on the mount. The only pins appear to be on the very front with just a slot arrangement on the back. Maybe a piece of rubber sandwiched in between may cure that? Has R4's on the back, the fronts aren't really R4's or ag, kindof a small chevron pattern. Rubber is good. Paint is good, the hood may have been repainted. Seat cover has a small nick in it. Prior owner has installed a flood light on the rear of the tractor. Prior owner has an acreage/vineyard, and wanted to upgrade to a bigger tractor for use in the vineyard. Dealer is an AGCO dealer about 20 miles from home. Dealer is not a Massey franchise, but can get the parts as they are the same as an AGCO.
Any suggestions as to which may work better for my purposes? I plan to get a 5' RFM to mow 5 acres and a 3 point blade to grade my driveway and move snow. I also am finding a lot of tasks for the FEL.
Is one FEL better or worse then the other? Which tires are more desirable?
I think both units seem the same as far as engine, mechanical function, etc.
Thanks!!

[Radiopoor]

Flip a coin? [img]/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[IMCA38]

Well, I guess the coin came up tails so to speak. I brought unit "B" home today for a test drive. Dealer hooked it up to a 60" Rhino RFM that he wants to sell me as well. This dealer has indicated he'd be interested in taking my mower (Grasshopper) in as a trade. This is good as I can save part of the sales tax, and I don't have to mess with advertising, showing, etc. I put the 1225 throught its paces this afternoon. I messed around with the loader for a little while just to get a feel for it. My impression is that the Westendorf is a little more heavy duty then the MF loader on unit "A". I then dropped the loader, very easy to do, had it unhooked quicker then I could type instructions on how to do it! Then I took the mower out in my front yard and started in. I'm impressed with the Rhino, I think the quality of cut was the same as my Grasshopper, and maybe better in some respects as the rear discharge seems to do a good job of spraying the clippings. The Grasshopper had a bad habit of throwing large clumps out, especially in the deeper stuff. The Massey seemed to have lots of power, never bogged down mowing. I could cut a full swath at a good speed, something that was impossible with the Grasshopper. Manuverability is, of course, not as good as the Grasshopper, but I think I can get around that with some practice. Another thing I noticed was that there was very little grass stuck to the underside of the Rhino's deck when I finished. The Grasshopper usually took 20 minutes with the power washer to get the buildup knocked off. Overall, I'm really impressed with this machine! I'm looking at "B" mostly because of the dealer. He is close, can service it, will take a mower in on trade, and it was his idea for me to bring it home and try it. I'll try to post a pic, but I've never done an attachment before. We'll see if it works.

[Clemson]

Sounds as though your decision is made for you! Congratulations. Fine machine!

[fivestring]

I guess it's "B" then! Congratulations....

[s1120]

<font color="red">Front tires are worn and would need replaced fairly soon. </font> <font color="red"> Was driven on pavement a lot, thus the worn tires </font>

Put thouse together, and I would think this tractor spent a lot of time in 4wd on dry pavement. Just a thought, but if you do decide to go with door number 1, I would check that out.

It does seem that your pretty happy with number 2 though, so never mind. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Also, sence they are SO close together in shape, and cost, I would jump on the one with the best dealer.

[IMCA38]

I pulled the trigger yesterday and went with unit "B". Of course, it is a lot easier to do when it's already sitting in your shed. The dealer is great to work with. I'm taking it back down tomorrow for him to check out a couple of minor things. When I'm running in 2wd, I hear a "growl" from underneath, especially at higher gorund speeds. If I run it in 4wd or hold up on the selector lever, the growl disappears. I suspect that the gearbox is not fully disengaging by simply pulling the lever up. Has anyone else ever had something like this?

[nailerguy]

Congratulations on your new tractor[img]/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]. It sure looks good all dressed up with that Westendorf loader. I have a MF4225 with a Westendorf TA25 loader. The loader is biult rock solid and works very well.

The only complaint I have is the Joystick control is very hard to operate and has broken all (3)of the original 10/32 screws that hold the joystick pedestal in the control housing[img]/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]. I replaced these with 10/24 socket head screws and have had no more failures. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Good luck with your new tractor and keep us posted about the growling issue!