135

   / 135 #1  

murphy1244

Epic Contributor
Joined
Nov 25, 2011
Messages
20,029
Location
Ohio
Tractor
Kubota 1120 RTV Kioti DK-40, MF-135, Ventrac 4500Y
Looking for a Massey diesel 135 in great shape in NE Ohio. Whats a good price? And what else should I look for in a tractor like that? Thanks for all and any reply's.
Murph
 
   / 135
  • Thread Starter
#2  
no help?
 
   / 135 #3  
Prices for these old tractors are so regional it's hard to give any sound advice on their value, I paid $4K for mine with a 7' MF BB 12 years ago, which for the market in my area at the time was a good price. Mine's a gas 135 Special, basic gage package and single stage clutch, no power assist steering.

Things to look for aside from checking the basic functions of the tractor include;

1. there's a drain hole in the lower casing of the tractor just aft of the block, there may or may not still be a cotter pin sticking out from it (meant to free the hole of dirt and other possible obstructions), check it to see if there's any oil coming from it, if there is it could mean the rear crank seal is bad.
2. three point for operation, a lot of these old tractors sit outside, if the shift lever boots or seal for the draft control spring are bad they will allow water to ingess into the case and contaminate the oil, a sand colored oil on the dipstick will give some indication whether or not this has occurred.
3. the water pump pulley on some models is fairly large and heavy and is a press fit onto the pump shaft, grab the fan to see if there's any radial play (can't say the 135s are "bad" for this, just something to be aware of). Not expensive to fix but something that will need to be addressed.

Mine's a gas model so I can't give you anything to check on the diesels. Things that I ended up repairing / replacing on mine were, for the most part, typical wear items on a tractor of this age.

Good luck in your search, they are a workhorse.
 
   / 135 #4  
Looking for a Massey diesel 135 in great shape in NE Ohio. Whats a good price? And what else should I look for in a tractor like that? Thanks for all and any reply's.
Murph

Bought my 1964 MF135 diesel Deluxe with Multipower in July 2006 for $3600. Sheet metal was in rough condition, but it ran OK. Mike476 gave you good advice. If it has multipower, make sure you check operation in all the gears (MP changes the 6F/2R tranny into 12F/4R via an internal hydraulic clutch).
 
   / 135 #5  
flusher said:
Bought my 1964 MF135 diesel Deluxe with Multipower in July 2006 for $3600. Sheet metal was in rough condition, but it ran OK. Mike476 gave you good advice. If it has multipower, make sure you check operation in all the gears (MP changes the 6F/2R tranny into 12F/4R via an internal hydraulic clutch).

Ray if your need a hood and side I have them that I bought for mine I'd sell you at a good price plus shipping. Continental and Perkins hoods open on opposite sides. I was going to send it back but if someone here needs it I'd rather do that.
 
   / 135 #6  
Ray if your need a hood and side I have them that I bought for mine I'd sell you at a good price plus shipping. Continental and Perkins hoods open on opposite sides. I was going to send it back but if someone here needs it I'd rather do that.

Thanks--the hood and sides were temporarily off the tractor when I took those photos.
 
   / 135 #7  
I've been looking for a 135 or 150 for a while, just looking, not ready to buy. What I've noticed is that the prices are generally all in the same ballpark on Craigslist for similar models and condition....so if you look at those ads for a while you'll get a sense for what's what. In the KC area the 135s run around $3-4K. Every so often one will pop up that is a bargain and if you aren't ready to commit its gone in an hour or less. Also, I check the Craiglists for the more rural areas and I think tractors, in general, go for less in those areas than in the more suburban areas. Of course you have to factor in the drive and hauling costs. Making a four hour round trip to possibly save $500 might be a good idea if it doesn't cost you that much to get there and back. Plus, there's no guarantee that the tractor will be the right one for you.
 
   / 135 #8  
During my recent search, I found that most Massey 135's seemed to be priced between 3-5k, or more if they were "restored". Finding one priced below 3k was extremely rare and condition was often questionable regardless of price, especially if they were "restored" which was often little more than a rattle can restoration so they could jack up the price. Finding one that was original and untouched by Bubba the "mechanic", was anything but easy.
 
   / 135 #9  
No worries, moving on.

I can't believe there are no 135's showing up in your area Murphy. Actually I found mine parked at the end of a local chicken farmers driveway, took a couple of weeks of haggling before we agreed on a price but it was worth it.
 
   / 135
  • Thread Starter
#10  
No worries, moving on.

I can't believe there are no 135's showing up in your area Murphy. Actually I found mine parked at the end of a local chicken farmers driveway, took a couple of weeks of haggling before we agreed on a price but it was worth it.

Mike The only one so far has 5000 hours and is pretty rough. I'l wait sooner or later my tractor will show up.
 
 
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