New to the tractor world... Can you guys help me out with a MF 65 Industrial?

[maz]

Shopping around for a good used tractor with a loader for a nice low price and I come across a what i think to be late 60's MF 65 possibly industrial version. The guy I'm looking at buying from is unsure of the year and I didn't look for the serial #s. I say it's an industrial model because it has what i thing is a beefier front axle, a hydraulic pump out front run off the belt i think, and it has a model 100 loader on it. It has a 4cylinder diesel which i belive is a Perkins 4A-203. The tractor seems to be a good little tractor, the only 2 things i can see being a problem is I will need to get the rear tires loaded, and the PTO sometimes sticks on when disengaging but it eventually disengages. Both of these problems should not be to hard to get fixed, a tire shop can load the tires and the clutch will need some adjusting.

Are the MF 65 with the Perkins diesel 4cyl good reliable tractors? Are they relatively easy to work on for a guy whos done a lot on car, trucks, and motorcycles?

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks

[murphy1244]

[maz]

After browsing through the threads I think I may be in the wrong forum? does anyone know of a good MF 65 forum?

[DT86]

After browsing through the threads I think I may be in the wrong forum? does anyone know of a good MF 65 forum?

Welcome.

Sundays tend to be a little slow around here. Hang tight and someone will be along that can help.

[The kid]

Welcome.

Sundays tend to be a little slow around here. Hang tight and someone will be along that can help.

Your in the right place. This is the early and vintage tractor area. Can you put up some pictures of it?

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[DT86]

I think he meant that TBN as a whole was the wrong place to ask.

[maz]

Sorry can't post pictures yet. I just meant this may have been the won't spot to post because all I saw was MF35 and MF135 stuff posted under this forum? But if you guys have any knowledge or knowhow on the MF65 that would be appreciated.

Thanks

[The kid]

Sorry can't post pictures yet. I just meant this may have been the won't spot to post because all I saw was MF35 and MF135 stuff posted under this forum? But if you guys have any knowledge or knowhow on the MF65 that would be appreciated.

Thanks

I have a heard a few say that the four cylinder perkins is not as reliable as the 3 cylinder diesel version. BTW the Vintage Massey Ferguson area was recently added due to request to separate the 60's and 70's version from the newer ones. There is also a Vintage tractor area you can post if you feel your response here is not being seen. If you are relatively new to tractors it might a good idea to recruit a friend that is well versed on vintage/classic tractors which could save you a lot of grief from finding problems after the sale. Things to look for such as clutch condition, hydraulics condition, tires, steering, fluids are all important when evaluation a classic tractor.

Sometimes it takes a few days for a question to get noticed here. We have some very knowledgable members here that give great advise. I have learned not to rush into a buy. I've read about some that have and ended up costing big bucks in repairs.

I would like to welcome you here and since you are now a member, try the search feature out if you are interested in a specific tractor, or topic. -robert

Posted with iPad 2 iOS v5.1 -TBN v1.5.16

[shona13]

G'day maz.
Firstly Welcome to the forum and as always you will find your answers on the site .
Answer to your question ,The kid has basically summed it up when buying anything it is always a good idea to take along someone who has had a bit of experience and knows what to look for.
May i suggest a few things that quite often give trouble and are worth checking,you have already mentioned the clutch ,generally any tractor with a loader will show signs of clutch wear mainly due to the fact that the clutch is quite often Slipped when the loader is in use , a new clutch will cost around 600 dollars fitted.
Brakes ,the tractor has dry dual disc brakes which when properly adjusted work well.

Fuel lift pump 90 % leak fuel and 60 dollars will buy a new one.

Front axle assembly ,the centre pivot pin cops a lot of extra load with the added weight of the loader so if possible raise the front wheels clear of the ground and check ,wheel bearings,track rod ends,centre pin wear and king pin wear be extra careful when checking the centre pin ,the main casting has bushes or should have bushes make sure the pin has not worn through the bushes and into the housing this can cost quite a bit to repair/replace.

Cooling system,check ALL hoses ,water pump for signs of leaking ,water stains etc, fan belt and radiator ,have a good look and make sure it is not blocked with dust,grass clippings etc anything that could block it up and possibly overheat the engine.

The engine ,the 4.203 is as good an engine as perkins have made ,if like most engines it is looked after it is bullet proof,Note: perkins engines would be one of the cheapest engines to rebuild.
With the engine running and at running temperature ,idling pull the oil dipstick out ther should be little or no oil being pushed up out of the dipstick tube any oil coming out is a general indication that the engine is not the best.

You have mentioned that the tractor has been fitted with an external hydraulic pump, the industrial Masseys were fitted with the pump mounted out front,they had heaps of flow and ample pressure the only failing I have experienced is the drive shaft from the engine to the pump they tend to wear and rattle themselves to death so pay particular attention to the shaft,with the engine STOPPED get a big screwdriver and see if there is any play there.
The hydraulic system: the early Massey pumps were not known to be fast although reliable they are not really satisfactory when using a loader ,this should not be a problem so if you can put an implement on the three point linkage and have a play just to make sure the hydraulics do work .

last but not least, the final drive epicycle units ,they often wear and the outer axle seals will show signs of oil leakage, to check the overall health or otherwise with the tractor on level ground ,handbrake of select first high gear engine STOPPED stand facing the rear right hand rear wheel and push hard on the upper part of the wheel ,you want to ROCK the tractor sideways
If the drive units are loose and worn you will hear a clunk as the bearing slides from inside to outside,this test is a general indicator only and does not necessarilly mean the tractor is unserviceable it just lets you know what to expect in the future hopefully not the near future, do the other side the same way.

Brake and clutch pedal wear: again the brakes and the clutch get a good workout so expect the bushes in the Clutch and brake pedal pivot points to show wear, provided the bushes are not to worn they can be replaced for a few dollars.
Thats all for now.

Again Welcome to the forum .
Happy Days.
Hutch.

[maz]

Thanks for the responses guys. After looking the tractor over I can't see anything that is worn excessively. There are all new rad hoses, new front tires, 4 new tubes, one new hydraulic ram for the bucket, and all new fluids this summer the injector pump looks as if it's been off the tractor (maybe newer or a reman). As i mentioned the clutch and the power steering will need a little adjusting but they do work at this time. The loader is pretty heavy duty for this tractor and is driven off it's own pump off the front of the crank shaft also the front axle is beefier than the normal MF65 axle. there are no remotes fitted to the rear at this time, in te future i may install the kit i have seen for running some implements. All in all as far as i can seen this should be a good tractor for my first and i don't think if I upgrade in a few years and sell i will lose on it. Who knows i may even restore it?

Thanks