80sDweeb
Bronze Member
I bought an old farmhouse with 5 acres 16 years ago. When I got there it was all overgrown. I started clearing the land using a push mower, then bought a 1966 Cub Cadet 123 (first hydro) with a 44" mower deck. It was a true workhorse, and I cleared a lot of ground using it, but it was certainly not the right tool for the job. I later got a John Deere 425 with a 48" deck, and continued my attempts to clear more space whenever I got time. My time was less and less available as my family grew. Now we have 7 kids, but 2 are in college and one just graduated, so I see light at the end of the tunnel.
We had a fire in November, and now we're having a new house build farther back on the property (which means the new "back yard" is nearly impossible to even walk through.) So, I've got new motivation to clear out the brush, and I'd rather not use a garden tractor or walk-behind brush hog to do it.
I watched some YouTube videos of people bush hogging with old Ford 9N/2N/8N tractors, which are the "affordable" Fords around here (and certainly the most common 3-point capable tractors in my price range, available for anywhere from $850 to $2500.) I couldn't tell if the people in the videos had them in the lowest gear, but if they did, then they'd be very difficult to use on my land, because I'd want to be able to really crawl along, especially if I can't stop forward motion without also stopping the PTO (I was learning that I wanted "live" pto.)
I asked around online, and one of the older tractors that people kept recommending as fairly common and affordable (parts prices as well as price) was the MF 135, and by chance, I found a local one on Craigslist. Well, I'm now the owner of a beat up, 1972 Massey Ferguson 135 Diesel. I thought it had independent PTO, but I'm not positive. Does the long lever down by the operator's left heel indicate it has ipto? It didn't seem to have a dual-stage clutch, but I could be mistaken. It has been used by an apple farm since 1978, so 37 years. They said they like to have two tractors, a "main" one, and a backup. This one was the backup, but since it can't run the big flail mower (what they referred to as "tha chipper") it isn't a true backup. The mower had sprayer lines all over it because they used it for spraying Round-Up, but they want a tractor with a cab, so they can have AC, and not have to wear chemical suits in the heat. Anyway, they're not even ready to turn it over to me, because their new tractor won't arrive until the end of August.
One issue that I'll have to deal with eventually is that one of the back tires is pretty cracked and has cords showing in the sidewalls in many places. I'm wondering if there's some kind of sealant I can apply to help the cords last longer. My brush hogging usage will be a bit more strenuous than their sprayer duty, I'm afraid. Also, the front tires look like normal car tires. Is it possible that the front wheels are car wheels? Was that common to do for someone who didn't want to pay for AG tires? It should have 16" fronts, and these didn't look that big to me.
Anyway, I'm glad I was able to find this machine, and I look forward to learning a lot about how to use and maintain it (and repair it, ahem.) Now I've got to start looking for a rotary cutter, probably a 5 footer.
Below I'll post pics of the tractor, along with the pics I've found of two different levers found near the operator's left heel. Can someone let me know what these two different levers do? Mine has the larger one.
Thanks!
Scott in Brighton NY (where we wait for the new house in Penfield NY to get started)
Large Lever (like mine has):
Small Lever
We had a fire in November, and now we're having a new house build farther back on the property (which means the new "back yard" is nearly impossible to even walk through.) So, I've got new motivation to clear out the brush, and I'd rather not use a garden tractor or walk-behind brush hog to do it.
I watched some YouTube videos of people bush hogging with old Ford 9N/2N/8N tractors, which are the "affordable" Fords around here (and certainly the most common 3-point capable tractors in my price range, available for anywhere from $850 to $2500.) I couldn't tell if the people in the videos had them in the lowest gear, but if they did, then they'd be very difficult to use on my land, because I'd want to be able to really crawl along, especially if I can't stop forward motion without also stopping the PTO (I was learning that I wanted "live" pto.)
I asked around online, and one of the older tractors that people kept recommending as fairly common and affordable (parts prices as well as price) was the MF 135, and by chance, I found a local one on Craigslist. Well, I'm now the owner of a beat up, 1972 Massey Ferguson 135 Diesel. I thought it had independent PTO, but I'm not positive. Does the long lever down by the operator's left heel indicate it has ipto? It didn't seem to have a dual-stage clutch, but I could be mistaken. It has been used by an apple farm since 1978, so 37 years. They said they like to have two tractors, a "main" one, and a backup. This one was the backup, but since it can't run the big flail mower (what they referred to as "tha chipper") it isn't a true backup. The mower had sprayer lines all over it because they used it for spraying Round-Up, but they want a tractor with a cab, so they can have AC, and not have to wear chemical suits in the heat. Anyway, they're not even ready to turn it over to me, because their new tractor won't arrive until the end of August.
One issue that I'll have to deal with eventually is that one of the back tires is pretty cracked and has cords showing in the sidewalls in many places. I'm wondering if there's some kind of sealant I can apply to help the cords last longer. My brush hogging usage will be a bit more strenuous than their sprayer duty, I'm afraid. Also, the front tires look like normal car tires. Is it possible that the front wheels are car wheels? Was that common to do for someone who didn't want to pay for AG tires? It should have 16" fronts, and these didn't look that big to me.
Anyway, I'm glad I was able to find this machine, and I look forward to learning a lot about how to use and maintain it (and repair it, ahem.) Now I've got to start looking for a rotary cutter, probably a 5 footer.
Below I'll post pics of the tractor, along with the pics I've found of two different levers found near the operator's left heel. Can someone let me know what these two different levers do? Mine has the larger one.
Thanks!
Scott in Brighton NY (where we wait for the new house in Penfield NY to get started)
Large Lever (like mine has):
Small Lever
