Any 4610 owners have problems with their tractors?

[CaptHowdy]

I bought a 4610 when they first came out and it currently has a little under 300 hours on it. I bought a brand new tractor so that I wouldn't have the headache of working on older equipment all the time. Well in the time I've owned this tractor I've had nothing but issues. My dealer has been good about working on it but enough is enough. I've had many issues but the one that is driving me crazy is fighting this thing every winter. I keep it plugged in and it will never start and freezes up all the time. It has even froze up a few times while operating it. Enough is enough, I'm tired of fighting this tractor, especially when the whole point of spending a lot of money on a new tractor was so I didn't have these headaches. Has anyone else had problems with theirs and especially with them freezing up or being **** near unusable in the winter. My Kubota and New Holland work just fine but this thing hates the cold. Both of those are new and work as they should no matter the weather etc. If you have had any other issues with yours please let me know also because I've had other issues too. They've replaced countless sensors on mine, the power steering is the weakest I've ever used on a tractor, the air conditioning is about useless when it's really hot outside and I have an issue where the pto light starts blinking or goes completely out and it seems to lose power to whatever I'm using. Has anyone had any luck having anything done about them helping you trade out of a tractor into a new one or anything like that? Like I said, this thing has under 300 hours and has been a constant pain in the ***. I will say this, when everything is working right, I really like it. It's just very rare that it's working "right".

 

[Phillip w]

Well here goes. I'm a mf/agco basher, abuse my tractor, got a lemon and you name it. The truth is I got a smaller version, the 1531 and it is a "real work of art". I've had repeated issues with the front axle, the pto, the three point arms, overheating problems in the summer , and it won't start in the cold weather. I got a allis Chalmers 185 made in the 1970's and a John Deere 730 made in the late 1950's and both old tractors are more reliable, dependable, rugged and show more true grit that that mf ever will. I got an old koyker #5 loader on the allis and that loader will probably out last the grand kids. The loader on the mf has stress cracks and poor welds. Agco knows their products have issues. After the 3rd rebuild on my front axle, the admitted that they have a weak front end. There are guys on here with basically brand new tractors and they're having all kinds of trouble out of the tier 4 emission stuff. Agco knows that they have a problem with that. Agco will string you along never really solve anything and then abandon you admitting they have problems after the warranty is up. People on here do not like what I have to say about mf and agco, but it is what it is.

 

[Linemanluke]

I bought a 4610 when they first came out and it currently has a little under 300 hours on it. I bought a brand new tractor so that I wouldn't have the headache of working on older equipment all the time. Well in the time I've owned this tractor I've had nothing but issues. My dealer has been good about working on it but enough is enough. I've had many issues but the one that is driving me crazy is fighting this thing every winter. I keep it plugged in and it will never start and freezes up all the time. It has even froze up a few times while operating it. Enough is enough, I'm tired of fighting this tractor, especially when the whole point of spending a lot of money on a new tractor was so I didn't have these headaches. Has anyone else had problems with theirs and especially with them freezing up or being **** near unusable in the winter. My Kubota and New Holland work just fine but this thing hates the cold. Both of those are new and work as they should no matter the weather etc. If you have had any other issues with yours please let me know also because I've had other issues too. They've replaced countless sensors on mine, the power steering is the weakest I've ever used on a tractor, the air conditioning is about useless when it's really hot outside and I have an issue where the pto light starts blinking or goes completely out and it seems to lose power to whatever I'm using. Has anyone had any luck having anything done about them helping you trade out of a tractor into a new one or anything like that? Like I said, this thing has under 300 hours and has been a constant pain in the ***. I will say this, when everything is working right, I really like it. It's just very rare that it's working "right".

I got a 2015 Massey Ferguson 4608 bought used with 480hrs march 17. It now has 780 hrs on it. My only complaint is the shuttle can be a little rough sometimes and the damper on the flywheel makes a rattle sometimes that echoes threw the transmission. I started mine today in the single digits with no block heater. I honestly really like the machine. My brother has a 2009 5065e John Deere. I'm not a big fan of it. When it's cold like it has been in West Virginia here lately,the hydraulic pump sounds really bad until it warms up which of course has to do with the cold spell we are in and in the summer the transmission tunnel gets really hot doing hard hay work It won't start unless It plugged in under 30 degrees. Don't get me wrong it's got 3000 hrs on it and has been reliable but they have there own set of issues also.ive had no issues outta my Massey but only time will tell

 

[CaptHowdy]

I got a 2015 Massey Ferguson 4608 bought used with 480hrs march 17. It now has 780 hrs on it. My only complaint is the shuttle can be a little rough sometimes and the damper on the flywheel makes a rattle sometimes that echoes threw the transmission. I started mine today in the single digits with no block heater. I honestly really like the machine. My brother has a 2009 5065e John Deere. I'm not a big fan of it. When it's cold like it has been in West Virginia here lately,the hydraulic pump sounds really bad until it warms up which of course has to do with the cold spell we are in and in the summer the transmission tunnel gets really hot doing hard hay work It won't start unless It plugged in under 30 degrees. Don't get me wrong it's got 3000 hrs on it and has been reliable but they have there own set of issues also.ive had no issues outta my Massey but only time will tell

I'm glad to hear you haven't had many issues. I think I know the exact rattle/vibration at times you are talking about. I'm ready to just get out of this thing and into something else I think. I'm honestly that fed up with it. Does your A/C work worth a darn in hot weather? Assuming it's a cab....

 

[Linemanluke]

I'm glad to hear you haven't had many issues. I think I know the exact rattle/vibration at times you are talking about. I'm ready to just get out of this thing and into something else I think. I'm honestly that fed up with it. Does your A/C work worth a darn in hot weather? Assuming it's a cab....

No it doesn't have a cab. Just a canopy. I had a 55 horsepower new holland tractor before I found a good deal on this Massey and I got rid of it because it was starting to have some electrical issues and I needed something bigger and that's how I ended up with the Massey so I don't blame you for wanting to get rid of yours. I was worried about buying mine since someone got rid of the Massey before 500 hrs but the original owner trades every couple years and I knew the salesman is how I ended up with it.

 

[motownbrowne]

I'll give you $500 for the 4610.

 

[Wobblin-Goblin]

A friend of mine bought a 2014 4608 and sold it last year. Not sure why, but it makes you wonder.

 

[Linemanluke]

What kind of fuel stabilizer was you using.or was you using enough?

 

[JWR]

Sorry to hear that bad experience CaptHowdy. I'm very surprised you have starting issues there in KY. You say it "froze up even while running it." How cold was the air at that time ? Unless it was below 10 to 12 degrees or so that was not fuel gelling. Not exactly certain what you mean by "froze up." Here's my string of thoughts on your post/report:

Sure, run an anti-gel additive in the winter as a routine practice. It won't totally prevent issues but it can help.

I have a MF 2660 2011 model that started out with an unbelievable series of major problems which I won't repeat unless you want to hear it. I did a report on the 2660 which is still there in the ByNet reviews. It fit the lemon definition many times over. However, after the initial 3 years that it took me to get 99% of the problems fixed it is a great tractor. [I live over 300 miles from my farm and that tractor so I only use it monthly. My farm is not very far from LinemanLuke's.] Slowly but surely I love it. You put it SO WELL ! I too bought it new, at high expense, specifically expecting it to be trouble-free. Out of the box it was nothing BUT trouble. Mine has a Perkins engine unlike yours and that Perkins is pretty much the only thing on the tractor I never had even the tiniest problem with. Rock solid engine. It still has the original battery and starts with no problems in 20 degree temps even after sitting for a month at a time without running. You might want to check the glow plug procedure on your 4610 as it was not at all obvious on my 2660. Even after I found it, I rarely ever have to use the glow plugs. If starting/running in cold weather is your worst remaining problem, then I'd think that is VERY solvable. In case you run in below 10 or 12 degree weather (which is a little hard to picture in Kentucky...) you should try 50/50 #1 and #2 fuel. (e.g. mix kerosene in with your diesel fuel.) That's exactly what all the heavy equipment operators do in the northern tier states. At higher "ordinary temperatures" like 20's and 30's if you get stalling or sluggish running and hard starting, especially using an engine heater, there is something else wrong.

I am glad to see Phillip W fessing up to his unceasing devoted role of bashing MF. They can do no right according to him. He has his own real-world experiences and we need to hear the good and the bad.

About your weak power steering: That was THE primary complaint when the 4600 series first came out. I have a friend in WV who bought an early 4608 and he could not turn the front wheels in relatively shallow mud with a large round bale load on the loader. Once he had the power shifter adjusted (lurching) I think that was his only other complaint. I heard that Massey beefed up the steering boost (either a bigger cylinder or some such) in later models. Whether you can get a retrofit or not I do not know. I know one dealer in central WV who refused to accept any more tractors from MF until they did something about the 4600 series steering in those early days.

I assume you have heard the endless ranting of the Australian owner - name escapes me - who was on most of last year with a serial tirade on the life-threatening horrors of his 4610. In and out of court. Numerous shouting matches with multiple dealers, etc. He has quite a few YouTube clips out there as well. Brace yourself for a long day if you try to see all his complaints. Understanding his narratives is a daunting challenge. Try a search on TractorByNet for 4610 and I think his posts will easily show up.

Hey! Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Phillip w]

Jwr: I'm not feeding up, I'm just reporting what people like you say and then telling it like it is. By the way, found a mf 1533 owner close by and he is having alot of problems. As for winter, we hit 13 below with wind chills running about 30 below. Not too mild in my opinion.