Buying Advice Need help deciding on first tractor

[GManBart]

I just got off the phone wi a seller and I'm going to look at a Massey 30e industrial tractor in the morning. 61hp with a bucket that lifts 5000lbs and a couple attachments for under $5k. This will be my first but not my only tractor. I just bought the ranch and need to pay down other debt before going with a more expensive tractor. I do like the sound of the Kabota warranty however those new machines are out of my range right now. I think I'm drawn towards the old MF because of the 231 I have been using and I know I can get parts locally (but still further Away than the JD dealer)

Sounds like the seller's numbers are a bit off. If it's a 30e, those had an AD3.152 engine with around 45hp. It's the same basic engine that's in the 231 you've been using. It's a great engine, and they've made many tens of thousands of them, so you can always get parts. There were other models (like the 30, 30C and 30D) that had more power, and different engines so it's hard to know until you look at it.

As far as the loader, I don't believe there's a loader that will lift anywhere near 5,000lbs on that size machine, but it should be enough to move round bales. For comparison, most modern full-size (15-18,000lb) backhoes can only lift around 6K on the FEL.

Is it this one? If so, it looks weathered, but not all torn up, and the implements are worth at least $7-800 give or take.

Massey Furgusin Tractor ,loader

 

[terryknight]

skip the MF 1040. Toyosha who built the motor seems to have disappeared here (stateside) in the late 90s and parts are hard if not impossible to find. we sold our 1045 this past year and one of the reasons was the problem getting parts. it was a rugged heavy tractor. 1000lbs to the pins was underrated on the 232 loader

 

[CDennyRun]

Is it this one? If so, it looks weathered, but not all torn up, and the implements are worth at least $7-800 give or take.

Massey Furgusin Tractor ,loader

That looks like a heck of a deal. For the price, that would be almost perfect for the OP, until he's in the position to finance a larger tractor.

 

[vtlpluyr]

I am partial to the 200 series of Massey. I have a 265 that my father had. He died in 2010, we considered selling it but instead opted for a complete tear down and rebuild. There are lots of 3rd party parts for these tractors and the people who rebuild power steering pumps, alternators, and starters always have one ready to go in our area. They are a bit weak in the front end for loader work (but easily handle round bales), and 2wd is a bit of a pain, but one of them would make a great first tractor as they are extremely simple. You would easily figure out regular maintenance, and are pretty easy to work on. There is very little price difference in the used market for 231, 235, 240, 250, 255, 265, and 275 models. I suggest looking for a 255 (that has the Perkins 236 engine, although there is nothing terrible about the Perkins 203) or a 265. They are all at the bottom of the depreciation curve so you can't really lose money if you sell it down the road. You may want to consider looking for one in Canada - the US dollar is much stronger vis-a-vis the Canuck buck. There are crazy good deals in the used market right now up here (in Canada) if you are buying with US dollars. Also, If I told somebody who didn't know these tractors how good on fuel they really were, they would not believe me. It is amazing how much work you can get out of a 255 or 265 with 5 gallons of diesel.

 

[Dfwflyr]

That looks like a heck of a deal. For the price, that would be almost perfect for the OP, until he's in the position to finance a larger tractor.

The one linked in the above post was the one. I hooked up the trailer and drove three hours to go see it and assuming the guy as truthful about it on the phone I was going to come home with it. Turns out that the owner is a welder by trade and broke off the diff lock. His solution was to just to run a couple welds over the differential lever connected housing and that was the deal breaker for me. He also had to use starter fluid and a battery charger to get her started however it was cold and pouring down rain (no that isn't an excuse)

I thought it was a 61hp based on what tractor data.com said but that wasn't right. I really like that model tractor. It has a good size bucket and hydraulics with a 3 pt and yet small enough I could run it through my horse barn with a box bald and use the loader.
On the way home I stopped by a friends place who's grandfather/neighbor has a hellova pristine collection of classics. Their suggestion was to buy a combo backhoe loader like a ford 555 or JD210c and then in a couple years grab a JD4010/4020 to cut and that would also give me the option to run hay if I ever decided to go that route.

breaking the $10 budget I might could get a yanmar new for a little more than $10K. If I go new then I am going to do it right. I just don't want another payment right now cutting into my cash flow when an unknown large expense comes up.

 

[jenkinsph]

Anyone looking at older tractors that are selling cheap should know they may have to make some repairs and fix it up. A lot of the older tractors need starting fluid when the weather is cold. Cheap old tractors expect to have to put new batteries and maybe belts, hoses, new battery terminals or cables. That is why it was $4,500 not $45,000.

As far as I know no one is giving their tractors away.

 

[Dfwflyr]

Anyone looking at older tractors that are selling cheap should know they may have to make some repairs and fix it up. A lot of the older tractors need starting fluid when the weather is cold. Cheap old tractors expect to have to put new batteries and maybe belts, hoses, new battery terminals or cables. That is why it was $4,500 not $45,000.

As far as I know no one is giving their tractors away.

Don't get me wrong I do expect to see some usage on an old tractor. Looking at fastline that MF30E sells around $4k so the guy had a pretty fair price. My problem was his attempt to conceal the non functioning differential lock that would require a whole new back end housing to be able to mount the diff lock Handel.

 

[GManBart]

The one linked in the above post was the one. I hooked up the trailer and drove three hours to go see it and assuming the guy as truthful about it on the phone I was going to come home with it. Turns out that the owner is a welder by trade and broke off the diff lock. His solution was to just to run a couple welds over the differential lever connected housing and that was the deal breaker for me. He also had to use starter fluid and a battery charger to get her started however it was cold and pouring down rain (no that isn't an excuse)

I thought it was a 61hp based on what tractor data.com said but that wasn't right. I really like that model tractor. It has a good size bucket and hydraulics with a 3 pt and yet small enough I could run it through my horse barn with a box bald and use the loader.
On the way home I stopped by a friends place who's grandfather/neighbor has a hellova pristine collection of classics. Their suggestion was to buy a combo backhoe loader like a ford 555 or JD210c and then in a couple years grab a JD4010/4020 to cut and that would also give me the option to run hay if I ever decided to go that route.

breaking the $10 budget I might could get a yanmar new for a little more than $10K. If I go new then I am going to do it right. I just don't want another payment right now cutting into my cash flow when an unknown large expense comes up.

Bummer....but that's sort of what happens when you start looking at used machines that are more than a few years old. The good thing is that the more you look at them, the more you're able to quickly spot deal-breakers like what you found. The plan for something like a Ford 555 isn't a bad one.

 

[jenkinsph]

Don't get me wrong I do expect to see some usage on an old tractor. Looking at fastline that MF30E sells around $4k so the guy had a pretty fair price. My problem was his attempt to conceal the non functioning differential lock that would require a whole new back end housing to be able to mount the diff lock Handel.

Not seeing the welds I can't say but may be the seller wanted to make it fixed in place so that it would not get worse. What did the seller say about it?

For a $3500 to $3800 tractor after discounting the added implements I could live without the differential lock. I do agree with full disclosure though and always point out any problems I am aware of when selling used items. It is just good business.

I would have made an offer for $4000 and lived without the differential lock. You could use it for a year or two clean it up and get all of your money back.

 

[Dfwflyr]

Not seeing the welds I can't say but may be the seller wanted to make it fixed in place so that it would not get worse. What did the seller say about it?

For a $3500 to $3800 tractor after discounting the added implements I could live without the differential lock. I do agree with full disclosure though and always point out any problems I am aware of when selling used items. It is just good business.

I would have made an offer for $4000 and lived without the differential lock. You could use it for a year or two clean it up and get all of your money back.

He didn't say much. He disclosed that the Handel keep breaking off and he would weld it back on but it was cast. Someone told him to stop messing with it or he would mess it up. He made it sound like it was a quick fix to just put another Handel on but once I looked and saw what it did I realized I would need a whole new axle case. Other problem was that the amount of difficulty starting that thing spooked me a bit. Once started it seemed to run fine. I am considering calling him back but he was firm on 4500