What happened to Massey Ferguson?

[Trackerjoe]

Tractor Mike had a great, thorough youtube video about each tractor brand and what happened to them as they were bought, sold and consolidated. Very interesting if you are in the market or not.

 

[GeneSimm7]

Are Massey-Ferguson's now better than Kubota and John-Deere? I'm looking to buy a cab tractor (hydro) in the 35 to 45 hp ranage.

 

[Gord Baker]

I drove most of the Masseys in my youth, the 44 being my favourite. It is Heat Hauser weather for those that remember.

 

[MARK FROM LI]

I bought my 1723E in 2020...the Deeres were just priced out of the picture..I narrowed it down to MF, KIOTI and Kubota...I found these 3 to be quite comparable...except price...the Massey was much more competitively priced, and the dealer (Belle Meade Garage in New Jersey) was just different...he really seemed to know the machine and more importantly how to talk to people...this little thing is a beast...I had a Simplicity Legacy and a few other loaders before this, but they were all gas..that Legacy was burning through almost 5 gallons of gasoline an hour....the 1723 gets about 3 hours to a gallon of diesel....check over at MY TRACTOR FORUM and go to the Massey part of the forum and see some discussions of them

 

[rockinbbar]

Where are you?

South Texas.

 

[Bentrim]

As a kid home on "the farm" dad had John Deere and was a JD man thru and thru. If it wasn't green he would not even consider it. At 16 I started working for a MM Mf dealer. Really opened my eyes and found there were other tractors as good as or better than Deere. AS I worked my way thru the colege and the Army I returned to the dealer, wher I learned how to repair Masseys and Molines. Even a few "off breeds" came thru the shop ocassionally. After learning the simplicity of the Masseys I learned they were an easy tractor to repair and keep running, and the Perkins engines were pretty dogone fuel efficient.
I was not happy with some of the decisions MF made as to their product line, as dropping the lawn and garden tractors. They did try to keep up with Deere as they sold tools, chain saws and such things but that was short lived.
In the late 80"s Massey Combines Corporation was created and they put a lot of the "losing" equipment under that unbrella, then bankrupt it. But thhe Tractors were not compromised.
Then in the early 90's Agco (Allis Gleaner Company) was formed and started purchasing other farm equipment companies among them was Massey Ferguson.
Of course with all the changes dealers were lost and some were added and some were combined.
I left the dealer in 89 but still am loyal to Massey, only own four (can't afford more) and what I own are the A line Detroit built tractors. After all I need something to "play" with.
I do understand the dealer makes a difference as to what someone purchases, after all no support or parts staock make ownership miserable.
Ther is so much more I could tell but I have covered enough.
Check out the site below and or searc for more on Massey or Agco

A New Straightforward & Dependable Brand Identity celebrating 175 years of Massey Ferguson history

Massey Ferguson, a worldwide brand of AGCO (NYSE:AGCO), is excited to announce a fresh new look for its iconic Triple Triangle logo and its new “Born to Farm” brand identity to celebrate its 175 year anniversary in 2022.

www.masseyferguson.com

 

[gatornapper]

40 years ago when I was a young buck I used to flip/restore/sell MF 135's for fun & $$$. Always wanted a 265. Then we moved to a 15 acre property with few flat parts and many steep parts and a 2WD tractor was useless on over half our land.

Had 4x4 for 25 years now - never go back....

GN

Greetings All!
Just a general topic question:
With all the tractor talk and newer brands, rebranding, emerging models and buyouts, where is Massey Ferguson in all this? I never see reviews, or comparisons including MF. Are they a "has been" brand now? Do they fail the current markets? Poor dealer support? Overpriced?

Just curious why I don't find any sizeable quantity of info about them.

 

[Dftodd]

I just picked up an 1825E last Friday.

Unit was pretty comparable to kubota and Deere.

But without the hefty price tag.

Dealers just as close as the other two.

The big issue I have with kubota and deere is both dealerships were bought out by larger conglomerates.

After the buy out, prices skyrocketed and the service went to crap.

The Massey dealer is still a mom and pop operation focused on customer service.

 

[tacticalturnip]

I just picked up an 1825E last Friday.

Unit was pretty comparable to kubota and Deere.

But without the hefty price tag.

Dealers just as close as the other two.

The big issue I have with kubota and deere is both dealerships were bought out by larger conglomerates.

After the buy out, prices skyrocketed and the service went to crap.

The Massey dealer is still a mom and pop operation focused on customer service.

Did you make a thread and I missed it?!

 

[bm3]

Greetings All!
Just a general topic question:
With all the tractor talk and newer brands, rebranding, emerging models and buyouts, where is Massey Ferguson in all this? I never see reviews, or comparisons including MF. Are they a "has been" brand now? Do they fail the current markets? Poor dealer support? Overpriced?

Just curious why I don't find any sizeable quantity of info about them.

Good question . In my area the only MF dealer was bought out by JD . I sold my MF1635 last year and compared to a JD in same HP it was a better value . being a shortage of MF dealers dose not help . James River , a JD company, has pretty much taken over the east coast . Man that bought my tractor asked them to add rear hydraulics on it and they refused . He had to haul it a long distance to the closest MF dealer .

 

[rockinbbar]

The vast majority of road-side mowers I see are New Holland. However, for the non-contracted portion of interstate mowing my state does (NH), they have been buying Kubota for 10 years now.

Kubota sells the most compact tractors in the US. In my opinion, the Deere compacts aren't that great, most are not made in the USA, and cost the most. Dealer support is probably the best though. I hate how all the independent JD dealers are gone now, and they are all some giant dealer (United Turf and Ag up here in New England).

I've also noticed Kubota is partnered with Versatile tractor of Canada now, so the Kubota M8 - really just a customized Versatile Nemesis - can be had with a 200HP 6.7L Cummins and a ZF made Powershift or a Kubota made KVT / CVT transmission. Kubota, through its purchase of Great Plains, is offering big tillage equipment and high quality hay equipment with its purchase of Kverneland, but needs a bigger tractor. The rumor is that Kubota will likely purchase Versatile in order to have exclusive access to its larger tractors, and the Cummins engines will be replaced with Kubota-made diesels and transmissions.

After doing some serious tractor shopping not long ago, I took serious looks and test drives in John Deere, Kubota, and New Holland, and even included Massey Ferguson, as they sell those at the New Holland place too.

JD was nice, and had the features and power I wanted, but was $27k more on one tractor comparison to the one I bought. Just could not justify the expense for my operation.

Kubota was okay, but they were more expensive as well, and the tractor was way more primitive as far as features and cab design. They need to seriously update and add some sophistication to their cab tractors in the large utility category.

MF has a good, heavy tractor. I would consider a MF again if the need arises.

 

[Dftodd]

Did you make a thread and I missed it?!

No, just posted in good morning about it.

 

[tacticalturnip]

No, just posted in good morning about it.

I'd argue such a purchase is thread-worthy, friend.

 

[Brendanspapa]

Greetings All!
Just a general topic question:
With all the tractor talk and newer brands, rebranding, emerging models and buyouts, where is Massey Ferguson in all this? I never see reviews, or comparisons including MF. Are they a "has been" brand now? Do they fail the current markets? Poor dealer support? Overpriced?

Just curious why I don't find any sizeable quantity of info about them.

I don't see the large network of dealers as the other brands have, especially in the areas with fewer agriculture operations. They are strong in some segments, particularly hay. I personally own one piece of MF equipment, which is a MF 1840 square baler. This is a great piece of equipment, having a simple, modern design, and made in GA, USA.

 

[rockinbbar]

I don't see the large network of dealers as the other brands have, especially in the areas with fewer agriculture operations. They are strong in some segments, particularly hay. I personally own one piece of MF equipment, which is a MF 1840 square baler. This is a great piece of equipment, having a simple, modern design, and made in GA, USA.

The trend of one dealer owning and operating ALL the dealerships within a certain geographic area is not in the consumer's favor.

There are several examples of that where I live. One company owns all the JD dealerships within 100 miles.

Another company owns all the Case dealerships in the same area. Still another is gearing towards owning all the Kubota dealerships.

You can't shop price at all. You can't go to another different place for service or repairs. Well, not without driving a 100 miles, that is.

The big manufacturers push that system on the dealers. It is simpler for the manufacturer's standpoint to only have to contend with one company in a large area, rather than have to deal with 10 companies who used to serve the area.

For my money, the dealership that stands alone, and isn't owned by a company that has 15 other locations in a protected area will get my business over the conglomerate system they have forced on us.

 

[stoyan79]

Massey makes some amazing tractors, I put them on the same level as JD and Kubota, as far as SCUTS go.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Massey makes some amazing tractors, I put them on the same level as JD and Kubota, as far as SCUTS go.

All day, every day.

 

[ray66v]

At least around here, the MF dealer has changed multiple times since I bought mine. Each time, it has moved further and further away.

The original dealer, minutes away, was a MF dealer for a very long time.

Each time the dealer changes, no one will say who dumped who.

It's clear though, there is an issue.

 

[TorinoGT]

My 1840M ready for winter duty! I love my Massey. 0% financing, great dealership within an hour of my house. I put 100 hours on it in the first year at my new house, moving dirt, trees, brush hogging, plowing snow and of course the occasional moving pallets and heavy objects!

 

[tacticalturnip]

Massey is big here in Maine, particularly in my area; of course I could take a long walk to my dealership if I were so inclined.

I suppose I'd rather a short drive though.