Going to look at a tractor tomorrow, tell me what to look for...

[teg]

"...as long as it's as tough as a standard..." You will have a few less HP (that basically run the pump for hydraulics) but it will be "tough" enough. You can look up the 'great debate' about the two.

I would still say try it before you buy it. See how it runs with a 4 foot brush cutter (hopefully, in some weeds).

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Hey, thanks for the links. Believe it or not I actually went and looked at that MF 135.

Give me your opinion on it:

It had a pretty good oil leak. It looked to be coming from somewhere on the top right side of the engine. The engine was all coated in that oily residue running down the side and there were some drips on the ground. From what I understand it is the European model, the front axle runs straight across and does not "sweep back" like the American 135s do. How hard would it be to get parts from this? I had a guy that works on tractors for a living tell me that it is something I should stay away from. The brakes were horrible to. Assuming that it would require more than an adjustment to fix, how much cost would I be looking at to replace the shoes? Is this something I could do myself? The motor really did purr when it fired up though. It ran just perfect.

Also, tell me about those little Mitsubishi tractors. I know nothing about them. Did Mitsubishi also make Satoh?

Heres a link to a tractor that I found. I know its a little less HP than most of you recommend, but for the price its got 4WD, a FEL, a little rear mount mower (not sure if its a bush hog or not), a tiller, and a couple more attachments.

REDUCED 78' Satoh 4x4 Compact Tractor

Anyway, thanks for all the help guys!

Common leak point on Perkins diesels near top right hand of motor would probably be the tach drive at the end of the camshaft. (Back of engine block/head) Simple gasket change if merely tightening 2 bolts doesn't take care of it. Do you know for a fact that it is OIL? Overflowing the fuel tank causes fuel to spill down the right rear of the engine. That'll catch a lot of dirt and look like an oil spill. On a number of 135's I've bought/cleaned up/re-sold, they had what appeared to be a serious leak in that area. A simple pressure wash and no over-fill of fuel solved the problem. Other possibilities would be a valve cover gasket, or POSSIBLY the line to or the oil pressure gauge itself leaking. All relatively easy fix's.

The guy who tells you European 135 parts are hard to come by is sadly misinformed. For the most part, same parts as US market models. The parts exclusive to European 135's are readily available on EBAY OR through AGCO. European 135's were "standard issue" in Canada. Canadian 135 owners have ZERO complaints on parts availability. The 100 series Masseys are one of the easiest tractors around to get parts for due to the large numbers sold and still on the job. Re-manufactured and/or aftermarket parts are easy to find also. Any AGCO part #'s, be it European issue or US issue can be had through any AGCO dealer. Worst case, get a parts manual for the serial # tractor in question and go in to the dealer armed with part #'s.

If you can change brakes on a car, you can do a brake job on a 135. New shoes were around $85,(last set I bought, 2 years ago) with aftermarket available for less. Sometimes the brake "actuator" wears. They're about $90 a pair if I recall correctly. (The "cam" between the shoes. It expands the brakes shoes when pedal is depressed)

Brake issues you describe sound like they're shot. Adjustment won't correct that problem. Replace shoes AND actuator and you'll have YEARS of trouble free use.

The square axle is far more desirable than the swept axle, ESPECIALLY for a loader tractor. Much heavier axle. Sturdier bolster. It is the same axle used on 245, ect (1975 on)

Tie rod ends are less expensive through AGCO (OEM parts) than through aftermarket sources. They fit better too. I recently replaced every steering joint on a 135 for a friend. Total cost was under $225 all the way back to the steering column.

 

[Soundguy]

My thoughts are that you will really want some sort of live pto.. be it independent, or 2-stage clutch.. that will make the mower and hole auger easier.

Light duty and limited 'homeowner' use loader work can be accomplished with 2wd and gear trans... though.. You will want power steering if at all possible.. and if you had the choice of finding a shuttle shift or hydro.. considder it if you will be doing extensive loader work.. also considder 4wd if , as said, you will be doing lots of loader work.

If not alot of loader work.. you have many choices available in the new/used S/CUT market.

The blue blood in me tells me to suggest a nice 3 cyl ford thousand series with ps, ind pto, and a full hyd loader.. however.. if you could find a massey 135 setup similarly, and in good shape and fully functional.... they are a darn good tractor too!

Soundguy

 

[dieselfuelonly]

Well, I just called about the TC18, its already sold .

 

[RoyJackson]

Well, I just called about the TC18, its already sold .

Yeah, good tractors go fast!
Have you been posting in the Yanmar and Grey Market forums? Any kind words of encouragement there?

Keep looking...you've been without a tractor this long...

 

[dieselfuelonly]

I guess after sitting down and talking with some people for a while I may need to actually reconsider the MF 135.

The dealer was asking $4,200 for it.
It had the following problems:
-All but one of the gauges were broken
-Oil leak down the top right side
-Brakes were shot
-Ball joints were loose
-Hydraulic/PS fluid leak
-Left side power steering hoses needed to be replaced
-Sheetmetal looked pretty bad, missing front guard for radiator, etc., though looks don't really matter to me.
-Lights missing/broken, again, not very important right now.

There was a 5' bush hog, really heavily built in good condition that I wanted to buy too.

Considering the condition it is in, what would be a good offer to make for this tractor and the bush hog?

He said he would clean it up for me so that I could locate the oil leak.

Here is the link on EquipmentTrader:

EquipmentTraderOnline

 

[RoyJackson]

Frankly, I wouldn't buy it...too much of a fixer-upper.

I think you should re-evaluate your strategy. You're looking to get in as cheap as possible. Maybe you should consider purchasing new. As long as you have reasonable credit, payments can be pretty low. Or, at least spend enough to get a decent machine.

However, if you are really interested in this MF, PM Farmwithjunk. I think he can give you some good and experienced advice as to what it will take to fix this machine up.

 

[LOOPHOLE]

Keep looking ! Do you want a tractor or a project to work on ? ................. I've been there and good folks like Roy and more told me the same thing...... "You can spend alot of $$$$ in a busted tractor"

 

[Farmwithjunk]

I guess after sitting down and talking with some people for a while I may need to actually reconsider the MF 135.

The dealer was asking $4,200 for it.
It had the following problems:
-All but one of the gauges were broken
-Oil leak down the top right side
-Brakes were shot
-Ball joints were loose
-Hydraulic/PS fluid leak
-Left side power steering hoses needed to be replaced
-Sheetmetal looked pretty bad, missing front guard for radiator, etc., though looks don't really matter to me.
-Lights missing/broken, again, not very important right now.

There was a 5' bush hog, really heavily built in good condition that I wanted to buy too.

Considering the condition it is in, what would be a good offer to make for this tractor and the bush hog?

He said he would clean it up for me so that I could locate the oil leak.

Here is the link on EquipmentTrader:

EquipmentTraderOnline

Looks like Roy volunteered my services Better pony up and see what I can do.

Guages are important. Not sure which "one guage" survived. Tach is needed, Oil pressure, engine temp, and ammeter are needed too. Fuel guage isn't life and death. Figure MINIMUM of $400 to fix 4 out of 5. (If one needing replacement is the tach) (inc. sending units/wiring, ect)

Brakes would be a MINIMUM of $250.

Steering hoses and hiem joints $350 MINIMUM

Grill & sheet metal (paint) IF you can find used or low cost aftermarket, MINIMUM $250

Lights, front and rear, aftermarket, $200

Misc. (Battery, ect) Figure a MINIMUM of $250,

So, about $1700 (plus a LOT of work) to get it into "good" condition.

$4200 would be a low price on a "good" 135, but at the high end of the price range for one in that condition. Fix all the described problems and you would have a $4500 to $5000 tractor, so anything over $3000 wouldn't be a "money maker".

You would have a good tractor. You WOULDN'T have a bargain.

Personally, I'd walk away. But SOMEONE will give him $4200 eventually.

 

[Grrrr]

Looks like Roy volunteered my services Better pony up and see what I can do.

Guages are important. Not sure which "one guage" survived. Tach is needed, Oil pressure, engine temp, and ammeter are needed too. Fuel guage isn't life and death. Figure MINIMUM of $400 to fix 4 out of 5. (If one needing replacement is the tach) (inc. sending units/wiring, ect)

Brakes would be a MINIMUM of $250.

Steering hoses and hiem joints $350 MINIMUM

Grill & sheet metal (paint) IF you can find used or low cost aftermarket, MINIMUM $250

Lights, front and rear, aftermarket, $200

Misc. (Battery, ect) Figure a MINIMUM of $250,

So, about $1700 (plus a LOT of work) to get it into "good" condition.

$4200 would be a low price on a "good" 135, but at the high end of the price range for one in that condition. Fix all the described problems and you would have a $4500 to $5000 tractor, so anything over $3000 wouldn't be a "money maker".

You would have a good tractor. You WOULDN'T have a bargain.

Personally, I'd walk away. But SOMEONE will give him $4200 eventually.

How about offering him $3000 and see what he says. He might be willing to get rid of it.

I think it would be a great tractor for you if you could fix it up a bit. You wouldn't have to do everything at once and could still use it while you were working on it.

Just by looking at the pictures, I wouldn't say it was in that bad condition. Some of the ones we use look a lot worse.