Looking for a "30/30" diesel tractor

[flusher]

Re: Looking for a "30/30" diesel tractor

Very cool! Congrats! I notice they don't give anything away up there as they don't down here and, seems like you got a good deal on a good old machine! I sure like that low profile. Enjoy!

I'm satisfied with the deal and so is the seller as far as I could tell. My main concern was to get a good deal on a solid machine that runs good and doesn't spill fluids all over the place.

And I really wanted an MF-135 that I could clean up just to see how good a job I could do to make it look respectable.

There are a bunch of 135s up here in the North Valley, but they don't come on the market that often. Owners tend to hang onto them. So a motivated buyer like myself doesn't have a large selection from which to choose.

Before I found this one, I checked out an MF-65, a MF-175 and a few Ford 3000s. I passed on these since they were in a really used condition with rusty parts and leaks.

I heard somewhere that there's a California premium that you need to add to the prices you see on eBay or in the Tractor Blue Book. Don't know if that's true.

I've been watching the MF-135 sales on eBay for the last few months. There've been about half-dozen sales there and the average price was around $4200. Some of these eBay tractors looked really nice (clean, new paint, good sheet metal, etc) and some looked a lot like mine (used and in need of a good cleanup and sheet metal TLC). If this deal hadn't fallen into my lap, I probably would have considered bidding on one of the eBay 135s even with the shipping cost (most of the 135 sellers are located East of the Rockies) and the "pig-in-the-poke" problem with eBay sales on stuff like tractors.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Re: Looking for a \"30/30\" diesel tractor

Well, it took a while, but I finally got my 30/30 tractor. Actually its more like a 40/40 tractor. Paid $3600 for a MF-135 diesel Deluxe model tractor with the Multipower option. That gives 12 forward/4 reverse gears. Has a live PTO. Now I have a 43-hp tractor to go along with the 21-hp Kubota B7510HST/LA302 FEL. Fun being a two-tractor family.

The S/N tag is missing, so I'll have to do a little research to pin down the model year. However, the tractor came with a generator and then was retrofitted with an alternator. MF-135s were made from 1964-75 and the alternator was introduced in 1968, if I'm not mistaken.

Needs sheet metal work (my rainy weather project), new water, fuel gages, a swinging draw bar replacement, new seat and probably a new steering wheel. There's no fluid leakage as you can see from the clean ground under the tractor. No blue smoke. Starts right up and runs strong.

The tach and engine hour meter work. There's 4657 hours on the engine which was rebuilt 10-11 years ago at about 3500 hours. It was an orchard tractor, as you can tell by the squat, high flotation rear tires and was used only for mowing and light disking.

Since I'll be using it for field work, the exhaust system has to be rotated 90 degrees upwards to get the hot parts out of the weeds.

This baby doesn't have power steering, but since I don't plan to add an FEL that's no problem. It steers easy enough as is.

I'm having a ball tooling around the place with that little beastie.

Start flogging EBAY for reproduction parts. The 135 is in the same realm as N series Fords when it comes to replacement parts. I've been a lifelong Massey fan, and the 135/150 series is my favorite. Very easy tractor to work on. Do yourself a HUGE favor. Jump over to Yesterdays Tractors site, find the Massey forum, track down "Big Dean" and get his CD on the 100 series MF's. He has a knack for teaching the "non-mechanic" to diagnose and fix anything on those tractors. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

 

[flusher]

Re: Looking for a \"30/30\" diesel tractor

Start flogging EBAY for reproduction parts. The 135 is in the same realm as N series Fords when it comes to replacement parts. I've been a lifelong Massey fan, and the 135/150 series is my favorite. Very easy tractor to work on. Do yourself a HUGE favor. Jump over to Yesterdays Tractors site, find the Massey forum, track down "Big Dean" and get his CD on the 100 series MF's. He has a knack for teaching the "non-mechanic" to diagnose and fix anything on those tractors. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Really like the looks of your MF-150. Hope I can get my 135 looking half as good.

Already have Big Dean's CDs. They're loaded with info and MF tractor repair hints. Glad I spent the $30 for them.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Re: Looking for a "30/30" diesel tractor

You purchased one of the finest utility tractors ever made. I STILL kick myself for ever selling my old 35 super deluxe.

 

[Birdhunter1]

Re: Looking for a "30/30" diesel tractor

WOW!!!!! Talk about a rough machine!

Did you say a rainy day project or the 40 days and 40 nights of flooding?

Just kidding a bit, those old 135's are pretty tough machines. The sheetmetal on those can be found onlne or on ebay much cheaper than Massey Ferguson sells it at the parts counter. My question is on the rear tires, I've never seen ag's that wide on a 135 and I question how good of traction they would have since they don't have alot of weight per square inch of ground contact, I know how mine will seem to lack traction sometimes with ag's (forget the size) that aren't near as wide. Are those things fluid filled? I am taking a guess those wheels were designed for turf tires and the previous owner found a wide set of ag's, the good thing is you shouldn't have your rear end sinking in soft ground very easily!

Farm with junk, if you ever get a wild hair to sell that 150 let me know, that is one good looking machine!

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Re: Looking for a "30/30" diesel tractor

Farm with junk, if you ever get a wild hair to sell that 150 let me know, that is one good looking machine!

Thankya! Kinda doubt that one is going anywhere. That's the second tractor I bought when I started trying to farm. It's been around long as my wife. (She's a LOT better looking... The wife that is) I did a rush job paint job on it last year. Plan on re-doing it this winter. Already have the paint and time scheduled in a paint booth at a friends body shop while he's in Hawaii. I spent 2-1/2 hours bush hogging with it yesterday. Only burned 1-3/4 gallons fuel. Those little Perkins diesels are all that AND a bag of chips. I told my wife that I fully expect that tractor to haul me to my grave someday, THEN it can be sold.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, I'd match a 150 diesel against any tractor ever built for dependability, economy, and performance. (Outlasted AND worked circles around a 3000 Ford I bought a year earlier than the Massey. Not degrading the Ford, just commenting on how good the Massey is)

 

[LBrown59]

Re: Looking for a \"30/30\" diesel tractor

Now that I've gotten about a year's worth of experience under my belt with my B7510HST (21HP engine), I'm getting the itch for a larger tractor.

.

I'm just the opposite:
After getting my BX23 I'm itchin for a smaller tractor.
Something like a BX 1500 or anything along that line in any brand gray market or otherwise.

 

[flusher]

Re: Looking for a "30/30" diesel tractor

WOW!!!!! Talk about a rough machine!

Did you say a rainy day project or the 40 days and 40 nights of flooding?

Just kidding a bit, those old 135's are pretty tough machines. The sheetmetal on those can be found onlne or on ebay much cheaper than Massey Ferguson sells it at the parts counter. My question is on the rear tires, I've never seen ag's that wide on a 135 and I question how good of traction they would have since they don't have alot of weight per square inch of ground contact, I know how mine will seem to lack traction sometimes with ag's (forget the size) that aren't near as wide. Are those things fluid filled? I am taking a guess those wheels were designed for turf tires and the previous owner found a wide set of ag's, the good thing is you shouldn't have your rear end sinking in soft ground very easily!

Farm with junk, if you ever get a wild hair to sell that 150 let me know, that is one good looking machine!

The seller said all four tires are filled. We'll see how good the traction is later this year when the rainy season starts (Nov) and it heads for the field.

As I said in my earlier post, a lot of the 135s up here are used in the orchards. This one came out of the seller's olive orchard. These orchard tractors generally have turf tires that look like giant versions of those on a riding mower. This one has tires that look like a combo of wide, high flotation turf tires and an ag tire.

 

[GeneD14]

Re: Looking for a "30/30" diesel tractor

WOW!!!!! Talk about a rough machine!

My question is on the rear tires, I've never seen ag's that wide on a 135 and I question how good of traction they would have since they don't have alot of weight per square inch of ground contact, I know how mine will seem to lack traction sometimes with ag's (forget the size) that aren't near as wide. Are those things fluid filled? I am taking a guess those wheels were designed for turf tires and the previous owner found a wide set of ag's, the good thing is you shouldn't have your rear end sinking in soft ground very easily!

I don't know in this particular case why the tires are so wide but here is my guess: Most older tractors either get rusty rims from ClCa or the tires wear out. Replacements cost almost as much as the tractor is worth. I see many antique tractors that have replacement tires and rims off of old combines. Combine tires are normally much wider for floatation. They usually can be had for $50 to $100 at salvage yards. In many cases they are free.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

Re: Looking for a "30/30" diesel tractor

I don't know in this particular case why the tires are so wide but here is my guess: Most older tractors either get rusty rims from ClCa or the tires wear out. Replacements cost almost as much as the tractor is worth. I see many antique tractors that have replacement tires and rims off of old combines. Combine tires are normally much wider for floatation. They usually can be had for $50 to $100 at salvage yards. In many cases they are free.

I looked at a Ford 3600 a few weeks ago that was being sold off of a sod farm. It had much the same set-up as far as rubber.