Loader Massey 2600hd series

[JWR]

Interesting video. Good information here regarding machine design.

Massey Ferguson HD Series Competitive Comparison - YouTube

At 8:25 in the You Tube video stop/pause it and look closely at the rear axle they picture. That tractor has a "four disk brake system" which is inferior to the "five disk" system that can be added. Count the notches in the picture. That is a 4 disk tractor. It just astounds me that they would manufacture and sell (an otherwise good, solid, heavy) tractor with marginal brakes when they knew about the problem and had parts to make it right. I wonder when during the manufacture and sale of these tractors that they found out about the issue? Did they know it before any were ever sold ? Did they make a decision to save a few bucks intentionally planning to add the 5th disk only when a customer complained? We will never know !

 

[sawtooth]

Very true. And just think, the problem is actually worse on the cab tractors due to the added weight. It’s like they didn’t even test them. Very strange. I sure hope I like it though. Going to pick up my new trailer on the 26th then headed to pick up Massey. Guy is holding it for me till I have the new trailer to get it. 30k is a lot of money so I keep doubting myself about buying it but I just feel good about the guy selling it as everything he’s said has been spot on and supports what you’ve told me. I decided earlier this week just going with my gut feeling and moving forward with the purchase.

 

[JWR]

Speaking of trailers ... I had my 2660 wheels mounted such that the inner edges of the front and rear tires matched while the outer edges of the rear tires were 8ft. apart. That works really well for my applications, often on steep terrain and more bush hog work than anything else. It also meant that my old trailer at that time (early 2011) with fenders above the deck would not haul the 2660. I tried it just short distance with the front of the tractor as far forward as possible and concluded it was just the wrong trailer. I traded the trailer in at Wengers in PA for a new Pequea model 1018 deck-over that is 8' wide at the deck top. The actual deck length is 21' with 4' of that being a gentle sloped beavertail. Works very well. The axles are good for a 12,000lb GVWR but I got 6-lug wheels with overall rating of 10,000lbs to avoid some nuisance licensing issues. If the load capacity became an issue I could swap for the higher rated tires/wheels without changing anything else. The 2660 rear wheels can be mounted outward a good bit further but I'm comfortable on 40 to 50% slopes with the 8 foot outer edge rear spacing. If you go wider, it can become an issue for hauling, etc.

I'm very happy with my Pequea (good solid trailer, protected wiring, nice rubrails all around, toolbox area, heavy drop-leg jack, good brakes, etc.) I do not haul often.

With your cab model, probably wanting the loader and some rear implement on when you do haul, you probably want a larger trailer with more weight rating.
This picture is from last year when I bought a FEL mounted hydraulic motor rotary cutter for clearing overhanging limbs, brush, etc.

 

[JWR]

I may have failed to mention that mine is a low-profile 2660. The differences in the chassis are minor and most of the "lowering" is just tires. My rear tires are 18.3x26. No doubt yours will be 30" tires and you'll have one more step up from the ground. That might influence you to go wider than 8' outer edges of the rear tires for steep ground stability which might have trailer width implications too.

What sort of trailer do you have on order if I may be nosy ?

 

[sawtooth]

It’s a PJ tag along F8 model. 20’ long deck with 4’ dovetail. Full width deck at 102”. Has fold down flat ramps so I can place bush hog etc on them if needed. I will mostly tow my Ford 3910’s and my Massey 461 with FEL but wanted to buy something that can move the MF 2660 also when needed.

What truck are you pulling your 2660 with? Is that a 1/2 ton F150? Sure looks like it but can’t believe it. I’m sitting here sweeting about using my 2018 2500 Duramax. Lol. The cab tractor version (with ballast and FEL) weighs in right at 10k plus the trailer of 3900lbs so I should be right at 14k total weight. Even yours without a cab though is a heavy built machine. It’s gotta be pushing 8-9k with ballast and FEL right?

 

[JWR]

That is a very nice trailer and should be totally adequate for 2660 hauling when you need to do it. I like the fold over feature with the ramps allowing you to place things on top of them. I have had to rig some strange looking things to haul my 2660 with the 7ft bush hog on it due to my ramps. You also have a nice 6" more width to your deck. All good.

I was using a Ford F-250 with the V-10 engine and 5sp std transmission when I bought the 2660 here in So.Md. I borrowed a bigger trailer and towed it 330 miles incl. the mountains of I-68, etc. to the farm in central WV. The F-250 weighed 6600lbs and was 4WD with HD springs. That was before buying the newer Pequea deckover trailer that I have now. I use a 1000lb 4-in-1 bucket and a 1460lb 7ft Bush hog so if all that is on the trailer I'm at about 13,000 lbs total towed load. That was OK but was hairy in the much steeper mountains in Randolph/Tucker Co WV where I took it once -- without the bucket. The main towing chore was taking the 2660 to the dealer back in the "bad old days" of early ownership.

Now, it has been 5 years since I had any reason to take the 2660 to a dealer for work on it. And I traded trucks. The picture I posted in post #13 was a rare 1 time case when I took the bare tractor (no bucket and no Bush Hog) to a dealer 22 miles from the farm to have a Lane Shark FEL mounted cutter installed. Yes, that is my 2015 F-150 on that trip. There are some surprising stats between the F-250 V-10 and the F-150 turbocharged V6. The F-150 is automatic of course where the V-10 was a stick. The V6 has the same torque figures (420 ft-lb) but 65 HP more than the older 2000 model V-10. Power is not the issue. The main difference I felt was the F-150 being so much lighter -- about 1000lb lighter with an all aluminum body and a lighter duty truck anyway than the old F-250. The springs and 4WD and towing pkg are all OK but mainly because of the lightweight of the F-150 I would not be using it in the mountains or challenging towing with the 2660. I have used the F-150 to haul a B2150 Kubota to/from another place in the higher mountains in WV and various things like attachments (the 7ft hog by itself, a 7.5ft flail mower, etc.) But not the larger tractor. My towing these days is not frequent.