Massey Ferguson 145 Assistance (Please).

[bigandyman]

Hi

I've just bought a farmhouse in the south of France and with it, a 1966 MF145. I've never owned a tractor before and frankly I have no idea what I've bought or got myself into. So I have a few questions I hope you may be able to help with. It's in astonishingly good condition and just had €4000 of new brakes and possible clutch work based on a receipt. It starts, drives and runs very well indeed.

- What fuel does it use? The previous owner (no longer speaking to us) mentioned it might be the same as the heating oil in the house, but that can't be right? Would it be diesel? Are those fuels compatible?

- How often does it need to be serviced? Annually like a car or based on hours run? It has roughly 600 hours on the dial.

- Does it need constant fiddling to keep it working (various fluids, filters etc) or is it a reliable workhorse? I'm of a mind to sell it along with a 2m wide rear grass cutting deck and buy. modern park size sit on mower for ease, but I don't know how much effort is required to keep it mobile. The old gent who owned it serviced it himself and a handy fiddler from what I can tell.

- If I were to put it up for sale, does anyone have a view on ball park figures? Majority of MF ads are for 135 and 165. I can't work out if I have a rarity or a bad model year that got scrapped quickly! In terms of attachments, there is the mower deck, a green keeper mower deck, a log splitter, a huge circular saw attachment (possible 24" diameter) and a water bowser. It's all a bit bewildering.

Thanks in advance for any answers anyone has on these points.

Andy

 

[bigandyman]

Please ignore this thread. I've just reposted in the MF Vintage Tractor forum which I missed earlier. Can't see how to delete a post.

 

[Roadworthy]

According to Tractor Data you have a diesel tractor. It would run on stove oil but actual diesel fuel is probably a better choice. Only you can tell whether it is appropriate for your needs. Generally they don't require much tinkering. You change the oil as you would in a car - probably no more than six quarts of diesel rated 15W-40. You may wish to do this every year or every other year. The transmission - hydraulic fluid should be replaced from time to time. This is probably more like six gallons. Beyond that I can't offer much.

TractorData.com Massey Ferguson 145 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

 

[priberc]

1, Yes it will burn diesel.....and yes diesel will heat the house if you have oil heat in the house. Pretty sure you can not use heating oil in the tractor though. At least I have never heard of it before anyways.
2, 600 hours and the brakes have been changed out....maybe a clutch. wow doesn't cover my emotions. If you are using the tractor lots you will need to change oil at a certain hourly interval. A quick look has it at 200-250 hours depending on source. That said the manufacturers of the oil say the oil should be changed annually because the additives in the oil break down and the oil is no longer "up to spec".
3 I expect the tractor was a good one when new......but the brakes clutch replacement at 600 hrs says it may have had a very hard life for the first 600 hrs. Or ,and most likely IMO, the hour metre doesn't work. Check with the shop that did the work on the machine then maybe get another opinion/appraisal from an independent/field mechanic if you can
4, as for pricing....that is a pretty regional thing.
Mid 60s tractors were all pretty tough machines. Simple ,straight forward to fix and you have a well known name brand so parts will be available. If it were me I would hang on to it all and see if it will do what you expect it/need it to do. Even if it doesn't do what you expect/desire you have some idea of what you want/need for your desires/expectations to be met when you go shopping for a different one even one year down the road....two years would give you a better idea yet.

 

[JethroB]

Is the tachometer/hour meter the original? 600 is pretty low. I have a 1975 MF 135 with a working hour meter but the tachometer needle bit the dust years ago.

 

[bigandyman]

Duplicating my comment from another forum entry on this site...

Hi. Thanks for the responses. I've translated the 'repair bill' and it seems to suggest it was engine related and dated 2014. Perhaps the owner had paid for the brake separately and recently. And I've come to learn with an 85 year old French gent, that recently could be a decade ago. It's relative! And maybe something was lost in translation between the French owner, the Belgian agent and our English. I will try and contact the garage the did the work as they're still in existence and see what they have on record.

It's certainly low in hours and for the last 30 years he's owned it, it's just cut grass and pulled a bowser for watering the plants. I can only assume it's the original dial and working. Time will tell. I've attached some photo's for reference.

 

[workinonit]

That's a good machine you have. I've owned several similar Masseys. They are tough machines and yours is not hurt.