Recommendation fo 40 hp old reliable tractor

Farmwithjunk · May 27, 2006

( Hard to believe only 35 hp 

I know.. since it is 38 pto hp.. making the engine hp a few percent higher.. like 40-43hp.. etc.. ( mf 50 )

The MF35 had 37 pto hp, and the MF135 had 38 pto hp.

Soundguy )

The "38 HP" Massey Ferguson 50's were the Perkins diesel equipped models. Gassers were rated @ 32 on the PTO. About 90% of the 50's were gassers. Still a snappy little motor for 32 PTO HP. (Earliest 50's [1957] had aCarter carb that wasn't quite "stone reliable". That effected it HP delivery. Later editions had a M-S carb and were MUCH better runners)

Still have dads old 50. It shows a serial # in the first 100 made. (They were FERGUSON F-40's prior to the introduction of the MF 50) It's about to go "under the knife". My son and I are getting ready to start a long, drawn out restoration on the 50.

The F-40, Massey Harris 50, Massey Ferguson 50, then finally, the Massey Ferguson 150 were BIG sellers here in Kentucky and in Tennessee. Tobacco operations of that era loved the stout little tractors.

Farmwithjunk · May 27, 2006

( Hard to believe only 35 hp 

I know.. since it is 38 pto hp.. making the engine hp a few percent higher.. like 40-43hp.. etc.. ( mf 50 )

The MF35 had 37 pto hp, and the MF135 had 38 pto hp.

Soundguy )

The "38 HP" Massey Ferguson 50's were the Perkins diesel equipped models. Gassers were rated @ 32 on the PTO. About 90% of the 50's were gassers. Still a snappy little motor for 32 PTO HP. (Earliest 50's [1957] had aCarter carb that wasn't quite "stone reliable". That effected it HP delivery. Later editions had a M-S carb and were MUCH better runners)

Still have dads old 50. It shows a serial # in the first 100 made. (They were FERGUSON F-40's prior to the introduction of the MF 50) It's about to go "under the knife". My son and I are getting ready to start a long, drawn out restoration on the 50.

The F-40, Massey Harris 50, Massey Ferguson 50, then finally, the Massey Ferguson 150 were BIG sellers here in Kentucky and in Tennessee. Tobacco operations of that era loved the stout little tractors.

Soundguy · May 28, 2006

( Gassers were rated @ 32 on the PTO. )

In his message, he only identified one fuel type, a diesel.. perhaps when he was talking about the 135. If he was refering to a mix of fuel types.. it would have been a lot less confusing if he had said so.. otherwise the reader is left to guess what fuel type is mentioned.. especially since he did identify a perkins diesel in that paragraph.

Soundguy

Soundguy · May 28, 2006

( Gassers were rated @ 32 on the PTO. )

In his message, he only identified one fuel type, a diesel.. perhaps when he was talking about the 135. If he was refering to a mix of fuel types.. it would have been a lot less confusing if he had said so.. otherwise the reader is left to guess what fuel type is mentioned.. especially since he did identify a perkins diesel in that paragraph.

Soundguy

Farmwithjunk · May 28, 2006

Nothing wrong with my reading skills. I'm not opposed to having MORE information available than just the absolute minimum. Since MOST MF 50's were gas powered, info on the gasser is vital when talking about the history of that model.

Farmwithjunk · May 28, 2006

Nothing wrong with my reading skills. I'm not opposed to having MORE information available than just the absolute minimum. Since MOST MF 50's were gas powered, info on the gasser is vital when talking about the history of that model.

mschech · Oct 19, 2006

Sorry to bring back a sort-of-old thread but what do people think of the IH 2400A . (industrial version of the 454- i think the main difference is a heavy duty straight front axle). (1971, 2400A, C157 gas engine, 4spd hilo, 3pt, 3600 hours)

I don't know much about tractors (used neighbors large JD with FEL a couple times), but i need a BH. This 2400A for sale has a FEL (2050) on it already for what i think is a good price ($5000, reduced to $3500). As far as power goes, a Allmand TLB25 i rented last year was perfect. I'd prefer something as small as possible but with the BH power of the Allmand.
But when it comes to a BH... how much should i be expecting to pay for one for this tractor? My immediate (this year and next spring) digging work i'd be able to handle by fabbing a narrow (24") bucket for the FEL. Later i'll need a true BH.
And would a BH mounted on a utlity tractor such as this have the capabilities of that Allmand TLB25 thats designed as a TLB ?

and when it comes to the tractor... assuming it's in good condition (I haven't seen it running yet, sheet metal is fair, as good as you'd expect from a 35 yearold in-use machine. mechanicals and pistons look maintained)

What sort of headaches should I expect. I'm a wrench twister, I keep cars until they hit 2-300k miles, but I don't want to just be getting into somehting thats one more thing I'm constanting having to work on to keep running - are these IH 2400A/454 pretty reliable once running ?

Thanks

Farmwithjunk · Oct 22, 2006

"Issues with 35 (+) year old tractors". (This could become a mini-series.)

First off, electrical. Insulation on wiring gets brittle after 35 years. (At least the wire made 35 years ago) Heat, cold, dirt, and use can cause issues with the wiring that can only be remedied by re-wiring (in some cases) Alternators/generators don't neccisarily go bad with age, but they go bad with HOURS. (be that hours of use or hours of neglect) Light sockets corrode. Ground connections corrode (I.E. fender to axle, headlight bucket to fender)

Engine. Oil seals, valve seals, gaskets, hoses, belts, even guages deteriorate with time. (agian, time of use or time of just sitting) MAYBE they will work, maybe they won't.

General mechanics. Brake drums rust, causing erratic braking. Hydraulics don't like continued NON-use. Every winter a tractor goes through with moisture in the hydraulic sump is one more chance of damage from freezing. Clutch and pressure plate/flywheels don't like non-use. Add to that, even AVERAGE use over 35 years could spell WORN OUT CLUTCH components. They may appear to work fine while test driving, but when put to the litmus test, failure.

Fuel tank. 35 years of life can almost guaranty dirt, water, and who knows what has made it into the fuel tank.

Other than that, not much can go wrong in 35 years.

Not to say ALL these things are wrong. Not even saying ANY of these things are wrong. If you get a tractor that has been properly maintained along the way, good possibility that these issues were addressed as time marched by.

I'm not familiar with that INDUSTRIAL version, however, I've had my hands on a couple 454 IH's over the years. (Bought at auction and re-sold) They were "good" tractors. Both had issues with shift linkage. Both were hard on fuel compared to some other brands of the day. That wasn't such an issue when fuel was $.50 a gallon, but that's changed.

A plus with that industrial is it SHOULD have increased hydraulic capacity over the 454. That and the solid beam axle make for a GREAT loader tractor.