why no MF recommendations?

GaryS · Aug 23, 2004

I've followed several of the X vs Y threads and have wondered why no one recommends Massey Ferguson tractors.

After a long search last spring that included JD & NH, & Kubota, I bought a MF 1428v hydro. I'm a color blind newbie and this tractor was inexpensive and is a bloody tank! It brush hogs like a champ on my very hilly 7 acres and I've recently been doing more loader work. The only think I really don't like is that there's no "emergency brake" light on the dashboard -- more than once I've wondered why it was running slow only to discover that emergency brake was still engaged.

I'm really happy with what I bought but wonder why others may have looked at but then passed on MF machines.

WilliamBos · Aug 23, 2004

Hi,

Awesome choice!! i plan on buyiung a 1440V within a year or so!! You mane an excellent choice and wont regret it!!

Take care

Will

Mark4510 · Aug 23, 2004

GaryS,
Good looking tractor.

I can tell you why I did not look at them seriously when I was making my decision......there were no dealers in the area. Actually, the first good MF dealer was at least a 2 hour drive. Within that distance I found a number of good Green and Blue dealers as well as some good orange.

In the end the dealer was good, the price was the best around(still too much) and I could get a reasonable delivery time. If there had been an MF dealer in the area I certainly would have seriously looked at those as well.

Mark

Gatorboy · Aug 23, 2004

it was running slow only to discover that emergency brake was still engaged. 

I think I've only used the emergency brake twice -- EVER! Are you parking your tractor on a steep slope?

I just keep mine in gear when I'm finished, even though I'm parked on a level surface. So, do hydro's act like neutral when the engine is off?

Glenn9643 · Aug 23, 2004

I didn't pass on MF, but I don't pay much attention to those who are set on one color, whichever it is. The primary concern should be having a tractor that will suit your needs and a dealer that will help with service if necessary. Just about all the major players in the industry manufacture excellent equipment, and some of them have occasional problems. If I'm asked my opinion of MY tractor I'll be happy to oblige but don't feel that I need to constantly sing the praises of the brand just because I drive red.

crread · Aug 23, 2004

We're still looking, but the only reason we decided to pass on MF was because we didn't like the operator set-up (ergonomics) as well. Got good pricing, though.

Soundguy · Aug 23, 2004

MF is a great "#4" brand. I considered on when I was tractor shopping a few years ago. In general they offer decent proven technology for a price just under the big three.. minus a few bells and whistle. As of late though.. there have been plenty of B&W on the MF's.

My local MF dealer is a bit of a scoundrel.. so I can't use him as a 'good' reference.

Soundguy

8561 · Aug 23, 2004

I think the 1428 is a great tractor. It was a little larger than I wanted so I didn't pursue it. I've often wondered why they don't get more attention here as well. It's funny, some have posted that the MF dealer in their area isn't that good or too far away. Around here, the MF dealers are by far the best I have visited. The standard "big 3" dealers are not good at all. I travelled a long way to buy my Kubota, wish I didn't have to, would have preferred to deal locally.

rlk · Aug 23, 2004

Gary, I have a MF 35 that I bought in 1985. It was 20+ years old when I got it and had close to 4000 hours. I ran it for 6 years then had the engine rebuilt in 1991. Been running like a top ever since, except for some minor problems. If the new ones are as well made as the older ones, I think they are top notch.

I also have a BX2200 that I really like. It is like night and day between the two. The BX2200 is great for light duty chores and mowing. The MF is outstanding for bush hogging, dragging really big logs after a storm (huricane Charley). I have a 6 foot finish mower on the MF and had rather mow with that than the BX2200 because the area around my pond is kinda rough and the MF just rides better.

Bob

Cliff_Johns · Aug 23, 2004

I think MF's aren't discussed as much because not as many people own one. It's hard to reccomend a tractor that you've never seen. I didn't have an MF dealer near me, so I didn't consider it and never investigated the models and capabilities as I did for JD, K, and NH. Those were the dealers near me. I can't talk knowledgeably about MF, so I don't talk about MF. I suspect there a a lot of others in the same situation as already pointed out in this thread.

Cliff

Gunfighter · Aug 23, 2004

Two years ago I bought a MF 1205, it's the smallest tractor
made by MF...Looked like a rugged little machine with allot of
case iron. I wanted it primarily for mowing close around the
house an under trees... Later I intended to get a snow blower
for it...

Sorry to say two days later I was sending it back, it couldn't keep
it's cool. That small opining in the grill acted like a vacuum cleaner,
it sucking up everything in sight. Twenty minutes was all it would do
before the screen plugged up and the idiot light came on. Next I'd
see green stuff coming from the overflow.

Lost my interest in MF...

RJK. Sr..(Richard)
West Michigan.

WilliamBos · Aug 23, 2004

Gary, I have a MF 35 that I bought in 1985. It was 20+ years old when I got it and had close to 4000 hours. I ran it for 6 years then had the engine rebuilt in 1991. Been running like a top ever since, except for some minor problems. If the new ones are as well made as the older ones, I think they are top notch.
 

Hi, exactly what rlk said.

Our MF 35 has never let us down. We have had it for 25+ years and never let us down. And that is why I plan on buying a 1440V. The reliability and dependability that we have gotten from our 35, and will get for many years to come. We also have a dealer with in 20 minutes, and they are awesome!! I am not colour blind, I do not have a reason to switch colours!!!! Nothing wrong with the other colours out there, in my case no need to switch at all!! If its not broken, don't fix it type thing!!

Take care

Will

MF1455v · Aug 23, 2004

I think it is mostly due to marketing. You can ask people who have lived in the city and have never be around a tractor and they know John Deere and Kubota has always been the CUT king.

When went shopping for a CUT I knew of MF mainly because of relatives and friends, but they had large tractors. Also when I bought my MF the dealer had not carried MF CUT's prior because of problems with the 1200 series. When the 1400 series came out he started selling them because it was a much better tractor in his eye. Must be something to it because I love my 1455.

MicroPilot · Aug 23, 2004

I went to my MF dealer when I was looking. He didn't have any CUTS on the lot in the 30-40 HP, only larger Ag tractors. He sat me down on a Farmtrac and I drove it a round a little. Didn't really like the tractor, and everytime I asked about MF's he would steer the conversation back to the Farmtrac. Got a quote from him and it was $2000 higher thatn the quote from the Century dealer 2 miles up the road and the Farmtrac was a lesser tractor!!!

OTH My neighbor has a MF 1250 and it is a great machine. He has had some problems with the paint, but nothing else.

RedDog · Aug 23, 2004

Maybe I'm wrong, but I always thought MF was the number 1 selling brand of tractor worldwide!! Or are we just talking about small tractors here?

In any event, I think they are terrific tractors!! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

My old MF65 is still running strong. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

RedDog

JerryG · Aug 23, 2004

One off, there aren't very many of use MF people here, relative to some of the other brands. As was said, they don't market compacts very well. I had a MF 1250 for 4 years and 1210 hours and like it. I now have had a MF 1440 power shuttle for about 10 months and have put 260 hours on it. I like it a lot better than the 1250.

KiotiJohn · Aug 24, 2004

From what I've read over the last couple of years, Massey just didn't do well with it's first CUTS, and a lot of bad press came out surrounding problems with extreme vibration.
I read reviews of several of their models, and a constant was that they "felt as though they were going to shake apart."
Now, I can't say if that's true or not, but that kind of publicity can certainly hinder sales.
I understand their latest offerings are much better. Massey has outsourced their tractors to such a degree, having them manufactured in so many different countries and having many different parts in some of the same models that I think many people are a little shy of them.
Kubota and Kioti (with exception of a Perkins diesel in the DK65) both manufacture their tractors, and many of their parts are interchangable between similar models. In the case of Kioti, their parts are very inexpensive based on reports from TBN members and other sources.
I think Massey would fare much better if that were the case with their offerings, but it isn't.
As for dealers when I was looking, the local dealer is called Superior Tractor, and believe me, they named the place right, because that's their attitude. They want super bucks for anything they sell there, and they act as though they're doing you the greatest of favors to even talk to you. I can't imagine how they've stayed in business for such a long time as they have.
I used to see many Masseys around this area, but now, other than Massey's old tractors, it's mostly Kioti, Deere and Kubota that are being seen.
John
Not even John Deere manufactures all of it's tractors, having

MF1455v · Aug 24, 2004

( As for dealers when I was looking, the local dealer is called Superior Tractor, and believe me, they named the place right, because that's their attitude. They want super bucks for anything they sell there, and they act as though they're doing you the greatest of favors to even talk to you. )

That's going to be a dealer problem not a tractor problem. I got the same attitude from 2 different JD dealers close to me. Both are closer than my Massey dealer. That is why JD was the first tractor removed from my list before buying.

KiotiJohn · Aug 24, 2004

( That's going to be a dealer problem not a tractor problem. I got the same attitude from 2 different JD dealers close to me. Both are closer than my Massey dealer. That is why JD was the first tractor removed from my list before buying. )
I thought that was clear when I said, "As for dealers when I was looking."
I had the same problem with a Deere/Kubota dealer that is less than 1 mile away. While they came out to the yard to show me tractors, not one of them even asked if I wanted to try one out. They gave me quotes at MSRP, and didn't allow for any discounts. The prices were $3,000 and $2,000 D/K over what I paid for Kioti.
I will NEVER understand dealers having attitudes such as this.
I think my point was that after having read all the BAD press about Massey's bad models, and then getting treated badly, I didn't bother to really check them out. Sorry I wasn't more clear about it. John

To20Chris · Aug 24, 2004

I was predisposed to want a MF, and I went to look at them at my local MF dealer. He had one, a 1428v I think. The dealer was clueless, quoted me only MSRP after calculating it out for 20min. The tractor is rugged, but I was umimpressed but the ground clearence, fit & finish, and the sheet metal aound the engine. If I recall, it did not have a tilt forward engine cover? Let me know if I'm wrong on that point! It had a lot of rust on it for a new tractor.

I have no doubt it will do a lot of work, and I like the simple styling.

The MF CUTs are made by Iseki, and not much related to the larger MF ag tractors.

NOTE: I had intended to reply to the original poster, GaryS