Ex step dad had trees cut in his yard. Tree guy wanted 3-4k on top of the dropping and chipping fee. Former step dad asked me if I'd take the wood...sure! After hauling most of the trees he said he wanted to give me something. The trick is that it hasn't run since he parked it last fall, battery is roached power steering doesn't work and three point doesn't work. Also, nearly all hydraulic lines on the loader and the front mounted pump need replaced. I told him I wouldn't take it for free but would give him $500 (scrap price) once I see if it is fixable at a reasonable cost. I know nothing about Massey Ferguson other than what I've looked up the past few days. I think Im going to take the thing and give it a whirl at making it servicable. Thoughts? Run to buy or run away?
Fix it up for sure! It looks heavy duty. Do you know the hp? It’s not everyday someone gives you a tractor with a loader attached.
That is a cool tractor with a loader. I would take that in a heart beat. I would go on line and try and find any kind of service manuals for it and then I would think you could get it going from there. There is a model and serial number on it somewhere that when looked up will tell you all kinds of information about the tractor. Congrats on the wood and on the tractor.
I have a 1959 to-35 Ferguson and it's a beast for it's size. That's a 42 hp industrial version tractor and should be a great runner with a little TLC and some $ to get it back to usable shape. I built a skidder for on my 3 point hitch out of an old battery base mount from a cell tower site. New home made toy for my 3 point hitch
I'm in Ohio too so if you would want one of those battery bases, I have a few more. I just hated to see them go to the scrap yard. You can have one if you want.
I hate to be the wet blanket here, but....... I looked at the same model a couple years ago. The 3 point issue was in the $3800.00 range to have repaired, tractor needs to be split. Front pump rebuilt is $850.00ish. New hoses are likely pretty standard, but still a few hundred $$$. Power steering unknown till problem is diagnosed. If you've got time & ability to do it yourself it's a satisfying project, but it'll be a big one. In perfect condition with good rubber fresh fluids etc. it's a 10K tractor if painted & pretty. Keep that in mind before diving in too deep. It'll also be a bit bulky in the woods if skidding on narrow trails. All that being said, they're solid old work horses & parts are pretty available.
Are these prices for a service guy doing the work or you doing the work? Splitting tractors is not a big deal around our place. We've had several cracked open over the years, some very recently. Shortly after clutch install
I've used that skidder a LOT and it only took an afternoon and an evening or two to make. If you have a welder and some larger drill bits for the pins it was an easy build and works great if you need to move any logs. I had to go buy some drill bits because I didn't have any large enough for the pin holes.
That was a local repair place doing the 3 point. I would've pulled the front pump & had it rebuilt locally. If you can & want to do it yourself (I didn't have the time) I'd go for it. A loader tractor that size is very handy to have around.
I another thread from a couple days ago about the gas station splitter, I mentioned finding an old school hydraulic repair shop. They used to manufacture pumps and cylinders. The downturn in 2008-09 outsourcing by companies caused them to shift direction. They mostly do repair of cylinders, pumps and hoses. They also sell about any part, seal or o-ring your going to need to repair your self. I met the owner for the first time Friday and he walked me through rebuilding my cylinder for that splitter. I wasn't sure I was interested in the MF-20 at that point or I would have asked him some questions. He did leave the invitation to call and ask any questions. I have a feeling he's going to get a little more business out of me, especially if he will walk me through the rebuild process, if needed. He did just that while I was removing the cylinder rod end cap on the splitter. Super great guy.