fabo farmers, what kind of tractor?

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so, the deal is done! finally the courts approved the sale. For you members outside of Canada, not only are we mild mannered, we do things different.
lol!
SO first agenda is to get the pool closed and then bush hog the untendered fields (about 25 acres, property is 95 acres) before the snow sets in. fields are full of golden rod and we don't want to use pesticides. So it will be slow. any help/suggestions would be helpful!
The pond (about 5-6 acres) is just waiting to freeze over for some pond hockey! Maybe a bow tie versus the mopars? Taboozzing is also on the list! We are happy with the land and overall complete package. We have been looking for the better part of 3? 4? years now for this type property. We may be city slickers now but just wait! ha! don't hold your breath, we get bored easily!

anyway the mf 135 is now in line to get running! and working!

:cheers:
 
Old tractors are easy to work on so you can probably fix that one yourself. Back in those days a farmer couldn't transport (or pay to have someone do it) his tractor to town for every little problem or everytime it needed maintenance. So the manufacturers made them easy to work on and maintain. And they rarely broke down if they were taken care of. Machinery was built to last back then.
There is a lot of good advice on here. I agree with whoever said to fix the one you have if possible. Use it for awhile to really get a handle on your needs, then step up to something more modern if you really need to.
I have a 1949 MT John Deere my Dad bought new. It was his only tractor for many years. He farmed 340 acres and did custom haying for others, cutting, raking, baling, and hauling hay with that little 2 cylinder tractor. He also had a plow, disc, and a harrow for it. It was overhauled sometime in the 60s, and I had the valves redone a few years ago when I restored it for his 85th birthday. He was so proud of it he wouldn't use it after that!
Here's a pic,
Dallas
 

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The MT wasn't the only tractor my Dad had. After using it for several years he traded 50 bales of hay for a very old B John Deere (hand crank, no electric start!) He used it for awhile then traded for a later B. His last 'big' tractor was a 990 David Brown, about 55hp. He gave it to me just before he passed away and told me to trade it for a new small John Deere to use on my property. I would have been happy to keep the David Brown but I have 3 pieces of property and they are located several miles apart (not practical to drive the tractor from one place to the other). The David Brown had fluid in the rear tires and weighed over 8000 lbs with the loader and rotary cutter (both Bush Hog brand) so it was really too heavy to trailer also. I planned to buy another John Deere but I got a good deal on the New Holland pictured below. It's a 1999 but it had less than 600 hours on it when I bought it. The original owner washed it before he put it back in the garage almost every time he used it. It's rated at 32 hp. with 28.5 hp. at the PTO. It really needs fluid in the rear tires as it would be easy to flip it lifting too much weight with the loader.
Dallas
 

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nice looking JD mobodyman!

how does one tell if the tire have fluid in them? Also, what kind of degrees on a hill can tractors handle? without rolling it! the property has alot of rolling hills. We kind of need to go to tractor school and do tractor course 101!
 
plumcrazy704406 said:
nice looking JD mobodyman!

how does one tell if the tire have fluid in them? Also, what kind of degrees on a hill can tractors handle? without rolling it! the property has alot of rolling hills. We kind of need to go to tractor school and do tractor course 101!
Click to expand...

It's easy to tell if there's fluid in the tires. If the tire is turned so the valve stem is down toward the bottom, just depress the valve core for a second. Fluid will come out instead of air. I can't remember what they used for fluid years ago, something like 'calcium chloride'. Anyway it's pretty corrosive. If your valve cores had a little leak or the tube did, it would rust the rim around the valve stem hole. Some guys use both fluid and weights to keep the rear on the ground as well as helping traction. I've also heard of using anti-freeze or windshield washer fluid in the tires. The problem with fluid is that you will lose some of it if you have a flat and it also makes the tire heavy to handle and flat repair difficult.
Not sure how many degrees you can figure on safely. Depends some on the design of the tractor. The best way is to go up and down the hill instead of sideways when brush hogging. Problem with going sideways is hitting a hole on the bottom side or a rock or stump on the top side can flip you before you can react. The guys that mow the highway right-of-ways around here scare me just watching them. They can take a tractor places I would never consider going. Definately not for amatures. The main thing is just to pay attention to what you are doing-same as operating anything else.
I'm kind of proud of the JD myself. I hope I never have to get rid of it.
Dallas
 
MOBodyman said:
Not sure how many degrees you can figure on safely. Depends some on the design of the tractor. The best way is to go up and down the hill instead of sideways when brush hogging. Problem with going sideways is hitting a hole on the bottom side or a rock or stump on the top side can flip you before you can react.
Click to expand...


X2. The most dangerous thing about using a tractor. Aside from doing something really dumb, rolling on a hill is the quickest way to loose a limb or your life - don't play around with that. If you don't have a roll bar, the tractor will squash you, if you have a roll bar, but don't wear a seat belt, the tractor will squash you. Always go up and down a hill. If you are the least bit worried about a side slope - don't try it, it's not worth it. Around here the guys who cut the sides of the highways use boom mounted bush hogs for just that reason.
 
plumcrazy704406 said:
well, it looks like we will be in the market for a farm tractor shortly!
Never having farmed, we could use some suggestions for a tractor.
95 acres, rolling, aprox.20acres farmable for something and with a 5 acre pond. We have an idea that we will need a bucket and pto capabilities, but how does one tell just how much tractor you need?
There is an older mf 135 (non running) with the deal.
Click to expand...

Massey Ferguson 165 or Ford Powermaster 861 would be just what you need.
 
MOBodyman said:
Old tractors are easy to work on so you can probably fix that one yourself. Back in those days a farmer couldn't transport (or pay to have someone do it) his tractor to town for every little problem or everytime it needed maintenance. So the manufacturers made them easy to work on and maintain. And they rarely broke down if they were taken care of. Machinery was built to last back then.
There is a lot of good advice on here. I agree with whoever said to fix the one you have if possible. Use it for awhile to really get a handle on your needs, then step up to something more modern if you really need to.
I have a 1949 MT John Deere my Dad bought new. It was his only tractor for many years. He farmed 340 acres and did custom haying for others, cutting, raking, baling, and hauling hay with that little 2 cylinder tractor. He also had a plow, disc, and a harrow for it. It was overhauled sometime in the 60s, and I had the valves redone a few years ago when I restored it for his 85th birthday. He was so proud of it he wouldn't use it after that!
Here's a pic,
Dallas
Click to expand...

That's a beautiful tractor!!!!!!!!
 
MOBodyman said:
It's easy to tell if there's fluid in the tires. If the tire is turned so the valve stem is down toward the bottom, just depress the valve core for a second. Fluid will come out instead of air. I can't remember what they used for fluid years ago, something like 'calcium chloride'. Anyway it's pretty corrosive. If your valve cores had a little leak or the tube did, it would rust the rim around the valve stem hole.
Click to expand...

Also have an extra valve core handy when you check to see if they are fluid filled. I been checking the air in a tractor tire (with the valve stem at the top) and the back of the valve core was so corroded that it broke off and had to be replaced. So be sure to have an extra one handy just in case
 
spent the afternoon getting the pool in order. lucked out! Was not opened this year. Property has been non occupied since Feb. when the receiver took possession. It was closed (looks proper) I assume late 2009. So I hooked up a jet pump to get the water down but, I had to throw in the towel and got a submersible, because the jet just wasn't flying, so I have to go back tomorrow and finish that. It has one of those covers you can jump on, so once the water is down and the cover tight, it should be good for winter. all the equipment has been cleared and unhooked.
Tractor had a flat front tire. Tire was off the rim, took it into town, to Wallmart and they popped it back on, no charge! But, the tube is not holding air so I'm off to find the wizard, the wonderful wizard of tireland. didn't get a chance to see if the rears are loaded! Valves are at the bottom though. Will get this mf 135 running and use it for now. I am thinking it will do the job. Got to tell you though, when a property is left vacant and minimal upkeep is done to the outside, it sure gets taken over quickly. I have a buddy that will come and get the tractor running. We just need to hook up. Can't wait for the bush hog!
anyone got any tricks to remove goldenrod? The ones in the gardens are thick stock and a b***h to pull! Tried my good weed wacker with some h/d cutting twine and it wasn't happening!

thx everyone for the advice you all been giving me!
 
Hit the lottery today! Got the tractor running!

Got brave today, charged the battery up, checked her all over, as best I could anyway, and kaboom(just joking) she started right up!Wow! Impressed! Hydraulics up front work, she moves forward and reverse, pto turns. Clutch and brakes seem ok. Accelerates fine. So now I need to learn how to actually drive this girl and how to hook up the bush hog asap. Winter is upon us (snow up there today)and I need to clean up the fields asap. So if anyone can direct me to mf 135 class 101 or help me out again, that would be nice. Do these tractors have a brake for when your idling? like an emerg. brake on a car?

:cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:
 
I'm thinking there is a lever or hand brake that will lock the rear brakes up. That said, how about a first lesson in safety. Make a promise to yourself, family & friends that you won't try to get on or off the tractor if it is running.

As a total newbie to a farm tractor it would just be too easy to have an accident. I've known grown experienced men who have been seriously injured in a tractor related accidents and another man who lost his life tangled up in the PTO.

Off my soapbox. Maybe you could hook up with a local guy to show you the ropes, and probably gain a local friend at the same time. Maybe hire a local to cut some of the more difficult areas or edges and then show you how to use yours.

I'm sure you will catch on quick. Learn to drive it and feel comfortable with it. Drive it around some at an RPM that will give you 540 RPM on the PTO. If the tach works there is probably a mark on the speedometer/tach that would indicate where you need to be. It will be close to wide open throttle (WOT) You need to be comfortable, know the tractor and it's limitations. You would not want to stall the tractor out going uphill with an implement behind you. When you are moving, the loader should be in a very low position and going slow...
C
 
thx for the advice clhyer. The fields are not that important, I would just like to get them done. Although most of the terrain is rolling, the three fields are relatively flat and I would feel comfortable doing them. I would not be in any shape to tackle anything other than the fields and being able to use the pto snow blower. Safety should always be first priority.
 
Congrats on getting it running! That wasn't so hard, was it?
I'm not familiar with your tractor but all I've ever been around have a way to 'set' the brakes. All the tractors I've used have two brake pedals, one for each rear wheel. This is so you can lock one brake while turning and make very short turns. Also the brake pedals were right together so you can depress both at one time to stop straight or some had a bar that you could lock them both together.
Some had a rachet mechanism that you could 'flip over' while pushing the pedals to lock them down to set the brakes so the tractor won't roll off. Check yours over, you will figure it out.
I would highly recommend doing an ebay search for an owner's manual. You can generally find them on there pretty cheap.
Dallas
 
Congrats!!! tractors are brutally simple, but never forget that they are simply brutal. Always respect even a small one. Having said that, I learned to drive on a tractor. When I was 7 years old. The big diff is that my grandfather was right there with me to teach me absolutely everything I needed to know. You can get yourself in a lot of trouble very quickly on a slow moving tractor, so never fail to respect the power.
Like I said, they are pretty simple, so spend a lot of time on it around it and under it when it is off, you may be surprised at the ingenuity used to make things work, especially on an older one. My current tractor is Soviet-made, so a lot of things are diff than the MFs, JDs and Fords, but the functions are all there...somewhere. Be patient and spend some time with it, and you'll be a master in no time.

One tip, if something doesn't want to move (like an attachment arm or bar), don't bother trying to force it, just look for a nut, bolt or pin. Sometimes they are hard to find and easy to forget, but you'll never force it.
 
hey everyone,

tractor / farm update.
We finally closed the deal. had to wait for the courts to approve it. As I said earlier, got the mf135 running and took it easy learning how to get her to move etc. Only issues were one flat and one soft tire, both fixed. figured out the high/low range, pto operation,the parking brake etc. Decided to hook up the bush hog and give it a go! got about 5-6 acres of our premium Golden Rod weed knocked down. Anybody want to have some? Will ship, no problem! Worked mainly in low/ mid gear to get the feel of the hog on it. hit a few rocks, did some small rolling hill, but the only glich was a hang up on a rock with the hog and boy o' boy did I s**t my pants! What a noise! lol. Seriously, returned from doing this with no damage to me, all my limbs still attached and the tractor kept out of the pond! Sure looks different when cut. These real? tractors sure have torque! New respect here for them! It was lot of fun! All I need is a cd player and a couple of large speakers on the back and I am set! lol Will post a cleaned up pic if I get the fields done before snow sets in.
 
Way to go!
Look around the buildings for a set of chains for the 135, if you plan to move any snow around with it you will need them. One word of caution though, with chains on it you can flat tear up a driveway if you start spinning!
C
 
just my two cents i have used old mf like yours before and older fords two wheel drive and i used to pull trailors and skid wood with them ..

just wanted to say if you ever do anny of these things just be carefull because they are easy to get the front wheels of the ground and when those rear tires grab it can flipp itself backwards rather quickly seen it hapen twice ..

and a little trick for when you get it stuck (you probly will eventually) i got out of a few spots by taking a log and puting it across the rear wheels and taking two chains and pass them through the rims of the tractor and arround the log ...... but dont go to far this will lift the rear of the tractor up out of the hole ....

im not a farmer but i play with alot of things lol
 
oh yeah after the log is chained in place rol farward or backwards it allows the tractor to get lift up so you can put some stuff in the hole your in or to get out a few feet at a time
 
thx for the chain and log advice. I am sure I will need it! Did some more hogging this afternoon, again taking the slow route and didn't get the job done before I ran out of time. Tell me farmers, do you remove the small to medium rocks as you find them? I often wondered why you sometimes see trees etc in the middle of fields. My trees in the field, are all in the areas of large rocks that can't be moved! But I did whack some more with some coming loose. I went and picked up a few before dark. Wife was happy! She's rock nuts! Going to try and go back tomorrow to finish the one field up.
:cheers:
 
You'll want to pick up the rocks before it grows back up. Of course, if it's anything like MO up there, you'll find a new crop next year. LOL
Dallas
 
You shouldn't be hitting a lot of rocks with the bush hog, you will end up breaking something, maybe you are mowing to low?
As for picking them up, I x2 what Dallas said. I think the damn things reproduce!
C
 
I went with the hog level front to back, side to side about 4"off the ground. I would think that is correct for a basic rough cut? I do think the frost pushes up new crops of rocks yearly. Is is safe to hog with the front higher than the rear? I always thought the front should be a tad lower than level, but to play it safe I went level. It was very hard to pick out the small/med size low level rocks under the overgrowth. I did walk the field and cut half width watching whats around, first but still missed rocks under the growth.
 
MF is a great product my family has been in the citrus business here in Cent. Fl for 40 years and from an overall durability / parts availability they have been great for us.
 
plumcrazy704406 said:
I do think the frost pushes up new crops of rocks yearly.
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When (if) you start plowing and tilling, it gets worse. As you turn and break-up the upper layer it makes it easier for the frost to push deeper rocks to the surface. My grandfather said all we grew were rocks. My first job was picking op potatoes. When the potatoes were ready for harvest, Gpandad would drag a gang disk down the row turning everything over, I would walk behind and put 'taters in a bucket, toss rocks out of the field. Tater, tater, rock, tater, rock, rock, etc. I was 22 before I could eat potatoes without smelling desil exhaust!
My second job was counterweight. I would ride the nose of the tractor when we snaked logs out of the woods, when we got to level ground I would "surf" the logs. It is a wonder any of us survived rural life in the '60 and '70s.

90hp doesn't sound like much, but on a tractor, horsepower is a different animal!!
 
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