# Massey-Ferguson 135 ?



## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

Looking at a gas M-F 135 w/decent condition big loader (I need a loader to load dumptruck & surface a road w/gravel). Will need weight on back.
Tires seem ok & has new battery, casual inspection of hoses seems ok.
Haven't tried it out yet, but seller is a friend whom I more or less trust, and he says it is all functional except power steering doesn't always work.
I have access to an excellent mechanic who will come to my equipment.
Think I can get this for $3000.
After road is built I will need a farm tractor - this is considered a 'utility', and has PTO & 3 pt hitch .
Does anyone have anything good or bad to say about these tractors ?
I will visit my friend's farm-in-the-woods and try to establish better why he doesn't want the tractor.
He does have a bigger 4whl. drv. newer one, as well as a mule for logging.
I already have an excavator to create the farm conditions where a 2 whl. drv. tractor can function.


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## ace admirer (Oct 5, 2005)

the 135 was one of the mainstays of MF's fleet at that time. like most tractors of that time, they were rock solid. although i have never had a 135, i know of no inherent problems.

the power steering will be needed when using the front loader.....i would look into that before purchasing. i am always suspect of new stuff on a tractor for sale.....is the charging system up to standards?
is the gas 135 enough tractor/hp for what you want to do with it?


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## arnie (Apr 26, 2012)

the 135 massey is hard to beat we have one but without power steering or a loader bucket its big enough to carry round bales of hay and and plow yet small enough to fit in small garden spots .my question is = is the powering a separate pump that can be easy and cheep to replace or does it run off the same hydrolic pump that powers the 3 point hitch and loader ? which can be expencive to replace. we also have a massey 245 with power sterring and diecel power that getsused more because of the easy steering both are dependable and uncomplicated


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

ace admirer said:


> the 135 was one of the mainstays of MF's fleet at that time. like most tractors of that time, they were rock solid. although i have never had a 135, i know of no inherent problems.
> 
> the power steering will be needed when using the front loader.....i would look into that before purchasing. i am always suspect of new stuff on a tractor for sale.....is the charging system up to standards?
> is the gas 135 enough tractor/hp for what you want to do with it?


 Thank you for responding. The motor is 45 or so horsepower according to tractordata.com - should be big enough for me, especially w/the excavator for heavy work.


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

arnie said:


> the 135 massey is hard to beat we have one but without power steering or a loader bucket its big enough to carry round bales of hay and and plow yet small enough to fit in small garden spots .my question is = is the powering a separate pump that can be easy and cheep to replace or does it run off the same hydrolic pump that powers the 3 point hitch and loader ? which can be expencive to replace. we also have a massey 245 with power sterring and diecel power that getsused more because of the easy steering both are dependable and uncomplicated


Apparently power steering works sometimes ? Good response though, thank you.


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## DW (May 10, 2002)

My hubby LOVES his...it's diesel. We also have a JD & IH but MF is quite a work horse. My son does most of the mowing with it.


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

I would say he is giving you a break on the price . Anything will bring $3,000 sometimes with no loader .


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Check on parts for the power steering, some of the smaller tractors are hard to get steering part for. Can't remember those models....James


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

I owned a MF 135 for a number of years. They are reliable and tough machines. One big issue is with the gear shift. These machines are prone to hang up in between 2 gears and will lock. There is a fix for this but it takes some skill to fix. The wheel spacing from front to rear is also very short and the tractor will lift the front wheels off the ground with a heavy rotary cutter on the 3 point hitch. If you are very tall your legs will get tired on a long day as the clutch and brake pedals are too far back and it is tiring using the pedals with your feet resting behind your knees when sitting. Personally I prefer a 3600 series Ford having owned both.


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

Thank you all. I went ahead & bought the 135. $2,800 delivered.
It's a 3 cyl. Perkins gas that is actually more powerful & bigger than one of the 4 cyl.s offered.
Even w/the bucket removed it should be plenty heavy on front, in fact w/bucket in place rear weight is required.
Any problem chaining a barrel of concrete on back resting on lower 3pt. members ?
We are pretty much up in the woods & mtns. here w/out any farms nearby, so there are a lot of tractors available in the state (Uncle Henrys or Craigslist), but they are almost all pretty far away, so I jumped on this one.
Has wicked nice strong protective roof for falling branches or rollover .
45 horsepower will run most implements and those are more or less interchageable, yes ?


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

Yep interchangeable We took a 55 gal barrel stuck a cheap draw bar threw it with two pieces with holes in it for the top link and filled it with concrete .Get it just right you can sit it down and un hook it with ease . Must not have fluid in the tires ?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Provided the implements are made to the SAE specs they should fit for your catagory tractor. Regarding the rear weight....using an empty barrel as a form ...drill a horizontal hole from on side to the other, the hole diameter to match that of the lift pins that fit your tractor. Fabricate a cross piece that will span from on side to the other. Affix a lift pin at each end of the cross piece. The cross piece height in the barrel should be so that when the tractor lift arms are raised they will lift the barrel off the ground ~8 inches. Note..it is important that the barrel will be balanced so that the barrel will pivot in a balance position. Do not fill the barrel completely for the MF135. Do some calculation on the lift capacity for the MF135 and the weight of the concrete. You will need to use stabilizers on the lift arms but you will not need a top link as the barrel will behave as a pendulum if assembled as described above. I have such a counter weight I made for a catagory II tractor. That is how I know that a full 55 gallon barrel of concrete would be to much for the smaller 135.


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