Author	[Modern View]
Hop farmer Matt 10-28-2012 19:31:29 173.188.34.126 Report to Moderator	Hi, I have a Massey 175 that needs its engine rebuilt. One of the cylinder sleeves is so loose you can just pull it out with your hand. The shop is saying $4500 to $5000 worst case scenario, mostly because the machine shop work will be $2000. I am debating if it is worth it for this machine. I paid $4600 for it. I also had the rear hydraulics redone for $900 when the lift arms stopped working, so those should be good from now on. I have a working farm and really need a tractor for next year. I grow vegetables and hops. We just bought the farm this year and this is a major set back. The good things about the tractor are the multi power works, injection pump has new gaskets and o-rings, new alternator. Other wise its in poor condition. No gauges, no lights, beet up, only one break, pto break doesn't work so shaft turns sometimes even with lever off, the list goes on. So the question is should I fix this one or buy another cheap tractor and hope it doesn't break down? I tried posting a couple pics, hope they come through. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Matt in Madison county NY [Reply]   [No Email]
Rebuilt engine 10-29-2012 18:36:22 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to Hop farmer Matt, 10-28-2012 19:31:29   Depends on what all the shop does. I spent more than that getting a 3204 Cat rebuilt by a reputable shop and it's approx the same HP. They did everything but the injection pump and injectors as they weren't the problem. They hot tanked the engine, rebuilt the head, ground the crankshaft, bored it(no sleeves) and installed aftermarket 3 ring pistons. It spun a rad bearing but since it was apart, I had the whole engine done.   [Reply]  [No Email]
wisbaker 10-29-2012 12:08:29 207.118.181.192 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to Hop farmer Matt, 10-28-2012 19:31:29   First does your tractor meet your current and future needs? If no trade the old one off for something that'll meet your needs. If yes shop around on your rebuild to see if the price is in the ballpark. Figure out if it's cheaper to trade out or rebuild the current. If you're buying a used tractor add 20 to 25% as a reserve allowance for unknown repairs. Your last statement "buy another cheap tractor and hope it doesn't break down" is problematic, I would guess if you're going to try that one you need to improve your tractor picking skills. I'm not saying that to be mean, maybe I should ask what have you learned from this tractor? I would state if your business plan is to run cheap tractors you'll need to develop your mechanical skills. If you are unwilling or unable to do that you may need to modify your business plan. I did know some folks that bought junk tractors to farm with and fixed them up, usually selling them about the time they got everything fixed. Sale of tractors was a significant income stream for them, income often coming in as capital gains. Others buy older tractors and spend significantly more on repairs than they might of been able to buy one, their justification is they have been through the unit, know it, and know it's better than what they would be able to buy. In effect they pay a premium to reduce or eliminate the unknown and figure the remaining life in the tractor divided by the cost is still less than buying a new tractor. If you trade out I would warn you to stay with one of the big three US manufacturers Case-New Holland (yes I know-really European) John Deere or Massey Ferguson.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Nick m 10-29-2012 12:03:04 66.87.93.142 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to Hop farmer Matt, 10-28-2012 19:31:29   I bought a complete diesel engine from rf engines in morrice,mi for $4200. I've put 200the hours on it without a problem.   [Reply]  [No Email]
samn40 10-29-2012 12:02:46 217.43.214.254 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to Hop farmer Matt, 10-28-2012 19:31:29   You really only need one bore machined and an over sized liner fitted and bored back to standard, the other bores will do with slip fit liners. Complete kits are reasonably priced and leave you with a great tractor. Sam   [Reply]  [No Email]
Tony in Mass. 10-29-2012 11:14:47 76.127.225.182 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to Hop farmer Matt, 10-28-2012 19:31:29   Milling a head, valve job, turning a crank, cam bearings, soaking a block... 2 grand would be either a rip off or done by a swiss watch maker. A kit... are they for sale on this website? A few hundred?.... if you do the labor with a freind who has done rebuilds before, even a kid who plays with cars and truck engine rebuilds will have this back together for less than 3 grand. Beyond that, they are intending to charge you $100 an hour. A kit, a dvd and a gearhead neighbor.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Christos 10-29-2012 06:50:45 130.108.186.223 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to Hop farmer Matt, 10-28-2012 19:31:29   My Dad"s (now mine) 135 had a poorly repaired short block (it cracked, Continental Gas. Mom/me spent a boatload of money on it and admittedly I"ve been teething myself getting the electrical kinks out years later. (I"m not ASE certified - haha) If it"s the one thing I will admit to is that the Masseys given how many were built and the 175/180 share many of the same components, I"d also recommend rehabilitation. I would get a copy of the shop manual (the AGCO one) and see if you can"t do it yourself. All the 100/1000 series Masseys used common parts. Your cost will be lower than you"d expect. As well as easier to repair. I was reading my 135 manual last night and I feel I"d be able to work on the diesel engine if I ever bought a tractor with it. Look at it this way - how much would it cost you to purchase a comparable NEW tractor which will most likely be made overseas? Probably 23-27. I know it doesn"t help much but I"m starting out myself - its worth fixing and the parts (gauges etc) can be repaired and or replaced with NOS or Aftermarket. Christos   [Reply]  [No Email]
2tractors 10-29-2012 05:04:23 207.144.5.133 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to Hop farmer Matt, 10-28-2012 19:31:29   That shop must all drive Mercedes!!   [Reply]  [No Email]
175 MF 10-28-2012 20:04:58 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to Hop farmer Matt, 10-28-2012 19:31:29   It's a darn good engine if it's rebuilt right.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Jason S. 10-29-2012 06:15:19 204.54.36.245 Report to Moderator	Re: Massey Ferguson 175 engine rebuild in reply to 175 MF, 10-28-2012 20:04:58   I have a 175 and that sounds kind of high to me for machine work. I would think for 4-5000.00 you could get a replacement engine for that much. I may be wrong though, but I will say this if my 175 blew up tomorrow I would rebuild it instead of replacing it. Those are some of the most fuel efficient tractors you will find...and have some the best engines ever built in my opinion.   [Reply]  [No Email]