Tractor rookie looking at an MF 35

This is my first post and, full disclosure, I have no real tractor experience. I'm going to be leaning on this forum and some friends who are much more knowledgeable than I throughout this experience.

So...the reason for being here:
I have 244 acres in east Texas. Of which about 10 is cleared plus trails. We use this land for deer hunting primarily. I've become interested in buying a VERY budget friendly old tractor to help with the chores and food plot planting at our land. Most of my time on this new-to-me machine will be spent mowing and discing the food plots. Initially, I planned to buy an 8N. After reading quite a bit, it appears there may be better options for my use at a similar price point.

I've come across a package deal for a gasoline powered Massey Ferguson 35, 5' mower and 5' disc - none of which will win any beauty contests. I have, however, been ensured the tractor starts and runs really well. Tires are dry rotted but hold air. The 3point works well as long as the clutch isn't depressed - if it is, the implement goes to the ground Any ideas what this could be? The guy wants $2,500 for the package.

Does anyone think this tractor wouldn't be a good fit for what I need?

I had two MF 35s in the past. Both were diesel "Deluxe" versions with live PTO, etc. Be advised that the 35 was available in both deluxe and regular/special versions.

The gasoline engine was made by Continental and some parts are becoming difficult to find.

The lift issue is due to internal oil leakage and will likely, though not necessarily, require removal of the lift cover to repair. Not a bad job it you are mechanically inclined and have the proper tools and a manual.

Note: If the 35 in question has power steering, repair of a non functioning unit can become quite expensive.

Not much to go on regarding price but doesn't sound out of line absent major issues.

Dean

I have a Massey and a Ford. I like both but the Massey is the more user friendly tractor in my opinion. The Continental gas is a good engine but watch for a cracked block or head. Rebuilding the hydraulics is not hard. Check for water in the fluid first, that will affect performance. If you have any mesquite on the property you WILL be buying tires soon. Plan on at least $1000. Good luck.

Hi, we were an IH farm but in my youth I drove the neighbors MF35 and 135 a fair bit. Both his were 3 cyl Perkins Diesels. The 35 had live PTO but no PS. The 135 had both live PTO and PS. For mowing I would look for a tractor with live PTO and PS would be a desirable option. One thing you learned very quickly driving the 35 without PS is to keep only the palms of your hands on the steering wheel as if one front wheel hits a stick or a rock the steering wheel will snap left or right and if you fingers are in the way of the steering wheel spokes, OUCH!!. They are a very nice compact tractor but very light on the front end and typically do not have a standard drawbar under the rear diff housing and rely on a drawbar on the 3pt hitch. So be VERY CAREFUL if your are trying to pull trees or rocks with it and keep the 3pt drawbar below the height of the rear axle or put "wheely bars" on it.
Several hobby farmers have got killed on these type of tractors by hooking chains to heavy objects with 3pt drawbar to high. Same applies to Ford 8N type tractors. If you are an in-experienced tractor driver and its rough hilly terrain spent a few extra $$ and put a roll bar on the tractor as it may save your life someday.

Take a look at this youtube video and see what not to do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_hzhCe4rWs

My 2 cents
JimB

A good little tractor but $2500 would be top dollar for one with new tires and an engine overhaul, especially in east Texas, just no market for that little gas tractor in your area. In the condition you describe about $600.00 for the tractor, probably $250 - $300.00 for the disc if it is not wore slap out but could be worth more if it is a heavy duty model, the mower is another $300.00 max if it is complete and the gearbox is good. $1000.00 - $1200.00 ought to buy the package and will unless the guy is stubborn enough to let it rust away or unless he just set it for sale recently and has not yet figured out that there are no takers at the price he's asking.

LAA - If I'm wanting to stick to the $2,500 price range, what do you think that should buy me? I'm very new to this but that doesn't seem like it would get me a whole lot.

$2500 should get you a good mid 70's era ford 3000 diesel or a Massey ferguson 135 diesel or one of the ford or massey or international industrial models of the same era, also in east Texas Zetor tractors were popular in the 80's and 90's and the ones under 60 Hp are pretty cheap now. Zetor's are good enough utility tractors but do not have the resale value of JD, Ford, Massey and Kubota because they are far less common and therefore they are assumed to be hard to find parts for, probably true at one time but the internet has changed all that. If you go on east texas craigslist and search ''tractor'' under the farm equipment tab you will find a couple of hundred listings, many of those listings will be various models that would suit your needs, some of them will be realistically priced but the majority will be pie in the sky priced, don't let those prices scare you off, if you see a good tractor you like do a little research on it and find out what similar models are selling for, remember, its not what people are asking, its what tractors are actually selling for that matters. If you have never worked on a gas engine without electronic ignition I would recommend to stay away from old gas burning tractors, points and condensors and fouled plugs and leaking gas lines and rusty tanks will all make you cuss in the Texas heat.

Supposed to be a decent tractor. The engine would scare me the most as parts are really hard to find. Don't know about the rest of the parts other than the engine, you should check, but is they are not available aftermarket you will need dealer support. So see how close an AGCO dealer is and ask around about their reputation. That advice goes for any brand. Some dealers are good and other are not about supporting older equipment with parts. I've been told that part for power steering if equipped are hard to find and NLA new.

Rick

Being your first tractor I would not be in a hurry to buy. Take your time and research each one. You have to assume even if the owner tells you it has a resent rebuilt or the valves were just done that some of that info may be true but resent to some folks can be 2 or 3 years a longer span than you may have guessed. Always best to ask for receipts if a seller has told you it has just been rebuilt. The point is proceed with caution. Others have noted the expense of some repair and rebuild parts this can make or brake a good deal . You can easily spend more repairing the tractor than it is worth. On some tractors you can buy a complete rebuild kit for 400 - 800 dollars. Others can easily cost 2000 dollars or more depending on the tractor model and availability of parts. It can be a rude awaking to find out that what you thought was a great deal on the tractor has turned into a nightmare money pit. Most older tractors you will never recover the money you have put in it but it will probably outlast anything they are producing new today.. So In short do your research look up rebuild kits and parts this will give you an Idea of what your getting into. Find a tractor you really like but be prepared to spend a few more dollars the satisfaction you get will be worth all the time you spent researching. Note: the folks here are the best and are always willing to help also yesterday tractors have a lot of the parts you may need for your New to you tractor.

Best of luck with it welcome to the site Byron

The MF35 is a very economical tractor to own and maintain. If the engine is healthy, no smoke, noises, blow-by, it will last you a long time.

The 3 point dropping is probably bad seals in the lift cylinder. That can be fixed your self for under $200 if the cylinder is bad.

The most expense I see is the rear tires, and possibly wheels if they are rusted.

Anything you find in that price range is going to need some repair. A no frills tractor like the MF35 is cheap to repair compared to a later model with hydraulic transmission, electronics, or all wheel drive. Add a diesel engine and the repair cost skyrockets!

Might try to negotiate him down a little, point out the tires, what others similar are selling for. Or keep looking. But simple, manual transmission, power steering, gas engine, will be your lowest cost all around.

I second everything Steve@Advance said. But I also think there are other good possibilities in your price range. What part of east Texas are you in? I'm just over the border in Louisiana, and I watch Craig's list for east Texas, deep east Texas and Shreveport areas. You have to be patient but good tractors do show up at reasonable prices. I recently bought a Ford 4000, very clean, low hours, new rears, everything works, for $2800. It was in Palestine. I feel you could likely find a good Ford 2000 or 3000 for about the same price.

Here are a couple from Tyler/east Texas craigslist worth checking out, they are from the same guy which means he probably buys and sells which means he will deal.

https://easttexas.craigslist.org/grd/5753195373.html

https://easttexas.craigslist.org/grd/5753201165.html

I actually live in Dallas - although my property is in northeast Texas - near Paris. I'm open to. Fairly wide search area to find the right machine, though.

Thanks for all the great information, guys! This is a great place.

I think you can do better than that....I'm going to suggest power steering and diesel. There is a clean little Ford 2600 in College Station/Bryan area for 3500. I've had one for yrs. and they strong, economical, handy tractors. Be patient and selective.

+1 on what you said Jim. I had a 35 deluxe gas, PS, Live, dual remotes....handle right between your legs....argh.... and a straight 35 Perkie diesel, no PS, live. Only thing I didn't like about both was the seat was tight to get into and the clutch spring was tight....made my bad left knee hurt. Otherwise super little tractors. The perkie had the torque peak at 1000 and PTO at 1600 thereabouts, a lugging little dude. They do better with PS too as I missed it on the perkie.,

Neighbor has a gas 135 and when I used it I found it uncomfortable to drive and use. No PS and I don't like the way you place your feet and move back to hit the clutch and brakes. Just not fun to drive.

If I were going to leave the tractor on the lease, I would prefer a ford 2000/3000/4000 class machine, with gas fuel, 8 speed and power steering. Being far from town and having a diesel bat go bad would not be good. My gas 2000 starts in any weather and If I use good gas in it, can be left for a while and will still start. Plus, most parts on the gas engine can be obtained at many auto stores other than going to the dealer.

No need for a diesel for occasional use at a hunting lease, IMO.

Not a Massey fan. You should be able to get a gas ford with PS, 8 speed, LPTO and average to good tires for $2500-3000. Stay away from the re-paint tractors, way too many ways to hide stuff, IMO.

John

Thanks for all the insight. The more I research, the more modern (and expensive) a tractor I want. A nice Ford 3000 really strikes me as a great option. I'm seeing them for anywhere between $2k and $6k. There are some really rough ones out there. How hard are the old diesel engines to work on? I know nothing about diesels - relative to the amount I know about gas engines.

Ford diesels of that era are basically bullet proof, heavy block and crank shaft, dependable injector pump and many trouble free years on average. Diesel engines basically require fuel and air to run, 99% of any problems you might have with one are going to be related to lack of or restriction of one or the other. You may want to check out auctiontime.com, they hold weekly internet auctions for several classes of equipment and on average sell about 80-100 tractors per week of various sizes, there are some pretty good deals to be had at times and one thing about an auction is they tend to be true tests of the market, you will soon notice that certain types of tractors and equipment sell much better in certain parts of the country. The good thing about auctiontime is that most people list their equipment 3-4 weeks ahead of the auction day that they plan to sell it on so if you see something you are interested in you have time to check it out by calling the auctioneer representative or going to look at the equipment first hand. You can also search auction results on the site to find out what a particular tractor model has been selling for in the recent past, all in all its a good site. I have bought a good many pieces of equipment on the site and I have been real satisfied with the honest representation of the equipment by the sellers, the expectation is that all known flaws or problems will be disclosed and I have found that to be the case.

It sounds like it's hard to go wrong with a ford of that era - be it gas or diesel - so long as it's been reasonably well maintained. I'll keep an eye open for something nearby to go test drive.

On another note, I found a package of implements for what I Think is a pretty good deal:

5? King Kutter Rotary Cutter - $250.00
Post Hole Digger - $400.00 (only 3 years old)
5? Disc - $350.00
5? Grader Blade - $150.00
5? Box Blade - $150.00

$1200.00 for all.

What say ye?