I'm a Massey man through and through. There about all I've ever owned. Got an '07 model 451. Had it about 5 years. I have literally spent, more than I paid for it in repairs. I'm not exaggerating, it's been in the shop 8 times since mid summer. Been that way, since I bought it. Needs to go back in early this week. I hate to give up on it, and run it through an auction, but looks like that's what it's coming to. I actually use/need a tractor. I run 85 cows. My little red belly I bought for pleasure, has stepped up, and largely ran this place the last 2 years. I guess I need to get me some good old heavy made American steel, in about the 60 horse range.
- Thread starter Rodeo man
- Start date
redforlife
Well-known Member
I have an older Massey. Now that it has got some age on it, it needs some work from time to time. And to be honest
with ya, it is a mickey mouse SOB to work on. I would rather go to the dentist and have teeth pulled, than to work
on it. Probly only keep it around because it is a handy little tractor when it doesn't have anything wrong with
it. I will have to say though, it was a pretty reliable tractor before it got old and a bunch of hours on it.
Chalk me up for probly not buying another Massey. My other older tractors are much much more easier to work.
with ya, it is a mickey mouse SOB to work on. I would rather go to the dentist and have teeth pulled, than to work
on it. Probly only keep it around because it is a handy little tractor when it doesn't have anything wrong with
it. I will have to say though, it was a pretty reliable tractor before it got old and a bunch of hours on it.
Chalk me up for probly not buying another Massey. My other older tractors are much much more easier to work.
flying belgian
Well-known Member
Oh my gosh, you want to talk lemons. I bought a used 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood in 1989. Anything that could go wrong, did. So I would fix that stuff thinking I could end up with a
good car but then the same stuff would go wrong again. After only 9 months I couldn't stand it anymore and got rid of that piece of junk. Took quite a beating but what you going to
do.
good car but then the same stuff would go wrong again. After only 9 months I couldn't stand it anymore and got rid of that piece of junk. Took quite a beating but what you going to
do.
Lyndon - AB
Member
Yep, I've dealt with a lemon before. It had the name "Ford" on the grill. 2007 F250 with the 5.4L gas in it. The only good thing about that truck is it caused me to buy my current GM, which has been a truly awesome beast of a truck.
I guess we had a lemon once, I found out later. Bought an '85 Chev conversion van with 6.2L diesel, in about '92. Took it to work one day in about '97, and got a real funny look from my secretary- turns out I had bought it from her and her husband (I dealt with hubby, don't remember her being around). She asked how it had been for us- I told her it had been great, very little trouble with it in 150,000 miles. She said they had sold it because it spent half its time in the shop, and they got tired of spending money on it. She did mention that her husband called it "the gutless wonder" and ran it pretty much full throttle wherever he went, so I suspect that was a good part of the problem. You couldn't be in a big hurry with those old diesels- as someone said about his old Mercedes diesel, "this isn't life in the slow lane, its life in the bike path." I used to still see it around town once in awhile- had about 350,000 miles on it. Haven't seen it for a few years, probably has gone on to its final reward.
Traditional Farmer
Well-known Member
- Location
- Virginia
Money pit tractors/vehicles are like bad marriages the longer you stay with them and put in time and money the harder it is to cut your losses and let it go.Good thing about a bad tractor is
you'll get a check for at least something when you turn it loose,with the marriage it'll be another bill.
you'll get a check for at least something when you turn it loose,with the marriage it'll be another bill.
Brown Swiss
Well-known Member
I never owned a lemon but it worries me when you say you took it to a shop, I have been burned too many times by a shop. I just work on my own stuff any more instead of
taking it someplace. Seems repair places don't care about quality work, just get it through and get it gone.
taking it someplace. Seems repair places don't care about quality work, just get it through and get it gone.
Bruce from Can.
Well-known Member
- Location
- Woodville, Ontario, Canada
In my mind , if you want to farm with old tractors , you had better Have a fleet. That way when one
tractor has a sick day, another tractor can fill in. All tractors , and all equipment break down and wear
out. Nothing ever breaks sitting in the shed.
tractor has a sick day, another tractor can fill in. All tractors , and all equipment break down and wear
out. Nothing ever breaks sitting in the shed.
jon f mn
Well-known Member
You can't do that with modern machines in many cases. Anything that is electronic will need to be hooked to the computer and programmed to run anyway, so it will need a shop regardless. My last truck you couldn't even replace a simple electric pump because it needed programming.
Phlash in OK
Member
I guess nearest thing to a lemon was a 65 Olds Jetstar 88, trouble with brake shoes, rear axle bearings, alternater, timing gear, idoit lights, etc. Finally traded for 67 Ford wagon.
showcrop
Well-known Member
Rodeo man, like jon f mn said, electronics put a whole new load of potential problems onto machines, and though the root problem may well be essentially the same as that on a pre-electronics machine, getting at the problem through the electronics puts up a high barrier. I had a '96 ford that had the $5,300.00 hydraulic pump give up one season and a clutch pack in the transmission the next. My suggestion to you is to inventory the major systems, see what potential problems have already been taken care of, and determine what potential problems still exist. We all know that there really can be no such thing as a lemon machine.
I have had two. the first was a 77 Chevy truck. The seats came all apart after I bought it new. The deal would not help. 7 fuel pumps and the rocker panel and all the fenders rusted through in one years time. it was nothing but junk. then again in 2003 my wife talked to in to buying another Chevy truck. We had family working for GM so we got a discount. In one years time I got stranded by that pieces of $hit a dozen times. The last time in got it started up and drove straight to the Ford dealer ship and traded it off. Been happy since and still driving my 2004 ford.
I've had 2. First was a several year old '76 VW Sicrroco (just a chopped Rabbit). Real fun to drive but in the 100k I had it I eventually replaced almost every imaginable removable
part,sometimes 2 or 3 times. So much for 'German quality'. The other was a '92 (I think) Pontiac Grand Am GT with the then new 3.4 engine that I ordered new. There was a reason GM
dropped that engine from their production line. Most issues (engine, trans, electrical) happened under warranty but but a few didn't. Traded it in after a few years.
part,sometimes 2 or 3 times. So much for 'German quality'. The other was a '92 (I think) Pontiac Grand Am GT with the then new 3.4 engine that I ordered new. There was a reason GM
dropped that engine from their production line. Most issues (engine, trans, electrical) happened under warranty but but a few didn't. Traded it in after a few years.
fixerupper
Well-known Member
I bought a 1070 Case new in the fall of ‘75. By the time I traded it off in January of ‘79 with 1800 hours on the clock mI had worn a path driving it back to the dealer for repairs. It was a handy tractor that was comfortable to drive, it just wasn’t dependable. Other folks had good luck with the 1070, I just ended up with a lemon.
Dad bought a lemon of a tractor around the mid-1970's. I won't say the make but it was a brand that was folded into AGCO. I get that he wanted a large HP tractor and the price was attractive plus it was a low hour used unit along with a matching plow. He spent too much money in the end trying to find its engine problems. For the initial financial layout he would have been money ahead buying a NEW IH 1066 fender tractor with plow and at least had some kind of warranty. He could have still traded the 1066 when the 8430 came along and had that much more down on the 8430 going into the tough 1980's. He sold the lemon at a pretty hefty loss. The first car I had was a lemon but in part that was as a teen I knew nothing about timing belts and catastrophic failure of an engine. As much as I like to complain we have had for the most part pretty good equipment and anything that did not work out we at least knew we were taking a chance.
I cut and rake my hay, and have it rolled. End up buying about half of it every year. I really don't need a real big tractor, just a dependable one. It'll be time to start setting out hay soon, it'll be a bummer if this thing acts up all winter, like it did this summer. The red belly handles the tumble bug fine, but I can't really turn my head anymore. It makes operating that engineering marvel a real pain in the neck.
Hammer house
Member
I have never own A lemon as for as I know. I have been driving the Ford line for A long,long time. I do not think I will change now. I only had one that I put over 200K miles on it, 1971 PU, std trans with O/D, With no big problem. No reason to change now.
Hammer Man
Hammer Man
We have a MXU130 here that is the worst tractor I have ever been around! If it was the first red tractor
I had been around it would be the last! Problem is it isn't Case, Ford New Holland doesn't claim it. It's
just an illegitimate money pit. The 7120 Magnum, 1486 IHC, 826 IHC 830 JIC or 800 Case are all LOTS more
reliable!
In vehicles I have seen lemons in every brand. Drove Ford diesel pickups for YEARS. A 2000 model ended
that string.
I had been around it would be the last! Problem is it isn't Case, Ford New Holland doesn't claim it. It's
just an illegitimate money pit. The 7120 Magnum, 1486 IHC, 826 IHC 830 JIC or 800 Case are all LOTS more
reliable!
In vehicles I have seen lemons in every brand. Drove Ford diesel pickups for YEARS. A 2000 model ended
that string.
Stephen Newell
Well-known Member
My lemon is a Case tractor but it's 58 years old. It was broken down for weeks and got it running and two hydraulic cylinders went out the day I got it running. Then lost another week getting the parts to overhaul the cylinders and used the tractor for two hours yesterday and the bucket cylinder went out.
Butch(OH)
Well-known Member
1980 Chevy pick up with 5.7 diesel engine. The first 12 months I owned the truck it was at the dealer all but 4 weeks. They had the engine completely out of it trying to fix a rough idle problem that was so bad the exhaust pipes hit the bed. Finally ordered a new crate engine and had to wait for months for it to arrive. Bolted it in and truck ran fine but after 1a few miles the oil light started coming on at idle. That engine ended up being taken out and they found all the bearings down to the copper so they rebuilt it. The entire time I had a loaner vehicle but the truck was 18 months old and I got rid of it and took a BIG TIME bath on the deal but the dealer and Chevrolet would do nothing for me, have owned Fords since.
As an aside the guy that bought the truck from me had it less than a week and his wife swerved to miss a dog and totaled it,, and he hadn't yet got it insured.
As an aside the guy that bought the truck from me had it less than a week and his wife swerved to miss a dog and totaled it,, and he hadn't yet got it insured.
Our church bought a van that dropped a valve while the dealership was getting it ready for delivery. I told the board to make em get us a
different one cause I felt like that was just an indicator of things to come. Being just a young feller, of course no one listened and it turned into
one of those times when I hated to be right. I think it was in the shop more than it was used. I think after a year and half or so it caught fire after
it was parked and burned enough the insurance company totaled it. Yes Jake & Elwood the Lord does work in mysterious ways. Ironic part was
it was actually lemon colored.
different one cause I felt like that was just an indicator of things to come. Being just a young feller, of course no one listened and it turned into
one of those times when I hated to be right. I think it was in the shop more than it was used. I think after a year and half or so it caught fire after
it was parked and burned enough the insurance company totaled it. Yes Jake & Elwood the Lord does work in mysterious ways. Ironic part was
it was actually lemon colored.
Dang,I'd forgot about that. I guess it was such a traumatic nightmare,I had blocked it from my memory. I bought a new 77 Chevy 3/4 ton 4x4,400 engine,automatic transmission. That one was even worse than the 68. That thing had to have been made entirely of tin cans and chewing gum. What a cheap trash nightmare. I had a 72 between those two and it was an OK pickup.
Goose
Well-known Member
My wife is driving one right now, an '07 Chrysler T&C. She has it at the dealer this morning because the backup alarm keeps going off, even when driving forwards. Last summer I had to spend $1400 on the rear A/C unit. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times we've actually NEEDED the rear A/C, but it needed to be fixed for the front A/C to work. Seems like it's always something. I'm planning on replacing it, but we just put new siding on our house and I want to recover from that for a bit before I think of a different vehicle for my wife.
By contrast, my daily driver is a Dodge Grand Caravan, basically a carbon copy except for the badge, and that Dodge just keeps doing its thing with nary a complaint.
By contrast, my daily driver is a Dodge Grand Caravan, basically a carbon copy except for the badge, and that Dodge just keeps doing its thing with nary a complaint.
The Dukester
Well-known Member
1979 Ford 1/2 ton Pickup with 351M engine......most gutless Ford I ever owned.....Burned lots of gas, but couldn't pull a setting hen off her
nest....had bad luck with it too, got rear ended by a wrecker pulling a disabled truck too heavy for itself on Lawrence Expressway in Santa
Clara, CA at a stop light and bumped car in front of me slightly.....all kinds of threats and lawsuits.......Then got a DWI driving it in Oroville,
CA....no accident or anything, just got caught......it went down the road after that.......
nest....had bad luck with it too, got rear ended by a wrecker pulling a disabled truck too heavy for itself on Lawrence Expressway in Santa
Clara, CA at a stop light and bumped car in front of me slightly.....all kinds of threats and lawsuits.......Then got a DWI driving it in Oroville,
CA....no accident or anything, just got caught......it went down the road after that.......
olgentdc
Well-known Member
My brother has a 451 ,,its doing fine , But what is with,,? the clutch pedal at half knee hi ?,. Golly,, in a panic
stop a guy mite not get his leg up hi enuf ,,.my neice likes to use it for a ft rest while raking hay ,.,.that is
not a good idea ,. either ,, but it goes have terrible pedal pressure , you literally have to scrunch on the seat
when feathering to back up hooking up something ,. ,. yes , my new 85 ford f-250 was a problem shop truck ,87- 89
Ford trucks just as bad , 94 cadillac northstar was a klunker .2000 lincoln almost as bad ,. 2022 Yanmar is
a problem child .. 750mf combine makes me wish i would concentrate my efforts on getting the 300 massey field
ready instead. But ,,i cant expect this old used stuff to run forever without major repairs..
stop a guy mite not get his leg up hi enuf ,,.my neice likes to use it for a ft rest while raking hay ,.,.that is
not a good idea ,. either ,, but it goes have terrible pedal pressure , you literally have to scrunch on the seat
when feathering to back up hooking up something ,. ,. yes , my new 85 ford f-250 was a problem shop truck ,87- 89
Ford trucks just as bad , 94 cadillac northstar was a klunker .2000 lincoln almost as bad ,. 2022 Yanmar is
a problem child .. 750mf combine makes me wish i would concentrate my efforts on getting the 300 massey field
ready instead. But ,,i cant expect this old used stuff to run forever without major repairs..
Gary Mitchell
Well-known Member
My 02 F150 5.4 ticked over 290,000 last week. General maintenance plus 1 alt. I give Mobil 1 some of the credit. gm
Brown Swiss
Well-known Member
Just need to get the computer to hook it to, they are out there, just takes money. LOL
dr sportster
Well-known Member
Dealer I used to work for said there is no such thing as a lemon. Each vehicle is an assembly of the same parts . Fix what fails and move on.
doug in missouri
Member
It does break sitting in a shed. My Kubota 9540 would't steer correctly. Took both arms to try and make it steer.
Dealer said to change all the hydraulic fluid, which I did. Still the same issue.
It ended up being the bushing so dry down from the steering wheel that caused the issue.
Yes, they CAN go bad if in storage. DOUG
Dealer said to change all the hydraulic fluid, which I did. Still the same issue.
It ended up being the bushing so dry down from the steering wheel that caused the issue.
Yes, they CAN go bad if in storage. DOUG
John Deere 1520 bought knowing it needed a little work LOL changed fluids water in trans oil not bad new shift boots. put oil
pressure gauge on 25 at start less than 5 when warm. took pan off someone in framed it, new oil pump, look like number 2 rod broke
plasitgauge bearings avrg .004. made a system to pressurize oil system. someone forgot to put back in piston oilers on top of main
bearing mounts. Then the pto clutch locked up then the injector pump now the hydraulic pump case cracked. I should have a new
tractor pretty soon.
pressure gauge on 25 at start less than 5 when warm. took pan off someone in framed it, new oil pump, look like number 2 rod broke
plasitgauge bearings avrg .004. made a system to pressurize oil system. someone forgot to put back in piston oilers on top of main
bearing mounts. Then the pto clutch locked up then the injector pump now the hydraulic pump case cracked. I should have a new
tractor pretty soon.
I bought a new MF 533 (2007 version of the 135) in 2007.
It came with an obvious manufacturing defect, not detectable until if first failed with 240 hours on the clock but beyond the 2 year warranty.
Neither MF nor their dealer would help with the repair cost (about $40 in in parts but 6-8 hours of shop time).
Since it was already apart at the dealer (dealer told me that MF would need to see it disassembled at their shop before deciding whether to help with repair costs, so I did not repair it myself for $40 during the off season (it failed in November, the last day that I had planned to use it)), I had no choice but to pay the dealer to repair it. Dealer promised to stand behind their work.
Subsequently, the same part failed about 12-14 months later and for the same reason. Dealer would not help. MF not interested.
That fall, I sold both of my MFs, bought two new Kubotas and will never go back.
Dealer is now gone.
Dean
It came with an obvious manufacturing defect, not detectable until if first failed with 240 hours on the clock but beyond the 2 year warranty.
Neither MF nor their dealer would help with the repair cost (about $40 in in parts but 6-8 hours of shop time).
Since it was already apart at the dealer (dealer told me that MF would need to see it disassembled at their shop before deciding whether to help with repair costs, so I did not repair it myself for $40 during the off season (it failed in November, the last day that I had planned to use it)), I had no choice but to pay the dealer to repair it. Dealer promised to stand behind their work.
Subsequently, the same part failed about 12-14 months later and for the same reason. Dealer would not help. MF not interested.
That fall, I sold both of my MFs, bought two new Kubotas and will never go back.
Dealer is now gone.
Dean
2002sliverado
Member
1963 806 Farmall with gasoline engine. 1970 1955 Oliver. 1978 Ford F250 pickup with 351M engine. 1990 Ford F250 pickup with 5.0 V8 engine.
caterpillar guy
Well-known Member
Don't know if it was a lemon or not, but every time I have anything to do with a GM vehicle it becomes a nightmare. Best thing I have found is put a tongue on it and just pull it with the tractor as a wagon.
Yes,I had a very nice looking J D 730 elec. start with 3 pt, and all the nice extras.For a used tractor it looked like it was well taken care of.But it would run on just one cyl. at times. Had a 2 cyl mechanic tear the eng. down twice. Found nothing to cause the trouble. The second spring it went to a consignment sale.
Stephen Newell
Well-known Member
I have my second Chrysler but the second one was given to us. The first one was an 87 pu I bought new and it was always broke down and quit completely at about 70000 miles. I will never buy another. So far with the 2005 Dakota truck that was given to us has only needed a water pump. At least it's doing better than the 87. It has 120000 miles on it.
PaulDonald Lehman
Well-known Member
Okay, I'm going to be the smart aleck here and say taking into consideration what they cost in relation to what you get, darn near every truck, car and piece of farm machinery I ever owned.
Dad bought a MF 180. The first day he hooked on to the 4x14 pull type and went down the road to the Free Mason s farm ground. Half the men in town were there fall plowing. Dad made it half way across the field when the entire draw bar assembly fell off. After that the hydraulics quit, Next spring we tried again, and it ran till we were trying to cultivate beans,it would not lift it at the end of the first row. The dealer worked on it again and brought it back in time to cultivate corn. I do not think I ever saw dad as mad as when the tractor would not lift that cultivator the same day it came back. We sold it, and the guy who bought it, kept it for twenty years, and never had a days trouble with it.
Paul from MI
Well-known Member
1988 Chevy, 4 cylinder cast iron engine need an overhaul at 70,000--never did get the transmission issues fixed. Finally traded it on a used Ford Ranger. Never had another GM vehicle and never had another lemon.
I have had 4 Chrysler product cars, 4 vans and 3 Dakota trucks and Dad had a 55 Desota and 66 Chrysler and none of them were lemons except one that I knew was no good but when Wife seen it bought it for stepson while I was sick and could not have enough energy to fight it. It belonged in scrap yard when she bought it as was never taken care of.
Gambles
Well-known Member
My '97 Ford 5.4 F250 has 250K hard miles on it. Still has the original engine and tranny. Uses no oil. Looks good enough that the kid has it at college and takes it tailgating before each home football game. The only time he hates it is when he tries to park it at his apartment complex because the parking area is built for small cars. I'm sure he takes dates in it. I guess the girls he dates are not too shallow because it takes a common sense girl to go on a date in a 20 year-old pickup. 'Course, he's a pretty good looking boy, so maybe that helps.
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