Buying Advice Is this worth it?

[CABurton159]

Hi everyone,
We are in need of a bigger tractor for baling small square bales, something in the 40+ hp range.
What can you guys tell me about this tractor?
Is it a problem that its gas?
What about multipower? I know what it is somewhat, but is it reliable? Will I get it home and it explode on me? Can I just leave it alone and not use it?
and finally, Is it at a good price? That tractor has sat there for some time, so that kind of alarms me. (either price-wise, or nobody likes MF 165s)

Massey 165

 

[Tx Jim]

Anything can fail but over all Multi-power is fairly reliable. The Perkins engine are near bullet proof.

 

[CABurton159]

But are Continental Gas Engines any good?

 

[smstonypoint]

But are Continental Gas Engines any good?

To increase your chances of getting useful responses to your question, try posting a new thread (with a descriptive title) at Massey Ferguson Buying/Pricing. See http://www.tractorhouse.com/list/list.aspx?ETID=1&catid=1110&Manu=MASSEY-FERGUSON&MDLGrp=165 for "asking" prices.

Steve

 

[Tx Jim]

But are Continental Gas Engines any good?

Yes I overlooked the gas in your post

 

[Gary Fowler]

Personally I would stay away from gasoline engines in a tractor. Not for the reason that they are unreliable but because of the gasoline that we have to use today and how fast it goes stale. It is bad enough just trying to keep my lawnmower with fresh gas and it gets lots more use than a tractor especially from May thru Sept. I just think that it would be a problem keeping good fuel in it and would be a nightmare of carb overhauls. Wait for a good diesel engine tractor come along.

 

[milkman636]

My concern would not be that it has a gas engine. It's the "fresh overhaul" that has my attention. That suggests to me that either there are several thousand hours on it or it lacked proper maintenance. So what did the fresh overhaul consist of? was it just cosmetic? can he tell what was done? when was it done? by who? and can he prove it? I'm not suggesting it's good or bad, only to be suspicious of "pretty" old tractors.

 

[Soundguy]

i'd steer away from a low use gas engine.

you'll end up rebuilding the carb every year when you wake her up to use her.

as for the tractor.. not a bad one though..

 

[D7E]

165 multipower is a good tractor but i would not want a gas either .

I have a diesel with over 10'000hrs on it

 

[CABurton159]

Thanks everyone!
Would it be possible to use some sort of ethanol-treatment? I believe sta-bil has a gas formula to keep gasoline from going bad.
And for the carburetor, would some sort of valve in the gas line in front of the carburetor do the trick? Like, shut off the gas then run the tractor until the line empties?
I will also look into proof of a "rebuild" on the engine.
P.S. Milkman, are you from lower Michigan?

 

[milkman636]

Thanks everyone!
Would it be possible to use some sort of ethanol-treatment? I believe sta-bil has a gas formula to keep gasoline from going bad.
And for the carburetor, would some sort of valve in the gas line in front of the carburetor do the trick? Like, shut off the gas then run the tractor until the line empties?
I will also look into proof of a "rebuild" on the engine.
P.S. Milkman, are you from lower Michigan?

Yes I am from lower Michigan. Born and raised in the southern 1/2 of the Lower Peninsula. I use the north part strictly for hunting, vacations, and some occasional fishing

I've had good luck using sta-bil and other similar products in my boats and lawn mowers that I don't use in winter. Keep the tank full for storage and run it for a while after you add the stabil. I've also been known to add some two stroke oil into the tank for the last run before storage. Some others on here will probably tell you that is bad though.

 

[Soundguy]

most gas tractors i see already have a fuel shutoff petcock.

however.. even using stabil. you do hit a point where too little use will cause you problems...

a gasser would not be my choice for a tractor i did npot run at a minimum of every 2 months. or more in cold weather.

Thanks everyone!
Would it be possible to use some sort of ethanol-treatment? I believe sta-bil has a gas formula to keep gasoline from going bad.
And for the carburetor, would some sort of valve in the gas line in front of the carburetor do the trick? Like, shut off the gas then run the tractor until the line empties?
I will also look into proof of a "rebuild" on the engine.
P.S. Milkman, are you from lower Michigan?

 

[Soundguy]

you can get fogging oil for that.

Yes I am from lower Michigan. Born and raised in the southern 1/2 of the Lower Peninsula. I use the north part strictly for hunting, vacations, and some occasional fishing

I've had good luck using sta-bil and other similar products in my boats and lawn mowers that I don't use in winter. Keep the tank full for storage and run it for a while after you add the stabil. I've also been known to add some two stroke oil into the tank for the last run before storage. Some others on here will probably tell you that is bad though.

 

[Arc weld]

A 165 is a very good tractor and the one pictured looks really good and it's also a good price. If the seller can provide receipts for the overhaul and the Multi-power and everything else works good, it would be a good choice of tractor. Parts aren't a problem as they are still very popular. If you need to use a tractor a lot for heavier work a diesel is the way to go but that doesn't mean you should shy away from a gas tractor if it's in good shape. You can always run Seafoam or some other additive in the gas tank to keep the fuel fresh. I don't think a tractor engine is as finicky as a chainsaw or other small engine. There's still thousands of gas engines out there. If you were looking at a 100 HP gas tractor, then fuel economy might be a big concern.

 

[milkman636]

you can get fogging oil for that.

Yes I could, and I have used that on my boat motors. It makes a real nice cloud while your choking the engine out. The two stroke oil isn't really added for coating the cylinder surfaces though. I don't choke the engine out like fogging, so the oil gets burned along with the fuel during combustion.

It probably comes out of the old marvel mystery oil school of thought, but it seems to me that the oil in the gas helps with the fuel side during long storage. I use a decent mixture of oil. It's something that I picked up from my dad and has worked well for me over the last couple of decades.

 

[ModMech]

Diesel has storage issues as well, the Bio-Diesel is VERY Hygroscopic and so it absorbs moisture from the atmosphere and with almost no sulphur in the fuel today, algae growth can be a real problem in fuel tanks. It is so bad, than many big rig operators have their fuel tanks cleaned annually when operating in humid environments.

 

[rScotty]

i'd steer away from a low use gas engine.

you'll end up rebuilding the carb every year when you wake her up to use her.

as for the tractor.. not a bad one though..

I hear about "old gas" and gummed up carbs, and I see it in machines brought to me for repair but for some reason I have yet to see it in my own equipment.
No, I don't know why. I certainly have a lot of gas engine machines including tractors, chain saws, motorcycles, old trucks, welding generator, RV generator, outboards......you get the picture. Most of my equipment has been around 20+ years and most only get started once a year.
What's odd is that I've never had a bit of problem with stale gas or with a need for carb rebuilds. I am careful to always turn off the gas tap when it is going to sit awhile. And I tend to make sure that the gas cap fits snugly. Other than that, nothing special. I expect gas to last for years without change and have yet to be disappointed.
So my actual experience is completely different from the stories I hear. BTW, I happen to like gas tractors...!
YMMV, good luck....rScotty

 

[Soundguy]

I LOVE gas tractors.. under 45hp... the bulk of my tractors are gas.

I have an occasional carb rebuild.. it's not a huge issue.

I have had bad gummy gas stick some valves soooo bad I had to drive then out of the head and cutt he bent push rods with a bolt cutter to get them out.

so far that situation has happened only 2x to me.

any time it has though.. that machine gets torn down adn cleaned and then I go back in with synthetic oil.

a lil overkill in a 55 engine.. but never had another stuck valve ina machine with syn oil.. and walmart syn oil is only a lil more cash than plain dino..

 

[CABurton159]

So let me consolidate everything:

The Tractor is good, considering nothing is broken.
Gas tractors aren't as good as diesels, but they aren't much worse.
Run a gas tractor at least once a month, to keep from getting gummed up.
Seafoam the tractor every dozen tanks or so.
Parts availability is great, making carb rebuild kits even easier to find.

Thanks Everyone!

 

[Arc weld]

Pretty much.:thumbsup: