massey ferguson 2300

[phil burckhalter]

hi everyone,
I just purchased a used massey ferguson 2300, seems like a well built compact tractor. looking to see if anyone has a good source for parts. I need typical parts like oil and air filter, plus minor body parts ( headlight lense). anyone have a source for this. the internet seems to just dance me to new sites that never lead me to a real source.
phil

 

[son of man]

Hi phil,

Perhaps someone else will chime in concerning body parts. However, I was able to find oil and air filters at NAPA.

 

[phil burckhalter]

Hi phil,

Perhaps someone else will chime in concerning body parts. However, I was able to find oil and air filters at NAPA.

thanks for the that lead on the filters, i am sure both need changing, the oil looks black and the air filter looks pretty clogged, being from buffalo, we get plenty of snow, and cold. i will use the glo plugs and block heater. at work on the heavy equipment we still use starting fluid when really cold. wondering if i give it a squirt, it will be easier on the starting system.

 

[ray66v]

Here is a link to our new GC owner thread.

It is full of useful information, directly from other GC owners, and the most frequently asked questions:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...197005-all-newbies-faq.html?highlight=newbies

 

[ray66v]

My GC starts, no matter how cold it gets, without any trouble.

How well yours starts, has a lot to do with how good you are at doing it.

In really cold temps, you may use 30 seconds of glow plug, or more, and open the throttle about 1/4.

If it doesn't start in 5-8 seconds, repeat glow plugs. Cranking more than that, will not result in a start. Just a dead battery.

In time you should be able to guess, approximately how long to warm the glow plugs, and how far to open the throttle.

If you have trouble, you can buy the OEM block heater for $100+, and it should always start easily.

 

[phil burckhalter]

thanks for the reply. i will use your advice on starting it, on the tractor it said to set the throttle to half to full, i just don't feel good about starting anything at full throttle when cold. the new lawn mowers are set to full throttle all the time, to me it shortens the life of, but i guess it has to do with emissions. i had a yanmar tractor that was a hard starter. i needed to use the glow plugs, block heater and compression release to get it started in the winter, it even started hard in the summer.
again thanks for the advice,
phil

 

[ray66v]

A trick to finding out the lowest possible throttle setting is to, slowly increase the throttle opening, while cranking. Note the setting where it starts at. Use that as a starting point, the next time it's that cold.

No one in their right mind wants to open the throttle fully on start up. And, I can't imagine that being necessary.

However, you can easily close the throttle fast enough, once it fires, to prevent it from reving very high.

Also, keep in mind that a diesel cools down on idle. So, to warm the engine properly, you need to have running at a decent speed.

Keep the extended warm up times for the transmission oil in mind, in cold weather ops.

 

[phil burckhalter]

i will use your tip and use a starting point of 1/4 throttle. i also have a john deere 445 hydro, that i use for plowing. i let that warm up 5 - 10 minutes before using. the heavy wet snow really puts a strain on the hydro. i also have a wheel horse gt14 which i plowed for 35 years. the reverse on the hydro starting getting slow and i thought it was cooked. someone on here gave me a tip that there are springs in the hydro that break and it will do that. he had some extra he sold me, i changed them, now the hydro works like a charm again. i really plowed a lot of snow with it. that old koehler still runs like new. wish i ran as good as it does after all these years. i think i can make two brackets and weld them on the front plate and run the deere plow. hoping the loader joystick will run both functions of the blade, both have quick disconnects.
also, i never took the loader off, i see the two pins that come out and quick disconnects, how does that come off?

 

[ray66v]

There are two legs, (black steel), that fold down from the loader frame.

And you pretty much lower it on to them.

 

[drifter2518]

Google the MF brochure for the GC2400/2600 on page 15 there are instructions to remove loader.

 

[phil burckhalter]

thanks, I will google it to find how to quick disconnect it. the person I purchased it from was moving and was still looking for the manuals for it. ray, if you have the dimensions of the two steel bars, I can fabricate the to whatever. our sister company is a steel warehouse. thanks again guys for all the information. ray I know you said your tractor is in semi retirement, always garaged, that's how I am with everything. the one I got it from, left it outside, and it does have some battle scars. I have the hood, grill, etc off, knocking out the diings, little puddy and will paint her up. it will be in the garage from now on. probably use the john deere 445 for plowing. I am going to weld brackets on the massey, so I can put the plow either on the deere or massey. hoping the joy stick will run both functions on the plow

 

[phil burckhalter]

ray, you talked about two bars that the loader rest on. do you have the dimensions? our sister company is a steel warehouse and I can buy anything I need from them. I will also make two brackets and weld on the front of the guard for a plow. I have one for my 445 john deere and I am hoping that the joystick will work both function for the blade. I will try it before welding on the brackets

 

[ray66v]

The bars should be pinned to the inside of the main loader frame. Near the ends of the arms, by the bucket.

They are long pieces of steel painted matte black. They look like they are doing something, but they are just clipped there for storage.

There is slightly more to them than just flat stock.

I will have to get out there, measure and photograph them. Not sure when I can right now, but if you are sure yours are not there, let me know and I will.

How about attaching the plow to the loader, or the bucket?

 

[irvingj]

Phil, here are some shots of my 2310. To remove the FEL, I use a flat 4-wheel dolly: lower the bucket onto it at a slight angle outward; then, with tractor shut down, move the joystick so it settles down flat on the dolly and on its two "feet" that Ray was talking about. At that point, the pins will slide right out. I then re-start the tractor and move the joystick forward, IIRC, and the two arms will rotate forward and away from the frame on the tractor.

At that point, I relieve pressure and disconnect the hydraulic lines, then lift the bucket arms, one at a time, forward and out of their sockets. Then the tractor can be moved rearward, away from the FEL, and I can then, by standing between and lifting on both the hydraulic rams at the same time, maneuver the FEL into position for storage, rolling it along on the dolly. Just don't forget to put the two feet down at the beginning of the procedure! Sorry, but it looks like the pics are in reverse order.

Hope this helps. ijk

 

[ray66v]

Thanks Irv.

 

[phil burckhalter]

thanks ray and irv, the pictures help out alot. ray, i would just need the length of them, i can fabricate them and add feet to the bottom and punch holes in them. i do have the brackets on the loader so i can get my hole dimensions from that. when i get the front back together i will take some pictures of mine, i will paint the floor area next. too bad the guy i got it from just left it outside and really didn't take great care of it. i found a massey dealer about an hour away, he has the head light assembly coming in, that was also broke in two. either way its a great find and a little tlc and i think i have a winner here. thanks again guys

 

[irvingj]

Phil, are you saying your FEL doesn't have the black stand arms at all?? Here are some pics of the left arm; the two legs appear to be mirror images of each other. Total length is about 24-5/8", but as you can see there are a couple of angles and one twist in it at the bottom. Steel looks to be a solid 1/2" thick. Second pic is the semi-permanent clip that holds it in place at the (lower) hinge point, next to the last pic is the right leg, in its stowed position along the FEL lift arm.

 

[phil burckhalter]

irv,
i bought it used, those two arms were not on it. he said he never took off the loader, cutting grass with the loader on seems like a pain, but he didn't mind. just seems like the added weight that's not needed would add wear to the tires and front axle ( 4 wheel drive). i did notice some oil leakage under the right front axle, under the planetary gears, next to the wheel. i will have to look into that and see if there is a seal i can replace. thanks for the dimensions, i can get some 1/2'' flat stock from work and add feet to it.
i wished he took better care of it but i am sure i can fix anything that it will need. i am impressed with the way it is built, very beefy. seems most of the other sub compacts are just gloryfied lawn mowers. looking forward to tackle this project

 

[irvingj]

"…some oil leakage under the right front axle…" I haven't yet had that problem, but I've heard of it. And yes, there is a seal in there that can be replaced. If you search it, I know there's a good thread or two concerning that on this forum.

BTW, that rubber anti-rattle thing you see behind the top of the right leg came standard beginning with the 2400 series, but the 2300s never had them. I scrounged a couple from the dealer and glued them onto mine; they really do work.

If you think the tractor itself is beefy, you should try a side-by-side comparison of the backhoes on a Kubota sub-compact and the M-F version. Huge difference in the construction of the M-F units: far more robust, IMO. Also, if you're interested, the older Kubota BX series used a 900cc diesel where the M-F's is 1100cc. More power at a lower RPM, and more PTO HP than the age-comparable Kubotas. (I suppose these days they may be all about the same, however.) Those were some of the things that made me buy a M-F tractor, and I've been very happy with it.

 

[phil burckhalter]

i watched some of the comparisons on you tube, i was surprised kubota did so bad. my neighbor purchased a new kubota, i really liked it until i started reading and watching the comparisons. i have had three other masseys, always older ones, 1972 model 135, 1976 14 hp garden tractor with mower, tiller, blower, cab. kept that a couple years. also i had a 1972 massey snowmobile 440 cc. they only made the a few years, they make good tractors but not snowmobiles
i will hunt that down about the seal, i am sure it is down on fluid, i will need to ask the dealer what to use in it.
i see you lots of toys for your tractor, how does the tiller work? i am thinking with the heavier tractor, it would work well
again thanks for your help
phil