Buying Advice Is a Massey Ferguson Synchro Shuttle 1529 the right one?

deanocraft · May 24, 2016

I am a pretty consistent lurker here, trying to learn what I can prior to my first tractor purchase. The wife and I have about 4 acres in Western NC with a house and a barn. The property is on the side of a mountain, with 2 level fields of probably 1.25 acres each and a steeper field with the balance of the land and the relatively flat driveway. I need to do a lot of grading to rework the driveway as it climbs 30 ft. in elevation to the house, and also some work on the bank behind the house to put in a retaining wall and possibly a root cellar. In the lower fields, the first one down needs some grading to level around the barn, and to rework the access road to get down to it, probably 12 ft in elevation difference. The bottom field just needs a new access road, again about 12 ft in elevation change, and then a good bush hogging... I also will maintain about 300 yds of private road that gets pretty washed out on a steep spot.

I am not sure how much tractor I need for this list of fun items. The wife is bought in and we will buying something real soon. I just found a used Massey 1529 with low hours that looks like it could be a great tractor for us, but it has a Synchro Shuttle transmission... Not being an experienced tractor operator, I am trying to visualize how well that would work for digging. The soil will be hard and full of rocks. I don't really see a backhoe in the budget at present, so I will need to do my digging with the loader and a blade. I am a bit afraid that the tractor will just die when I try to push the loader into the side of my mountain, causing me to work the clutch constantly... I know low gear in a tractor is a powerful thing and I will be surprised when I do it, but I am wondering if I really need a HST transmission. The wife does not drive a standard and I want her to be able to use this machine.

Is there any personal experience in this type of thing out there?
Thanks!
Dean

brasco426 · May 24, 2016

HST will be much easier on a newbie doing loader work. People seem to debate HST vs Gear a lot and I'll think you'll find more advise on the ease of use HST for loader work. With that said, a FEL isn't really a digging tool, it's more to move material from one place to another. However, a tooth bar can easily be added to a bucket to get it to dig better. Good Luck and happy shopping. Donnie

jd870 · May 24, 2016

I have a MF 1529 i bought new in 2014.It has a synchro shuttle transmission i like the tractor very much. i use it for loader work,driveway grading,and brush hogging.I have over thirty five years expierence operating tractors and heavy equipment,that being said i would recommend a hydro transmission for people just starting out using a tractor,and also if there will be more than one person operating the tractor.

dzimbric · May 24, 2016

I had the syncro shuttle on my 1648 and loved it, Especially when doing loader work, With 12 gears to choose from you just drop a gear if the tractor stalls. I used low gear when driving into the pile and it doesn't stall. Not having to use the clutch is one thing I really miss on my 2615 Syncro Shuttle, That one is all gear and you have the use the clutch whenever you shift.

The only time I had to use the clutch with the 1648 was when I was starting out in 4th gear Hi. The downside is that i found myself trying to reverse directions in the truck by using the turn signal indicator. lol

deanocraft · May 25, 2016

Thanks for the input, guys. I kind of feel like a HST will be the best thing for us, but I am sure I could get the hang of the manual transmission... I am sure if it took small enough bites off my mountain that tractor could eat anything, (except solid rock)... I don't know what's beneath the soil, but it all appears to be soil on top!

I'll let you know what we decide.
Dean

dzimbric · May 25, 2016

The deciding factor between the HST and SS for me was the amount of horsepower that the HST robs from the PTO. The SS is not a traditional manual transmission, it is more like a manual transmission with an automatic clutch.

deanocraft · May 30, 2016

Well, we've been looking at dealers and on the internet for used and were getting a bit frustrated... Tractors are expensive! We finally went and took a look at the Massey 1529 and it seemed too good to pass up. 130 hrs with a 72" scrape blade and a loader. It looks very close to brand new and functions perfectly. Judy drove it too and felt like she could master it, so it's a done deal! That seller will deliver it on Thursday.

brasco426 · May 30, 2016

Awesome, congratulations on the new tractor. Post some pics of the new Massey when it comes home

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deanocraft · May 30, 2016

Now I need advice as to whether or not the blade will be the correct choice for all the digging I need to do. From reading forum posts, (the totality of my tractor experience so far), it seems a box blade with scarifiers would be the ticket. It sounds like the scrape blade would be better suited to road maintenance rather than moving a lot of compacted soil?...
Any advice will be considered and appreciated!

Cataclysm · May 30, 2016

I have about 400 hrs on a MF 1529 gear doing the same thing you are going to do. Here's the things I have learned about this tractor.

The power of the motor is top notch and you won't be sorry you bought it assuming you learn to operate with in its capacity. Its powerful, not fast. The rear width is narrow at 5' and with the R4's we have it rode fairly rough until we set the rear air pressure at about 8 psi. The lower pressure also let the outer part of the tread down onto the ground and greatly improved traction.

A good set of rippers on the BB will rip up anything reasonable so you can scoop and carry it with the bucket. Be careful moving with a full bucket. Even with a BB on the back its going to be a little tippy. Always keep the bucket low to the ground and move slow. Also the loader joystick is made of soft metal, ours broke off pretty easily. MF wanted $40.00 for a new one. We just threaded a bolt back in and it works just fine.

The 1529 and BB will work great for driveway maintenance. We usually rip it a couple of times then blade everything out. You will be surprised that you can rip hard gravel driveways although it is a bit hard on the tractor.

When using the BB on rough ground we found that we used the center diff lock quite a bit and learned its really on the wrong side of the floor board. Ours is on the right side where the foot throttle is and its hard to use both at once. I learned to use my left foot on the center lock while using the foot throttle with my right.

Our local MF dealer wants $82.00 for the hydraulic filter so you may want to start shopping around now for a better deal.

You will need to check the front assist (4x4) engagement lever. Since new, ours will engage itself and stay in. We tie ours up with a bungee cord to keep the front assist off when not needed.

On our tractor when your going from high to low range you have to keep light pressure on the lever as you engage the clutch or it won't go into low since there are no synchros in the low/high gears.

I run a 5' rotary cutter with the 1529 and it has plenty of power to shred stuff way bigger than it should. With the cutter on I run the tractor at about 1500 rpms. Plenty of power at those rpms and good fuel economy.

You will also need a skid plate. The clutch lever, hoses and hydraulic filter are all exposed and just waiting to be damaged. Ours attaches to the bottom of the loader subframe.

The FEL bucket curl is slow and has the "slop" that has been talked about on here at length. To me its just one of the characteristics of these small tractors and small hydraulic pumps. I don't have a problem with it and have learned to minimize its impact on FEL work.

With all that being said we are happy with the tractor and I bet you will be as well.