mf 135 or 2135?

[otisd85]

hi my name is otis, ive been wanting a tractor for a while now, and doing research on the 135. the one i found is in craigslist locally.

2135 Massey ferguson Tractor and Loader

Massey Ferguson 2135 Tractor and Loader

from talking to the seller, he doesnt know about live pto, or year of the tractor, but it is a gas burner, and has power steering.

how do i tell if it has live pto, what other questions should i ask about the tractor, what kinds of options should i look for, what kinds of problems should i look out for, and what do you think about the price at 3500?

thanks for your time, and like i said earlier i have been looking for a while, but have never owned a tractor so i dont know much about them. any help would be greatly appreciated.

as of now i have 13 acres, and it would be mostly used for moving stuff to big to carry by hand, mowing, moving snow, grading my gravel driveway, other small acreage chores, and maybe a small tiller for gardening/food plots in the future.

thanks again for any insight, otis

 

[flusher]

If it has live pto, it will have a 2-stage clutch--clutch pedal down half way to shift the transmission without bothering the pto; clutch pedal down all the way to shift the pto on/off.

Check the gauges--the MF135 deluxe has oil pressure, ammeter, water temp, fuel gauge, tachometer with engine hour meter. The 135 standard only has water temp and oil pressure. Don't know if it's like this on that 2135.

Check the engine for smoke on startup and after idling for a few minutes--blue smoke=oil leak, white smoke=water leak, black smoke=carburetor problem.

Check the tractor for leaks. On the 135 there are several weep holes on the bottom of the clutch housing (there may be a loose fitting cotter pin in these holes). A few drops of oil is not a big deal--a steady oil stream may be a bad rear engine seal.

Check the pto for proper operation.
Check the 3pt hitch for proper operation.

Drive the tractor in each gear and look for hard shifting and strange noises from the engine, tranny and/or rear end. If the tractor has Multipower, check it out in both ranges.

Check the power steering while driving the tractor. The 135 doesn't have true power steering--rather it has "power assisted" steering which makes steering a chore on the 135.

Check the FEL for proper lift and curl operation. Look for hydraulic leaks in the hoses and the rams (aka hydraulic cylinders).

Check the tires, especially the rears for cuts, repairs, dry rot. If the tires are loaded with fluid, check the rims for rust, especially around the valve stems. Rear tires and rims are expensive.

My 1964 MF135 diesel deluxe with multipower cost $3600 in July 2006 (no FEL), so if that 2135 checks out, the price is good.

Good luck.

 

[otisd85]

the owner of this tractor says its a 4 cyl gas, and has the 3 speed trans with high/low. does this help tell about the age of this tractor or was that just an option?

what were the options available on the 2135 and what was standard? is there any difference between the 2135 and the 135 besides the paint?

if its a 4 cylinder gas, then it is a continental, correct? how do i tell if its a z-134 orz-145? does it make a difference when looking for a tractor, is one better than the other?

how do i tell if it has diff. lock? did a search, its a pedal under your right heal from what i understood.

what is multi power, i read it can be dangerous on hills, how do i tell if it has it? if it does have it how do i tell if it works correctly?

sorry about the silly questions but i am a novice to the tractor world, and i dont want to spend good money on someone elses junk.

 

[otisd85]

when i started thinking i need a tractor i was thinking jd4020, the only reason being it that it seems just about every farmer around here has one.

when i started doing research i found that green and yellow paint is a bit over my budget.

it seems a lot of people are happy with there mf 135, 150, 165. any of these seem to be a feasible option for me, so long as the price is right and the tractor seems to be in good working order.

the main option i want a tractor for is a front end loader. some people are saying the 135 is a little light for a FEL, and the 150 or 165 is better suited for it. i have yet to see a 150 for sale gas or diesel, and most 165's dont have a FEL.

i found a mf 180 in my area for 4500 from a dealer, with FEL, new pump for the FEL, its a diesel, all the gauges, lights, and good tires. i dont think it will be to big of a tractor for me as i was thinking something the size of a 4020, in the beginning. i was just curious about the dependability, if it is comparable to the reliability the 135, 150, and 165 have earned?

 

[flusher]

Multipower give you another high/low range on the transmission for a total of 12 forward and 4 reverse gears. It's an hydraulic clutch gizmo operated via a lever on the dashboard to the right of the steering column. It's only available on the Deluxe models of the 135 (the model with the complete set of gauges on the dashboard). From what you say, that tractor you're looking at doesn't have multipower.

Multipower has a "hill holding" capability in high range when driving uphill. You depress the 2-stage clutch half way to engage this feature to keep the tractor from rolling backward.

When running downhill you want engine braking and this is available only with multipower in the high position. Engine braking doesn't work with multipower in the low position.

Also you can't tow-start a tractor with multipower.

Differential lock is an option for the Deluxe model. It's located at the rear of the right step plate so you operate it with your right foot.

The MF135 Special (the one with only two gauges on the dashboard) has the Continental 134 ci gas engine. The Deluxe model has the Continental 145 ci gas engine. The Deluxe model also could be ordered with the 152 ci Perkins diesel engine.

Good luck.

 

[flusher]

when i started thinking i need a tractor i was thinking jd4020, the only reason being it that it seems just about every farmer around here has one.

when i started doing research i found that green and yellow paint is a bit over my budget.

it seems a lot of people are happy with there mf 135, 150, 165. any of these seem to be a feasible option for me, so long as the price is right and the tractor seems to be in good working order.

the main option i want a tractor for is a front end loader. some people are saying the 135 is a little light for a FEL, and the 150 or 165 is better suited for it. i have yet to see a 150 for sale gas or diesel, and most 165's dont have a FEL.

i found a mf 180 in my area for 4500 from a dealer, with FEL, new pump for the FEL, its a diesel, all the gauges, lights, and good tires. i dont think it will be to big of a tractor for me as i was thinking something the size of a 4020, in the beginning. i was just curious about the dependability, if it is comparable to the reliability the 135, 150, and 165 have earned?

JD 4020s are classic ag tractors--some say it's the best tractor ever.
But it's far larger that the 135/150 (95 pto hp for the 4020 vs 37 pto hp for the 135/150) and 4020s are in the $10K price range--2-3 times more expensive than the 135/150s. The 4020s come from the mid 1960s and the ones you find for sale on eBay and at regular auctions generally have a lot of hours on them and probably will need some expensive repairs (JD parts are not cheap).

I looked at a 4020 several years ago and passed (problem with the engine balancer shafts).

My neighbor has a JD 2640 (the "Field of Dreams" tractor) with FEL that's a real brute. You might look for one of these 70 pto hp tractors.

 

[otisd85]

JD 4020s are classic ag tractors--some say it's the best tractor ever.
But it's far larger that the 135/150 (95 pto hp for the 4020 vs 37 pto hp for the 135/150) and 4020s are in the $10K price range--2-3 times more expensive than the 135/150s. The 4020s come from the mid 1960s and the ones you find for sale on eBay and at regular auctions generally have a lot of hours on them and probably will need some expensive repairs (JD parts are not cheap).

I looked at a 4020 several years ago and passed (problem with the engine balancer shafts).

My neighbor has a JD 2640 (the "Field of Dreams" tractor) with FEL that's a real brute. You might look for one of these 70 pto hp tractors.

i understand that the 4020 is much bigger than the 135, i was just using that as a reference to what i am looking for. i dont know what massey is comparable to a 4020. i dont need a small tractor, and i dont need a big tractor either. i found a mf 180 with a fel in my aera for 4500 at a dealer, and thought this would be a good middle ground tractor. it seems to be in the same price range as 135s, and i was just curious about the dependability of the mf 180, if it is comparable to the reliability the 135, 150, and 165 have earned, and if parts are readily available like the 135, 150, and 165?

as for the jd 2640, a tractor like that would be nice but they seem to be in the 10,000 range also.

 

[gghb]

morning

my 2135 is an industrial tractor has 3pt and pto but no 2 stage clutch. it spent its working life on a golf course towing large gang mower. is about useless for ag uses because of high gearing about to scrap it rear main seal went out and the goats riped the wireing apart befor i couuld drag it out of the field

greg

 

[otisd85]

morning

my 2135 is an industrial tractor has 3pt and pto but no 2 stage clutch. it spent its working life on a golf course towing large gang mower. is about useless for ag uses because of high gearing about to scrap it rear main seal went out and the goats riped the wireing apart befor i couuld drag it out of the field

greg

is it a diesel, would you be interested in selling it instead of scraping it? do you have any pictures? you can pm me if you would like.

 

[gghb]

Otis it's gas and beat to crap the kid operator on the golf course beat it up bad. was working fine when main seal went than goats ate the wireing would be a project to get running and you need to split it to fix seal oil leak probably runied the clutch and its 8 ft wide with the big turf tires so hard to haul if you want will sell for c urrant scrap valu Greg