The Big 3 vs. Massey Ferguson

[jedens]

I'm looking for a compact tractor in the 45hp range. I've been educating myself by reading the posts here and I've heard people say many times that you can't go wrong by buying any of the "Big 3". We have a Massey Ferguson dealer within just a few miles of home so I stopped by to look at their tractors and the 1165 seems to be a nice tractor in the range I'm looking for. Does MF measure up to the Big 3? The dealer said they sell more tractors world-wide than JD. Is that correct or just sales talk? The one I looked at didn't have an HST, but other than that is there any significant draw-back to the MF 1165? The Kubota that I'm looking at is the 4160. I assume the New Holland that is comparable is the TC45, is that correct? What would be the equivalent JD?

 

[Bird]

JD, personally, I much prefer the HST and I'm a little partial to Kubotas, but there's a lot of Masseys around and I've never heard anything bad about them. If it had all the features I wanted, and the price was right, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one.

Bird

 

[cowboydoc]

I'd second Bird's opinion. I've got an old Massey that the JD guys around here make fun of but that old Super 90 does everything a 4020 will do and has held up really well. PLUS I only paid 3k for it with 1800 original hours and it's hard to touch a 4020 with 4 times the hours for under 10k.

 

[frank_f15]

THE MF will do u fine, but like bird i am partial to kubota and really do like the hst, but that may not br that important to u. did u take it for a test drive?

 

[HR_Mutt]

jedens
The Kubota you probably looked at is a L4610. It's a great tractor/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif. I think (jump in someone if I'm wrong) the equivelant hp JD is a 4700. As mentioned in a previous post, try out the hydrostat drive to see if it's for you.
regards
Mutt

 

[JerryG]

jedens,
I have a MF 1250. I would put it up against any ones tractor. I love it and have put 870 hours in two years and a month. Massey does sell more tractors worldwide that any one else. Its because they went world wide long before any one else did. They have more plants in more countries and also sell tractors in more countries than any of their competitors

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Massey Ferguson 1165 4wd Tractor
with MF 232 Front Loader
44 Horsepower, 16 x 16 Shuttle Transmission
Factory List $ 29,846.00
Our Price $ 22,895.00 (stock # mft1605)

Massey Ferguson Specials

I got a MF1165 last summer for one of my best friends.{and he loves JD!}{Another friend has the predecessor MF1160…Not One Problem in about 5 years!} The tractor has loaded rears, Galaxy turfs, and mows with a 12’ Befco Batwing Mower. I understand now they have the HST available for this unit. It’s quiet, smooth running, lots of “guts and torque” for a compact… It certainly is a can-do tractor.

The Iseki quality control has proven to be nothing but top notch… I’ve yet to hear any “bad words” on them. If the dealer is down the road from ya… I would seriously give this unit high consideration.

Good luck…

 

[jedens]

Frank,
I did take it for a short test drive. I'm not very experienced on the compact tractors, but I've spent a few hours on my old 1943 WC Allis and compared to it, it was a dream to drive. I thought the "feel" of the controls were good and the seat was very comfortable. I'm 5'6" and I have problems on my Allis with feeling like I'm stretched out all the time. I went today and drove a Kubota HST just to get a feel for it. I think I could get used to it, but again being short I felt like I was stretching a little and the HST pedal felt too big, that might change after just getting used to it.

For the MF 1165 the dealer quoted me $22K for the tractor with a Great Bend 260 FEL, R4 tires and a sun shade. It sounds like it is priced pretty well, but I don't know if the Great Bend FEL is an upgrade or a cheaper replacement. Anyone have any thoughts about that price? Anyone have any experience with Great Bend FEL's?

 

[John_Mc]

When Massey says they sell more tractors world-wide than anyone else, keep in mind that this is probably including all of their various companies (M-F, Agco Allis, White, Fendt,etc.) Not all of these are compacts, and there may be companies (Kubota?) that sell more compact tractors.

I test drove an Agco ST30, ST35, and ST40 at a local dealer's "Play in the Dirt" day. These are identical to the MF 1235, 1250 and 1260 (unless I got the model numbers scrambled a bit). It's just painted a different color and has a different name plate. Overall, I was impressed with their construction. They seemed built to last.

I was less impressed with the ergonomics: the controls aren't placed as conveniently (at least for me) as the New Holland, Kubota or JD. In particular, I recall reaching for the floor-mounted throttle pedal and feeling the side of my knee press against some shift knob or another... that would get old real quick when doing loader work.

In the end, if their set-up fits you, and you get a decent price, I'd go for it. You might want to take a look at whatever the M-F equivalent to an Agco ST45 is (44.2 HP, 4 cyl, weight: 3700+#). This model is similar to a NH TC45 or a JD 4700.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<font color=blue>...look at whatever the M-F equivalent to an Agco ST45 is (44.2 HP, 4 cyl, weight: 3700+#). This model is similar to a NH TC45 or a JD 4700...</font color=blue>

MF1165...