mkI
1958
1959
mkII
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
This will become an interactive guide to each tractor year, but for now it is just a static image.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
MF 65 Timeline
mkI
1958
1959
mkII
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
This will become an interactive guide to each tractor year, but for now it is just a static image.
Monday, November 28, 2011
General Information about the MF65
Here is a great overview of the MF65:
TractorData.Com
What the statistical sites like that one don't tell you is about all of the little things that are nagging at me.
1. What are the differences from year to year? I hope to build a graphical timeline of the MF65 model years, and highlight each year's changes.
2. Of the various power plants available, how can you identify them? I plan on covering factory spec. engines, nothing exotic. I've seen an similar tractor powered by a Jaguar V-12 and another by a small block Chevy V-8, I am not going down the rabbit hole of customizations. How can you spot a Perkins Vs a Continental, and is it diesel or gas or propane?
3. What are the generally accepted capabilities of one year or power plant combination, over another? What have the owners found? What size plow can one handle? What accessories are available, and how do you hook them up and adjust them?
4. What cosmetic things should you know about? For instance, the hood design changed somewhere in the life of the model. The early model had a hood that went from the control panel to the tip of the nose. The later model did not include the nose with the hood, and the tip of the nose remained stationary. What about the hood ornament and badges? What is year appropriate, and how can you find replacements? And so on.
5. How do you inspect the engine, service fluids, check and test the major functional systems of the tractor:
- Electrical - is it 6 or 12 volt?
- Ignition - is the ignition switch good? Is the starter good?
- Fuel - where is the fuel filter, sediment filter, fuel pump?
- Cooling - where is the radiator and cap to fill it?
- Steering/Power-Steering - how can you tell if it has power steering or not? Where do you check for fluid levels?
- Is the engine running well? - does it need adjustment? Why won't it start?
- How is the clutch? - how to check the clutch for function and wear.
- Transmission - how do you check transmission fluid levels?
- PTO (Power Take Off) - is the PTO working?
- Hydraulics - are the hydraulics working?
- 3 point hitch - is the 3-point hooked up correctly, and is it sound?
- Axels & Wheels - what to check and where.
I hope to build an interactive tractor map, containing the various tractor years, starting with the year of my tractor. How far I get is yet to be determined, and if you have information that you'd like to add, let me know.
The next thing on my agenda is to map out the project as best as I can, and go from there.
My next phone calls are to try to get the guy who has the replacement engine block to round up all of the parts for me so I can pick it up when I get the tractor. The next challenge is finding a time when the ground is dry enough to get into the plot of land where she's sitting and pull her out of there without getting stuck.
Wish me luck....
[Edit: 12/5/2011] I am going to post answers to all of these questions and more, but I will link the questions raised here to their answers. I hope to create a literal web of intersecting sources of information on this blog.
TractorData.Com
What the statistical sites like that one don't tell you is about all of the little things that are nagging at me.
1. What are the differences from year to year? I hope to build a graphical timeline of the MF65 model years, and highlight each year's changes.
2. Of the various power plants available, how can you identify them? I plan on covering factory spec. engines, nothing exotic. I've seen an similar tractor powered by a Jaguar V-12 and another by a small block Chevy V-8, I am not going down the rabbit hole of customizations. How can you spot a Perkins Vs a Continental, and is it diesel or gas or propane?
3. What are the generally accepted capabilities of one year or power plant combination, over another? What have the owners found? What size plow can one handle? What accessories are available, and how do you hook them up and adjust them?
4. What cosmetic things should you know about? For instance, the hood design changed somewhere in the life of the model. The early model had a hood that went from the control panel to the tip of the nose. The later model did not include the nose with the hood, and the tip of the nose remained stationary. What about the hood ornament and badges? What is year appropriate, and how can you find replacements? And so on.
5. How do you inspect the engine, service fluids, check and test the major functional systems of the tractor:
- Electrical - is it 6 or 12 volt?
- Ignition - is the ignition switch good? Is the starter good?
- Fuel - where is the fuel filter, sediment filter, fuel pump?
- Cooling - where is the radiator and cap to fill it?
- Steering/Power-Steering - how can you tell if it has power steering or not? Where do you check for fluid levels?
- Is the engine running well? - does it need adjustment? Why won't it start?
- How is the clutch? - how to check the clutch for function and wear.
- Transmission - how do you check transmission fluid levels?
- PTO (Power Take Off) - is the PTO working?
- Hydraulics - are the hydraulics working?
- 3 point hitch - is the 3-point hooked up correctly, and is it sound?
- Axels & Wheels - what to check and where.
I hope to build an interactive tractor map, containing the various tractor years, starting with the year of my tractor. How far I get is yet to be determined, and if you have information that you'd like to add, let me know.
The next thing on my agenda is to map out the project as best as I can, and go from there.
My next phone calls are to try to get the guy who has the replacement engine block to round up all of the parts for me so I can pick it up when I get the tractor. The next challenge is finding a time when the ground is dry enough to get into the plot of land where she's sitting and pull her out of there without getting stuck.
Wish me luck....
[Edit: 12/5/2011] I am going to post answers to all of these questions and more, but I will link the questions raised here to their answers. I hope to create a literal web of intersecting sources of information on this blog.
From zero knowledge to a running MF65 in how many days?
This blog is going to be a running documentary of my adventures in bringing a field-queen, circa 1959 Massey Ferguson 65 back to life.
1. This is my first tractor.
2. I've never worked on tractors before.
3. I've never even driven a tractor before!
4. I just have some mechanical abilities and my wits to get me by.
So, if you have ever wondered how a tractor works - how to operate one, what all the levers are for, how to set up implements, and so on, as I have, I hope to answer those questions as I go with deep-dive posts on subsystems and operations.
If you are looking for specific information on something with the tractor let me know, and I'll try to highlight that information in a post and/or direct you to where I found that information.
With the vastness of the Internet, I've yet to find this information readily available - so I will try to fill what I perceive as a gap, and share my hard won experience and knowledge with you.
Cheers!
1. This is my first tractor.
2. I've never worked on tractors before.
3. I've never even driven a tractor before!
4. I just have some mechanical abilities and my wits to get me by.
So, if you have ever wondered how a tractor works - how to operate one, what all the levers are for, how to set up implements, and so on, as I have, I hope to answer those questions as I go with deep-dive posts on subsystems and operations.
If you are looking for specific information on something with the tractor let me know, and I'll try to highlight that information in a post and/or direct you to where I found that information.
With the vastness of the Internet, I've yet to find this information readily available - so I will try to fill what I perceive as a gap, and share my hard won experience and knowledge with you.
Cheers!
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