Hello from Australia - MF 50B 4WD Backhoe owner

[ghendo]

Hello everyone

I was Googling around trying to find interesting sites to do with my MF 50B backhoe and an old thread from your forum popped up. I use forums in Australia to get advice on my 4WD and passenger vehicles but didn't know one existed for heavy equipment. I'm so pleased I found this site - only thing is I'll probably ask stupid questions occasionally as I feel very much the 'boy' on here.

I live on the east coast of Australia on a farm and about 3½ years ago bought an old MF 50B backhoe - it is the 4WD version which I am told are "scarse as hens teeth" - well, in Oz anyway. It has certainly saved me a lot of heavy lifting etc. in the time I've had it and I've had to do a few things to it. These include ...

* numeous blown hydraulic hoses etc. - I've probably replaced most now.
* 3 or 4 hydraulic rams have needed to be overhauled.
* the large bearing under the hoe, that it swivels on, fell to pieces and and was my first major repair.

Presently I have the hoe off it as it developed a leak in one of the steel lines that runs along the top (inside) the hollow steel section of the hoe - the line operates the stabiliser feet. While I had the hoe off I thought it would be a good opportunity to give the back a respray job as there were a few rust spots appearing through the paint. That has sort of grown now to a complete respray job - my wife says it looks like a Tonka toy. I've still got the front to do as well as the hoe itself.

This machine has the "reversamatic", I think they call it transmission - a forward and a reverse throttle. That took a bit of getting used to as up until then I had only driven manual gearbox tractors. The first time I drove down a hill was a whole new experience - the bloke I bought it from forgot to tell me you need to keep power on so the torque converter stays engaged!!

I don't know when the backhoe was manufactured - from a couple of clues I've seen my guess is probably later 1970 - can someone confirm that?

Cheers

Geoff

 

[robin yates uk]

I moved from a Massey 40 to the latest MF 50B in the late 70s, superb machine.The model I was on had the 4 lever back acter controls, the competition at the time were JCB 3C which were a lot slower on the road than the Massey.

 

[robin yates uk]

I don't quite understand the steel line which operates inside the hoe, do you mean the hoe arm or some other part?

 

[ghendo]

Hi Robin

My bad description. There are steel hydraulic lines that run inside a steel section of the hoe that go from the spool valve assembly to the stablilzer feet. One of them rusted and leaked oil everywhere.

See photo ...

It was much easier to get to them by removing the hoe from the tractor. Only problem I ran into, was the cabin on mine is not the MF one - someone has made it themselves, and welded a section of the back window in a position that stopped me from driving the tractor away without the spool valve handles fouling on the cabin. I had to cut the window frame out of the cabin - I've now modified it so it bolts in.

The back controls on mine just have two leavers for the movement of the hoe - they go backward and forwards as well as sideways. There are another two leavers for left and right stabilizer arms and a fifth lever to clamp/unclamp the sideways slide. I notice in the service manual I have, all the pircures show controls with 4 levers instead of 2 - don't know why, it must have been an option when the original machine was made.

I noticed on here there are threads about the rotaty actuator motor that moves the hoe from side to side. Recently, mine has started letting the hoe wander when it's not being used - that is, it swing downhill. A local hydraulic place told me it needs a new kit in the motor - A$500 for the kit and the same again for them to put it in. Think I might have to put up with it for the moment.

There are a few other things I need to do - the steering is terribly loose and the machine wanders when you drive it - luckily I don't go on the roads. Also, the tachometer and speedo aren't working and neither is the fuel guage.

It has two temperature guages - one for the radiator, which I think is on the left, and the one on the right I presume is for the hydraulics or transmission. The needle on it moves but ever so slightly - I might have to look into that as well.

Cheers

Geoff

 

[robin yates uk]

sounds to me your machine has been modified a lot.As far as I know no UK MF uses an actuator (whatever one of those is? )to move the hoe arm from side to side. Usual way is unclamp then slide the arm using the ground or something else to push against.As for the steering try replacing the seals in the steering ram.