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Small Tractors? Massey Ferguson 230?

aighead

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Apr 25, 2019
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Dayton, OH
Do you guys discuss small tractors here? My FIL is selling a Massey Ferguson 230 that I used when we first bought our house to mow with. It seems pretty nice but I know very little about tractors. He mentioned it's got a few issues but I don't know what is a major concern and what isn't. When I ran it it seemed ok but that was over 5 years ago. I'm not sure what year it is but I'm fairly positive it's a diesel.

He says "The MF 230 keeps tearing up a gear in the distributor that runs the RPM and hour gauge. It also needs the Temp line sensor replaced. Also, the lift cylinder for the three point needs rebuilt. It will lift the mower deck but anything like my heavy disk, it won't lift."

Compared to the backhoe it seems like it should be pretty easy to maintain. I'd like to have it to mow and to do some box blade style grading, and maybe get an auger for it and wood splitter.

I think he said 4500 bucks, and I think that'd come with the 6' Woods (I think) mower deck but I don't think any other implements. My guess is he may come off that price a bit for me as well. It also has turf tires on it, I'm not sure how I feel about that.

What do you guys think? Sound decent? Any other tractor options of that same size that may be better? My budget is limited to probably less that 5k but I feel like I've seen other tractors out there for sale with a bunch of attachments too. I do like that I know how he treats his stuff, so there probably isn't too much concern there.
 

aighead

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Apr 25, 2019
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Are attachments or implements one size fits all or are there descriptors that point to what size tractor something will work with?
 

Vetech63

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Oklahoma
On most old masseys, on the left side of the engine just under the block deck will be a stamped number. It should be the tractor serial number and year. You will need that when you look for parts
 

Delmer

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I'm not sure what the difference between a 230 and a 235 is, the 235 is the direct descendant of the 135 and 35 massey fergusons that built the company. You could say they came from the to 30 and the little fords that henry and harry put together. In any case, an extremely basic, simple tested tractor.

A distributor is going to be a gas engine with four cylinders. Diesel will be three cylinders and the tach drive will come out the back of the camshaft direct. A three point hitch will be category one, so it will work with most category one attachments easily, and all category one with a little swearing. Measure the diameter of the hitch balls and pins on the mower to check.

the price is probably right in this environment, a little high for a gas three years ago, a heck of a deal for a diesel if it's clean, good tires, and that's all that's wrong with it. might or might not be correct on the lift cylinder, simple to repair in any case.
 

aighead

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Apr 25, 2019
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Thanks guys! I'll be discussing more with him this Sunday to see if it's really something I want to get into and can afford. I may try talking him out of a trailer of sorts as well, but he might not want to get rid of any of those...

I'll let you know! Thanks again, you guys rock!
 

Vetech63

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Oklahoma
Approach the FIL like this......" I married your daughter. By taking on that huge responsibility, I have aged beyond my years and have added years to YOUR life. I feel like that Massey would be a good trade off." Let me know what happens LOL
 

aighead

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Dayton, OH
Hahaha! He'd be like "remember all that other crap I've just given you?" My MIL convinced him to give us a wood splitter and he's always offering junk. This past weekend he offered to give us the 220v wire and breaker boxes and pretty much all additional electric accessories for wiring up the barn. They also did a very good job raising their daughter, who is way better than what I deserve, so I think we've made it out ahead.
 

Old Doug

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Oct 16, 2013
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Mo
We have a MF 35 it has been a great tractor i wish it was a 35 special with live power. If this deal falls throw i would look for a 35 special or a 135.
 

Welder Dave

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Oct 11, 2014
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Canada
The 230 is the economy version of the 245 and less HP. Still basically the same as the tried and true 135. If the 3pt. won't lift, make sure the draft control is all the way back. It might be able to be adjusted or the internal linkage is bent. Diesel is more desirable but the gas is OK too. 235's were only available for 2 years because they had major power steering issues. Manual steering models are fine if you don't have a loader. 245 with hydrostatic steering is the cream of the crop but don't disregard a 135. They are the most sought after acreage tractor for good reason. The 3 cylinder Perkins is arguably the best small diesel ever built. The gas version is also an exceptional engine. The Continental gas is a close 3rd. I have a 1965 UK 135 with the Perkins diesel and Multi-Power transmission. Only thing I wish it had was power steering but it is the most reliable machine I own. The fuel lines rubbed through after 50 years and the dealer had new ones 2 days later.
 

aighead

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Apr 25, 2019
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Thanks guys, it sounds like this will be a decent tractor to pick up. I'm fairly positive it's a diesel and it has working power steering. I don't think he has a blade for it which is unfortunate as it'd be very handy with grading the barn floor.
 

Delmer

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three point blades are everywhere, from $5-500 or more depending on how fancy you want to get. Let us know what turns out to be the issue with the "distributor gear", shouldn't be much to fix, or the hydraulic issue, just a little searching for the right answer, hopefully no deep surgery.
 

aighead

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I'm not sure what year it is and he did mention it has a rebuilt engine and he said a professional paint job. It looks great. Granted, it was in a barn and I didn't look over it very hard but it fired right up and other than what appears to be pretty manageable repairs it should be good to go! Woop!

Beware, I'm sure I'll be asking some more questions about it in the future. I don't expect to get it delivered until the barn is up. Also, I think repairs should be much more my speed than the backhoe.
 

56wrench

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Dec 4, 2016
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alberta
If you get it, buy an I&T shop manual. They are cheap and have most of the service info in them. Sometimes not as good as a genuine factory manual but are readily available, whereas the genuine Massey manual may be NLA
 

Welder Dave

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I&T manuals are not the best. They cover the basics but have been known to miss stuff. Looks could be deceiving. Really curious why the engine was rebuilt. On closer look it's not a Perkins, it's the Continental. I didn't think the Perkins gas was used in later models (76 on). I don't know what fluid is in the tractor but have found the OEM Massey Perma-tran (XL 821) works the best. Hopefully the 3pt. is an easy fix. The tractor in good shape will outlast you.
 

aighead

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Yeah, I'm not sure about the engine re-build either. I haven't thought to ask much of the history of the tractor other than I'm pretty sure my FIL bought it used from someone. I don't know that I mind much so long as it runs pretty well. I'm mostly interested in the pto and 3 point hitch.
 

Welder Dave

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It's a pretty basic tractor on a proven platform but the MF 3pt. hitch is superior in my opinion. You may never need draft control but once you understand how it works is the bomb. In keeping costs down even most new smaller tractors don't have draft control. Only thing I don't like is the 3pt. will drift down when the tractor is shut off or the 3 pt. controls are disengaged when using something like a loader. You won't have this problem because the 3pt. hyd's. don't have a selector valve. The tractor has a live PTO and hyd's. There's nothing wrong if the 3pt. won't lift with the clutch fully depressed. Let the clutch up half way and it will lift. 1st stage of clutch stops tractor movement and 2nd stage stops PTO and hyd's. This lets you get the PTO up to speed before you start moving. This is great if you're mowing heavy grass.
 
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