Vintage Massey Ferguson 135 .com

Everything about Massey Ferguson 135 tractors

Ferguson 135

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on February 12, 2010

The Massey Ferguson 135 is a popular tractor.  In fact it is one of the most popular tractors for vintage and classic enthusiasts.  So today I did a bit of research into what people are searching for on the internet when they are looking for information on this tractor.  Here are some of the terms people are typing in…

  1. ferguson 135
  2. massey ferguson 135
  3. MF135
  4. MF 135
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  6. ferguson MF 135
  7. massey ferguson MF135
  8. 135 MF
  9. massey furguson 135
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  11. tractor 135
  12. 135 tractors
  13. perkins 135
  14. massey ferusson 135
  15. massey ferguson tractor 135
  16. masey ferguson 135

…and a whole host of other spellings of the tractor name!!!

People are also searching for spares, second hand, for sale, cabs, loaders, 4WD, parts, tyres, etc. etc.  One thing that’s for certain is that lots of people are searching the internet for these tractor – and no wonder, they are great little tractors.  They are still in use on thousands of farms as a daily workhorse, starting on the coldest of days and really proving their worth.

If you have a 135 then please leave a comment in the box below, tell us what you use your tractor for and if you like the fergie.

Posted in Articles | Tagged: | 7 Comments »

MF 135 Stopped Charging Battery

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on February 7, 2010

We’ve had a question from Gary, who asks about his Massey Ferguson 135 dynamo, as the electrical system isn’t charging the tractor battery. Here is what Gary says…

I have a MF135 with a diesel engine.It has stopped charging the battery and wondered if you could tell me how to check to see if the dynamo and other components are working correctly to find out what is wrong.The tractor is used on a working farm daily as it is ideal to get in the small byres.

Thank you

Gary W.

Hi Gary,

We have written a page on how to test the dynamo on the Vintage Tractor Engineer Site…

Testing a 12V Dynamo

…also from there you can see a link to the MF35 wiring diagram, which is similar to yours (but positive earth instead of negative).

Just a few questions for you to think about

  1. Do the lights work? When you turn on the lights does this show a minus current? Because if the ampmeter does not show a discharge during electricuse (eg lights on) then it is likely that the charging does not work for the same reason – the reason been that it is possible that the ampmeter has gone faulty. When this happens the battery cannot charge.
  2. Are your battery leads and wiring loom OK. If it is turning the starter
    motor over OK then battery leads should be OK.
  3. Is the wiring loom OK. Often the earth lead comes off the regulator box (or breaking through at some point).

Hope this helps.

Kind Regards,

The MF135 Team.

Posted in Repair Advice | 3 Comments »

Wheels And Grill Paint Colour, Massey Ferguson 135

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on January 28, 2010

People are often asking which colour the wheels and grill should be on the Massey Ferguson 135 tractor.

All the 100 series tractors used silver mist for the wheels and grill. Both the wheel centres and the rims were painted silver mist, but not the hub cap on the front axle or the axle end of the rear axle.

There does seem to be an increasing number of tractors been restored and having the wheel centres painted red. This colour scheme does look good and this colour scheme is on one of the original brochures I have seen for the 135. Red wheel centres does seem to be common on the tractors exported to Canada and Austrlia (to name two countries where a reasonably large number of these tractors went to).

Posted in Articles | Tagged: | 4 Comments »

Which Grade Of Engine Oil, Massey Ferguson 135?

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on January 28, 2010

When changing the engine oil in the Massey 135 with a Perkins AD3-152 engine, it is essential to use the correct oil. The type of oil chosen does depend on the climate, but the modern multi-grade oils make this much easier.

For normal temperate climates (0 to 25 degrees C) most people use a 15W40 multigrade oil. If however, the tractor is in a cold climate, then 10W30 is more common. In climates such as Canada, where the summer and winter temperature extremes are so wide, it is often necessary to change the oil between summer and winter.

Posted in Articles | Tagged: | 5 Comments »

Radiator, Massey Ferguson 135

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on January 6, 2010

If  your radiator is damaged then there are three options.

  1. You can simply try a radiator sealer which you just follow the manufacturers instructions and pour into your system.  These chemicals tend to have mixed results and will certainly not work with a large leak.  Personally my experience of these products is one of dissapointment.
  2. Re-core.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with having your radiator re-cored.  Other than the cost!!  You can ring for a quote, but this tends to be an expensive process and usually only worthwhile with a large or expensive radiator.
  3. Replace with a new radiator.  The radiators for the MF135 are produced in sufficiently large numbers to make them quite cheap to buy in comparrison with a re-core.  Compare radiator prices.

Posted in Parts | Leave a Comment »

Water Temperature Gauge, Massey Ferguson 135

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on January 6, 2010

The water temperature gauges can sometimes go wrong and a replacement is necessary. If you are looking to maintain originallity then you will probaby need to look for a second hand gauge, as the outer detailing is often different to the original.

New gauges are not expensive at approximately £12. If yours in broken then replacing it is definately a good idea, as a boiling engine can warp the head and create a lot of expense. Check to make sure your radiator is clean. If it is clogged with dirt then it will need blowing out with an airline. If an airline will not move the dirt then you may need to remove the radiator and pressure hose the dirt out. Just be careful if you are pressure hosing the radiator. The fins are very delicate and you do not want to damage the core.

Other things to check are the thermostat, water pump and the flow of water through the radiator. If you take off the bottom hose and fill the top from a hosepipe then the flow of water through the radiator whould be able to take the water from the hosepipe without it backing up and spilling out of the filler (that’s an approximate guide). Also check the radiator cap – the rubber seal should be intact and serviceable, otherwise the presure (and hence temperature of the water) will be incorrect.

Posted in Parts | 5 Comments »

Turnip Harvesting, MF135

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on January 6, 2010

One of the good things about the 135 is that it’s really positive with the steering. This is very useful when doing rowcrop work, such as the swede harvesting in this video. I think the harvester is a Boswell Turnip Harvester, but correct me if I’m wrong.

As we can see,the standard tyres fit between the rows without the need to put rowcrop wheels on and the lightweight tractor will travel in most conditions. The 135 is still been used today for many jobs on the farm, 45 years after its introduction.

Posted in Video | Leave a Comment »

Having Fun On A MF 135

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on January 6, 2010

One of the reasons we all love our 135’s is because they are just so good to drive. When I am in the seat I just feel so connected with the tractor and the land; It’s hard to describe what I mean, but hopefully you will understand. This video of a Massey Ferguson 135 really brought home to me just what fun these little tractors are. And boy, is this guy having fun.

A good snowy winter scene with a blade mouned on the back of the tractor. In fact the blade looks like a reasonable weight to have stuck out some distance so that the front end of the 135 is light-on (as we say in our part of the world). One foot on the brake and it’s fun time!

Posted in Video | 1 Comment »

Massey Ferugoson 135, Stuck In Bog

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on January 6, 2010

I was surfing Youtube today and what was I looking at? The Massey Ferguson 135 videos of course. There’s quite a few videos on there of our favourite little red tractor, but one in particular caught my eye. The 135 in this video is hauling a trailer across a boggy landscape.

The tractor is well equipped for the job. It has dual wheels on and is pulling a trailer that also has duals and quite large diameter tyres with a self-cleaning tractor style cleat. What I noticed is that when we get the camera shot of the clevis-type drawbar, we can see there is a ground sped pto drive to the trailer wheels. This rig is clearly put together to work in these boggy conditions, and we see the back axle of the loaded trailer go down on one occasion. Then all of a sudden, the driver loses the front wheels of the tractor in a wet hole.

We can now see how boggy the land is, and how capable the tractor/trailer combination is at traversing this landscape. The driver tries to reverse out of the bog, but the front wheels just remain completely burried for what must be 15-20 meters. It just shows how good the 135 is with the duals at staying on top of the turf. I think they need wider wheels at the front to reduce the ground pressure, or maybe a driven front axle.

This film just goes to show how useful and versatile the MF135 is. No wander they are still been used as work horses today all over the world.

This tractor and trailer combination reminds me of another similar rig I saw recently. This time it was a Ford 8210, front wheels removed and connected to a stone cart via an artic chassis. The rear wheels on the stone cart were driven by the ground speed pto of the 8210. The machine was been used for backfilling, working alongside a Mastenbroek trencher laying drainage pipe in some peaty soils. The drainage contractor said the cart was superb in wet conditions and the driver was pretty skilled at hiting the stone chute of the trencher. I know it wasn’t a Massey, but it was an interesting machine to see working.

Posted in Video | 1 Comment »

Massey Ferguson 135 Radiator Hose Kit

Posted by The 135 Webmaster on January 5, 2010

The only thing to be aware of when ordering your radiator hose kit is that they are different for the straight and swept axle versions.

Many hoses are now perished and in need of replacement. Thankfully the hoses aren’t that expensive and some kits come with the necessary clips. If you wish to keep the originallity of your tractor then you should save (or try and source) the proper spring clips as opposed to using a jubilee clip. There is nothing wrong with using a jubilee clip from a useability point of view.  Kits contain top,bottom, bypass and inlet hose.

Posted in Parts | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

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