Off Brand Equipment

palani · #1 04/25/08, 08:12 AM

Heard from a fellow the other day that a neighbor of his had broken a gear in the front axle of a MFWD Massey tractor. No spare parts available and the local machine shop did not have the equipment to make one. The job got sent to a shop in Chicago to have the gear custom made at a cost of over $1,000. He said the original gear appeared to have been made in England because of the dimensions.

Just curious how many here factor in the cost of repairs like this when they make buying decisions without considering repair costs down the line.

texican · #2 04/25/08, 11:28 AM

You dance with them exotic ladies, you come down with exotic 'ailments' occasionally...

I've got a Hesston... and luckily, the guy that sold it to my pa years ago, is still in business (not as a hesston dealer) and carries parts.

If I was getting into farming fulltime, I'd bite the bullet and get a Deere... they appreciate in value...

rambler · #3 04/25/08, 11:59 AM

Front wheel drivetrain parts are alomst all from Europe, and change every 15-20 years. They do not keep many spare parts on the shelf of the 'old' style. Very, very bad about that. Doesn't matter the brand of tractor you buy - USA or offshore - the front end drive trains are horrible to find parts for, and yes this should be factored into buying an older (not much older tho!) machine with fwd.

--->Paul

michiganfarmer · #4 04/25/08, 02:09 PM

this is good to know because I might be looking for a front wheel assist in the near future.

rambler · #5 04/25/08, 02:16 PM

Was at the tractor mechanic couple weeks ago, and he had a Ford TW-30 with fwa in. That is a 1980's era, not terribly old. No parts from New Holland, no after market parts available, mechanic said he seems to have found the last boneyard front differential in the USA after searching 2 weeks. NOW the shaft from front to back is different, so he needs to find the correct shaft - some are splined outside, some inside.... All this for a gubbered/ sheared short shaft.

He said too, didn't matter the color of the tractor, just how it is. The mechanical front ends on 60 hp and bigger tractors are a bear to find. Even the front wheel hubs on them are a real pain. Obsolete real fast.

I think the little tractors are about the same, but not so sure.

--->Paul

DaleK · #6 04/25/08, 07:49 PM

Yes some of the old MFWD parts are really hard to find. Not necessarily any more expensive though, they seem to just put the parts price on the newer tractors up to match so nobody gets left out. Last time we had to do the front hubs, gears on our 6400, the parts alone cost almost $11,000...

Before I buy anything I look at the parts book and how many custom parts are on it. Most of what I use is short-line equipment, but with most of it I can go to town and get parts at the automotive or industrial shops because they're using standard bearings, etc., unlike the bigger companies that have their own special parts.

haypoint · #7 04/25/08, 11:37 PM

25 years ago, a neighbor had a wheel bearing go on his Ford 2 wheel drive tractor. Dealer sent him the bearing but it didn't fit, thought it must have been an English made Ford. That didn't fit either. Seems like it was South Africa or some such thing. Looked the same, but each plant used bearings from their country.
My Russian made Belarus is made the same as it was 40 plus years ago. Sort of crude, but parts are cheap and easy to get.
Parts prices are crazy for some stuff. I wanted a muffler for my White 4-150. $500 new and $250 used. No way am I spending $250 for a used muffler! Even with high steel prices, I can build a muffler for a lot less than that.

**Ross** · #8 04/25/08, 11:40 PM

That's why I don't bother with MFWD but getting it fixed for $1000 bucks wasn't too bad. I snapped a drive shaft to the planetary on my old Belarus, $150 for a used shaft and we were airworthy. Haven't changed that front end much in 60 years.

Up North Louie · #9 04/26/08, 08:09 AM

I once pondered buying an Oliver with MFWD. It would have been nice, since the ground we work is challenging terrain with heavy clay soil. I ran it by a buddy, and he warned me off the idea for this very reason. It would have been an awful lot of money for the tractor-- over $12K as I recall.

I bought wheel weights instead for about $150. It was a pain to go get them, but gas was a lot cheaper then, and my time is pretty much worthless.

True, I don't have the go-devil 4-wheel would have given me, but I don't have to worry about it going south on me. I haven't [yet] found anything I can't do with weights and chains.

Don

Jolly · #10 04/26/08, 09:35 AM

I've got a 1973 Long 350.

If you have a UTB or Fiat built tractor, this guy has got parts (even sheet metal and dashes):

http://www.importtractorparts.net/

Gideon · #11 04/26/08, 05:24 PM

Blew a carrier bearing in my old 150 Crawler loader and it took me forever to find parts for the dinosaur. Seems everything I have is a "bastar-), no daddy anywhere-lol. About mufflers, I picked up some 8" thin walled stainless conduit and made several muflers for the trucks. They are still "hanging" around working fine. Most have been ran over but I just rehang them and keep on going. wc

Old Vet · #12 04/26/08, 08:44 PM

Try http://www.ssbtractor.com/tractor_parts.html and see if they don't have the parts. Some mechanics think that sine there are no delaers their are no parts.