Massey Harris 55 Diesel fuel filters and HP?

[Leonard Mo Molberg]

I have two old MH55D tractors - one of which is still being occasionally used. The other one is a parts tractor because the block is completely cracked and shot. Both have Bosch fuel injection pumps.

At one time it was my primary farming tractor for about 80 dryland acres.

I have no idea of what year they were built - I would guess somewhere between 1946 and 1955?

Can anyone help me on what I need or where to get the proper fuel filters for this tractor? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The running one quit the other day, starved for fuel, and it appeared that the primary filter would not pass any fuel. Imagine my surprise when I took off the bowl and there was NO ELEMENT inside, and it was all full of "gunk". As I was roading it at the time, I cleaned it up as best as possible, then blew back through the lines into the tank with a little bit of compressed air I had in a portable tank. Then I was able to pump the fuel into the secondary filter and through the bleeder plug and restart the tractor to get it home.

I have, however, no idea of what filter element should go in there. It appears to only be about an inch and a half in diameter and maybe only two to two and a half inches long, and is held in by a cup shaped flanged knurled nut on a long threaded rod, which also holds the bowl on at the bottom.

The secondary (final) fuel filter appears to be a sealed can which has threaded fittings top and bottom and a bleed screw at the top. It is held near the injection pump with a bracket, definitely it is not a "spin on" filter!

NAPA auto parts here seems to be good at finding obscure items, but they did not have anything listed for the Massey Harris 55 Diesel, and another listing we thought might be good was of no help, the filters being entirely different.

Though they are only about 30 serial numbers apart, the two tractors are quite differently equipped. The one not running has a place on the front of the engine block for a gear driven hydraulic pump (which is missing, unfortunately) and the other one has no provision for one. One has 18.4 (15) x 34 tires, the other running one has 23.1 x 26 (if I remember correctly. There was a Massey dealer in a town near here some years ago and they had a brand new hydraulic pump on the shelf to fit the parts tractor (which was running well at the time) but they wanted something over 800 bucks (20 years go?) for it and though I'm sure it eventually went into a dumpster, they would not consider dropping the price one bit. It was twice as much as I paid for the tractor! I added a 12 volt hydraulic lift-gate type pump to the tractor to lift an implement with a single acting cylinder.

Also, does anyone have any records of the stated or tested horsepower for these tractors?

Thank you all for bearing with me on this.

Leonard

 

[Anonymous-0]

strange you say about napa not having filters, anyway you can get an owners/shop book from Jensales, I bought one highly useful , had amongst other things filter #, that funny cartridge filter I changed mine out as had been an original, Counter Has ROUGHLY 3,000 HOURS, STILL WORKS TOO! , did the rubber over with new Michlien tires & wokes even better, no lquid load , but steel instead, Did all the fluids, front to back, have had starting troubles in cold, nothing new with this tractor as the heater sucks up battery life easily, so charger is necessary after glowing it. mines a 555 last year production , in terriffic shape almost hate to paint it, the engine is the same its a continental diesel with a psb bosh injection sysem, & energuy cells, Its quiter than my 03 chev truck with the iszu diesel as well!, Pulls like a champ plowing or discing, have used it on my 1034 hay wagon, a little much because of the wagons weight loaded but just be smart enought to throttle back, anticipating down hill runs with a full load on, In other words you've got to know how to drive without wrecking it. Nice Tractor, used them in wester Canada years ago, for utility work in the fields & general all around stuff on the farm, very heavy too, Look around sure you'll find your filters, sorry haven't got my books at hand at the moment, but not to dispair they are out there, the engine if i remember is a J382 Continental.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Hi Leonard, The HP of a 55D is 52.49 Nebraska.
Production was 46-55 although the diesel didn't
start until 1949. I do have manuals if you need.
Parts no's. are easier to cross reference than
models. The fuel filters are not all the same.
There is 2 stage,3 stage,and after s/n 14731?
they have fram or zenith. Would need more info to
give you a p/n. Lots of changes in these and other
areas at s/n 1000l. Chuck

 

[Leonard Mo Molberg]

Thanks, Bill - I understood the engine to be a 382, but I thought Massey built it themselves. As I remember hearing, it was the same block as used on the gasoline model, and was a bit weak, which would explain why the other tractor cracked from sleeve to sleeve and oil and coolant seem to now be interchangeable!. I don't think I've had it running for at least 15 years now.

Wasn't the 555 made under the Massey Ferguson name? I'm going to look up my serial numbers today when I go out there to do other things. I'm working on a big 50 x 100 foot shop building to work on things in. Huge project and I'm trying to do the lion's share without help :-(

It also explains why I'm so d-----d broke and have to go back to work which also makes getting the building finished more difficult. I'm getting too old for this.


Leonard

 

[Leonard Mo Molberg]

Thanks Bill. I really appreciate your info on the HP and years of production, etc. I will look up those serial numbers today when I go out there to work on my building project (If you're interested, see photos of my new workshop progress at:

http://nnalert.com/2cvlby

You'll find an interesting adaptation of an M Farmall there as well!

However, if you wish, we could take this offlist if you would like and you could reply to

[email protected].

I'll try to get a digital photo or two of the "offending" filter housing.

I have an original book for the 55K but not the 55D, which I've not yet found, but these days the building project has me so broke that I'm going back to work on Monday after being "self unemployed" since 1984...that ought to be interesting working for someone else again. The last new job I started was in 1969!

But that building project got out of hand, foundation and concrete wise, and has me "too poor to pay attention", but finally it is beginning to look like something is possible to finish before I die! It's about ready for the side and roof sheathing which means that we won't have any more calm days without wind, I guess.

Regards and thanks again,

Leonard

 

[Anonymous-0]

the 50 was made at the time of transition to include the ferguson name, & this was reflected in the shape of the tin on the tractor, the 555 was made under the massey harris name plate, as i recall as a youngster, remember many discusions about this amongst older people . . Both the 55 & 555 are almost identical,they were made redundant about the time of the intoduction of the freguson name as well. think the big difference is the starting circut 6 to 12 volts & postive ground too. the primary fuel filter on mine is nothing more than a fine mesh .. sort of a water seperator, has a glass bowl too. I use synthetic oil in mine Recently came into about 200 gallons of mobile SHC 120, so put it to use, this sumer, got the oil from work as we shifted from mobile to shell, & this was redundant , i was told to do as i pleased with it!! belive it...It works well on my machine even starts easier, but we'll see in the fall when its down around 32 , but its a fine machine to bad parts are hard to come by as both are orphans, lots of power & weight for a 60 hp tractor. the engine yes it was theirs from continental, with a bosch fuel injection system, former gas engine built as a diesel, similar to what wakashau was doing then, as compared to todays they are weaker, but compared to the detroit engines, you can run this tractor & not go stone deaf at the same time, nice to have on hot days, can even talk around it when its running & still be heard. I've a questin too. there is a lever on the transmissin case that you have to pull up when going in & outt of gear... Why is this there!? don't remember this on models i ran in saskatchewan!?

 

[Leonard Mo Molberg]

My tractors have American Bosch fuel injection pumps...the manuals for sale show Peter S. Bosch FI pumps - which I believe are quite different, so I think my tractors are older versions. The running one is serial number 55DSH-1189. It has an oval ID tag. The one not running is #55DSH-1231, only 42 numbers apart, yet it has quite a few details that are different, and has a rectangular ID tag.
They have different size wheels and tires on the rear, and the #1231 had provisions for a hydraulic pump which, unfortunately was removed when the tractor was being used with an implement that had no need for hydraulics. Unfortunately, the previous owner died and the pump never got back with the tractor when it went up for auction.
It also had a PTO, but I since removed it and put it on the #1189.

Both seem to have the same filter setup, so I will take the bowl off the non-running tractor and see what is in there.

The more I think about the past, I remember the MF dealers telling me that the engine was made by Continental, and I should go to them for parts. Continental told me that it was a Massey Harris design and I should go to them for parts. Both were "passing the buck".

Still, I have a useful, if not modern, machine and when I get the shop up, a coat of paint is on the list of things to do. Also, I have a full sized backhoe attachment that is too big for a 3 point mount, so I may bolt it firmly on the Massey and use the PTO for a direct driven hydraulic pump.

As to being quiet...that is up for discussion. I spent a couple days on a more modern JD tractor, and there are so many nice features these days, not the least of which was a quiet air-conditioned cab with a radio where I could listen to classical music while running a 165 hp tractor. Now that's maybe odd for an old farmer/blacksmith/machinist, but I have a lot of ecclectic background which included a lot of musical training, singing in opera companies, playing trumpet professionaly, etc. so I guess I'm somewhat of an oddball?

It also had many other creature comforts we never had in years past. I farmed for many years with an old Model L case, so I never got used to these things, but today I'll take my creature comforts whenever I can, especially the power steering and hydraulic assisted turning brakes, cab, etc. for my regular farming duties. Nostalgia is fine, and I enjoy my old machines at times, but not for my daily routine, thank you!

Leonard

 

[Anonymous-0]

Myself much the same love those new ones & drive them with as much care as well, notible differences betwween the more modern tractors with a pc as opposed to my 1080 , or even the 555 massey harris, with the older ones you have to really know how to drive in the fields, newer ones a great deal of that is gone, The other tractor I use is a Valtra, bought from up in Quebec, its an A series 90 horse 4/4, no troubles with it at all, cost me 40,000 . Its a second hand unit but in winter on the blower, goes through anything even last winter up here in New York, did my whole road & even got the municiple plow out of a bad situiation as well., love the new stuff as much as my old ones drive them with great care & respect for what they are.