Looking for a good MM tractor repair shop in Midwest

[crashman111]

I am looking for a Minneapolis-Moline-specific tractor repair shop or list of shops that are STILL in business (2026). I need someone who is excellent at MMs and is located in the the vicinity of Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, or Eastern Iowa. I am OK with a great "shade tree mechanic" (they don't have to be a specific business), as long as they specialize in MM tractors. The more options anyone would like to list, the better. I have a late 60's model that I need some help with.

Any and all suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

 

[Ill John]

Be nice to know what you're working on. There are a lot of great MM mechanics in our area. No one is an "expert" in all facets of MM, while we all have some "expert" knowledge in our own smaller field. Also if you can narrow it down, maybe someone who has the skills you're in need of lives close to you. Not address, just a less general area than 3 states.

 

[crashman111]

My apologies for being rather vague on details. The word "expert" may have been the wrong one to use, sorry. I just meant someone who knows what they are doing; the knowledge that comes with the years of experience so many on this forum have.

I have a 1969 M670 Super Gas I have posted about in the past (in fact, earlier this month you were the only one to reply and I thank you for that). I have had the tractor for 26 years; am the second owner. For vast majority of those 26 years, the tractor has always run very smoothly UNTIL about an hour into any operation, after it is warmed up good (usually using it in the summer, so actually hot), it begins to sputter and stall-out once the even the slightest load is placed on it. Pulling a 1960s vintage hay baler, picking corn with a one-row picker, disking with a 10-ft disk, pulling a 7-ft Woods mower, etc, etc. As soon as it gets warmed up good and I hit even the slightest incline (not hill, I don't have any), as soon as the tractor has a load put on it, it begins to stutter and stall out. Over the years, when the problem has been described here or on other forums, I have received many great suggestions about what to look at, what to do, what might need replacing. It ALL has been done and then, within a couple of months, back to the same problem. So, although the suggestions have all been implemented in the past, I am not looking for suggestions from this post.

I have replaced darn near every component that has been suggested to me on this forum and others. I have taken it to at-least 3 or more different MM-specific mechanics over those years and spent more money than I care to remember having it fixed. If I listed everything I have done here on the forum, we would all fall asleep reading the list. I believe the tractor needs to be placed on a dyno and put under load after it is good and hot. To my knowledge, that has never been done.

Maybe that is more details than needed, which is why I kept my request rather broad. I have many other MM tractors, many that do not run well or at all. I am NOT a mechanic, so depend on others for their knowledge. Maybe that's why I used the word "expert". Again, sorry.

I live in NW IL., 60 miles south of the Wisconsin boarder, 20 miles east of the Iowa boarder, which is why I mentioned the geographic area so generally. I do not need someone to come to me; I will deliver the tractor to them.

Thank you.

 

[CraigWis]

I have heard about River Dale Farm in Princeton Wi.
They Do Mostly MM Tractors
They have a Web site that you can look up

 

[crashman111]

I have heard about River Dale Farm in Princeton Wi.
They Do Mostly MM Tractors
They have a Web site that you can look up

Thank you, Craig.

 

[Duane Kaufman]

I have heard about River Dale Farm in Princeton Wi.
They Do Mostly MM Tractors
They have a Web site that you can look up

I have had River Dale Farm rebuild 2 MMs (335, 445) and 1 Ford (840), and had a good experience with them.

Sincerely,
Duane Kaufman

 

[crashman111]

I have had River Dale Farm rebuild 2 MMs (335, 445) and 1 Ford (840), and had a good experience with them.

Sincerely,
Duane Kaufman

Thank you, Duane. I appreciate it.

 

[flmeredith]

I am gone to assume you replaced the coil ,you can do that yourself , but has anyone replaced the short wire that goes from the coil to the distibutor another easy thing to do, just throwing a couple ideas

 

[Duane Kaufman]

I am gone to assume you replaced the coil ,you can do that yourself , but has anyone replaced the short wire that goes from the coil to the distibutor another easy thing to do, just throwing a couple ideas

Speaking of items one might not suspect, last Spring my 335 started missing, and running like crap. I suspected a fuel problem, but nothing I did along those lines helped.
Eventually, it stopped running, and I could not start it - I had no spark. Changed points (which still looked OK) and condenser, and it popped right off and ran like a top.

Sincerely,
Duane

 

[lstra]

Condensers seem to be of poor quality now. Just that you replaced with a new condenser does not render a good one. If you still have the ignition condensed you took out, might try putting back in distributor again. Echlin and Standard parts seem to be better.

 

[rustred]

I am looking for a Minneapolis-Moline-specific tractor repair shop or list of shops that are STILL in business (2026). I need someone who is excellent at MMs and is located in the the vicinity of Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, or Eastern Iowa. I am OK with a great "shade tree mechanic" (they don't have to be a specific business), as long as they specialize in MM tractors. The more options anyone would like to list, the better. I have a late 60's model that I need some help with.

Any and all suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thank you in advance.

The make of the tractor makes no difference to a mechanic. Be it m m or Ihc. You need to have an experienced engine mechanic working on it. Couple suggestions ,… you need good fuel flow to the carb. Many time rust or junk plugs the stand pipe in the tank and then under load Your running out of gas. When was a complete major tune up done , which includes a valve setting ? Don’t have my eyes on it , but you need to find out if it’s fuel or electrical. Have you felt the coil when it’s sputtering or stops. If it’s hot it’s toast. And when it’s acting up removevthe gas line from the carb to see if you have full fuel flow , and not a lazy piddle.

 

[crashman111]

I am gone to assume you replaced the coil ,you can do that yourself , but has anyone replaced the short wire that goes from the coil to the distibutor another easy thing to do, just throwing a couple ideas

Thank you for the suggestion. I appreciate it.

 

[crashman111]

The make of the tractor makes no difference to a mechanic. Be it m m or Ihc. You need to have an experienced engine mechanic working on it. Couple suggestions ,… you need good fuel flow to the carb. Many time rust or junk plugs the stand pipe in the tank and then under load Your running out of gas. When was a complete major tune up done , which includes a valve setting ? Don’t have my eyes on it , but you need to find out if it’s fuel or electrical. Have you felt the coil when it’s sputtering or stops. If it’s hot it’s toast. And when it’s acting up removevthe gas line from the carb to see if you have full fuel flow , and not a lazy piddle.

Thank you for the suggestion. I appreciate it.

 

[rustred]

Thank you for the suggestion. I appreciate it.

and if i was in your are i would have have your problem fixed in a jiffy. probably a 24 of beer.

 

[moresmoke]

The make of the tractor makes no difference to a mechanic. Be it m m or Ihc. You need to have an experienced engine mechanic working on it. Couple suggestions ,… you need good fuel flow to the carb. Many time rust or junk plugs the stand pipe in the tank and then under load Your running out of gas. When was a complete major tune up done , which includes a valve setting ? Don’t have my eyes on it , but you need to find out if it’s fuel or electrical. Have you felt the coil when it’s sputtering or stops. If it’s hot it’s toast. And when it’s acting up removevthe gas line from the carb to see if you have full fuel flow , and not a lazy piddle.

I’ll add the fuel we get today can also be an issue. It works great in an auto adjusting fuel injection setup but can cause issues in old carburated tractors. I had a tractor that would die after a few minutes at heavy load. The fuel was boiling in the tank. Had to add a couple heat shields.

 

[rustred]

I’ll add the fuel we get today can also be an issue. It works great in an auto adjusting fuel injection setup but can cause issues in old carburated tractors. I had a tractor that would die after a few minutes at heavy load. The fuel was boiling in the tank. Had to add a couple heat shields.

What tractor would that be with boiling gas in the tank ???

 

[Duane Kaufman]

I’ll add the fuel we get today can also be an issue. It works great in an auto adjusting fuel injection setup but can cause issues in old carburated tractors. I had a tractor that would die after a few minutes at heavy load. The fuel was boiling in the tank. Had to add a couple heat shields.

We had that happen on a 1965 M670, plowing on a hot day. Tractor kept running OK, but it was disconcerting having gas boiling (and probably wasn't too good for the driver inhaling, depending on the wind direction).

Sincerely,
Duane

 

[J.Wondergem]

I had that happen too. A couple of years ago after bush hogging with my Cockshutt 540.