MF 165 = Comfortable

[LJS30]

Well guys today was the first time I've done a lot of discing with my 165 since I have tweaked the throttle. The throttle actually stayed in place pretty well although I do believe I will need to replace those cork washers that tighten the linkage soon. I went four hours straight and my back feels great and overall I have little fatigue. My Ford Powermaster 861 is nice but the metal seat is stiff and the 172 gas motor is nothing compared to the Perkins diesel on this tractor.

 

[Tony in Mass.]

I just took home a gas 65 couple weeks ago. Mine is hooked to the harrows too. It is loaded, and in top shape, so I feel like I indulged myself. It is the biggest massey I have, and the most comfortable I had since my AC 170, and easier to get up into, but as much room to stand up and look around in back, no reaching with hands or feet.... yep, our money's well spent huh?

 

[LJS30]

(quoted from post at 02:29:42 04/09/11) I just took home a gas 65 couple weeks ago. Mine is hooked to the harrows too. It is loaded, and in top shape, so I feel like I indulged myself. It is the biggest massey I have, and the most comfortable I had since my AC 170, and easier to get up into, but as much room to stand up and look around in back, no reaching with hands or feet.... yep, our money's well spent huh?

Your darn right it's money well spent. I really loved my 290 but this 165 is just so much more comfortable and seems to have just as much power.

 

[Roy in UK]

The 165 was a nice tractor. In fact all the "100" series Masseys were very good tractors . ( Nobody has ever said "Massey 135, what a load of rubbish!" have they? )I remember the 168 we had seemed to have far more power than the IH 674 we had and on paper, the IH was supposed to be 10 h.p. more. However, The 500 series Masseys did not seem as good as the old 100 series.

 

[Anonymous-0]

You really think no one has ever bashed the 135? Best selling tractor of any size in their day but that's only because they were lower priced, built cheaper and had less features etc., etc. than their competition. The only problem with that thinking is that it doesn't consider that 135's are still the most sought after tractors 45 years after their introduction! That says more about them than anyone's personal opinion. The MF 100 series as a whole were the best selling model line of tractors ever made.

 

[DavidP, South Wales]

Specification levels seem to be very different for UK and US tractors. There were some variations in the UK with probably the single cutch and petrol engined models being the major differences. The basis UK diesel was more than sufficient to meet UK demands. Its pedigree was based on the 3-cyl 35 with a few changes. In the early days options such as foot throttle, parking brake and hitching arrangements were options. Experience told MF which options their customers wanted and as the upgrade approached around 1970 most of these options were fitted as standard, flat top fenders being one. I don't think they were built cheaper in the UK. Generally the quality of build has stood the test of time. If you wanted a cheaper tractor in the early years you had the choice of the French-made 130. They were never popular in the UK due to engine issues and I believe being 'foreign' to existing users changing their 35's. In addition a lot more work could be done with the extra 15HP of the 135 and this certainly justified the extra initial cost. Even today some 45 years on the 135 has a place on most farms irrespective of their size. Demand for good 135's is still strong in the UK as a workhorse and a showpiece. Long live the 100 Series!!!!
DavidP, South Wales

 

[Anonymous-0]

I was at a tractor wrecker and they had scrapped 3 or 4 135's. It would be a shame if they were scrapped with only minor problems. I thought the 130 was also built in the UK, just never became popular?

 

[LJS30]

What look do you prefer David? The flat fenders or the clam shells?

 

[DavidP, South Wales]

Hi MF 135,
25,572 MF 130's came out of Beauvais in France between 1964 and 1972.
DavidP

 

[Anonymous-0]

I wonder how many are still running? There were around that many UK 135's built in 1965. LoL Any production numbers for 135's built in France?