MF135 - Live or Independent PTO & Hydraulics creep?

[snowcat]

Hi,

I have what I believe is a Canadian 1968 MF135 Deluxe model with pressure-control, diff lock and light dimmer switch with backlit gauges. The information / serial number plate is long gone so identification is tough.

The tractor was maintained and cared for very well until the last few years - the last owner or two did not take care of it like the first owner did, and some things no longer work as they ought to, and I have no reference for how a well maintained 135 with the same specs should behave.

1) The 3pt hitch hydraulics creep down pretty quick with heavy implements attached. My disc harrows will go from fully raised to sitting on the ground in about a minute. Pulling them back up again works fine and they raise quickly. The front end loader does not creep down nearly as quickly as the 3pt, but it does creep down. The 3pt creep-down is frustrating when trying to plow, or using a snowblower..! It takes a lot of fiddling to keep the implement at the right height.

Someone installed remote hydraulics levers that sit between the operator's legs and these levers are how the hydraulics are controlled. As far as I can tell, the draft / pressure control quadrant to the right of the seat doesn't do anything anymore. There are no obvious leaks / dripping that I can see. There is a home-made cabin built over the tractor, including a floor, which makes opening up inspection ports or following lines a bit tricky. Any ideas or recommended starting points?

2) How do I determine if my PTO is a live or independent PTO? The lever is slightly towards the nose on mine. Moving it around doesn't appear to do anything. The PTO constantly spins regardless of where the PTO lever is, and whether the tractor is stopped or moving. Pressing the clutch pedal doesn't seem to have any effect on the PTO lever nor PTO rotation. The PTO seems to have plenty of strength - it operates my snowblower just fine. I haven't tried anything more demanding on the PTO yet.

 

[Jim.ME]

(quoted from post at 22:24:14 06/14/23) Hi,

I have what I believe is a Canadian 1968 MF135 Deluxe model with pressure-control, diff lock and light dimmer switch with backlit gauges. The information / serial number plate is long gone so identification is tough.

The tractor was maintained and cared for very well until the last few years - the last owner or two did not take care of it like the first owner did, and some things no longer work as they ought to, and I have no reference for how a well maintained 135 with the same specs should behave.

1) The 3pt hitch hydraulics creep down pretty quick with heavy implements attached. My disc harrows will go from fully raised to sitting on the ground in about a minute. Pulling them back up again works fine and they raise quickly. The front end loader does not creep down nearly as quickly as the 3pt, but it does creep down. The 3pt creep-down is frustrating when trying to plow, or using a snowblower..! It takes a lot of fiddling to keep the implement at the right height.

Someone installed remote hydraulics levers that sit between the operator's legs and these levers are how the hydraulics are controlled. As far as I can tell, the draft / pressure control quadrant to the right of the seat doesn't do anything anymore. There are no obvious leaks / dripping that I can see. There is a home-made cabin built over the tractor, including a floor, which makes opening up inspection ports or following lines a bit tricky. Any ideas or recommended starting points?

2) How do I determine if my PTO is a live or independent PTO? The lever is slightly towards the nose on mine. Moving it around doesn't appear to do anything. The PTO constantly spins regardless of where the PTO lever is, and whether the tractor is stopped or moving. Pressing the clutch pedal doesn't seem to have any effect on the PTO lever nor PTO rotation. The PTO seems to have plenty of strength - it operates my snowblower just fine. I haven't tried anything more demanding on the PTO yet.

Remove the inspection plate under the clutch, look inside and see which one it has. Post a picture if you don't know which it is.

A picture of your PTO control lever may help.

Hydraulic leak down may be sealing component wear in both the 3 point and the loader cylinders.

Have you acquired the Operator's and service manuals for your 135 yet? Those could help you figure things out. The Operator's manual shows the difference in the PTO lever arrangements. The service manual will have info on hydraulic checks which will help guide you with any suggestions received. I just got a set from AGCOpubs.com for a 245 for about $80. They sell the service manuals as assemblies or packets. The assembly costs more as they put it in a 3 ring binder. The packet costs less as you get just the pages and dividers to put in your own three ring binder. And shipping is less than for the assembly.

This post was edited by Jim.ME on 06/15/2023 at 03:38 am.

 

[Bob N.Y.]

There is a leak in the hydraulic system somewhere between the pump and the cylinder. It will be difficult to locate with the homemade cab in the way. The problem could be the o-rings on the standpipe that goes from the pump up to the remote valve, the o-ring between the top cover and the cylinder or the cylinder itself. From your description of the PTO, I would say that it is Independent PTO. It is possible that the discs in the clutch pack are warped and that is why the PTO will not disengage.

 

[miangus]

Since you have a loader and are using the valve/levers on the center housing to control the lift you will get some drop in the lift. Try centering the right lever and locking the left lever back, remove the position control from the constant pumping position and see if it will control the lift. Running a loader and the lift using the internal pump is an interesting task. With regards to the PTO, it should not run when the selector lever is in neutral. The clutch peddle may be in the low position if the previous owner didn't use the PTO much. With the clutch peddle in the high position the PTO should stop when the clutch is depressed to the floorboard. If it has not been used much you may need to put a load on it to get it to stop. A load like a brush hog in the grass, not your hand.