New to me MF 135 - need advice on getting it running

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New member here.....I'm buying a property that has a MF 135 (and mower) included in the deal. I don't know a thing about it, nor have I been able to get any info on its history. I'll assume it hasn't been running and has been sitting for quite some time. The good news is that at least it was in a shed and not completely exposed to the elements.

I have to snap these pictures quick as we were running short on time during the inspection. Any comments on what exactly I have here? Gas, diesel? Looks like a MF loader?

I'm also looking for suggestions on what to do to get it running, or attempt to do so.
Drain & refill fuel
Change spark plugs (gas engine)
Drain/refill engine oil
I've got a 12V battery from my boat I can borrow for a bit
?

Thanks!
 

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If it has spark plugs then it's a gas, if not then diesel. Sitting for more than a year is not a good thing but it can be running again. It "appears" to be in decent shape, tires are up, which is worth a lot. Either way there's a lot of stuff that needs to be done. I would NOT even attempt to start it without evaluating what condition it's in. If gas you can bet the carb is gummed up, if diesel there are probably parts of the injection pump that are stuck and may cause damage just turning it over. Look for a mouse/rat's nest in the air cleaner. Get a 135 Operator's Manual and READ it ALL and you'll be miles ahead when you begin the journey to getting it running. That is a really TOUGH tractor so you "may" get away with getting it going sooner than later. Let us know what you find out.
 
Thanks for the info.

I’ll know more once we close on the property but that’s a few weeks away.
I did find a copy of the manual so I’ll be reading that cover to cover in the meantime.

Is it easy enough to remove the loader? It seems like it would be a lot easier to work on without that in the way.
 
Getting that loader off would not be easy on a GOOD day, let alone with the tractor not running. However, if I were doing it that would probably be first on my list considering you know nothing of the history and/or possible problems even after you get it to run. At the very least get the tractor away from the loader boom and bucket. You can probably work around the frame, for openers at least. The hydraulic plumbing looks pretty ugly in regard to an "easy disconnect", but without seeing more of it, one can only hope it might not be all that bad.
 
MF 135 ( circa 1968-1974) used 3 different engines, 4 cyl gas Continental, 3 cyl Perkins diesel, and fairly rare is a gas 3cyl Perkins engine. The 135 is rated as the best small tractor MF ever built. The complete service manual is available from any MF dealership, do not buy one off Amazon!
The owners manual is very complete and should suffice for anything but a major overhaul or restoration. My nephew just rebuilt my MF 135 gas Perkins engine, it blew a head gasket and filled the cylinders with coolant. Took him 2 weeks to perform a major engine overhaul after coming home from work.
The loader is basically a permanent-mount, it will require an overhead lift to remove from a non-running tractor.
It will require a new 12V battery, turn off the fuel valve above the glass sediment bowl, place a catch pan under the valve then drain all gas fuel-if diesel fuel, brain until all water is drained out, then replace sediment bowl.
A diesel should then start, The tractor gas engines require 93 octane gas per owners manual-no ethanol, carb should also be drained. Speaking of carbs the 3-cyl perkins Zenith carb has a 12V fuel shutoff solenoid that is NLA, handle with care.
 
Blowing up one of your pictures and doing some adjustment it looks like a choke knob is visible to the lower right of the steering column. A shut off cable for a diesel would be on the left. So, you may have a gas engine. If it is gas you will need to determine if it is the 4-cylinder Continental or the 3-cylinder Perkins.

The manual does call out "regular grade gasoline (93 octane gas minimum). Things have changed some since those manuals were written, for fuel and oils. While the specified gas would be good to use, I know of a number of these running on 87 E10 with no problems (very few stations have even 91 octane non-ethanol around here), so don't let that cause you heartburn, if you can't get the recommended gas. A properly adjusted engine won't have a problem.

The electric fuel shut off solenoids for carburetors were used to prevent "run on/dieseling" that can happen when the key is turned off and a hot engine continues to pull gas through the carb as it is stopping rotation. Slowing to an idle and giving the engine a couple minutes to stabilize before turning off can reduce/prevent that. The solenoids are in the $125 to $175 price range. There are plain old mechanical adjustable jets available to replace them in the $50 price range, so those are not an issue if they fail. I have replaced solenoids on some and put jet kits on others. This site has the mechanical jet parts and may have the solenoids. Many carb shops have them as well.

The 135 is a good tractor and parts are readily available. As Ray,IN posted, the loader is not an easy thing to remove, especially if the tractor is not running. You can work around it for most things, just not as easy as a tractor without a loader. If you decide to remove the loader you need to remove the front pump as well since the oil reservoir is in the loader frame. And do not leave the pump drive connected and plug of the hoses to/from the pump. That can destroy the pump.
 
New member here.....I'm buying a property that has a MF 135 (and mower) included in the deal. I don't know a thing about it, nor have I been able to get any info on its history. I'll assume it hasn't been running and has been sitting for quite some time. The good news is that at least it was in a shed and not completely exposed to the elements.

I have to snap these pictures quick as we were running short on time during the inspection. Any comments on what exactly I have here? Gas, diesel? Looks like a MF loader?

I'm also looking for suggestions on what to do to get it running, or attempt to do so.
Drain & refill fuel
Change spark plugs (gas engine)
Drain/refill engine oil
I've got a 12V battery from my boat I can borrow for a bit
?

Thanks!
In the pictures it appears to be an exhaust pipe and muffler on the right side of the tractor and on the left side the power steering hose from the steering indicates this tractor has the 4 cylinder Continental engine.
 
There is one gasket/part that is NLA, the intake manifold gasket for the gasoline Perkins engine. If you must remove the intake manifold, exercise great care not to destroy the OEM gasket, then you can use it for a template to make new intake gaskets. A new intake gasket is not included in the complete engine overhaul gasket kits.
 
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Would there be anything wrong with spraying everything down with a degreaser and a light pressure washing prior to embarking on the work?
I would cover up the alternator, distributor, and intake. Any other areas of concern relative to water?

I find it’s always nicer to work on something clean and generally results in a better outcome as well relative to gaskets and fuel system cleanliness.
 
Would there be anything wrong with spraying everything down with a degreaser and a light pressure washing prior to embarking on the work?
I would cover up the alternator, distributor, and intake. Any other areas of concern relative to water?

I find it’s always nicer to work on something clean and generally results in a better outcome as well relative to gaskets and fuel system cleanliness.
Nothing wrong with cleaning it before working on it, in fact that is a good plan. Just use care not to drive water and soap into openings with a pressure washer. I pressure wash mine as needed. Remember many tractors have to set outside in all weather, depending on where they are being used or available storage space.

I agree with tldnc. I think you will find it has the four-cylinder Continental gas engine, given the exhaust pipe visible on the right side in your pictures. The Perkins exhaust was on the left side.

 
Ok, another update.

Here are some pictures I just took. It's a 4 cylinder. Serial number is SGNM641022262. Based on the list I found online, does that make it a 1967?

Based on the pictures can anyone tell me more about it? Which transmission it has?

Thanks!

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It looks like a 1966 by the serial number. 1966 numbers started with 641014871 and your serial number is after that. In 1967 the serial number range started with number 9A10001, your serial number is not the format used in 1967 and after.

I believe the SGM stands for Standard, utility chassis, Gasoline, M= Dual clutch. You didn't include any engine pictures, to see if our previous guesses were correct or not.

For the transmission, your pictures show R-1-2-3 under the gear shift lever and L-S-H (low-start-high) under the range shift lever. (The slot in the dash where the Multipower lever would be is blanked so no Multipower.) Your tractor has what is commonly called the 6-speed transmission (it has 6 forward gears and 2 reverse).

Those numbers that are cast into the housings identify a cast component that may have been used on hundreds or thousands of machines. They are not serial numbers, in many cases they are not even used for part numbers as the casting likely needed machining to be used, so the part number was assigned after that process was finished.
 
Thanks for the info. That should give me more specific direction on what I should be reading up on.

The guesses were correct; it’s a 4 cylinder. I did include one picture above showing the Z145A cast into the block near the oil pan.
 
Thanks for the info. That should give me more specific direction on what I should be reading up on.

The guesses were correct; it’s a 4 cylinder. I did include one picture above showing the Z145A cast into the block near the oil pan.
The engine should have a serial number tag on the left side near the rear just below the head/block interface.
 
The first thing is to drain the gas tank, then remove the sediment bowl and unscrew the bowl from the gas tank. Some had a screen on the top of the bowl casting that gets stopped up with crud. This is also the time to flush the gas tank.
You'll want to replace the shifter boots before getting it wet. Water can enter the transmission via the shifter connections. They're cheap on Amazon.
 
New member here.....I'm buying a property that has a MF 135 (and mower) included in the deal. I don't know a thing about it, nor have I been able to get any info on its history. I'll assume it hasn't been running and has been sitting for quite some time. The good news is that at least it was in a shed and not completely exposed to the elements.

I have to snap these pictures quick as we were running short on time during the inspection. Any comments on what exactly I have here? Gas, diesel? Looks like a MF loader?

I'm also looking for suggestions on what to do to get it running, or attempt to do so.
Drain & refill fuel
Change spark plugs (gas engine)
Drain/refill engine oil
I've got a 12V battery from my boat I can borrow for a bit
?

Thanks!
Crack the transmission drain plugs and check for water. If water freezes in there and you attempt running it you’ll find yourself replacing the hydraulic pump in the transmission. Not a terrible job but best to keep water(condensation) from causing problems.
 
In the pictures it appears to be an exhaust pipe and muffler on the right side of the tractor and on the left side the power steering hose from the steering indicates this tractor has the 4 cylinder Continental engine.
So does the key switch on the left side. Other wise it would be choke (perkins gas), fuel shut-off/engine stop (perkins diesel).
 
Ok, a couple more pics from today. Didn’t have much time as we were moving a lot of things.

I did open the hood and noticed a gigantic mouse nest by the battery and intake. Man do those things stink! I hope they didn’t chew any of the wiring!

Hopefully I can get it out of the shed and into the barn to work on it before the snow flies.
 

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