Small tractor operation (Massey 165), any tips?/a few basic q's

B

Betsy Og

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About to take delivery of one of the above. Been about 20 years since I drove a tractor, and then it was only a Massey 35 (small as you can get, more or less).

The basics havent changed of course but I have a few questions (& coming from a farming backgrond I'm too embarassed to ask the guy I'm buying from (plus it'd be even clearer that I'm not too well up my subject .... with price implications !!)). I know I'll work all this out myself after a bit, but so as not to damage myself of the gear any tips are welcomed:

  1. Link bar - if thats the right name - the upper bar from the tractor to, say, the transport box. Should one of these do for all attachments (I know you can lenghten them by turning)? In terms of the right length or angle, I suppose its just what makes it easiest to connect up. To connect fit the 2 lifting arms first and then the link bar, lifting a little may help depending on the attachment.
  2. Connecting the PTO - theres the button on the side of the connector, press this and push in. Does this click into place, how do you know you are correct?, do you need to turn the shaft to get the particular spot or should it connect at any point on the pto? I know this is danger area #1 so tractor off for me. I
  3. Engaging the pto, in terms of operating the pto, clutch down and lever under the seat, but I gather its either on or off, or is there a few settings?
  4. Starting - it seems some need to be in double neutal before start (wasnt the case with the one long ago!).
  5. What the procedure for changing the hitch at the back, think theres a level that releases it down.
  6. Hydraulic hoses, never used these, theres one on the tractor I'm buying but will rarely need it. Do the hoses just plug in or is there any knack to getting a good connnection?
  7. Anything else to be known?
Will be mainly topping fields & moving stuff from A to B in a transport box or front loader.
 
Have you not agreed the price already? Swallow your pride and ask him for basic instructions, even pay him for an hour or two of his time, if only for the sake of ensuring your own safety in operating the thing.
 
Betsy Og,
Congrats in the 165 a fine machine and not all that small either.
1, Top link, one will do
2, Push botton, and rotate PTO until the slot closest to tractor is lined up with coupling your putting on, push in all the way, best to have a bit of greese makes it run easyer, and let off the botton, should hear a click where the pin engages with pto shaft.
3. On a 165 only one two settings go and no go..!
4. Double neutral and depress the cluch.
5. Pick-up hitch... Fancy...!
6. Hydraulics just plug in, if it ain't in correctly it won't work..
7. Drive her like you stole her... Check brakes work before any major work.

Now keep an eye out for tractor runs...!
 
One other (probably useless) tip, if there is a tractor club in your area, ask some of their members for help. They should be delighted to help.
 
ubiquitous said:
One other (probably useless) tip, if there is a tractor club in your area, ask some of their members for help. They should be delighted to help.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they all meet at the creamery every morning, you have to have a small bulk tank to be cool though. The big knobs have the lorry come direct to the farm.

If you're a bit mad they so meet ups at the local garage at 11pm to do donuts, you get drive by turf throwings where 2 lads sitting on a bale of hay throws sods out of the transport box.......
 
Betsy Og said:
Yeah, they all meet at the creamery every morning, you have to have a small bulk tank to be cool though ...
Click to expand...
There's progress for you.

In my day it was Neddy hitched to a two-wheeled cart with big silver milk cans on top (referred to as "churns" by the non-cognoscenti).
 
jmrc said:
Betsy Og,
Congrats in the 165 a fine machine and not all that small either.
Click to expand...

Ditto - They are a nice machine- easy to repair/service and parts are readily available. 165 has plenty of power. If its a Multi-power model even better again!

jmrc said:
3. On a 165 only one two settings go and no go
Click to expand...

Does the PTO not have two settings- 1. stops turning when tractor not in motion & 2. constant turning of PTO when tractor is not in motion; running a cement mixer or pit agitator.

Give the hydraulic lift a thorough trial as well; draught and position levers. Ideally have a box or a bit of weight on it when doing this.

Check the handbrake; notorious for getting stuck.

Check the Diff-lock pedal operates correctly ( under your right heel;can be hard to see from seat. Its nearly back near the axle.)

Check the fan blade for cracks/dettrimental wear. I had one disintegrate on a 135 & it did quite a bit of damage.

Oil leaks should be evident quickly so start her up and let her idle for a while. Check all water pipes at the front.

Go through the full range of gears.

Thats all I can think of for the minute!! Enjoy it they are a great machine!!
 
Betsy Og said:
Yeah, they all meet at the creamery every morning, you have to have a small bulk tank to be cool though. The big knobs have the lorry come direct to the farm.

If you're a bit mad they so meet ups at the local garage at 11pm to do donuts, you get drive by turf throwings where 2 lads sitting on a bale of hay throws sods out of the transport box.......
Click to expand...

:confused:

There are genuine tractor clubs in many/most rural areas. Members are generally part-time or ex-farmers who enjoy running & maintaining tractors for recreational use.
 
ubiquitous said:
:confused:

There are genuine tractor clubs in many/most rural areas. Members are generally part-time or ex-farmers who enjoy running & maintaining tractors for recreational use.
Click to expand...

jeez I dunno, I've never heard of one. Can you imagine the cringe factor of pottering along to one and just about knowing your This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language from your elbow. Fair play to our good contributors on the site, they've sorted me out on my few queries. Thanks guys.

Lucky enough the guy I'm buying off makes a good job of them so I'm not anticipating any great mechanical trouble (especially as I wont be working it too hard) - I know guys who bought similar machines off him in the last 10 years and they never looked back.
 
Betsy Og said:
jeez I dunno, I've never heard of one.
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Then why were you so quick to mock my (genuine) suggestion? :)
Betsy Og said:
Can you imagine the cringe factor of pottering along to one and just about knowing your This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language from your elbow.
Click to expand...

The members of the local vintage tractor club in my area include some people who have never worked a day on a farm since they were children. I doubt if they're all experts.
 
ubiquitous said:
Then why were you so quick to mock my (genuine) suggestion? :)
Click to expand...

Ah twas just an excuse to throw in a bit of craic. I often thought the likes of Killinaskully would do a scene where rival "gangs" would cruise by in transport boxes wearing different colour bandana's & shades and looking menacing. ;)
 
Just a note to say the delivery was fine and driver and machine are doing well ;)

I'll looking forward to when I can take the front loader off it (when have a few specific jobs done), it makes its cumbersome in small spaces.

Got a few tips when it was delivered and ordered the operator manual, should keep me out of trouble. Pity the delivery was held up during the fine weather as now cant really go on the land, but most of my initial jobs are roadside/yard jobs.

So a bit more relaxed 'open field driving' to come in the Spring WTHOG.
 
How do you post a photo?

I might wait until I get her "pimped up" fully, though in fairness to the guy I bought it from he gave it a drop of red paid so it doesnt look too bad as is.
 
Any other typical problems/quick fixes like this one?

Updates:

All well. Have replaced a front tyre (punctured, worn to bits before I bought it so could see that coming).
Also replaced the battery - was only giving 1 good turn before dropping back. Not great for an irregular user of the machine (say twice a week). Got a heavy duty one to be sure to be sure!

Main problem was not starting (even though new battery turning it over and over and over and over). Was starting to get a bit concerned but decided to open the battery compartment and push the "choke" (what we always called it - the Pull to Stop gizmo) firstly down and then in as far as I could by hand.

Low and behold she kicks into action on half a turn. So that seems to have been the problem. Maybe if I'd discovered that before, the dodgy auld battery would have done but not too worried about that.

Must get a tutorial from the man I bought it from on how to remove the front loader (various hydraulics)- it means the tractor takes us twice as much room as it needs to in a small shed. Also on the shopping\creation list:

  • 6' topper (the main reason the machine bought), no rush until land "!travelable
  • a frame to support the front loader when removed
  • a block to connect onto the lifting arms at the back to counter balance the weight of the loader & the load (otherwise no grip on the back wheels as not enough weight on them).
Any other mechanical tips/easy fixes like the above that ye are aware of?

I bought the operator manual from ebay - real quaint 1960's/1970's print - but plenty of good tips for the novice. Must eventually get the workshop maintenance manual but, all things considered, I dont see myself going at much (v basic servicing on my car is more my limit)
 
Once you take off the loader, if you are planning to lift anything of any weight (i.e. round bale), tie a block or bag of sand onto the front as well to keep the front down (and be able to steer!!).
 
Re: Any other typical problems/quick fixes like this one?

Love the old masseys myself! Good luck with it...


"a frame to support the front loader when removed"

You could do two old oil barrels either side and a plank of wood to support loader when you take it off. Make sure you have a bucket on and have some heavy weight in the bucket to balance it. We used this when our original stand failed to be up to the job any more -was on a MF 590, but principle should be the same. Taking off loaders is tricky if you haven't done before, so get help. Not so much taking it off, but trying to get it back on again! Main tip is to make sure no pressure on hydraulic pipes when removing them and be on very level ground. When we got a loader first at home, I remember it took over .5 day to try and get it on. By the time we were used to it, no longer than 5 mins.
  • a block to connect onto the lifting arms at the back to counter balance the weight of the loader & the load (otherwise no grip on the back wheels as not enough weight on them).
A simple home made block should be fine here- I've seen two ways of doing this.

1. A transport box full of blocks!
2. A precase concrete weight with two hooks at the top. Get a nine hole bar for your lift arms and reverse into the hooks and lift. Can also be used as weight to hold down your bucket when you are removing loader.
 
Re: Any other typical problems/quick fixes like this one?

1. A transport box full of blocks!
2. A precase concrete weight with two hooks at the top. Get a nine hole bar for your lift arms and reverse into the hooks and lift. Can also be used as weight to hold down your bucket when you are removing loader.[/quote]

On this subject, the problem I have is that I have to select either front loader or lifting arms at the back, using a hydraulic valve (flicks over), so both dont work at the same time. At the moment I use the transport box at the back but, with any weight it in it falls down fairly quick, so I contantly need to lift it, say every 40 seconds - which is a pain.

I dont know if theres any better solution for this but I'm thinking if the hooks or other attachments to the block are dead at the bottom of the pre-cast concrete, then even with the arms at their lowest I wont be scraping the ground and will be able to work away with the loader unaffected. It would mean I'd have to leave the block up on a bit of a height, relative to the tractor, in order to be able to reattach it (since the arms dont touch the ground & I wont be able to lift the block up to them).
 
Hmm, sounds like you have an issue with the control valve. All Masseys that I've ever driven have an issue with holding pressure on the lift, but typically over a period of about 30 mins or so you might need to re-lift arms again. Every 40 secs is a bit too quick.

If that was the problem, fixing would involve splitting back axle, which is not nice.

The only other thing you might check is that you have enough oil in the back axle - should be a dip stick near the lift controls on the right hand side below the drivers seat. It may be with the loader installed, the oil level has dropped so pump not getting enough oil to hold pressure.

Your idea of the weight on the lowest arms setting might work but any work on hilly ground or rough terrain would be difficult.
 
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