Massey Discussion Forums > Massey Talk > tractor design faults
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RE:tractor design faults

Okay...   All of you who have ever removed the driveline disk brake caliper from a 4800 series Massey Ferguson, raise you hand!    Geez!!  

I accomplished that this evening as the next step in getting the brakes working on my MF 4840.  I was hopeful that the new master cylinder would be all that was needed.  But, noooo...  Pumped the brake pedal a couple of times and I could hear the brake fluid running out of the caliper assembly.  Ugh.

As I was assessing the situation sitting under the tractor, looking at the location of the top mounting bolts, I wasn't convinced it could even be done...  Fortunately, I had an old, off-set box-end wrench inherited from my Grandpa Bush that I was able to snake-in and reach the top mounting bolts.  I pretty much had to sacrifice a t-shirt, and put up with brake fluid running down my cheek and neck, but I did get it removed this evening!

I'm not looking forward to putting it back on after getting it rebuilt...

They certainly didn't have servicing this unit in mind when the built everything around it....

JB

RE:tractor design faults

John I have no experience in working on a 4800 series Massey but when I first got interested in vintage tractors a chap told me when the wrench slips off the nut and you skin your knuckles just remember it is what you do for pleasure!!!!! So next time when the brake fluid is running all over your face you could think about this piece of advice my friend gave me!!! I hope this helps but it probably won't ha! ha! Alan

RE:tractor design faults

Just a smallish gripe today about my 101 senior.  The starter button gave up and I purchased a new one from Terry Kessel at Rushville - where would we be without the likes of him on the circuit?

Anyway I griped a few weeks ago about the inaccessibility of the back of the dashboard when I was re-wiring it.  I got it all back together then this failed.  However with the arms of a spider you can just about at hold it on.  But life could have been made so much more simple with just a bit of forward thinking from the engineers.................  What is it with engineers? They only seem to think of today and not tomorrow................

John

RE:tractor design faults

This is another thread with a dormancy of a year and a half.  No-one had any problems?  If so then that is more than amazing!

Anyway today I was re-fitting the radiator that I had re-cored (££££s!!) a short while back on to my MH 25.  That's easy enough.  The big challenge is getting the bottom hose on from the base of the rad to the block.  It is one pig of a place to work.  Must be two hours later with bruised and grazed hands job done.  I just wonder does anyone have a workshop manual for these beast that tells you the correct way to do it?

Meantime you folks out there must have had a problem or two in the time passed since the last post????

John

RE:tractor design faults

John,

I believe if you take the fan off and remove the shroud it makes the job a lot easier as it really opens it up to get both hands on the job.. The only thing is you most likely have to grind the little screws off to get the shroud off as they almost never come off. The next thing you have to be an octopus to reach in and hold the nuts on the back side to put the shroud back on..

They must have caught an ear full over this problem from the mechanics years ago as they really improved the Styled 25s and later the Challengers and pacemakers had a bolt on neck you could remove to make the job much easier..

Joe 
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RE:tractor design faults

Its good to see a bit more activity on here again, let's hope the glimmer of spring sunshine around the corner is bringing all the Massey Collectors out of winter hibernation.

I agree with John and Joe on the radiator hose frustration, over the years I have  lost quite a few chunks of skin during this process on many of my tractors, From experience this job is better done in warmer weather when the rubber hose is more supple, if not put it into boiling water first, but then it soon cools down quickly by the time you've got it all in place.

I have been working on my single front Challenger for about two weeks now and yesterday was reminded of a frustrating simple job which can be so difficult to get back together and get one bolt in place.
Removing the gear lever from the gearbox to straighten the bent lever, put on a new rubber boot, re thread for a new knob and make a new gasket, then the hard bit comes in putting it back on the gearbox, making sure the lever is correctly in the selectors, then the hard part of compressing the selector spring onto the detent ball with the one centre bolt and pushing it down hard enough to get the threads of the bolt to start. If you have the fuel tanks off its easier for downward pressure.
Once I had to do this in the field when the lever jumped out of the selectors, it was one hell of a job getting the spring compressed and the bolt back in. with very little room to work.

Keep them coming any problem shared can hopefully be a problem solved by someone!!

Malcolm.


RE:tractor design faults

When my U-framed Masseys have not been run for some time the oil in the filter dome sinks down to the bottom and it takes several valuable seconds for the oil to reach the crank bearings when the engine is started.  To reduce the time taken for this to happen I unscrew the nut on top of the oil filter and, holding the filter housing down with one hand I pour about a pint of oil into the hole which leads directly to the crank then replace the nut. I like to think that this reduces the time when the oil pressure is building.
   Had the filter bowl been the other way up this wouldn't be necessary and also when changing the oil the filter housing could be filled almost to the top before fitting and achieve the same result. 

                                                Jack,




























































RE:tractor design faults

Jack,

This is a bit of a similar phenomenon to the oiling system on my 102 Junior.  It always takes a minute or so before oil pressure builds up on the guage.  I reason that this is due to the fact that the pressure flow from the pump out of the block goes to a T junction at the base of the oil filter. One branch takes the oil into the filter and the other to the gauge.  On stopping the engine the oil in the filter drains back to the block.  Hence when the engine is started the oil has to build up a back pressure in the filter before the guage registers a pressure.

John

RE:tractor design faults

I have had the radiator off my 102 Junior today and it revealed that a replacement fan belt was a bit over due.  I was also taking the water pump off because I couldn't get a stud out of where the water temperature gauge goes in the side of the pump.

It is not possible to get the belt off the crank pulley easily because there is not enough space between the edge of the pulley and the two bottom engine fixing nuts.  One has to trap the belt between the pulley and the nuts and force it through the narrow gap by turning the engine.  Which bright spark thought of this??!!

John

RE:tractor design faults

I've been out on my MF 165 today using it with my Ferguson Transport Box.  I always use this with the position control lever.

Can anyone explain why the position control and draft control levers work in the opposite directions to lift and lower?  It is something that I have never really got used to over all these years and I have to retrain myself every time I need to use the position control!

Surely it would not be beynd the wit of man to design them to work in the same direction?

John