Vintage Tractor Engineer

Christian from Sweden has just purchased the 135 Restoration DVD and is just about to start the restoration of his tractor.  Christian’s tractor is a 1966 model and wants to know what the tractors looked like from this early period and in particular the headlamp design.  Did the headlamp design change or was the style the same as the later tractors?

Vintage Tractor Engineer isn’t an expert on the styling of the MF135.  However I do recall reading an article in Classic Massey magazine about a 135 serial number 106 (they started at 101).  The article is on page 68 of the May 2010 issue.  There isn’t a lot of info in this article, but it does say that it is quite original condition other than the rear fenders have been replaced.

The current owner of the tractor is a cider producer and the website is Ralph’s Cider And Perry.  I can’t see any photos of the MF on Ralph’s website, although I did see a David Brown and Ralph has some great photos of vintage cider making equipment.  An old horse driven stone cider mill has been sourced and is now in operation.

Vintage Tractor Engineer can feel a visit to Ralph’s farm coming on next time he is over in Wales.

If you have any information, photos or details of early MF135 tractors please leave a comment below.  I’m sure Christian will appreciate any information he can take back to Sweden for his restoration.

First of all thanks for your great emgine rebuild dvd, although I have the 3 cylinder version, it is still a great help!

I have just finished rebuilding the main part of the engine and am at the

stage of putting on the dual clutch, but am having problems working out the correct spacers required to set the finger distances from the flywheel face and to the spacer ring segments. A small spacer makes a huge difference.

Is there any easy way of setting these and how accurate does the finger
distance to the flywheel face need to be compared to what is stated in the
manual.

This seems to be quite a shady area as none of the manuals don’t seem to
mention setting the spacers, so any advice would be much appreciated.

Best Regards,
Aaron

Hi Aaron,

The setting is important and needs to be accurate.

You need to set the clutch release levers to a height of 2.65 inches to 2.72 inches (67.31mm – 69.10mm) meaured from the face of the spacer ring segments. The MF tool number for this is Tool MF220 (lever fulcrum height setting gauge).

Variation in lever height must not exceed 0.015 inches (0.381mm).

Don’t forget to set the secondary pto clutch set screws to 0.090 inches +/- 0.002 (2.286mm +/- 0.0508mm).

Hope everything has gone well with your rebuild.

Steve (VTE)

We were recently asked who had done the bonnet work in the MF135 Restoration DVD.  Here is what the customer wrote…

Hi Steve

I enjoyed your DVD i have to say there is some good information on it.

I was wondering if you have any contact information for the panel beater on the tractor.
Its just i was thinking of sending him the bonnet and wings of my tractor.

I look forward to your reply.

Regards
Ray

Actually Ray (just to set the record straight – we can’t take the credit for everything!), we didn’t make this DVD ourselves. It was produced by Stephen Todd of Reborn Tractor, and Vintage Tractor Engineer highly recommends watching the DVD – interesting for any tractor restorer.

Here are the contact details…

Maine Surface Finishing (Eugine Dixon)
42 Galdanagh Road
Ballymena
Co. Antrim
BT44 9DB

Tel +44 (0) 28 276 57075
Mobile 07775 854674

It’s about two years ago now that a customer bought an Engine Rebuild DVD, but not for his tractor.  Paul has a 1938 motor cruiser and has just completed a full restoration after spending 3 days a week working on the boat for the past 2 and a half years.  And here is Betsie Jane…

…and yes Paul, we spotted the Champaigne bottle on the first photo.  Well, why not.  Betsie Jane looks superb, and we can all imagine the purring of the twin Standard 23C engines as she cruises along.

During world war II the boat made two crossings in the Dunkirk evacuations, and the information on the National Ships Register says that Betsie Jane was able to tow two other boats because of her powerful engines.  However, the 23C engines were installed in 1952, so I wander what engines she had before that?

Congratulations Paul on a fine restoration and thanks for sending in the photos.  Not the usual thing for a tractor restoration website, but very interesting all the same.

Thanks, and we hope the engines give many more years of service.

Vintage Tractor Engineer.

Just a couple of photos from the first day of filming we did for the Ferguson TE 20 Hydraulics DVD.  In this shot the lighting and camera were focused on the work bench as we dismantled the pump.

Now take a look at the colour of the transmission oil that came out.

The oil clearly hadn’t been changed for years and water had emulsified with the oil to make this yellow creamy fluid.  There was also half an inch of corroded aluminium deposits and dirt in the bottom of the oil reservoir.

The mixture of oil and water is caused by condensation forming in the transmission housing and then dripping into the oil reservoir and mixing with the oil.  This is the reason for regularly changing the oil even if the tractor isn’t been used for many hours a year (like many Fergusons that are owned by enthusiasts).  In fact the less the tractor is used, there is an argument for changing the oil even more often (due to the increased likelihood of condensation forming).