HeadExam

I had a tough time deciding on a tractor lug, I finally opted for the 30x10-12 Interco Interforce because it was a good match with my existing wide rear rim on the D series. 142.00 apiece including shipping. I think that is a good price for a real AG tire, they have these in 27x7.5-12 as well.

I can take it for a short time and as a reminder to appreciate those I love. Thanks for all your work

That was a "her"?

I knew this would happen when McDonald's brought back the McRib Meal

If the wheels are not turning why would there be a need for brakes or how would they even work? It would seem that they are already either locked on or the rear is locked up if they are dragging it and the wheels are no turning. I can't see well's maybe they are turning. That was my question comment.

Is it my eyes or are the last ATV wheels not turning?

I was going through all the manuals I gave to Harry in a PM and noticed the engine on the Massey MF-8 was a HM-80, not a HH-80. Funny thing is I heard not long ago that this was backwards and that the HM-80 was not for side load applications and was not used on the Massey MF-8, but that does not seem to be the case at all

They used the same braces. Two bolts secure the foot rests to the braces, I believe the running boards might have used the same braces, if not they sure did a nice job make them look factory. However, I made a mistake in the beginning of the date of manufacturer and I forgot to correct information that related to build dates. If indeed your tractor is a 1973 Massey MF-7 and not a 1968 or 1969, then it would have had running boards, not foot rests. I am going to assume that the earlier pictures might have been supplied by the original owner? or were saved from the eBay ad?

Well the grille is correct for a Massey MF-7 that's good. Are the foot rests still available to you?

Harry, I'm still very perplexed by the tractor, I'm still wondering about the foot pegs in the pre restored pictures and the foot treads in later pics, please tell me about that, did you find a set of treads or did they come with the machine? Also very perplexing is the grill, it is definitely a Massey 7 grill, I'm wondering if the alteration were done at a shop, as the number rebadge looks pretty good, or it was done by an enthusiast. It looks as though someone has removed a small amount of tin from the side to accommodate the chrome silencers inlet pipe, but it is difficult to tell from here in Oklahoma. Did you receive the Owner/Parts/Service manuals I sent?

These really do a great job cutting grass, there gear box deck with the solid rear stripping roller and heavy built deck is far superior to other smaller machines. Massey Ferguson never made a riding mower or any other piece of lawn and garden equipment, they subcontracted the building to outside manufacturers. This series of of Massey Ferguson outdoor power equipment was known as the MF line and ran from 1966-1976 and was produced by AMF at their plant in West Des Moines Iowa. The first Massey Ferguson L&G tractors were the Massey 7 and Massey 8 Executives, they were yellow and they were built by the Duro corp in 1964 and 1965. Massey also produced a small 8 hp garden tractor for export, actually built in Europe, called the Massey ELF, also yellow, it was based on a small Gutbrod tractor. After the MF line had run its course a new line appeared, this group was built by McDonough Power equipment who built Snapper riding mowers, this line which features 8 to 18 hp lawn and garden tractors maybe some of the rarest as they were only produced for a few years, from 1977-1980.

BTW, the first four numbers, in this case 1590, is the model series number for the MF-7 series, the MF-10 series model number is 1446 then the unit number follows. The series number for the Massey MF-14 is 1944. When they reproduced and watermarked my list the didn't get the prefixes, lol, and I didn't supply them later. It's not hard to figure out, but each model has its own identifier and within each model number the variants,m, such as 3 speed or hydro have their own set of production numbers

I don't think it is bad news at all. You know now what Model the tractor is, what engine was in it (Tecumseh HH70), and what year it was made. like I said, if you need literature I can email it or post it in files. Do you still have the foot pegs? I personally would return it to original. The old HH70 or H70 engines are not uncommon, many came on tillers and cultivators as well. I'm not sure, but believe the 1968 was the only year the MF-7 had foot pegs instead of running boards, no other models came with foot pegs but the MF-7.

It is in fact a Massey MF-7, It was built in 1973, in fact one of the last ones built, the last one off the line was 1590012928. This attached list is a reproduction of the original list that I found at Massey's Headquarters in Hesston, Kansas over 10 years ago. I went there and ask them if I could dig through their archives. I found serial numbers, production dates, price lists, and many many more things to do with Massey Ferguson push mowers, tillers, lawn tractors, and garden tractors. I don't mind sharing, but the owners/operators of more than a few forums took these as their own and reproduced and water marked them. They do the same with manuals to prevent people from selling them, but the forums neither bought the manuals or obtained permission to use the manuals, until they already had them in their reference libraries. The way I see it, if I use or take something that belongs to someone else, I should ask for permission, but as Native Americans found out all too well, that was not widely accepted policy. It still isn't in today's world of put it on Facebook, anything goes. What I am trying to convey by posting the forum copy instead of my copy is, they took it and made it theirs, so I will repost their copy and not my copy, the yellow, old, and slightly faded hand typed original. Masseyserialnumber.pdf

If the serial number is what I read, 15900125?, then it appears to be a very early 1969 Massey Ferguson MF-7 recoil start model, but that is not, or doesn't appear to be a Tecumseh engine, it appears to be a Briggs engine, which would be a replacement. The foot rests instead of running boards in the first picture was a clue as was the absence of the round cut out for the air breather on the rear left side of the grill, only 7's did not have the round cut out. Let me know if you need parts/service/owners manuals, I have them all on pdf files. They made the MF-7 from 1968-1973 and produced 12,927 units. My serial number list breaks down numbers by recoil start, 3 speed, and hydro models, each has a different set of serial numbers.

The serial numbers are not clear enough for me to read them, sorry

The Massey 8 3 speed of yours was one of 2474 ever built with recoil start. If it is original. Yours is very unusual as it seem to be a very early model. The grill is not the same as later Massey 8 grills and neither is the muffler or tank, more like the older Massey 7. If you don't mind could you post the serial number so I could see what year it was? It should have a Tecumseh HH80 or OH80 for the motor. Thanks.

At least you have a choice, out here in IT we can only use Satellite. Most of the times its good, but at times it will slow down to your rates without warning, no idea why.

I also use 10w40 Heavy Duty Castrol in my transmissions, but I'm in a very warm (65F-74F last week) climate. Transmission fluid is something not changed every year or even two, it is viable for 500 hours, it is good for many years. That said, I might consider using a lighter weight oil in cooler climates, unless I was going to warm the engine at 1/2 to 2/3 throttle for several minutes and/or use the machine a severe duty situation for an hour or more, snow ploughing, furrow poughing, etc. The heavier oil in cooler climates will take longer to get the transmission moving and working. To tell the truth I do not know which scenario is best, but with engine oil the right viscosity for the right climate is deemed important, but that may not be the case with transmission oil, or it might be. In the northern states they are using ATF, due to sub zero weather, but as the tractor warmed up, or was under a greater strain over an extended time. I am not sure this choice would be good, but again, I'm not sure as transmissions and engines behave differently. Good Luck

. Actually all my manuals for Sunstrand transmissions call for Heavy Duty engine oil, I've only found a few brands that say that, but when I cant find it I use something like Castrol. Heat gets pretty intense in the hydro, that's why many later models had transmission coolers and why early models had fans.

5.7 liters of 10w30 is what the books says, In summer or if in severe service 10w40 may be more applicable.

me too minky, me too.

They could of at least gave her a fresh coat of red paint, hopefully they filled her with petrol. Glad she is back home being taken care of properly.

Superior workmanship! Very nice, Ewan