Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire I'm thinking about buying a tractor.

I can't really afford it, but the fact is that my 10 year old quad is getting a bit tired of keeping up with all the snowplowing and mowing chores around my place. The quad is a 2005 Polaris Sportsman 700 twin, carbureted and while it's done a good job, it's getting older and certainly won't last forever, even though I've only put about 340 hours on it since I bought it new in July of 2005.

I found this tractor for sale a couple hours away with less than 60 hours on it. It has a front loader and an aftermarket back blade. Primary uses for the tractor would be snow removal, moving a bit of dirt here and there in an effort to get our yard done after only 11 years of living here, collecting firewood and just general use around my 40 acres.

Massey-Ferguson 1526

If I buy it, I'd sell the quad to offset some of the $14,500 asking price and eventually outfit it with a front blower, brush hog and tiller for our small garden. Seems just the perfect size for what needs doing around my place.

Anyone care to offer input on the M-F brand? Care and feeding?

Here's a pic of the actual tractor for sale.

The forums here- Tractor forums can help you out. There are brand specific sub forums where you can find out everything you need to know about that particular mode.

Thanks, SmokeEater2. And Happy Birthday to ya'!

You said 'front blower'.. For that you need the mid-mount PTO option.. Does the one you're looking at have that option? If not, no biggie - just get a 3-pt mounted blower and go backwards. Nice thing is about a rear-mount blower is that the loader is still on and available for moving/piling snow going forward.

M-F should be ok. My only negative would be the hydro drive - never liked those things but that's just me. The JD 4210 I have now could be obtained with gears and I have never regretted it.. The hydro will sap some power from the PTO so be prepared for that..

Otherwise - it should work for your needs just fine..

Around her you see more older 235's than anything except maybe them Kuboto's..I guess you could do a lot with that little tractor,but unless you will really be putting a lot of hours on it .I would just buy a used 235 with Perkins for about $3,000,or $4,000.You would be getting a locking differential,and with the extra weight you probably wouldn't need 4wd..and with the money you save you could buy a lot of 3pt impliments.

Snowplowing and 2 wheel drive should not be used in the same sentence. YMMV.

Lee-yes, it has a mid PTO.

DeereJohn - with the ground composition around here 4wd is a must. We're pretty low with a lot of clay once you get a couple feet down, so any significant rain saturates the ground and stays near the surface. If you break through the turf in those conditions it's all over. I nearly got a borrowed 40 hp New Holland buried in the field out back. If the owner hadn't showed me how to lock the diff. and power out, I'd probably still be shoveling.

Is it flat where you are, Scott?

Yes, pretty flat and low.

I have two MF tractors, an older 2 wd 85 hp and a 4x4 40 hp 1440V. Both have been superb, no mechanical problems at all. I can recommend the MF brand.

However, if I had it to do again I would not have bought the 1440v. While it has enough Hp to do the small jobs it does not have adequate width so is prone to rolling in even the slightest depressions. I got it for the wife, but I can't let her use it much because it is so easy to roll.

Our farm is in middle TN so I have no experience pushing snow, but I certainly would not want to be on slippery ground with it.

It does climb like a cat though!

BRUINRUIN I AM IN SALES FOR JOHN DEERE BUT HAVE ALOT OF RESPECT FOR THE MASSEY FERGUSON BRAND.MY ONLY QUESTION IS IF THERE IS A LOCAL DEALER?I WOULD NOT HESITATE ON BUYING A MASSEY,GOOD EQUIPMENT.

I had a MF 245, bought in 1990? damn good tractor.... Now I�m using a Kubota.

I just talked to the owner on the phone. A couple things he didn't list in his advertisement make the deal look a bit sweeter. It has loaded rear tires and a full set of tire chains that are still in the box.

I'm seeing tractors of similar age with slightly more hours and less equipment for about 1K more.

I think I'm going to jump on this.

You will wonder how you ever got along with out a front end loader after you get one and more than likely won't ever be without one henceforth....Massey is good to go just make sure you can get parts and service locally because if you can't it will make life harder. You spend money on stuff like this to make life easier and free up time...

Same here - and if you're doing any loader work, 2-wheel drive is about worthless.

You say 'loaded' tires.. You mean they have fluid in 'em? If so, that's a plus when doing loader work - less apt to tip it over if on slight angles.. Another nice thing on that unit is the 'contractor' style tires - those should last you about 20+ years, easy..

I ordered my 4210 with those and even after 11 years (and 1200 hours) the tires on the front are still 70%. The rears are 90% + easy.. They might last me until I'm dead...

Thanks for the link.

Well, it's a done deal. I'll be mailing him a down payment and hope to pick it up next week and hand over the remainder of the payment, pending condition matching the description.

No more struggling through the snowdrifts and worrying about keeping up with Mother Nature's whims this winter, or the next 20 for that matter.

Yes, they're loaded with beet juice. Pretty common around here.


I hope you're right about the lifespan of the tires. Upkeep/maintaining a tractor is one of the reasons why I've been nervous about getting one.

Locked axle or not, in 2WD, you'll likely need to chain up to push much snow.