Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Mitsubishi tractor MT26FD information?

One is for sale locally but the clutch is going out on it.
It's a 26hp 4wd with a loader. Tires are good and it's seen little use since 1990 when it was new.

The guy selling it said he's the second owner and it's only been used to move snow occasionally. Said the clutch is weak and likely needs to be replaced, but a new one can be had for a couple hundred dollars and was just a matter of labor to put it in. No idea how hard that could be it what it could entail. Several searches online don't yield anything.
Does anyone have any experience with these? Is it worth the hassle it should it be avoided?

Parts for a tractor that is no longer made may be an issue, with supply chain problems. Maybe even without supply chain problems.

How much are they asking?

If it's cheap enough, it may be worth the trouble.

I suggest posting your question at the tractorbynet forums. That's a pretty common tractor. How many hours on it? If it's just the clutch and otherwise in good shape I would seriously look at it.

future reference

this 'Joe' is GTG

https://www.tractorjoe.com/

It only involves splitting the tractor in half.

If it's got little use, than maybe the clutch is out of adjustment or there is an issue in the linkage. I generally weight a seller's mechanical explanation of a problem as highly as I weight my wife's theories about why her car does such and such.

Maybe you can buy it cheap. Any tractor that runs and drives is bringing big money these days. The little ones seem to bring a huge premium.

That's what I'm afraid of, do you have a reference for this or is it a WAG?

The guy is asking 3k OBO and is only 70 miles away.
Wondering if it is even worth the drive to look at it, if it was American green or red then I wouldn't hesitate

New clutch, and pressure plate, turn the flywheel, how much, $2000?

Seller said the clutch assembly was $200 and readily available. If I do have to split it in half to replace it then a cheap tractor no longer is. Kinda like a free calf

I just had the clutch done on my mahindra 4110. Clutch disc, pressure plate resurface and throw out bearing and labor - $1500 @ 550 hrs. Non mahindra parts. It had to be split. The guy who owned It before me must had rode the clutch. The dealer said he has seen them come in with 50hrs on them and already had burnt the clutch.

I would go look at it since it is only 70 miles.

OBO— even at $3k if it's been stored inside it whole life, it could be a steal. The thing might outlast you.

With smaller tractors, for quite some time "American green or red" has meant much Asian. With the scant info given, 3K sounds pretty good for a Mitsubishi if it has low hours and is clean and if all that is wrong is clutch trouble because - as someone noted above - it may simply be an adjustment/linkage issue.

A clutch replacement is a fairly simple do it yourself task if you have some clutch experience. I have done two such clutch jobs - one a Massey Ferguson and one a Yanmar - and it can be somewhat easier than a truck clutch if you are not daunted by splitting it, Two good rolling jacks and some common sense.

Splitting it in half is the way you replace the clutch in the vast majority of tractors out there. It sounds daunting but from what I've seen isn't particularly difficult. I haven't done it myself though.

If he was using it to push snow he was probably riding the clutch.

Splitting a tractor is not as bad as it sounds. Grew up on a farm and replaced a few clutches. tricycle front is harder but a small wide front is not bad.

I would probably buy @ $3k... if it works out... great... if not resell.

Pay attention to the front axle and 4WD... that can get right pricey. Clutch "problem" could be a gaslight red herring. Just saying.

I had a cub cadet 26hp which is a Mitsubishi. I sold mine with 500 hours and never a single problem. It started everyday i owned it never plugged in and that includes some days close to minus 20f.

The glow plugs cycled so fast that on subzero days it would light off in 10 seconds. More like 3 on a 50 degree morning.

Mine pulled a 7 foot mower that everyone said it never could.

If the one you're looking at isn't beat, I'd buy it unseen.

I made spiltting stands years ago, the fit, M, and H Farmalls, maybe up to an 806.

I'd say it's worth the drive to take a look at it and drive it at least.