Gregor 4,846 #1 Posted March 30, 2021 I didn't know the right category for this topic, but here is where it landed. I brought one of my Massey 14's up from storage. I thought it might be interesting to do a little comparison, on two, 14 HP tractors, by different manufacturers. This is in no way an attempt to determine which tractor is better than the other, it's simply a comparison, of facts and figures. Date of manufacture: Wheel Horse 1978 (I think) Massey 1975 (I think) Manufacturer: Wheel Horse Wheel Horse Southbend In. Massey American Machine and Foundry (AMF) Des Moines Ia Motor: Both Kohler K-321 Both electric start. Both, battery ignition Weight Wheel Horse 640 lb. Massey 930 lb. The frame on the Massey is 1/4" thick. Varying from 4" to 8" wide, running the entire length of the tractor Wheelbase Wheel Horse 45.5" Massey 47" Height Wheel Horse 41" Massey 44.5" Trans Wheel Horse Hydro by Sundstrand Massey Hydro by Sundstrand with 2 speed, high and low range Tires Rear 23X8.5-12 both Front 16X6.50-8 both PTO clutch Wheel Horse manual Massey electric implement lift both hydraulic These numbers are from Tractordata.com. If they are wrong, shoot them, not me. When I rebuilt the Massey, after I was done, and sitting back, admiring my work, I thought I had never seen a prettier garden tractor. It's color scheme, stance, and overall appearance was not going to be matched by anything green, or yellow, or blue, or anything else. Then I completed the 141, and I had to pause in my thinking. It too, in my opinion is a beautiful tractor. At least as beautiful as my skills can make it The Wheel Horse, again, my opinion, is a much more comfortable ride. Not just because of the updated seat. It's just the way the operator station is laid out. It sits better. Top Speed. I would put my money on the Massey. It's 2 speed, Hi / Low trans, gives it a road speed of almost 9 mph. in high range. Tug Of War. I'm not sure. With stock tires on both, I suppose it would come down to individual engine performance. But again, with the Low range on the Massey, I think it may have an edge. In any case I have no intention of finding out. Things break that way! How many $ do I have in my tractors? A LOT! (to me anyway) But I truly believe this hobby, or obsession, is the only thing keeping me alive. The Massey was bought new by my Father In Law, and handed down to me, when they moved to the city. He was a wonderful guy. For that reason, it is, and always will be my favorite tractor. I may put polished aluminum wheels on it, I'm not sure yet. I just don't know if Wes would look down and scowl.........He was a great guy, but could be a bit frugal at times. P.S. It won't let me load pics. Pics to follow in the next post, I hope ! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #2 Posted March 30, 2021 Well, I can't find an original pic of the Massey. Probably 50 of the on here, but do you think I can find one now? 3 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Handy Don 12,206 #3 Posted March 30, 2021 Two handsome tractors there. Beautiful work. This picture wonderfully highlights the difference between the "make a small version of a big tractor" and the "make a useful small tractor" approaches. Thanks for sharing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pacer 3,169 #4 Posted March 30, 2021 Similar story here .... The 1978 D180 shown first I have owned for some 25yrs. Being the first rider mower It was what started my .... obsession?? with the horses. (I have since owned some 20-25 various models, with the "D" family still my favorite) Here it is shown after a major 'refurb' after some 20+ yrs of hard use. Here is shown a 1978 MF 1650 that I lucked up on with a friend calling me and asking "you ever heard of MF having a L&G tractor? I reply 'no' He says well my neighbor of some 20 yrs saw me using my horse to cut grass and walked over and asked if me would like to have an old tractor he had ... short story, he didnt want it, so I went over and and after finding he wanted $150 for it and the tiller, I jumped on it -- having no idea about the MF's. Was pretty rough having sat outside for MANY yrs, but on getting it in the shop I pretty quickly realised that it was, or could be, a nice tractor. And it indeed IS a nice tractor. Drive system very similar (same?) to Gregors 14. The 1650 has the K341 and is physically a tad larger than the D's. As far as ride comfort, I'm afraid the MF has the D beat -- If you are at all familiar with the D and its gas tank positioned where it is restricts the seats going back far enough to be really comfortable. As much as I still love my horse, I have to admit to have taken quite a liking to the Masseys... I now also have a MF1655 which is a beefed up 1650. With my advancing age, I have trimmed down my involvement with this hobby of messin with these great old tractors - Sure been a lot of pleasure!! 6 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #5 Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) A 1650 with a 3 point and a tiller for $150. That has to be the deal of the century. A 3 point for a Massey, is hard to come by. I did have an MF 1450, basically, a 1650 with a K321. Compared to the MF 14, the 1450, looked pregnant to me. Just fat. I wasn't very attached to it, so I sold it. Like an idiot, I sold the chains, and wheel weights with it. Should have kept those. I will say, in my opinion, Wheel Horses are much simpler to work on. It's interesting that the 1650 weighs less than the 14. There is an 1855 version, with a 2 cylinder Onan. From the 1450 series up, the tractors were made by Snapper. Both of those are nice looking tractors. I forgot to ask. How many people does it take to move that mower deck? It weighs 175# Edited March 30, 2021 by Gregor 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pacer 3,169 #6 Posted March 30, 2021 26 minutes ago, Gregor said: It weighs 175# HAH!! I wish! That deck .... a bit of story there too. As I mentioned the tractor had sat for outside for ....many? yrs and the original deck was uselessly rusted. I started a 'witch' hunt and after some time a response from Wisc (and I live in La!) said he had a "shop made" deck. Sent pics, looked good and a reasonable price, mentioning it was HEAVY! (turned out to be an understatement!)..... but! hes in Wi and I'm in La = expensive frt. Couple wks pass and he says he has found one of these independent truckers - F450 with a big gooseneck - and he was going to Houston for a pickup and could easily drop by my place with the deck for $125!!! Needless to say I jumped on that! Guy gets here, and I get my Mitsu FEL and lift it off and take it to the shop.... after disconnex I tried to move it around and WHOA!! HEAVY!!! Turns out it WAS 'shop made' but must have been professionals, it was professionally done really nice ..... with 1/4" steel plate!! Guessing it weighed around 300+ lbs. Needed a set of blades and that was all..... sweet!. Took me a while to figure out how to get that thing under the tractor and connected, but geez, what a nice deck, that thing will last forever.... Heh, I bet probably 95% of members here could tell similar tales of our adventures with these old tractors sitting out for years Gotta LOVE it! 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cschannuth 3,816 #7 Posted March 30, 2021 Tug-of-war has the very little to do with power and much more to do with weight and traction so I’m assuming the Massey would went out easily in a time of war. Those are both beautiful tractors. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pullstart 62,834 #8 Posted March 30, 2021 those MF’s and Snappers are beasts! Jason @Achto and @WHX24’s friend has a few and on plow days, they typically get heavy jobs like running a disc or the like. Monsters they are! Seems @PeacemakerJack’ cousin has some similar too? 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DennisThornton 4,769 #9 Posted March 30, 2021 (edited) For some time I've thought that all MF were made by Simplicity. TractorData says not so much: "Massey Ferguson lawn tractors were always built by an another company. Dura, AMF, and Ingersoll all produced MF lawn tractors under license. With the AGCO purchase of Massey Ferguson in 1996, Simplicity became the supplier. Massey Ferguson lawn tractors were discontinued in 1997." http://www.tractordata.com/lawn-tractors/tractor-brands/massey-ferguson/massey-ferguson-lawn-tractors.html Really surprised that Ingersoll made some and right now I have no idea who "Dura" is. Just found some more info: https://tractors.fandom.com/wiki/Massey_Ferguson_Garden_Tractors Edited March 30, 2021 by DennisThornton https://tractors.fandom.com/wiki/Massey_Ferguson_Garden_Tractors Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seuadr 488 #10 Posted March 31, 2021 12 hours ago, DennisThornton said: For some time I've thought that all MF were made by Simplicity. TractorData says not so much: "Massey Ferguson lawn tractors were always built by an another company. Dura, AMF, and Ingersoll some of those ingersolls are damn nice machines too. i nearly got a case 446 before i decided to go with a 520H Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DennisThornton 4,769 #11 Posted March 31, 2021 1 hour ago, seuadr said: some of those ingersolls are damn nice machines too. i nearly got a case 446 before i decided to go with a 520H Case 4XX series has been on my hit list for years! Concerned about attachments and used parts though... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gregor 4,846 #12 Posted March 31, 2021 My son in laws dad passed several years ago. His mother has 3 Case High Wheels, sitting in a shed. I don't know much about Case, But I think they are Onan engines. Whenever I ask how much, she says, "Oh....I don't know", and that's the end of it. I finally quit asking. They will probably rot there. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seuadr 488 #13 Posted March 31, 2021 1 hour ago, DennisThornton said: Case 4XX series has been on my hit list for years! Concerned about attachments and used parts though... you know, that is ultimately what pushed me to wheelhorse - the attachments by and large fit everything from a wide range of years. that case was sweeeeet though. the seller had rear remotes with controls and had fabbed up several attachments to work with it including a log splitter and a chipper/shredder that mounted to a 3pt. but he didn't have a snow blower, and i started looking for attachments and all i came across were wheelhorse attachments.. hmm.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DennisThornton 4,769 #14 Posted March 31, 2021 1 hour ago, seuadr said: you know, that is ultimately what pushed me to wheelhorse - the attachments by and large fit everything from a wide range of years. that case was sweeeeet though. the seller had rear remotes with controls and had fabbed up several attachments to work with it including a log splitter and a chipper/shredder that mounted to a 3pt. but he didn't have a snow blower, and i started looking for attachments and all i came across were wheelhorse attachments.. hmm.. Very little first hand experience but I think a Case 4XX would be great addition around here. But I have little hopes of finding enough attachments to round one out. Took YEARS to get most of the Wheel Horse attachments I need. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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