I was thinking a contractor or excavator owner .. not a ER nurse with that I say Thank you for your service ! It takes a special person.

Wow, this video is pure GOLD! One of the best advice videos of ANY kind I have ever seen. Nothing fancy, no frills, and no gimmics. Just to-the-point great info. The only downside was the capacity of my brain to absorb it all. That said, I have bookmarked it for future use. Well done, Sir!

Great advise. I was lucky the person I bought my tractor from was very honest. I did wonder what the cotter key sticking out the bottom was. I figured it was a vent of some kind. This video cleared this up, weep hole

This is THE MOST well done and comprehensive tips of things to look for that I have seen. I am a farmer and keep up my own equipment beyond just a tractor and I'm aware of little things that change over time so I know long before something goes out which is going to be a repair. I like to do my preventitive maintenance in the winter when things slow down. I keep a spreadsheet of each piece of equipment I own so I can keep up with things lkike oil changes, air filters and the such. Thank you again for this wealth of tips.

I bought a tractor a few years ago i only checked for easy starting, engine blow-by, gears and leaks and how well it sounded. It was an old tractor too and it cost me about 2000 in repairs that i didn't notice rite away, but it could have been worse.

I disagree. The way my wife trashes the interior of her car is no reflection on how I maintain everything else. 😂

Been watching for videos for a while and never knew you were a nurse. From a fellow nurse have a great day and love the content. Your awesome

Back on the farm in Nth Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island, I drove an old International tractor. I loved that machine! It was decades old, yet ran like a new one! All the time, every time!

Thank you for taking the time to explain what to look for in a tractor. Some things I knew but there were a lot of things I didn’t. Thank you

You are one of the best presenters on the Internet! Great job.

Thank you for this indepth video! I'm pretty adept with cars/trucks but I've never even touched a tractor and I'm planning to buy one to maintain and partially clear some small brush on some land I'm buying and this really helps A LOT!! 👍🏼

All really good and helpful information! I'm shopping for a tractor right now, and I'm going to write out a list of what you talked about and go through it when I go to look at machines!

Ok. My first time at your channel and the first thing outta your mouth tells me you are someone for people to listen to cause your first is a hugely important piece of safety advise. Shows your priority and that you know what you're talking about. Dan ( old timer in my 70s n.grew up in this life style. I've got a 1968 Case model 444 with a BD 154 diesel and big wide orchard tires)

I don't know anything about tractors but you are easy enough for me to follow. Some people are just great at teaching. Plus, look at all the free advice you received just for posting.

I am planning to buy an old MF8140 big tractor and this video was perfect. I am visiting the seller next week and I now know how to ask good questions. Thanks a lot.

Thanks for this video. I'm new to your channel but have been going through all your older posts. Not very difficult to hit the thumbs up buttons as you bring a great deal of useful information in short Vlogs. I plan to buy some land soon in TN or NC to start a small family type farm, nothing fancy. I know a tractor is a key tool, which I know very little about. So this will be a video a rewatch when the time comes.

This video is what brought me to the channel! Glad I watched it and subscribed! Great vids!

I want to criticize your video, but I see how much you love being a farmer and sharing what you have learned. I have to keep in mind that It’s certainly not easy putting yourself out there making videos. Thanks for sharing, sir, god bless.

Man. I love the sound of those old Massey’s. We had a 30B industrial tractor at work and oh man the sound it made was beautiful.

Thank you for sharing what you know. You are very knowledgable and a great benefit to our learning. We appreciate all you say and it helps very much. Thank you again

Very well said. I grew up driving theses MF135’s and MF165’s. Many, many others. I guess I like these Massey Ferguson’s better than most. I bought a MF180. Owned it for many years then finally sold it and bought a JD6415 which I still own. I just really love these old tractors. Thanks for your video. You said it right. Keep on farmin. Don

We have been using 2 MF 135S FOR 50 YEARS! From South Africa

Hey mister Stony Ridge I just subscribed to your Channel because I love your content I've been watching a lot of it and today just topped it off so I said you know what I am going to subscribe to your Channel thank you for being brutally honest I appreciate that

Great video. I bought a used MF 230 and she had many of the issues you highlighted. Thanks.

My family bought a massey ferguson 165 multi power 30 years ago and it still works great with no black smoke it has almost 80000 hours

Great vid Josh. As a guy with a small chunk of land and looking for tractors, a MF 135 is on my list. I mess with diesels in cars and boats. Two things that kill a diesel are lack of compression and over heating. A diesel should start with authority AND stop with authority; if it runs after the key is off, that's bad. If it cranks and cranks and cranks when starting, that's usually low compression. I use MollyLube Diesel purge system to clean an unknown diesel to get rid of pinging/nailing sounds, smoke, etc. on an old diesel. Great, great stuff. Love your channel!

Thanks for the time you spent putting this together. Very well done. Subscribed

I just bought a massey 65 diesel and your video helped me make a decision which ended in a purchase. Thank you!

Check the slop in the steering wheel and joints, check for low oil pressure at idle when hot to indicate bad bearings, check PTO shaft for damaged splines and leaky seal, check radiator for sludge or mineral build up

I have reduced your advice to a check list. Happy to share it if anyone wants. Thanks for the great video!

My old girl "Clara" & I have gona a long way together and that 135 is the jeep of small pulling tractors! I'm on it constantly and it's truly amazing what the 3 pnt. hitch will lift it is awesome!!! good vid. !!! I have strait bars paralleling the lift arms to add side strength to sideways pulling wouldn't be without them to. I've moved over a hundred thousand board feet of logs in the last four years . Video coming soon of my grapple. Fast talkin, good advise! You nailed it all!

this video is a life saver, I am looking for tractor like this preferable MF 240. Thank you for this video

Good looking old Chevy truck too love that tractor!

Any video that can save me from myself is worth while and saves me money is aces, thanks.

Josh, first of all your sound effects in this video were totally Histerical i laughed so hard it made my day.. having a good laugh each day puts one's mind in a better state to face the rest of the day.. everything you stated about buying a tractor is also true for buying a personal Car or Truck ya gotta check them out good to be sure ya got a vehicle worth buying.. thanks for making this video soooooo informative and entertaining too!! L.O.L. Good wholesome viewing... Thx a lot. Will be watching for your next video, also am so glad i subscribed to your channel hope you and Mrs. Stoney Ridge are well and happy.

Josh, I wach your videos and this one is one of the best.congratulations, regars from Venezuela.

Thanks for the common sense advice. It's too easy to make a quick buy because the tractor looks good.

Thank you for showing and telling us all these things.

hey Josh , excellent video we had a Massey 65 on the farm also had the Perkins Diesel in it , wasn't much for power but beside that I remember one thing it did and back then there was no fix , the implement arms on the three point always bleed down once the tractor was shut down once you started it back up the arms would come back up , just a little FYI . Terry

Thank you for the tips I do want a tractor but right now I live in the city , but I will put this info in my mental toolbox.

Awesome video. We were about to buy a tractor but found we didn't check a lot of things that you advised. We are going back and recheck. Thanks

On a diesel make sure you check the oil for fuel leaking into the oil , it will smell like diesel and after running the oil level will go up. Run it to operating temp. and make sure your oil pressure doesn't drop too low.

Appreciate how thorough your video is. It will help for future purchase.

Loved the video. Great advice on tractors. Food for thought. :)

Good advice the first tractor I've own was 1976 massey 135 it was a little beast everything worked perfectly I use to repair them before that from radiator to hydraulics masseys are very good tractors

Thank you! Going to look at a tractor, my first one for my hobby farm. This was a very helpful video.

Thanks for the information. I'm going today to look at a used tractor and didn't have a clue about what to look for.

GREAT INFORMATION,,I JUST BOUGHT A 1988 FORD 1610 AND FOUND OUT THE LOW DOWN ON IT BEFORE PURCHASE,,OLDER FARMER HAD BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW AND ALL HE USED IT FOR WAS CUTTING HIS YARD ONLY, WITH A 60 IN.BELLY MOWER.REAL GOOD TRACTOR AND A GOOD BUY,!!

I have one of this tractor, it’s a masterpiece. 2014 it was parked today I start with boost bang on the first crank.!

I just got my first tractor ever. A truly mint John Deere 870 with only 88 hrs on it. Garage kept. All oil looks spanking new. Even the battery looks spanking new even though it was installed in 2011’ Came with several implements too!

Check out the slack in steering. Make sure the lift does not drop too fast. In MF 135 it WILL drop, but it should drop slowly. In some other tractors it won't drop. It should start very easily, unless it's really gold.

thank you for making this video. it was seriously helpful.

Thanks for the video. My daughter & son in law are buying a 111 acre farm with an 1,800sf house. There is a tenant farmer on one part of the land and another one on another part. These fellows are not the friendliest - yet. They are old and within a decade will be gone. Good deal! Curtis is an owner/operator of a semi truck with an RGN trailer for hauling construction equipment, military and agriculture equipment. He is also a very good diesel mechanic. He inherited with the land a 5 ton spreader with one broken axle and a small bulldozer. Make friends - fixes their trucks in his spare time, fix the spreader and it becomes the community spreader and rebuild the bulldozer. And don't worry about the tractor, he can borrow one! The farming/ homesteading community is a wonderful group of people. Think about it. They barter but really what they are doing is using their God given skills for the good of the community. Nothing like good neighbors. For me, I with my wife of 48 years on a 1/10th of an acre. But I am the financial/operational consultant for this enterprise and my counsel is being passed to another farmer. How good is that? For anybody reading this, my first suggestion is to build a rainy day fund. WOW! Did I ever have an argument with my son in law about this. Then late this afternoon someone backed their semi-truck into his. Now the insurance will settle this out - about $10K of damage but he loses income every day that truck is parked. The rainy day fund will bridge the gap until the insurance writes the check. You may work your fingers to the bone and you may be very frugal in spending but you will still need cash. Ask yourself: how long will those tractor drive tires last and start saving today to replace them. May God bless you all. And thanks again for the video.

All good points, especially to check out the wheels and valve stems, I used to service tires on everything from earth-movers all the way down to little cars with 12 inch rims, the old tractors with their calcium chloride was always the worst for corrosion. Next was the Mack dump trucks, the breaks always were to hot to touch the wheels when they came in. If they pulled right in to the garage yo could see a glow to the hubs and lugs. Every last Mack that came in. If your looking for a dump truck for your farm, just be aware of that. The old Ford 2Ns were common to have 3pt hitch issues, make sure they will lift. if the seller has something you can hitch to it, try it to make sure your hitch works, same goes for any old tractor with a front loader bucket, make sure it will lift and inspect the arms for cracks or welds.

Nice video! Thats a sweet looking grab there! One thing I have learned over the years from my old neighbor who had a bunch of tractors is starting fluid and diesels dont mix! He says more or less people will argue either way with it saying they had no issues but people will argue anything! He says more or less a WD-40 is almost a better alternative! WD-40 is more like a diesal fuel consistency than regular ether! Overall great overview, learned something new!

Very good presentation took heaps of notes , thanks a bunch from New Zealand

What a wonderful and detailed video. Definitely good checklist for a noob like me. Thank you.

Ok!!! Just watched this video. My hat off to you for opening and closing with the same life saving critically important warning.👍 Now, just in case you care----- I've been serviceing n working on and with all types of machinery over 60 years. Factory trained dealership mechanic and blabla. Not honking my horn, just trying to qualify my statement so you and hopefully others reading this will give this comment it's proper worth. This is a very credible presentation of valid and important advice. And like you said yourself---- there's so much more--- but a person shopping for a tractor ( especially if it's their first time) will be smart to follow this advice with confidence. My opinion, for what it's worth? Dan

Your video was amazing it really helped get a general idea what to look for thanks buddy

Awesome video. New to farming here and looking for a used tractor. This video helped a bunch. Appreciate you took the time to make this video.

Also, you want to feel both radiator hoses after you bring the engine up to operating temperature. If one is cold with the engine hot, then the radiator is probably plugged/clogged from either rust or a pour-in 'block sealer' treatment. That's either a price-dropper or a good reason to walk away.

i was raised on these tractors im 54 now,they did use a salt mixture years ago but then went to an antifreeze mixture,the tires were 80% filled to add weight. several hundreds of pounds and in the front also.

Well thought out....thanks for taking the time to save many of us $$$$

Well done. Thank you very much for being very informative.

A million thanks for the innumerable tips you provided us with ....

Thank you very much for sharing the tips and enjoyed the video and I'll be back !

Very Helpful video! thanks for sharing and caring!

Depending on your use you should verify your brakes work on the tractor. The one we’ve owned for years only has the left brake working we usually stall it at a low rpm to stop it. The only important part is the parking brake is engaged via a pin on the left brake so we still have that

Calcium chloride, was put in tires because it would not freeze. But yes it is corrosive. I have the same problem on a little case Skiploader that I purchased through trade from my sister. It is a wonderful little tractor but I am going to be searching for new wheels for that..What a wonderful video thank you so much!

That was an eye opening video 🤘🤘 Great info , thanks stay safe & god bless

Very very very well done dude that's the way I like things explained detail not stupidity way I do it is like you carry on well well done

Watched this before going to check out a tractor. All the parts were different colors, and the guy says "yeah I had to mickey mouse this and that". Thank you for this video it really helped a newbie. The thing was beat up

thank you buddy!!! I'm taking notes. looking for an old 50's or 60's 20-30HP tractor to use around the farm. thanks again!

Great informational video, thanks for posting!

SRF, great vid! Just bought a MF 271, everything you pointed out to check I didn’t, and paid the price. I had to fix half the things you said to check. Tractor was out of neighbors estate sale, 1999 with 213 hrs. , it just sat in the barn. Things I had to fix were from setting and not big dollars. Once these were dealt with its been a excellent tractor, and will be a great buy in my estate sale😅👍.

You can also take the oil dipstick and hold it to the center of the back of the alternator, if it is charging it will have a magnetic field and will pull the dipstick to the alternator; If it doesn't have a magnetic field the alternator is not charging.

i used to drive one of these on the farm in the uk, in the 70's and 80's, we used to fill the tyres with water to add weight for traction, and they didn't rust because the water was in the inner tube of the tyre...

Man that ole gal sounds good!! An great tips!! Thanks! I love these old tractors! Ford, massey, international... They just do not make tractors like this anymore! Thanks for the video!

Hello very good opstion for all buyers thank you very much.👉👉👉👉👍👍👍👍

Hey Josh thanks for the information. About to look at a Ford 9n in a week or two. Great advice.

not trying to nit pick, just a tip to stretch out the life of ur alternator you'll want to pull the shut off before shutting of the key. its not good for the charging system to do it key first

Great video! Got a great deal on an MF35. Dodged some bad deals based on the info presented by this video.

It was calcium. It is common to fill large, low speed tires with calcium rich fluid. It is corrosive to uncoated wheels.

Massey Ferguson 135, one of the Top Ten ever made! I love mine!

Tractor tires had tubes calcium chloride would not corode rims unless its leaking . Quick tip to check alternators, while its running touch a wrench to rear bearing, if its charging it will be magnetized. Ahen looking in the rad while running if there are any bubbles coming up then it means bad head gasket, cracked block or head or leaking liner

keep it going josh your doing a great jpb

I just scored an amazingly beautiful 39 Ford 9n with a frame up restoration. One owner! So excited to start working my property

I had a MF 165 with the front loader, i bought it and it was the best used tractor I ever had.

The very first thing I do, when I test the tractor, is to shake it from the rear tire. I want to see in which condition are the bearings, the bolts and nuts, and the general situation of the tractor. If it is badly shaken through the transverse axke, it may cost you a lot in bearings, leakings and oncoming failures. I appreciate your explanation and you do well!!! Furthermore, I would appreciate if you gave some prices for some failures these tractors can have. Greetings from Greece!!!

a farmer calling a rooster a chicken! Awesome vid man, thank you:)

Great help - stay sober while shopping for a tractor, don't fall in love with a tractor...

Stoney Ridge, Excellent Shakedown on PMCS, preventive maintenance checks and services. Pointing out to the newer parts with the painted surfaces you're dead right WHY? many previous owners look at the vehicle as a (BOAT) (Break out another thousand $$$ )40 + years of being a mechanic, this information can be picked up and out of every manual, from Chilton, MOTOR, Haynes, or the ($ Original factory shop manual $) that comes with that Tractor, Truck, Car Bus, Chainsaw, Rototiller ect.ect. ect. I appreciate you stressing.Safety Factor that is required prior to starting that Tractor. and that's one thing that you'll never have enough of, I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about safety😨 Excellent video once again,

Very interesting. I look forward to seeing more from your site.

Great info. I looked at a very strange tractor the other day. A Kubota XB-1 BulAce. Apparently a grey market tractor. The guy was upfront and honest about it, even state and showed 3rd gear was out. The rear axle had a small leak, valve cover also had a leak, the rear shroud that shows operational controls and gear selection was gone and it smoked white even while running and getting to temperature. The price was super cheap but wasn't what I was looking for and the tires were rock hard plus parts availability was a major concern plus it was about the size of a large 4x4 4 wheeler. (Or a kubota G1800 garden tractor) just wasn't what I needed. Now looking at a massey furgeson 25 and a international. Thanks to this I can be a bit more vigilant. Know what to look for, but not as in depth as this was and that helps. Both were non running and from my understanding the international is in better condition "parked in storage 2-3 years ago", where as the massey said "smoked but only was used to grade my driveway, got a newer tractor, parked it and it wont start" so this will be interesting to see.

Nice fun tractor to drive , real reliable

love that old Chevy in the background.

That was good useful information, Thanks.

Great explanation. Thanks!

omg its got multi power too! they are great troctors, I have the 3cylinder 35x, pretty much the same tractor.

Great video with some awesome tips I still say the 135 ferguson and the 3000 ford are two of the best tractors ever made. I was looking for a 135 but never found a deal on one and ended up coming across a ford 3000 at a good price.