How did MF1200 perform?

[startinghandle]

After watching a promotional video about the MF1200 on
Utube from the 70's l was thinking how did it perform against .. county , roadless
and muir hill

 

[robo]

years ago ran a 115 Roadless swapped it for a MF 1200 and it was really good machineturned on a sixpence compared to roadless or county Was for us a good tractor especially after we had an Opico turbo fitted boosting it up too about 135 hp gripped really well We were lucky did not have much trouble at all did about 8000 hrs before we got rid.. other folks did have problems

 

[David.]

Not driven one, but they used to say that it was difficult to keep ploughing straight.
Like everything I expect one got used to it.

 

[Lowland1]

We had a Doe 130 that my Dad reckoned was the best pulling tractor he ever had. We replaced that with a Muir Hill so we could pull a pea viner he was not pleased with that so we got a 1200 that was pretty good especially with duals all round for top work. That was replaced with a 1250 turbo which was a really powerful tractor. The problem was they were articulated so you couldn'tuse them on a potato harvester when it was wet like you could a County and they weren'tstrong enough for a reversible plough we had a 5 furrow conventional international semi mounted which it flew with

 

[Lincs Lass]

Vaguely remember dad having one on demo ,,didnt they have a niggly problem with the gear linkage ,the roll pin through the selector shaft bottom of the lever was forever snapping

 

[Nearly]

@masseybreaker has a few

 

[Wellytrack]

Remember a Muir Hill and a 1200 here in the 80’s on stone carts, the Muir Hill had more power but the driver was having a miserable time of it.

 

[essexpete]

I had the pleasure of being an occasional driver on one in my student days. I always loved it, although a little quirky. It was a well used but well maintained example and the grip/traction on fairly bog standard tyres (13.8 38 iirr) was outstanding. It was perhaps a little underpowered.
Very easy tractor to drive except hooking up with pu on your own.
Could have done with a turbo, radial tyres, aircon and dyna box.

 

[colhonk]

Could `literally` run rings round County`s ect. Turn round with stone cart on, inbetween 10yd apart drains without touching them, Need half a field to turn with any of the others, especialy the big Dutra`s.
Were actualy good for ploughing,used a 4furrow revesible on mine, setting in at the ends you could turn the steering and set the plough down in the right place. When I got mine the first thing to do was replace the rubber bobbins in the drive shaft from the engine, Got new swivel bushes and pivot parts from America, new steering ram ( was worn in the middle of the cylinder and needed constant turning of steering wheel to go straight). Mostly good after that apart from small oil leaks everywhere. and the yoke for the auxilary cylinder on top of the backend snapped and kapputed the cylinder.
Was a brilliant tractor for gripping, Wish I could of afforded to keep it all those years ago

 

[renewablejohn]

Going to look at a 1805 anyone know anything about them. Looks like a big CAT engine in it.

 

[essexpete]

Could `literally` run rings round County`s ect. Turn round with stone cart on, inbetween 10yd apart drains without touching them, Need half a field to turn with any of the others, especialy the big Dutra`s.
Were actualy good for ploughing,used a 4furrow revesible on mine, setting in at the ends you could turn the steering and set the plough down in the right place. When I got mine the first thing to do was replace the rubber bobbins in the drive shaft from the engine, Got new swivel bushes and pivot parts from America, new steering ram ( was worn in the middle of the cylinder and needed constant turning of steering wheel to go straight). Mostly good after that apart from small oil leaks everywhere. and the yoke for the auxilary cylinder on top of the backend snapped and kapputed the cylinder.
Was a brilliant tractor for gripping, Wish I could of afforded to keep it all those years ago

I snapped the rubber drive coupling pulling an ancient small onions scraper leveling some ground that was fairly hard. Hardly surprising really.

 

[essexpete]

Going to look at a 1805 anyone know anything about them. Looks like a big CAT engine in it.

Was that the next one up from the 1505?

 

[renewablejohn]

Was that the next one up from the 1505?

Think its 8 cylinder but wont know until I see it.

 

[essexpete]

I think the 1505 was a v8 as well. Not very well liked by the driver on the farm I worked on. Mind you it pulled a mole Plough with 180hp.

 

[masseybreaker]

Going to look at a 1805 anyone know anything about them. Looks like a big CAT engine in it.

nothing like a 1200 totally different drive train just looks the same

 

[Lowland1]

One got stuck with a pea viner on my Uncle’s land one year and when pulling it out left the rear half still attached to the viner. Something you probably couldn’t do with a County

 

[renewablejohn]

nothing like a 1200 totally different drive train just looks the same

Is it still a pivot steer as if not I may be wasting my time as I assumed it was.

 

[essexpete]

Is it still a pivot steer as if not I may be wasting my time as I assumed it was.

Yes pivot steer.

 

[startinghandle]

One got stuck with a pea viner on my Uncle’s land one year and when pulling it out left the rear half still attached to the viner. Something you probably couldn’t do with a County

I am sure some very colourful words were used when it happened... do you know how the two halves were recovered?

 

[Nearly]

I am sure some very colourful words were used when it happened... do you know how the two halves were recovered?

Fasten a 2wd axle on and drove them out?