Will’s World: Why you can’t beat a Massey Ferguson 135
© Richard Stanton In 1965 Winston Churchill died and more than a million people lined the streets of London for his state funeral.
Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston, the Beatles played their legendary concert at Shea Stadium, The Sound of Music was the most watched film in cinemas, Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival, and the US began to escalate the war in Vietnam. It was quite the year.
See also: Owner rates Massey Ferguson 8S.265 tractor with Dyna E-Power transmission
About the author
Closer to home, Harold Wilson’s Labour government put forward an ambitious plan to greatly improve production in farming and “bring lasting benefit to all who cared for and worked on the land”, as well as decrease Britain’s then reliance on imports of foreign beef.
The agriculture bill provoked stern opposition from the Conservatives. Plus ça change. If you weren’t impressed by that, though, you could at least drown your sorrows in the local pub with a pint of beer for 2s 6d.
Bargain buy
© Will Evans
On our farm in this little corner of North Wales we had our own momentous event.
My grandfather, who was then the same age as I am now, purchased a brand-new Massey Ferguson (MF) 135 with cutting-edge multi-power for the princely sum of £600.
He paid an extra £5 for a fitted cigarette lighter (4s 7d for a pack of 20, in case you’re wondering).
I expect it seemed a lot of money at the time, but what a phenomenally good buy it turned out to be.
Fifty-eight years later, it’s still used daily and starts straight away every time.
The Perkins three-cylinder, 45.5hp engine sounds like a symphony, and it only ever needs minimal maintenance despite spending most of the time being covered in muck. It doesn’t owe us anything, that’s for sure.
I learned to drive on it, and very soon, when my eldest daughter turns 13, I expect she will too.
I suppose it’s become a family heirloom in a way, and I think the old boy would be very pleased to know that it’s still going strong.
So in the spirit of not sitting on the fence, and knowing that a man occasionally needs to voice a strong opinion to feel like a manly man, I’m putting it out there – the MF 135 is the greatest tractor ever made.
All you Ford fanatics, David Brown buffs, Case cranks and John Deere diehards can come at me if you wish, but deep down inside you know I’m right.
Making of a classic
Let’s start with the figures. After introducing the 135 at the Smithfield Show in 1964, MF went on to build more than 340,000 of them over an 11-year period at its famous Banner Lane factory in Coventry.
They were part of the 100-Series Red Giants that sold well over a million in total – the first and only British-built tractor range to pass that incredible milestone.
They looked superb in the trademark red and grey, and the squared design, iconic front grille and classic 1960s font on the bonnet made them appear to be machines straight out of the future.
With self-cleaning foot pedals, a large diesel tank, comfort seat and hydraulics that provided position and draft control, they must have felt like it too.
Despite their advanced age, their somewhat ineffective brakes, their faded paintwork and slightly rotted wheel rims, round the world tens of thousands of them are still farming and giving pleasure to their owners, like me.
What is it they say? If it ain’t red, leave it in the shed.