MF 135 hydraulic forklift

1. Any ideas about the simplest way to get oil to operate a single acting ram? I do know where to buy parts, but don't want a rolls-royce solution when the simple one will do. What hyd pressure are these tractors likely to generate?
2. Has anyone had disasters with attachments on the front of the tractor, or should I be mounting the forklift on the rear only (and some weights on the front)?

Your help and thoughts would be most appreciated. Also in the short 12 months I have had it this has been a great little tractor, mowing, pulling logs, pushing dirt etc lotsa torque. My dad has had a MF65 with a loader since new and I hope to inherit it and maintain to give to someone younger than me.

Billy

If you find a forklift mast, mount it on the rear!!! It will work better, and all you have to do is weld brackets on the mast so you can hook it up to the 3 point, and it is easily removed!! Also, a remote is easily hooked up.

And the radious rod front end is a strong design. Ours is a 1959 model, worked hundreds of acres thousands of times and the frond end is fine!! Just remember, in the wrong hands anything is weak!!

Take care

Will

As Wil suggests, the rear mount would be preferable.

A half ton load (plus the mast weight) is a bit much for the front of that unit - both weight and stability. Forks, fitted to a loader, might be an option (better control, a lot less fitting)- but again the weight is a factor. 600 - 700 pounds is safe in my opinion.

There was a British unit available some years ago for the rear - had caster wheels to carry some of the load. I looked at it, but felt the three point linkage allowed it too much slop for good control.

As well, the internal pump, working 100% and full engine rpms puts out only about 4 gpm at 2700 psi or so - plenty of pressure but slow for a long lift cylinder, unless it's 2" or so diameter. Worn pumps generally deliver less.

The hydraulic hookup is no problem - the cheapest is a switch valve replacing the plate under the front right of the seat. $100 - 150. It switches between the internal three-point system and remote - to feed a conventional control valve. (I haven't found out how you can have both operating at the same time.)

Control valves are available to replace the plate, but start at $250 or so. Used ones are available, but there are a number of different configurations, and might require detective work to fit up for single action - as well as a rebuild.

We finally found a real fork lift - a '57 Erickson 6000 lb unit. A dinosaur, but it's still working!

Incidentally there was an original MF forklift mounted at the back, with the steering driven by a chain and seat facing rearwards. I can"t remember whether it was on a 35 or 135, I saw one at a dealers one day and thought it was home made but later found out that it was a genuine MF machine.

I made life easier on the spindles and axle by going to 11L-16 front tires on 8" wide rims. Those don't sink into the ground to make steering so hard. The power steering still broke the piston and piston rod.

I filled the 14.9-24 rear tires with CaCl to hold them down, and with a bale lifted, the rears hit the ground about a quarter of the time. So I hitched on a three point bucket and heaped it high with dirt. Then the back wheels touched half the time. Part of the problem is that the loader is long enough that the load is as far in front of the front axle as the rear wheels are to the rear. I helped that for hauling dirt and gravel. The original manure bucket could easily load so much gravel and lift it that the back wheels were off the ground all the time. Its not productive that way. I had a new bucket made with the pivots inside the bucket, that was much shorter. It was better, but the loader works much better on my JD 4020. Its heavy enough to lift and move any load the bucket can handle. I moved the 11L tires also, but later went to 11.00-16 four rib instead of wagon tires for better steering in dirt.

I concur with putting the forks on the rear, though the small volume of the pump will require patience. It would be practical (and my loader was that way) to run a separate hydraulic system on the PTO shaft. Go for the 11 gpm pump, not the 22. Or mount an engine driven pump up front. I used a 5 gpm for my loader.

After the right rear tire split the inner sidewall and the pinched tube sprayed tractor and me with CaCl, I won't ever put that stuff in a tire again. But it was cheap weight. I haven't found a way to put cast iron weights on my rear wheels.

Gerald J.

a typing error i assume