MF 135 - Hydraulics Operations

Thanks to all those that responded to our previous inquiry on the "merits" of a MF 135!! The astounding positive feedback has really helped our decision making process a great deal.

Never-the-less as it appears(crossed fingers) that we"ll soon be the proud new owners of a MF 135 I thought I would check in on one question regarding the hydraulic controls.

The tractor we looked at has remote hydraulics with the control box and two control levers between the drivers legs. To the right is what I believe to be the Up/Down control and Draft Control for the lift.

How should the controls work in a situation like this??

Probably easier for me to say how they"re working and ask if this is correct or needs adjustment - etc.

The lift is controlled by flipping(open or closed) the right control box lever. Setting the Up/Down adjustment to the drivers right(either up or down) and using the left control box lever to control the position of the hydraulics.

Does this seem right??

I had assumed that the control box levers were strictly for controlling remote hydraulics and that the up/down adjustment would control the lift.(as it typically does on other tractors)

I haven"t run a MF 135 or a tractor with remote hydraulics before so I could certainly be mistaken.

Any thoughts / insight?

If this doesn"t seem right any thoughts on possible adjustments and troubleshooting?

All the best...thanks everybody!

Brian

The valve under the seat has three levers, and there are the two on the right side of the seat. My MF-135 has two remotes.

The left valve under the seat is the master control. It has three latched positions. When pulled back, it lowers the three point no matter where any other controls are. In the mid position, it locks the three point and enables the remotes. Pushed foward it restores the hydraulics to those without the auxiliary valve set, so if the pump is set for constant pumping (right controls full up) the three point rises, else three point control is by the right hand levers. The draft control is handy when plowing and pulling a blade. It lets the three point adjust the depth for a constant power requirement. That tends to make for smoother blading and for less gear shifting when encountering different soil types and moistures.

The position control sets the height of the three point. Both the position and draft control have to be at the top in the constant pumping position for the auxiliary hydraulics to work because the controls on the right control by enabling or disabling the pump.

You need a tractor owner's manual plus the manual on the auxiliary valve. The manual I have is MF Form No. 690 562 M3. Its titled: "Operator's Manual. Basic and Auxiliary Hydraulic Sytems for MF 130 through MF 180 Tractors." There are a couple different versions of the tractor manual depending on the year and the gasoline engine. Probably all fit the diesel engine.

Gerald J.

Dale in WV - AKA "Dummy" or "married to a tractor widow".