Massey Ferguson: Dependable and Solid

Norman Cole is something of a diehard Massey Ferguson man. When he first got out of college, he used an MF165 and an MF255. Today, he says, “All we really use are Massey Fergusons.”

These days at his boxwoods nursery, he employs an MF2635 utility tractor for cultivation and to haul plants in from the field. In the past, he has used his MF281 utility tractor for ground work and to put in cover crops. “We have 3,500 hours on our 281 and haven’t done a thing to it other than put new tires on it,” Cole notes.

He’s been impressed with the Massey Ferguson tractors’ overall durability. “The horticulture industry is very labor intensive,” he remarks, and his equipment has held up.

Cole recently purchased a heavy-duty MF4710 utility tractor with enclosed cab, and has just started using it for tillage. “It’s a very strong tractor and very stable,” he remarks. He likes its additional horsepower and additional front weights to give it better ground attachment, and also appreciates its wide tire setting. “We’re in the mountains, so we need added stability,” he says. “Very little of my ground is flat. Almost all of it is hilly.”

Why all the Massey Ferguson? “They’re just a very solid tractor,” Cole explains. Among the features he appreciates is the lack of parasitic loss in horsepower from engine to PTO. “Most tractors have lower drop than MFs,” Cole remarks. He also likes the simplicity of Masseys. “I’m not excited about bells and whistles,” he says. “I just want a solid, dependable tractor.”

Cole’s dealer is Boone Tractor in Lewisburg, West Virginia, though he admits he really doesn’t deal with them much outside of purchasing. “We don’t really have any problems with our Masseys,” he says.

The staff at the dealership, says Cole, is “very easy to work with. They haven’t made any promises that they haven’t fulfilled. They do the standard 50-hour oil change and checkup.” Cole says he also appreciates the dealership’s willingness to get him the tractor he needs rather than just trying to sell him one off the lot.