MF 185 OR 188 - BEST TRACTOR

2pack

Which of these are the best tractor and best for resale,

They have the same engine etc but the 188 is a slightly bigger hp.

whats the other main differences between these 2 tractors???

Can someone tell me if both these tractor have the 8 forward 2 reverse gears as standard

thanks

jimmyw

185

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/003/4/0/3401-massey-ferguson-185-engine.html

188

http://www.tractordata.com/farm-tractors/006/0/4/6041-massey-ferguson-188.html

A bit of light reading for ya.Seems to be a different transmission in the 188.

I am sure there are better experts on them here.

reilig

2pack wrote: »

Which of these are the best tractor and best for resale,

They have the same engine etc but the 188 is a slightly bigger hp.

whats the other main differences between these 2 tractors???

Can someone tell me if both these tractor have the 8 forward 2 reverse gears as standard

thanks

Its much of a muchness in my own experience. A 188 would have slightly more power, but nothing major.

MF 1 series tractors came witha few choices of gears. Most have 3 forward gears and 1 reverse with a high/low gear for each (giving 6 forward and 2 reverse). 4 speed MF 1 series are rare enough, but by all means are very reliable. We have a 4 speed 1973 MF168 for 15 years and it has never given a bit of bother.

Some of the 3 speed 1 series came with Multi-power. Some people like it and some don't. I have never heard of multi-power giving a problem - unless it was tampered with by someone who didn't know what they were doing.

If I was choosing between them I'd look at a few things:

Engine - is it smokey? Is it running well from a cold start with no misses?Any oil leaks? was the engine rebuilt? (Most rebuilders will stencil engrave the date of rebuild on the engine some place)

Steering - power steering? Is it moving free and not pulling to one side? Are the steering joints all in good shape? Is there any free play in the steering when the tractor is stopped and you move the steering wheel?

Linkages - check for wear and tear on the lift arms. Check that the puh works ok.

Brakes - I'd be looking for a square axel personally. I'd also check the brake adjuster bolts to see if there was much scope for adjusting them in future. This will be indicative of brake wear.

Dip the back end for oil. I'd want to see clean oil - avoide oil that looks white as it may have been tainted with water.

Do a clutch test. Tractor in second gear, foot on both clutch and brake. Release clutch slowly but hold brake. Tractor should conk out.

Test out lift. Make sure it lifts something heavy and that it doesn't drop if you hold down the clutch while lifting a heavy object. Test lift when the tractor is switched off. Leave it up full way and see how fast it falls. All of them will fall. If it falls fast then there is a good bit of wear. Slow fall is ok.

Hope that helps.

Ford4000

Main difference was the 188 was a longer tractor, better balanced for heavy draft loads because of this, but between 185 and 188 i wouldnt shy at either if the right one came for sale both sturdy oul brutes noisy and unpleasant to drive in comparison with an equivelant ford though

2pack

can you get both the 188 and 185 with the 3 forward and 1 reserve?

also do the 185 and 178 have the spacer at the gearbox the same as the 188?..
i know that the bonnet from a 188 will fit the 178 but will not fit the 185

kingstown

Far as i know the 8 series had the 4 forward speed gearbox i.e. 148,168,178 & 188
Where as the 5 series had 3 forward gears 135 165 175 185 etc.
the spacer in the gearbox i think was to do with the extra gears etc. hence a longer tractor 4'' approx.
Bonnet on the 168 - 188 are longer than the 165 185 i think by about 4''

2pack

strange as looked at a MF with big engine, was a wreck to be honest but engine lifts etc good, has the 3 forward 1 reverse, no power steering , old weighted wheels were on it at one time, no gearbox spacer but it had the longer type bonnet, ie a 165 would not fit it,

no logbook, reg no or any id at all on tractor so was not sure what it was but maybe someone on here would have an idea

ace86

I personally like the 188 myself and I have seen in a magazine recently they came in 4wd. Was this from the factory or was there a conversion kit built afterwards and fitted? has anyone seen or have one and how do ye rate them in terms of pulling driving and turning in tight spaces etc and if kits can be got to convert them to 4wd what kind of €€€ are we talking??

colm_mcm

Had a passing interest in these for some reason, as we grew up on them as kids. Far as I know they were an aftermarket job and a bit of a pig to drive. they look awesome though.

Apprentice Mechanic

We have a four speed massey fersguson 185 on the family farm with no major issues only the power steering has to be adjusted on a regular basis,

Drove a massey ferguson 188 a few times which is much the 185 is alot nicer tractor to drive

The both tractor are so easy to maintain with very little mechanical abilty

2pack

2pack wrote: »

strange as looked at a MF with big engine, was a wreck to be honest but engine lifts etc good, has the 3 forward 1 reverse, no power steering , old weighted wheels were on it at one time, no gearbox spacer but it had the longer type bonnet, ie a 165 would not fit it,

no logbook, reg no or any id at all on tractor so was not sure what it was but maybe someone on here would have an idea

ok anyone know what this tractor maybe by the above info

thanks

st1979

grew up with both a 185 and 188 as our main workhorses. 185 was more of a rowcrop tractor shorter and lighter where as the 188 was more for heavier work. I far preferred the 185 to drive both of ours had the 3 forward gears 1 reverse with a high and low gearbox and both came with multipower all though 188 multipower gave up so dad got the gears changed so it was non multipower. Very noisy in them and pretty wet as ours came with the white canvas roof. I hated them with a passion as they were not a nice place to work. 185 was great for yard scraping duties though cause of its small size.

piston

The longer wheelbase makes the 188 vastly superior for field work as it is much better balanced. It's also an awkward pig in a tight spot so best avoided if you want a yard tractor.

Personally, an International 674 is a better tractor than either.

The Nutty M

2pack wrote: »

ok anyone know what this tractor maybe by the above info

thanks

I'd be thinking you were looking at a 178.No spacer only determines the gearbox (3 or 4speed) as far as I know.The big 248 engine is in them.

piston

The spacer has nothing to do with whether it is a 3 or 4 speed box. It is a piece added between the gearbox and back axle to add about 6" to the length of the tractor. This came about after MF field tested a 165 (I think) with a crawler gear box which was sandwiched in behind the normal gear box. It never made production but it was noted that the extra length improved the balance and weight distribution of the tractor and worked very well with the MF pressure coupling system for wheeled implements. It also improved driver access and comfort. The end result was an updated, improved range of tractors (148, 168 and 188) which had the spacer without the crawler gears inside it. They went on to form the basis of the newer 500 range while the short wheelbase 165 and 185 were pensioned off when the Q cab regulations came into being. The 135 got a slight stay of execution before the 240 arrived on the scene