forklift

[Possum Creek]

Anybody have any experience with a  2500 massey furguson forklift?

[Brad_bb]

Built on a tractor driveline just like my Warner Swasey is built on a Ford tractor driveline.  Besides checking out the engine as you would any tractor, check the transmission and make sure is shifts properly for all gears.  Test the forward reverser if it has one.  Check the brakes, and the differential lock.  Do the gages work?  does it have lights that work?  If not, add them to it- led flood and spotlights using relays.  Check all of the hydraulic cylinders for signs of leakage.  After I bought mine, I had to have the tilt and sideshift cylinders rebuilt.  Make sure the mast cylinder is working properly.  check the shaft for signs of scoring or damage.  Those mast cylinders can be expensive to rebuild or replace.  When I bought mine, I didn't notice that the sideshift bracket was broken and had been welded (poorly) before.  It's a job to fix because you have to remove the mast pivot shaft to get it off to weld.  Also look for signs of leakage in the radiator and for noise from the hydraulic pump.  check for rotted hydraulic hoses and replace as needed.

[JB Griffin]

I have one.  So far so good. Don't expect to have brakes as it is a Massey.  Not really built on a tractor frame but shares the same motor as a 240 or 245 if I remember right.  They have a goofy trans setup kind of a hydrostat over gear trans , with a hi and low range and first and second, and 2 pedals one for forward,  the other for backwards.

[ddcuning]

I have the 2200 with the Perkins diesel in it and it has been a great machine. Not sure what we would do without it. I have replaced the steering cylinder, fuel pump, and injection pump seals but nothing that major but after all it is pretty old. I have no complaints.

Dave C

[Left Coast Chris]

I have the MF 135 with diesel 3 cyl Perkins.   The engine has been bomb prof.   The main hydraulic pump is internal and it cost $3k to have it rebuilt along with the brakes and a clutch.  The hydraulic rebuild only came out 75%.   The brakes are still not the best but we are on flat ground.   The hydraulic steering assembly is hard to find parts for.  It went out and it cost $1200 for the rebuild.   I have just bought a new Kubota due to the MF light smoking under load and leaking steering assembly.    Im putting it in partial retirement but keeping for light tasks. 

If your hydraulics bleed off and the pump is internal I would think twice about the fork lift.  If it has sat a good bit over the years the hydraulic cylinders will have moisture and the seals will suffer.  Expect to replace seals and some hoses.  That is normal.

[ddcuning]

I just thought my brakes needed adjusting, sounds like from this thread it was never meant to have them to start with! :D

Dave C

[JB Griffin]

Yup, Massey's just never had good brakes, at least w/o a lot of work.
The hyd. pump is external crank driven on these.
The power steering on my sucks bad, very slow to react, the pump is prob. the culprit.
If the hyd. bleed off most of the time its a bad cyl., or maybe a bad valve, forklift hyd. are different than the lifttop on a tractor, and yes lifttop parts and labor are spendy.
Also there are different lift capacity models all of which sold as a MF2500, the guy I bought mine from had two one 4000# and the 6000# that I bought.

[Possum Creek]

Thanks for the information, guys.         PC