Massey Ferguson 265

Where the 185 gives you more power and manual steering, the 265 gives you power steering as standard and a choice of drivelines. Sixty horsepower from a four-cylinder Perkins, two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and an eight or twelve speed transmission depending on how the tractor is built. For most mixed farm work that specification is the better balance of the two.

Silver Standard rebuild

These tractors are not tidied up and resold. Each one goes through a remanufacturing process of seventy hours or more before it leaves the shop. The engine comes apart and goes back together with new pistons, liners, rings, full gasket sets and a reconditioned cylinder head. The clutch is rebuilt. The transmission is stripped, checked and parts replaced where they are worn. The hydraulic pump and the linkage are both rebuilt, then the lift is tested under load to confirm the pump is making pressure.

Cosmetically it is a shot blast back to bare metal on the chassis, rims and panels, then a respray in hardwearing enamel. Electrically it is a new loom, new clocks and gauges, a new starter and a new dynamo. New tires go on front and rear.

Before it ships it gets a dyno test for engine and PTO output, a hydraulic lift test and a road test covering steering, brakes and gears. If something fails one of those tests it goes back on the bench.

Sensible options

The drawbar can be upgraded to an automatic pick-up hitch, which is the right call if you tow trailers daily. Front weights are worth having if you plan to run a loader or heavy rear-mounted gear. A sun canopy is available and cheap.

All prices are in US dollars. Freight is a flat $550 anywhere in the continental US and you have 30 days from delivery to return the tractor.