MF 390 v's Int 885 xl

gerico

Hi All,

Just looking for a little advice. I am in the process of buying a secondhand tractor and I have narrowed it down to two different models.
1-MF 390 1988 with 7125 hrs. 2wd in good condition approx €10k
2- international 885xl 1988 6100 hrs 2wd c/w quickie power loader bucket & fork in very good condition. approx €9k

My annual tractor use amounts to drawing about 120 silage bales for storage (1 good days work)and then foddering these into a close by winterage as required. after that its topping, fencing and a little general work with the transport box.

Basically I'm wondering if there is one tractor superior to another at this stage as they are both 20 yo in terms of maintainability and reliability. I would hope to get as long a life as possible since my annual usage is only about 100hrs max. The MF390 seems sturdier and Im told they have a better perkins engine over the 885 which is cleaner and has a loader that would be of good use to me plus €1k less in cost.
I hope all pertinent info is here and any advice is appreciated

Ford4000

Well theres pros and cons to both, 885 has loader and is tidy they also have a brilliant engine and are an all round great tractor but the gears can be a bit awkward till u get used t them, 390 a great motor a bit overated price wise like that one has no loader and a good bit more hours and if it has not been well maintained at over 7k hours it could be breathing and needing work i saw 2 come to my area wuith similar hours and were v hard t start so needed rings and the heads done up.
My buy would be the 885 simply cos there a good tractor it has a loader which is v handy and its cheaper!

irishh_bob

gerico wrote: »

Hi All,

Just looking for a little advice. I am in the process of buying a secondhand tractor and I have narrowed it down to two different models.
1-MF 390 1988 with 7125 hrs. 2wd in good condition approx €10k
2- international 885xl 1988 6100 hrs 2wd c/w quickie power loader bucket & fork in very good condition. approx €9k

My annual tractor use amounts to drawing about 120 silage bales for storage (1 good days work)and then foddering these into a close by winterage as required. after that its topping, fencing and a little general work with the transport box.

Basically I'm wondering if there is one tractor superior to another at this stage as they are both 20 yo in terms of maintainability and reliability. I would hope to get as long a life as possible since my annual usage is only about 100hrs max. The MF390 seems sturdier and Im told they have a better perkins engine over the 885 which is cleaner and has a loader that would be of good use to me plus €1k less in cost.
I hope all pertinent info is here and any advice is appreciated

1st of all , both tractors seem over priced , they are over 20 yrs old afterall , as for which one to choose , the international is a stronger tractor but the 390 were bullett proof , as im not a huge massey fan , id go with the case

John deere 6920

irishh_bob wrote: »

1st of all , both tractors seem over priced , they are over 20 yrs old afterall , as for which one to choose , the international is a stronger tractor but the 390 were bullett proof , as im not a huge massey fan , id go with the case

buy a 7810 or 7610 ford.. only tractor

maidhcII

John deere 6920 wrote: »

buy a 7810 or 7610 ford.. only tractor

only if you have a documented engine change in the recent past!

Casinoking

John deere 6920 wrote: »

buy a 7810 or 7610 ford.. only tractor

Apart from the porous engine blocks! The Super Q cabbed ones weren't a great tractor for loader work either, the gears were all wrong. If you were loading in high 1st and changed into reverse you were in the lowest gear going backwards. They were a comfortable tractor to drive for their day though I'll give them that. I never had much to do with Internationals so wouldn't have an opinion on them either way, but a tractor with a loader is always handier than one without. As for the 390, it's the same old story with them. A grand tractor but over priced.

gerico

Ford4000 wrote: »

Well theres pros and cons to both, 885 has loader and is tidy they also have a brilliant engine and are an all round great tractor but the gears can be a bit awkward till u get used t them, 390 a great motor a bit overated price wise like that one has no loader and a good bit more hours and if it has not been well maintained at over 7k hours it could be breathing and needing work i saw 2 come to my area wuith similar hours and were v hard t start so needed rings and the heads done up.
My buy would be the 885 simply cos there a good tractor it has a loader which is v handy and its cheaper!

Thanks Ford4000, My current tractor is a international 685 so I'm well used to the gears, which I had until the recent cold snap put paid to the engine block along with another few probs so an upgrade was due.
this is the model I'm looking at
www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/tractors/1150469

bk1991

we have an 1985 ih 885xl 4wd or the last 4yrs .we bought it iwthout loader and fitted one great all round tractor nimble enough for around yard and the like .bit bouncy on road but the 2wd woulnt have this prob ,much better cab than the mf by far only prob is they have a leaky sunroof we have had no problems apart from the 4wd shafts hardi spiciers wearing out due to load of rd work . hydralics in ih are better than mf too

irishh_bob

John deere 6920 wrote: »

buy a 7810 or 7610 ford.. only tractor

i wouldnt take a ford 7610 of you if you paid me

snowman707

IH 885 gets my vote also especially with the xl cab,

better torque and weight transfer, and also you will not be phoning your diesel supplier as often

John deere 6920

y not a 7610.. they good.. i vote for cas ih885. thingy. stay away from massey

vincenzolorenzo

Yeah I'd go for the international as well. Decent tractor and the loader would come in very handy too. 390s are renowned for being overpriced

gerico

thanks All,

Going to go with the 885, I also got a local tractor mechanic to look it over and he was happy with it all considered.

Jcastle

390 is good. Seat is currently stuck in the full forward position, something must be stuck but I cannot see or reach in under the seat to investigate. Does anyone know how I might fix this?

bbam

Unless you have wonderful ground I couldn't see any reason for buying a 2wd when the same money will get you 4wd if you shop around a bit more...

Round here anyway the day of the 2wd tractor in the field is near an end, few weeks in the summer it's fine, all other times you need 4wd...

marlyman

There is a reason why the 390 is overpriced - Its an exceptionally well built tractor, engine gearbox back-end are all bulletproof and parts prices are 50% cheaper than for all other tractors of the same vintage and hp.

Not that they need many ......

reilig

marlyman wrote: »

There is a reason why the 390 is overpriced - Its an exceptionally well built tractor, engine gearbox back-end are all bulletproof and parts prices are 50% cheaper than for all other tractors of the same vintage and hp.

Not that they need many ......

Agree, and when it does have a lot of hours on it and the engine needs doing, they are a straightforward machine to split and work on. No mechanic will turn you away with one.

Ford4000

marlyman wrote: »

There is a reason why the 390 is overpriced - Its an exceptionally well built tractor, engine gearbox back-end are all bulletproof and parts prices are 50% cheaper than for all other tractors of the same vintage and hp.

Not that they need many ......

Unless u go for the older models with the sticks in the middle then the gearboxes certainly are not bullet proof !!!The 12 12 or the 18 speedshift are a dam horrible floppy thing to use and they keep breaking the selector pins !

marlyman

Ford4000 wrote: »

Unless u go for the older models with the sticks in the middle then the gearboxes certainly are not bullet proof !!!The 12 12 or the 18 speedshift are a dam horrible floppy thing to use and they keep breaking the selector pins !

Your right and wrong. This did happen on early ones but only when farmers put loaders on them. and as we all know now the gearshift models were not designed for this. as time went on farmers were buying the for/rev lever one.

Idont thing it was a fault of the tractor, more a fault of the wrong application of the tractor at the wrong point in time.

Busy_Builder

Hi Folks,

I recently brought a second hand tractor (Deutx Dx 3.90) of a dealer in Galway, whom I thought was reputable. He was supposed to supply the log book on delivery as he was having trouble finding it at the time. However, the tractor was delivered with no log book, and I had at this stage (rather foolishly) paid up in full. After months and months of phone calls, the dealer has still not supplied the log book. Does anyone know the legalities of the situation? Is it illegal to sell a tractor without a log book?

Any advice is welcomed as I would like to sell the tractor soon.

snowman707

Busy_Builder wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I recently brought a second hand tractor (Deutx Dx 3.90) of a dealer in Galway, whom I thought was reputable. He was supposed to supply the log book on delivery as he was having trouble finding it at the time. However, the tractor was delivered with no log book, and I had at this stage (rather foolishly) paid up in full. After months and months of phone calls, the dealer has still not supplied the log book. Does anyone know the legalities of the situation? Is it illegal to sell a tractor without a log book?

Any advice is welcomed as I would like to sell the tractor soon.

shouldn't be too difficult to get a replacement, tell him you will instruct your solicitor to commence legal proceedings if he doesn't fix you up.
might kick start him into action;)

Tipp Man

Busy_Builder wrote: »

Hi Folks,

I recently brought a second hand tractor (Deutx Dx 3.90) of a dealer in Galway, whom I thought was reputable. He was supposed to supply the log book on delivery as he was having trouble finding it at the time. However, the tractor was delivered with no log book, and I had at this stage (rather foolishly) paid up in full. After months and months of phone calls, the dealer has still not supplied the log book. Does anyone know the legalities of the situation? Is it illegal to sell a tractor without a log book?

Any advice is welcomed as I would like to sell the tractor soon.

I had the same problem with a Jeep i purchased privately a few years ago, couldn't get the log book for love nor money

As it turns out it is very easy to fix, there is a document you can download from the web (motor tax website i think) which you will need to get signed and stamped by a justice of the peace, send it off and log book will be with you in a couple of weeks

If in doubt ring the Vehicle registration unit in Shannon and they will tell you exactly which form you need, one of these 2 numbers i think (061) 365000 or 1890 411412 or look here http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/MotorTax/

If you can get through to them they are very helpful:D

Busy_Builder

Thanks for the advice on the log book guys. Was talking to Dept. of Transport in Shannon and should be ok. Cheers