I had a 1200 for a number of years down here in Devon - used to take it to shows. Nothing will ever prepare you for the shock of taking up the floor and seeing a Massey 35 gearbox ! Yes I know its different on the inside but the casting is the same - including where the 35 foot pegs bolted....🤣🤣😁😁 Still loved it I did. Now lives in North Devon..
I have a 1979 1200 here in Sweden. But its massivly rebuilt sometime in the mid 80's. With a massive 7,3m forestry crane in the back and fuel tank moved to the side to make room in the cabin to be able to drive and sit backwards as well. Hudralic tank and extra pump in the front. 18.4-34 and chains on all tires, and steel plates underneath for forestry work. Exhaust moved to the side of the cabin etc. etc.. Its currently gets the engine replaced. It has a lot of flaws but its quite useful to have around the farm.
Happy memories of the late 70's and a job on a farm just after leaving school.They had a 1200 there and I remember it being quite a good bit of kit at the time.Sadly I can't remember the reg number now .Only just found out recently how few of them were made.There seemed to be quite a few of them around at the time,perhaps we were just lucky to be in an area where they were popular.Keep up the good work Dave,it's lovely to see and interesting to watch.Cheers Geeza.
Come on Mike, lm in Sweden, further away so the signal is weaker here 😂😂😂😂😂. All joking aside, they are things of beauty,greatly underestimated and had MF not had financial difficulties the 1250 would have continued and the supposed bigger artics (140 hp) may have been built. Largest concentration of 1250's l knew of were in Indonesia. They went onto Sugar Projects. At that time l was working fur Fird and our projects were on Sumatera and we had 6610's, 7610 and 964 Counties. The MF Projects were on Java and Kalimantan if L remember correctly. They had 290's, 298 Turbos and 1250's. The 298T was not official but converted to meet the Tender Soecifications. Both companies won three projects with a total of something like 3 to 400 units total. Have details somewhere
Hello Dave, I've also owned a Mark 2 1200, from 1978. It fell out of 3rd gear and have been looking for that gear for a long time untill I contacted you because of your MF 1200 FB account. You were the only one that could supply me with a new gear. 👍 I don't own the 1200 anymore but it was fun to drive.
Interesting to hear how you got into them Dave and the differences between them. I think you've sparked an interest for a lot of us in these models that we never had before! Is the 1200 staying in it's working clothes or going to have the Massey Dave treatment in time? Cheers 👍
What was the advantage over a traditional tractor? My dad drove one, as a small child I remember him chuntering every time he had to drive it. He normally drove a 2640.
just found your channel very interesting i drove a 1200 then a 1250 on the farm i worked on in the 70,s the 1250 i drove had a straight chrome exhaust came from massey like that never new not many of them were made
There was always a very distinct 1200/1250 almost Marmite/Bakelite type smell inside the cabs of them. Do yours smell similar? You also never forget the cluck/rattle of the door pull as you slammed the door shut and the thud of the window opening levers as they are opened or closed. Absolute heavenly things to drive and own. Wish I still had all 3 I have had over the years.
Greetings from JT's neck of the woods! Thanks for the great, informative video. Not really a farmer, but I love the history of the Massey Fergusons. Thanks for keeping them going.
Bit late to the party here...Great bonus video Dave. My interest was sparked 30+ years ago after seeing one for sale locally and wanted one since. I always felt they had a lot more to offer than their blue equal wheel counterparts (might be a controversial statement but i think this is a safe space 😂). Keep up the good work Dave & Penny keeping the tractors restored along with those all important parts and most importantly the information (& entertainment 😂) you provide is priceless 👏
Hi Dave! Love what you do! There were a few 1200's sold in New Zealand. I know of 3 in the North Island alone & there are a few in the South Island as well. One of our Friends of Ferguson Heritage members has imported a 1250 from the UK & a MF 4880 from the US to add to his already impressive collection of Massey Ferguson tractors. I'm working on restoring an early 1966 MF 165 with the 203 Perkins motor, so I appreciate the work you & the apprentice put into those tractors! Always enjoy your videos!
Brillant video Dave. Ive only known about the 1200 and 1250 for the last couple of years and wondered what the diffrance was. Have you done any of the Americian v8 ones done know the model number . Hope your after bottle of beer. Im enjoying a pint of the Guiness
Worked on quite a few 1200's, but only ever worked on one 1250. Think when they were introduced, the 2000 series tractors were preferred as they looked more conventional
They were also cheaper to buy and more flexible in their application than either the MF 1200 or the later MF 1250. The MF 1250 used the same engine as the MF 2000 series, the 6-354•4, which had machined inlet ports in the cylinder head, a thickened and deeper 'skirt' and the tappet covers were eliminated, with a now constant section of material on the RHS of the engine. This made it structurally stronger, and in conjunction with the massively strong engine sump, allowed such tractors as the MF 2000s (US 1978, Europe 1979), and MF 699 (1984), to be feasible in the first place, since the engine block was now strong and rigid enough to be used as a structural member.
Hello Dave, wonderful video on these legendary tractors! a terrible look....! You are an expert on these machines, and above all a great restorer....... I have a quick question regarding the 1200 and 1250: at what maximum speed did these tractors travel in England? I am in France, and here they were moving at 24 - 25 km/hour Thanks again, see you soon
I worked at the combine plant in Brantford Ontario back in the 80's Thay had a implement newly built it ran for a year or 2 then gutted it and brought those articulation tractors from the UK to Brantford Thay built 7 V8 tractors and closed the plant and moved the production back to the UK . where were Thay built after that.
Was there not some connection with certainly the early 1200’s with Kilmarnock? My father had one of the first, if not the first non-demonstration 1200’s sold to any farm in 1972/3 and MF lavished a lot of entertainment and factory visits to him while sale negotiations took place, including a visit to the Kilmarnock factory and lots of Malt whiskey tastings! (“May I have some water with it?” …..”You will not!”) MF took his tractor away after a year and smash tested many important bolts on it before rebuilding it and sending it back, with several improvements, including the shaft bolts between Engine and transmission. We eventually had 2 1200’s and a 1250. All were adored, but the 1250 was definitely superior. Just brilliant tractors. Their grip was unbelievable! You have dome a fantastic job Dave.
@@MasseyDave Yes they definitely did build Combine there. Maybe I’m mistaken, but MF definitely took my Dad to Kilmarnock about the time he was negotiating with MF, through F A Standen at Ely to buy that first 1200. He was no fan of MF Combines, so he wouldn’t have gone there to see them. And I do remember something about Manchester. I wonder if Colin could enlighten us to the details? I also remember them being shown on Tomorrow’s World, but a while after we had taken delivery of ours. They also showed a 1505. Anther thing I remember was when they took ours away for testing, they lent us another 1200 which was a very early test model. It had weighted PAVT wheels on it which made it look awful! We used our first one with a 5 furrow Dowdeswell semi mounted (DP2?) plough, ploughing on land rather that in the furrow. This was no good when it got wet as the tractor would always end up sliding into the furrow. Eventually we bought a fully mounted 4 furrow Lemken and drove the tractor in furrow which sorted it all out. MF came out with its Diamond plough, but it would not turn the land over well enough on heavy land. By the time we had the 1250, we had a Dowdeswell DP8 plough and we thought this was the perfect plough for it
@@MasseyDave By the way Dave, just been talking to my brother Paul, who I now know has spoken with you several times. He drove our 2nd 1200, the S reg until it cremated itself. Then we replaced it with the 1250. Paul sends his regards and apologises for not having kept in touch recently. But he has been quite busy. He and my brother Mark have a lovely late 390 and an absolute peach of a 3125. Paul is still trying to find out where our old 1250 is, but knows she was exported. My Brothers’ are in North Suffolk and I am in the North Cotswolds. When I arrived here at Moreton-in-Marsh in 1996, the was a local Contractor, Tim Ingles, who has 3 1200’s and there still is another guy near me that has another 3 of them. One has a fore-end loader, mounted on the back of the tractor.
@@MasseyDave Not to worry Dave. It has been 2 years since brother Paul ward spoke with you. Those of us the had and loved our 1200’s and 1250’s absolutely love the fact that you collect, use and restore so many of them.
Why Dave, has the 1200 got a 1250 steering wheel and the 1250 have a 1200 steering wheel? 1200/50’s are an obsession. Just different in every way. Nothing else in the power and weight class has ever come close for wheel grip. A joy to drive in the fields. 👍👍 Ps. Love your videos of what you do.
The 1200 there is a late one , almost bar 50 in the production , so it has a few 1250 similarity , the 1250 is an aftermarket one as the one it had was broken ! 🤷♂️🤦♂️
