[AT] Ramble: I broke a MF 255 into 2 pieces

[Dudley Rupert]

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of Len Rugen
Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 8:15 AM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: RE: [AT] Ramble: I broke a MF 255 into 2 pieces

I think that these tractors could have either dry or wet brakes, you can
tell if the axle housing has several dime-sized round notches along the
bolts, it has wet brakes.  Mine has wet brakes and all I've had to do was
adjust them a little to get the pedals even, they seem to be pretty strong
and lock well to park.  Reading the manuals, it isn't said, but implied,
that these were a major improvement over the dry brakes.
Len,
My SIL's 245 does have the wet brakes with the axle you describe.  I didn't
mean to imply that the brakes on this tractor are not any better than those
that were/are on the tractors of the 40's & 50's.  I agree with you that
these latter brakes, at least the wet ones, do work better.
But I guess I was just a little surprised that in twenty years or so not
much improvement seems to have been made in the "emergency brake" area.  My
Farmall H & M and John Deere B and Fergy TO35 and the SIL's 245 all require
that you bend over and put a lever in a notch of some kind to activate the
emergency brake and they all leave you to pray that the lever will stay
engaged until you intentionally disengage it.  I think the bottom line for
me is always use the tractor emergency brake but never assume it will work
so do other positive things to ensure that the tractor stays put when no one
is on it.
Dudley
Snohomish, Washington