B O R Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 i would like to do a flexi cab in model form myself...my real 135 has the rigid cab option,also made by sirrocco but because no parts are available now for this cab i had to hand make or go to specialists to restore the cab,needless to say i ended up spending as much money on the cab as many a man would spend on a complete tractor restoration,id never restore a cab again....1st picture is her loaded at my house ready for a show and 2nd picture is at the show.....note the original MF exhaust fitted on arrival at show in 2nd picture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B O R Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 a total of 650 hours were put into restoring this tractor and cab(plus the painters time on top) but its been in the family from almost new,date of 1st registration is 5/4/1974....i have every book and all the original manuals etc that were supplied with the tractor,the original MF exhaust took a bit of sourcing and strictly only goes on the tractor when parked at a show,i never allow it to get hot,good pictures of the flexi cab there by Marky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Ooo she's a beauty Brian... can you start a topic on her in members machines mate... I'd love to see some more of her MF rigid clad cabs were not popular over here... before the upgrades they were so noisy you could be 'drummed within an inch of your life' Still would be my choice mind you.. Do you have the MKII upgrades to your cab Brian and does your 135 have the 148 spacer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B O R Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 Marky,no my tractor doesnt hava spacer,rigid cabs were very popular here,the original owner of this 135 ran her alongside a 65,550,575,590 and 185,they were MF men through and through...my cab is the version before the upgrades,the upgrades included padding to wings and dash on 165 upwards and a different arrangement to the inside roof mesh ans sponge and the doors were upgraded with a rubber seal and the handles were chromed and the side windows both slid open instead of my one opening side window,to my knowledge the upgrades came in around late 74 /early 75 as the aforementioned 185 had these upgrades.ill get some more in depth pics very soon,it was very important to me to leave this tractor as she left Banner Lane and original parts are the way to go although take more time to hunt down but i got there,im now restoring a te20 and again have spent the last 2 years tracking down original parts for it including an original downswept exhaust and original radiator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 I'm just uploading you some pictures Brian... I've split your bit out of the flexi cab topic so we can carry on talking about you lovely litlte tractor... she's a real peach I reckon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B O R Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 ok Marky,the pressures on now to get her out and snap some good pics then,needless to say ill only take her out if its a good day...i spent 18hours cleaning down all the parts that were plated and got them all redone including the lift quadrant which meant getting the pullers on...this tractor has a genuine 4000 hours from new and only thing i done to engine was replace the water pump,recondition the injectors and a new rocker cover gasket,i took her last monday to my local concrete yard 4 mile away and got a load of concrete blocks to give her a run out and charge the battery and she is going and pulling like a dream,these 100 series tractors were what i grew up on and the amount of respect i have for Banner Lane products fuelled my desire to restore this 135 to perfect condition.all we can do now is look back at MF,s coventry history and be thankful when we see them 30/40 and 50 years on still doing what they were made for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MATTY 7530 Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Looking good Mate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 ok Marky,the pressures on now to get her out and snap some good pictures then,needless to say ill only take her out if its a good day...i spent 18hours cleaning down all the parts that were plated and got them all redone including the lift quadrant which meant getting the pullers on...this tractor has a genuine 4000 hours from new and only thing i done to engine was replace the water pump,recondition the injectors and a new rocker cover gasket,i took her last monday to my local concrete yard 4 mile away and got a load of concrete blocks to give her a run out and charge the battery and she is going and pulling like a dream,these 100 series tractors were what i grew up on and the amount of respect i have for Banner Lane products fuelled my desire to restore this 135 to perfect condition.all we can do now is look back at MF,s coventry history and be thankful when we see them 30/40 and 50 years on still doing what they were made for I can't agree more Brian... I really must get my 240 done some time... but like you.. I'm a bit of a perfectionist really... if I do ever give her the works it will need to be to the same high standard as you have maintained.... anyway... here you go Brian... a few bits of MF history for you... This is the full MKII cab brochure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 and how about this then.... that's the noise testing rig at Perkins in Peterborough (not far from me)... what a great picture that is.. so good in fact that MF used it in a brochure on the flexi cab improvements \ :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B O R Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 the restoration of the tractor was completed in 2005 and i took her to LANARK where i scooped "best new restoration" and a 2nd place in "classic tractor" awards.was well chuffed with that....an article was done in tractor and machinery mag (NOVEMBER 2006) and it took me to late 2007 to complete the cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 a worthy winner I'd say Brian... close up pictures as soon as you can please kind sir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B O R Posted January 3, 2010 Author Share Posted January 3, 2010 excellent stuff Mark.i love them kinda MF pics and info,and that 188,boy would i like a day in her......i believe the rigid was one of the best cabs to be fitted to a 135 as there was plenty of room in them,i drove 135s with duncans,flexis,secura and another that i forget but the rigid had the battery panel lid inside the cab where the others had it outside leaving very little room for your knuckles to clear when turning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 I can agree with that... my mate has got a 135QD... what a nasty old cab that is.... the small windscreen (so you can get thge battery out) is right in the line of sight :D I've got some more 100 series cab brochures if you want to see some Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuarty C Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 interesting topic, tidy tractor Brian hope you dont mind me posting but heres my grandas old buckraking tractor was just wondering what sort of cab it was \ bit before my time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 strange... that's what that is... I've never seen that cab before \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuarty C Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 do my ears deceive me marky its not like you \ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 it's the front wndows that have stumped me .. sorry buddy.... I've let you down there... just off to look through my cab brochures.. but I don't hold out much hope on that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 Ah ha... I think I've found something similar... do i win a prize :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuarty C Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 your some pup marky, yet again unbeat'n ill get you yet em... er... a prize \ you can sleep with peace of mind that you fingured it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denis086 Posted January 3, 2010 Share Posted January 3, 2010 lovely little tractor there brian nice to see people renovating the cabs its a pity that more people dont 90% of the ones i see round people dont bother renovating and refitting the cab after a restoration and i dont know why they dont when the original one had \ but nice job youve done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 lovely little tractor there brian nice to see people renovating the cabs its a pity that more people dont 90% of the ones i see round people dont bother renovating and refitting the cab after a restoration and i dont know why they dont when the original one had \ but nice job youve done Oh here here Dennis.... that's sad but very true... I do admire you Brian for taking the time to restore ALL or her fair play Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 the 178 was not an 8 line model in the true sense of the word Iain... what I mean is.... it wasn't a longer 175.. it was simply a 175 with the engine upgraded from 236 cu in to 248 cu in... (same block... longer stroke) I guess you could really call it the first of the 590's \ so this cab would have served for both I am sure in that case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 I would gues that this brochure pre dates the 178 in that case Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ferguson Posted January 4, 2010 Share Posted January 4, 2010 Just realised there is a page two to this... here you go... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B O R Posted January 4, 2010 Author Share Posted January 4, 2010 now,ive been busy snapping the 135 today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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