Combines MF 205

Boss_Hog

Guest
I've spent a lot of time on 205s - We've had 4 of them over the years. (Central Illinois) I don't see that they were better or worse than any other combine for any particular reason. They were O.K. to work on, had the usual bearing failures, etc. Obviously their capacity is pretty dismal compared to modern combines. But when they were originally sold, they were probably really something. (I ain't old enough to know) I kinda liked having the engine in the rear. With a muffler added on to the stock straight pipe it's fairly quiet. And it seems to me that gets more weight over the rear axle. I have no idea why they developed the 205 and 300 at roughly the same time but with such different designs. Maybe someone with more knowledge about the industry could answer that one.
 

Red_Painter

Guest
In the early 60's combines of that size were a big part of the market when farmers were replacing corn pickers and pull type combines for smaller acreages more common those days. The 45 John Deere was the biggest seller till about 65.The case 600 was a really popular combine. Massey probably wanted part of that market and the 35 was probably too small. I don't know if the 205 came out in time to hit the big boom in that market but those combines were around into the 70's. IH made two similar combines in the category , a smaller one in Canada and slightly larger one in the US. Don't understand that.
 

Green_Envy

Guest
Wasn't that what the MF 300 was forIJ I have only seen one in my life and boy it is small.
 

Green_Envy

Guest
I'm thinking they should have built all of their combines like the 205. We had a cab less MF 510 bought new in 1963. Dad had the "pleasure" of driving it when he got home from school and on the weekends. He has told me lots of horror stories like sitting next to the hot, screaming engine all day. The engine sitting next to you created a pocket were dust swirled around. I bought a 1967 JD 95 with no cab a few years ago. Dad made a few rounds with it and says it was ten times more comfortable to drive since the engine is behind the grain tank and you sit out in the open were the breeze would take the dust away.
 

Red_Painter

Guest
The 205 had a 26 inch cylinder and the 300 a 30 inch cylinder so the 300 was a little larger. The 300 was considered a class 2 and the 205 a class 1 I think. It is a small difference. Maybe a small farmer would farm anothe 80 or 160 acres with a 300. In those days a, smaller combine would probably be easier to buy for a guy farming let say 240-280 where the guy with 320 - 400 acres would be able to afford a 300 with a little more capacity. Just guessing acreages, but most makers sold combines in class 1 and class 2 also.
 

Green_Envy

Guest
I see. I didn't know the size of the 205. JD had combines with a 30", 26", and 24 5_8" cylinders in the 60s so I guess there would be a market for the 205.
 

Red_Painter

Guest
It is odd that the 205 would have such a different design than other NA MF combines. It does have similarity to German designed MF's of the era which had siimilar design though the frame seems to be completely different and width is different too. It seems to have more in common with the 750, 760 and never built 740 designs as far as the outward finish. I suspect that it was a last minute design when that segment of the market started to take off . The405 pull type may have been an afterthought and late catch up design when Deere introduced the 96 pull type also. The top mounted motor and grain tank may have been less expensive to build than the saddle tank and front mounted motor.
 

Green_Envy

Guest
If you go to ebay and type in Massey Ferguson brochure in the search box, you might find pictures of a 205. Thats were I have been seeing them.
 
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