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Mf 12 Rebirthed

14K views 103 replies 25 participants last post by  MFDAC 
#1 ·
Guys I'm starting a new topic for my project so I don't over crowd my http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/24384-just-joined/ thread. Pardon me for a repeat of some info from there .

Now the good stuff. I bought this tractor back in the late eighties for $500. I had just previously bought 9 acres & needed something bad to cut about 3 acres 2-3 times a month. Being old school & appreciating the quality for old things buying something new never crossed my mind. I found this on Craigslist & long story short the guy lived just 3 sections down from me & became a good friend. The only thing I did was cleaned it up,replaced all the belts, replaced two bearings on the mower deck, had the seat reupholstered & made the lift on the back. I used this for about nine years as is until we relocated & sold the property. We had to move to the city to help take care of inlaws & I just stored it until now. I just jumped on the internet & found GTtalk & really got inspired to do something I never ever had time to do was to restore.

The only problem I had was the out put shaft on the Hydro tranny leaking. The previous owner told me he replaced the shaft seal & it worked for awhile then started leaking again. I took the tranny out & noticed the shaft was nicked in a few places where he took the seal out. I took it apart & slightly sanded & polished the shaft & put a new seal on it but again it still leaked. I'm thinking two possibilities, the shaft needs to be replaced or its not running true because of slop in the bearings. I have been told some play is OK I'm not sure on that or if so how much is OK.

I will begin soon taking everything apart & starting my restore. I'm going crazy looking at all the beautiful machines on here but I know I have a lot of dirt, grease & sand ahead of me. This of coarse is a MF12 with a Hydrostatic tranny, I have a geared starter, SSI, & a fluid reservoir under the seat. My serial # plate is worn too much to read the numbers so I don't know what year...I'm thinking early 70's ???? My deck I believe is beyond repair because of so many rusted holes in the deck...I always had trouble with the lead roller wanting to bend down because of the amount of rust in that area.

My plan is dismantle everything, clean, remove rust, fill pitted areas, prime & paint original colors. Because of your info I have found replacement decals, the hood trim I need & the steering wheel center trim. I'm also thinking about an exhaust stack as well like the ones I have seen on here. Right now the only questions I have is your thoughts on the shaft. Has anyone replaced the serial # plates & is there a serial # else where I can find. What is the difference between the white & red SSI decal & the black & chrome decal on the engine shroud.
 

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#2 ·
I started taking the body off. I felt like Chip Foose on Overhaulin....rusted hardware everywhere, body parts piled up & a lot of rust. I took a lot of photos for re assembly. My biggest concern is not keeping the hardware for later use but to keep them inventoried for a later purchase of all stainless steel. To update on my model number, I dug out my paper work from when I purchased from the PO & found my serial number. I remember writing this down just in case I needed it later DUH! My number is 5152472011 from the info I got from here that makes it a 1970 model. Everything actually went very well I only had 2 bolts I will have to easy out or do some grinding to get them out. Here are some pics of where I left off yesterday. Thanks again & your thoughts are welcomed.
 

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#3 ·
That is a good looking 12 to start with, nice original condition. I can't tell you the difference in the engine decals, but the TEC guys will be able to answer that for you.

I will be following along to watch your restore !! :thumbs:

Good Luck..
 
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#4 ·
Looks like you are off to a good start. Try to bag and label parts so you can find them later when you put it back together. It always looks straight forward when you take them apart but becomes a mystery when it's time to re assemble. Your tractor is overall in pretty good shape and you know most of the history which means no big surprises. Have fun with the restore and keep posting your progress here please!
 
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#7 ·
Glad to see you jumping in with both feet! Good luck with getting it all gussied up! I'm sure you will get help when it's needed.
 
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#8 ·
IamSherwood my thoughts are a restore. The only two things I'm struggling with are the silver paint color & the original one round tail light on the rear. I will sand blast everything & fill in all rust pits to prevent the orange peal look on the red items. My thoughts on the frame etc.parts that are silver to use the Hammerite silver gray. I have used this paint on other projects with rust pits & it coats very well & gives a very hard finish. I'm going to post this thought later for some response. I have dual tail lights on now & I kinda like these verses the factory single round one.

I could only work a short time Saturday...I thought since my son was done with baseball this year I would have more time but I have 3 grandsons that are playing & I got to watch these little guys play. It was a struggle to get the dash box off in fear of breaking it. I also got the steering wheel off as well....this I was worried about but it went well. I have some cracks in the SW so I popped a question over in the http://gardentractortalk.com/forums/topic/24553-steering-wheel-repair/ if you all want to give me some advice I would appreciate it. Check out my wiring...I think a monkey did it while eating a banana. Definitely a re wire job is in order.
 

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#9 ·
Here is where I'm at now. I'm going to keep the rear end in place to keep the frame stable so I can take the dash tower apart. This should be exciting....a lot of parts in there.

Wheel Tire Motor vehicle Automotive tire Tread


Tire Wheel Automotive tire Tread Motor vehicle
 

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#10 ·
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#12 ·
I finally got down to the bare frame yesterday....sorry forgot to take a pic, will post one tomorrow. I would like to encourage anyone doing a restore to take every single part off that can be. I have several parts when separated only had primer from the factory on the back sides...never a finish coat. I was tempted a few times to leave a few parts attached. My plan is to prime each piece separate then install several pieces then prime again then do a finish coat.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
Looks like your coming right along there. Wheels and grill should be Silver Mist,(grill screening black). Frame, engine, transmission, and dash tower should be Flint Metallic Grey. Dash surround, hood and feders MF red. I used regular AGCO paint on my 12 and I am very pleased with the results. I also added a vertical stack as you are thinking about doing. Good luck with it and I will be following along on this one to see what you come up with.

Here are two pics of mine at our local plowday from this April.
 

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#14 ·
Picked up a couple of much needed items last Friday on Craigslist in very good condition less than 3 years old for $375. Now once I get the compressor wired up & cabinet set up I will start some blasting!

Kobalt 60 gallon 3.7 HP with cast iron pump. I know its not the best but for now & what I need it for I think I'll be ok with it. I might go for a 5HP motor later.

Camera accessory Gas Electric blue Rectangle Font


This is a 40LB capacity cabinet by Central Pneumatics. The previous owner rebuilt old motorcycles with these two items & was moving.

Rectangle Art Audio equipment Circle Font


Keep looking I'll be back!
 

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#15 ·
Great scores. Let me know when you get them all set up....and your address, I got some sandblasting to do too :bigrofl: :bigrofl:
 
#16 ·
I know it's been way too long since I last posted. I had to get the compressor set up & the blaster. I have also had a lot of work which is very good. I started blasting the frame late yesterday evening for about three hours & for another two hours this morning.I'm really pleased with the compressor. I used one bag of play sand & did two recoveries on the used sand & still had about 2/3rds left in the bucket. If anyone uses play sand please take ALL necessary precautions. I used an old t-shirt over my head draped down over my shoulders, toxic rated respirator, & face shield. I don't know about anyone else but given the time spent, the mess, & the trouble of recycling the sand to reuse I think it would be worth while to let a blasting Co. do the frame. Anyone else feel the same way? I also did several small pieces in the cabinet using aluminum oxide media...this went very well & quick. I did some research on this new paint by Rust-O-Leum so I thought I would give it a try. It covered very well & dries quick so I sprayed it two coats. I guess time will tell. I plan on putting the small parts on the frame & once I get most of them on I will spray with the finish coat. This I hope will prevent any damage of the finish coat on the bolt heads.

Bumper Wood Hood Automotive exterior Gas


Wood Gas Machine gun Metal Machine


This upper left corner is one of the worse rust pitting I have. This is one of the reasons I wanted to use the Hamerite Paint to hide some of this pitting.
Wood Gas Automotive exterior Concrete Metal

Liquid Automotive tire Tin Fluid Paint
 

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#18 ·
It's a big job taking them down to the frame like that. That self etching primer sounds like good stuff. I must check and see if we can get that up here.
 
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#19 ·
We have had wonderful weather here in the Tri State highs of only mid 70's & since I sand blast outside guess what I have been doing for the last couple of days. It is a slow process but I know I will be very happy with the end result. One of my worst pieces that rusted bad was this tunnel cover.

Before I removed it

Brown Wood Trunk Close-up Bedrock


After blasting it

Wood Grey Gas Font Door


I think I will spread some light duty bondo over the surface to see if I can get a smoother finish. The lower right corner is the worst. Any other suggestions or favorite bondo used.

My engine cowl was a minor headache...these old decals were made to last. I heated with a torch first then scraped it off.

Automotive tire Fender Automotive exterior Gas Rim


After cleaning up the glue residue with lacquer thinner I blasted it.

[attachment=78771:get-attachment (15)

Stay tuned in I have a lot more to do...I'll try not to bore you.
 

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#21 ·
Looking good! And glad to see you are making progress. And don't worry you won't bore us! We all like pictures and progress reports. :D :dancingbanana:

As for the filler, I too use Bondo or glazing/spotting putty. I have even used JB weld 1st for real bad spots.

Keep up the good work and good luck :thumbs:
 
#22 ·
Looking good! I am in the process of same type of work on a MF8. I just havent gotten to posting pictures yet. :wallbanging:

The self etching primer is one of the best rattle can primers to put on bare metal after sandblasting. I have been using a 2 part epoxy primer after sand blasting.

On the pitted pieces I have use Bondo and then glazing/spot putty, same as Chris. Take your time and it will look great when you are done.
 
#23 ·
A little more progress. My gas tank had previously been painted with Hammerite & was very difficult to blast in the cabinet. I used my wire brush on a motor to get rid of the old paint. It worked out very well & a little faster I believe. I pressure washed my rear axle assembly along with the front axle. I will be blasting them hopefully in the next few days. I don't blast anything unless I have time to clean it up & prime right away. This is one of the advantages of using rattle cans for the primer, I can prime a few pieces right away with out setting up & having to clean my sprayer several times in a short period.

Road surface Cylinder Gas Composite material Concrete
Wood Fluid Tin Gas Wood stain
Cylinder Gas Couch Metal Plant


Wood Machine tool Gas Machine Auto part
Brown Wood Hardwood Metal Auto part


Thanks for looking!

Jim
 

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