Technical register for agricultural, construction and commercial machinery · sourced data

Massey Ferguson 185

Built: 1971-1979 · Series: Other models

More machines from model year 1971

The 185 comes from Massey Ferguson. Production: 1971-1979. The engine delivers 75 hp (56 kW), has 4 cylinders, with a displacement of 4,067 cm³. The engine comes from Perkins. Rated speed is 2,067 rpm. The machine is 2,240 mm high. The wheelbase measures 2,077 mm. Top speed is 25 km/h. Lifting capacity is 2,064 kg. The tank holds 82 litres. Transmission: manual gearbox or Multi-power. The engine is water-cooled. Tyres: front 7.5 x 16, rear 18.4/15 x 30 or 16.9/14 x 34 or 13.6/12 x 38. The model was built in UK, France, Mexico. The fuel is diesel. The engine fitted is the Perkins A4,248. The linkage is category II. Rated output across the Massey Ferguson range ranges from 7 to 460 hp; the 185 sits in the lower part of that range with 75 hp. Its immediate neighbours are the MF 4435 below it with 74 hp and the 95 Super above it with 78 hp. Rated output across the Massey Ferguson range ranges from 5.2 to 340 kW; here the 185 sits in the lower part of that range with 56 kW. 1668 Massey Ferguson models across 56 series are on record.

Massey Ferguson – other models: the collective page of tractors outside the named ranges, from the MF 35 and 135 through the 1000, 2000 and 3000 series to the MF 1200 (compact) and the 8700 S, 5 to 313 kW, Perkins

This page gathers the Massey Ferguson tractors the register could not assign to a named range – from the classics of the 1950s and 1960s such as the MF 35 and MF 135 from Coventry to current compact tractors and big tractors. Massey Ferguson emerged in 1953 from the merger of Massey-Harris (Toronto) with Harry Ferguson's tractor company, whose three-point hydraulics with draft control became the world standard; since 1994 the brand has belonged to AGCO, which builds the tractors in Beauvais, France, and sources the compact class from Iseki in Japan. The brand's type logic changed several times: the three-digit types 130 to 1200 of the 1960s and 1970s order the size in ascending order, the four-digit 1000 to 8000 series of the 1980s to 2000s give the range in the thousands digit and the model in the remaining digits (MF 1250 as compact, MF 3060 as mid-range), and since 2005 two digits mark the range and the last two the power step – MF 5710 as a 5700 with about 100 hp, MF 8737 as an 8700 with about 370 hp; S and the suffix Dyna-VT denote equipment and stepless transmission. The engines come from Perkins (the AD3.152 and 1104 series), AGCO Power (formerly Sisu) in the big and Iseki, Simpson (India) and Kohler in the small models.

Read on 3 more paragraphs

The register lists here 1,011 versions with 5.2 to 313 kW from one- to eight-cylinders of 1,123 to 8,419 cm³, PTO outputs from 19 to 290 hp, lift capacities from 540 to 9,950 kg, unladen weights from 670 to 12,000 kg, lengths from 2,480 to 6,200 mm and widths from 1,003 to 3,000 mm.

By unit numbers Massey Ferguson is one of the world's best-selling tractor brands, with strongholds in Britain, France, Scandinavia, Africa and South Asia, where the MF 240 and its Indian and Pakistani licence builds shape the market.

Used, the span is as wide as the brand: on classics originality and Perkins parts count, on compacts hydrostat and front loader, on the 5700 to 8700 operating hours, Dyna transmissions, electronics and exhaust aftertreatment; parts run through AGCO and Perkins.

Sources: SpecCodex register, model data: Massey Ferguson (weitere Modelle), Massey Ferguson (AGCO, Hersteller)

Technical data

Engine

Engine makePerkinscorrect
Engine modelPerkins A4.248correct
Fueldieselcorrect
Power75 hp (56 kW)correct
Rated speed2,067 rpmcorrect
Cylinders4correct
Displacement4,067 cm³ (248 cu inches (4.06 litres))correct
Bore100.96 mmcorrect
Stroke127 mmcorrect
Naturally aspiratednaturally aspiratedcorrect
Coolingwater-cooledcorrect

Dimensions and weights

Length3,886 mmcorrect
Width2,057 mmcorrect
Height2,240 mmcorrect
Height1727 mm (steering wheel)correct
Wheelbase2,077 mm (2,077 in)correct
Turning circle7010 mm (braked)correct
Unladen weight2671 kg (with wheel weights)correct

Drivetrain and chassis

Driverear-wheel drivecorrect
Gearboxmanual gearbox or Multi-powercorrect
Gearbox makeMFcorrect
Forward gears8 or 12 (MP)correct
Reverse gears2 or 4 (MP)correct
ClutchDual 12" & 10" dry (manual); single dry, split torque (MP))correct
Front tyres7.5 x 16correct
Rear tyres18.4/15 x 30 or 16.9/14 x 34 or 13.6/12 x 38correct
Top speed25 km/hcorrect

Working data

Lifting capacity2,064 kgcorrect
Lifting capacity2,064 kgcorrect
Fuel tank capacity82 lcorrect

Origin and approval

PlantUK, France, Mexicocorrect

Other data

Linkage categoryCat IIcorrect

Frequently asked questions

How much power does the Massey Ferguson 185 have?

The Massey Ferguson 185 delivers 75 hp.

What engine does the Massey Ferguson 185 have?

4 cylinders, 4,067 cm³ displacement, Diesel.

How fast does the Massey Ferguson 185 go?

Top speed is 25 km/h.

How much does the rear linkage of the Massey Ferguson 185 lift?

The rear linkage lifts 2,064 kg.

When was the Massey Ferguson 185 built?

Production years: 1971-1979.

What to check before buying

  • Check the hour meter against the service records — a replaced instrument is the most common gap.
  • Compare the data plate and chassis number with the papers.
  • Check front and rear tyre sizes: mismatched pairs strain the drivetrain.
  • Shift the gearbox cold and warm — jumps only show up at temperature.
  • Load the hydraulics and watch for sag.
  • Ask about parts availability for this build year — the running costs hang on it.

A general list for this type of machine — no substitute for an inspection or an appraiser.

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This page carries 37 individual figures for this model. They come from 3 recorded sources; every figure can be traced there. What we cannot document is not here — we leave gaps open rather than estimate them.

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Other models in this series

Sources: Tractor & Construction Plant Wiki (retrieved August 2026) · Latvian open data portal (retrieved August 2026) · Wikibooks Traktorenlexikon (CC BY-SA 4.0) (retrieved September 2026) · How we check the data

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