# 2020 MF1735E issues



## YakFish (5 mo ago)

Hello everyone. I'm a new member from WV. Let me start by saying I have limited mechanical knowledge. My dad bought the new 2020 in April of 2021. It is manual with dash lever for adjusting speed but has the little foot pedal you can use to increase speed. It's not used heavily and only has 60 hours on it right now. We had used a 1979 MF 230 for years without issue but he wanted four wheel drive and something new. He passed away in January of this year so now all the tractor work is left to me. I'm going to list the issues below. I apologize if this is too long. I'm just wondering if anyone has ever heard of this or experienced this. 

1. April 2021 - When it was brand new and the DPF light came on for the first time the light wouldn't go off. Dealer said unhook the battery for a few hours and then hook it back up. Light still wouldn't go off. Long story short the dealer had to come get it and said a hose wasn't hooked up correctly from the factory and was causing no air to go into the filter to burn the soot. They fixed the issue.

2. February 2022 - PTO wouldn't shut off. Dealer came and got it again and said a metal ring around the clutch had broke and they replaced the PTO clutch. 

3. April 2022 - Tractor would shut off without explanation and oil was leaking from right in between where you place your feet while driving. Dealer said the hand throttle was out of calibration and that they had missed a seal when putting the tractor back together while replacing the PTO clutch. They said it was hydraulic fluid leaking and not engine oil. Again they came and got it, fixed it, and returned it. 

4. August 2022 - While brush hogging the power steering started jerking. I tested the bucket lift and it jerked too. Eventually the cutter shut off and I had no power steering or bucket lift. I turned it off waited a little and then turned it on and could steer and lift. Once I engaged the PTO again however the same issues started. No steering, bucket, or blades turning. I called the dealer and they are emailing the MF "engineers" to see where to go from here. 

There is no lemon law on farm equipment in WV but I am at my wits end. The tractor doesn't even have 60 hours on it. I guess I'm more venting than asking anything but has anyone ever heard of anything like this on a tractor with 60 hours that isn't used for anything heavy duty. Do you think the hydraulic pump has went bad while the tractor was leaking hydraulic fluid from the dealer not replacing a seal correctly?

Thank you.


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## Fedup (Feb 25, 2014)

Not that it helps you much, but yes, issues such as you mentioned do happen to other people as well. You have no "corner on the market" when it comes to tractors with numerous problems in very few hours of operation. 

It seems to me the quality of parts, construction and assembly have steadily declined over the last ten or fifteen years, particularly so in the compact and sub compact tractor marketplace. There are no doubt multiple reasons for this, but in my opinion (for what it's worth) one is the global economy concept where machinery is being produced in more and more places around the world, some of which are definitely lacking in quality control. Add to that the gobs of restrictions, requirements, and assorted safety features manufacturers are forced to comply with and still produce a competitively priced product. Many unsuspecting buyers think that buying "new" is the hot item and assume that by doing so they will have trouble free use for at least as long as warranty holds out. My experience has shown that's not necessarily the case. New is NOT always better. 

Yes, there are those who buy "new", have good luck and are more than happy with the choice. We don't always hear about those, but stories like yours do get around.


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## YakFish (5 mo ago)

Thank you for the reply Fedup. I hadn't thought of the issue of quality control and safety restrictions but that makes sense. I had thought of trading it in when it gets fixed this time but I guess that would be hit or miss too. It's sad when you are nervous to use your tractor out of fear of what will go wrong with it this time.


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## Fedup (Feb 25, 2014)

YakFish said:


> Thank you for the reply Fedup. I hadn't thought of the issue of quality control and safety restrictions but that makes sense. I had thought of trading it in when it gets fixed this time but I guess that would be hit or miss too. It's sad when you are nervous to use your tractor out of fear of what will go wrong with it this time.


I understand where you are on this. I deal with people and their tractors on a daily basis and hear this frequently. I know some who have traded off newer tractors and bought older machines with less electronics. Once you get into a groove where you have continual problems one after another and dealers can't stop or correct them, it's time to make a choice. 

Whenever I'm asked (and it's more frequent than you might think) I tell people to stay away from anything newer than 2014 models. Not just because I don't like working on them, but because it's often hard to find anyone who CAN work on them.


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