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Massey Ferguson 550 Combine Brake Problems

Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse

Well-known Member
One of the fellows in our club is having problems with the brakes on our club's Massey Ferguson 550 Westerner combine. Anything a YT'er could provide like diagrams and parts of the brake system is appreciated. Especially as it relates to the parking brake set up. Here is a version below of what he posted on the YT combines forum. I think there are far more guys here on Tractor Talk and I told him I would give it a try here. Any messaages received I will forward over to him and maybe we can hook him up with you once you reply and are willing to help. Here's what he said (in addition to my own above about diagrams and parts lists needed, etc ........

'I'm having trouble assembling the parking brake latching system on our MF550 combine and getting it to function properly. The racheting gear plate does not seem engage the racheting tooth on the movable bracket. Can anyone help with this? It seems as though the locking assembly might not be properly assembled. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.'
 
It seems like forever since I had my Massey combine and I need to refresh my memory. Is the park brake the kind where you pull the lever once and a rachet holds the brake tight - then you pull the lever again and the rachet releases to relax the brake cable? If so, the rachet mechanism is on a slot with an inboard position where the rachet dog can engage the rachet teeth on the initial pull of the lever. The tension of the cable will then move the mechanism to the outboard position of the slot when the lever is released. When the lever is pulled again the rachet dog is moved away from the rachet teeth because of the repositioned pull point and the cable can return to a relaxed position. Once the tension is off the cable the rachet mechanism returns to the inboard position in the slot. Clear as mud? If this is the type of brake then your problem most likely is that the rachet mechanism isn't moving properly between the two positions in the slot.
 
Thanks ADB, I read your reply to our guy who is working on this. The 550 combine we have does not have a lever-operated parking brake. It has two brake pedals. The right-side pedal would operate the right-side regular wheel brake. The left-side pedal appears to have two functions, it operates the left-side regular wheel brake and ALSO the parking brake. We'e not sure if that parking brake feature hooks up with both the left and right wheel brakes or just the left one. Perhaps that left hand side pedal operates in the same way as the lever you describe? We haven't had lot of experience with these brakes, they were not working propertly when we purchased the combine last year and got through our harvest for he most part without the brakes working properly. Any comments or suggestons? Do you remember what year your combine was manufactured?
 
In the link sections 138 - 140. There is nothing mentioned about a ..Western.. model. I would think that the basic brake mechanism would be the same on all 550 models. All I know other than that is Massey combines went slow, plugged easy and were complicated to work on. Give me one of those other red combines. If you need help to navigate the AGCO parts book post back and I will help the best I can.
AGCO MF 550 combine online parts catalog
 
My combine was a mid 70s Massey 750 prior to the gray cab models. I assume the operation of controls would be similar through the whole line within the same time frame. My memory is not clear on the specifics of the brakes on that machine. I don't recall the left brake - park brake setup. The brake I am describing may not have even been on that machine. Sorry I can't be more help. The problems I had with my 750 were GO related, not STOP related. We had several muddy harvests while I owned that combine and I took out several drive shaft couplers and eventually shucked the hydrostat. I've got several stories of crawling under the combine in the mud, hooking a log chain to the drive axle so we wouldn't pull the thing in two and hooking a couple tractors on to pull it backwards out of the mud. I always liked the combine though. That 750 with the turboed 354 Perkins was a sweet machine in its day.
 
Thanks for the link to the parts diagrams, much appreciated. We had an operator/owner manual but somebody used it and then try to track down who has it should be simple but unfortunately it isn't. That would probably explain at least how the regular brakes and emergency brake systems worked from the driver's seat. I see in your link they reer to rice/grain so yes, your comment about all being the same would make sense.
 
The brake pedals can lock together by manually flipping the pedal lock. That other pedal holds the brake pedals down until you step on it again. I have the parts and service manuals at the farm office, if you like I could take some pictures tomorrow.

The wheel cylinders can rust up or brake disk could be wore out. Those breaks don't work well even when they do work. Idling down, and slowing propulsion will almost bring you to a stop. Dropping the head is my parking brake.
 
well the thing is you dont need brakes for combining. mine hold good when you are stopped. i know of no other reason to have brakes , you have a variable for slowing down and a throttle, and basically as soon as you step on the clutch you are stopped. them disc's like to seize up when sitting also. the 850 is a lot heavier machine than the 550 also. i have never had to lock my brakes yet. guess no hills here. and my experiences with them hands brakes is when you apply them and let them sit the disc's get stuck, meaning sitting all winter parked. i am just not quite sure what u are referring to by racheting plate as mine just locks both pedals together just live the older ihc tractors. nothing like a pic to see the problem.
 
Here are some pages in my service manual.
cvphoto162318.jpg


cvphoto162319.jpg


cvphoto162320.jpg
 
Thanks for all the help boys. The reply by Used Red had the parts diagram that Al needed to figure it all out. for some reason those diagrams show up on the computer screen but you cannot print them. Full speed ahead now to finish it up. The reason we need brakes is twofold ..... first the fact that we farm two different locations that are about 6 miles apart so we need to drive the combine on county roads, obviously brakes are recommended. Second, one of the locations is a bit hilly so no need to test fate. Once again, thanks to all ....
 
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