MASSEY Ferguson launched its 2640 in 1979 – the successor to the 1000 range. It was soon joined by the 2680 and 2720, as well as the smaller 2620. These straight line styled tractors are easily identified by their dominant appearance as well as their cabs – complete with a huge single access door.
A strong pulling Perkins 6.354-4 was used across the 2000 series, and was turbo-charged to produce 126hp for the 2680. Worthy of note is that these tractors were fitted with plastic side engine covers when new – as seen in the photo. However, most have been removed, damaged or lost. The tractor has a lift capacity of 4.5T with 53 litres of oil flow per minute.
Providing 16F/16R gears, a large lever dominates gear selection through a double H pattern gearbox. Colour coded grey and red, low gears 1-4 are selected through the grey H while pushing the lever through the gate into the red H allows the operator to select gears 1-4 in the high speed gearbox. However, the tractor must be brought to a stop to transverse between the colour codes, with disengagement of the 4WD also recommended.
Directional changes were controlled through a manual lever to the offside of the main gear lever with a Hi/Lo on-the-move splitter option for both forward and reverse.
A further alternative was the SpeedShift gearbox which allowed this splitter to be engaged electronically by a push-button mounted on the dash. Interestingly, the entire gear selection is operated by a single shaft which is mounted to the side cover of the transmission.
Turning to the cab, which was designed by the Massey Ferguson division in the United States, the operator is treated to superb forward and side visibility, thanks to a frameless front windscreen and an enormous side door and window. This huge door on the single side entry cab provided excellent access, but it could prove heavy to open or close, especially on a windy day.
The cab is dominated by levers, with the three spools tucked behind the gearstick. An obnoxiously large hand throttle lever governs the right side of the dash, with a small foot throttle tucked unusually between the clutch and brake pedals.
Tractors were most commonly sold in 4WD format with weighted and adjustable rear rims for added traction, with 2WD also an option.
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