Massey Ferguson MF 185 Series II to MF 190 specifications

Massey Ferguson MF 185 Series II to MF 190: baler

History and service record of MF 185 Series II to MF 190

• Origin at Hesston. The Massey Ferguson brochure for the MF 185, 186, 187 and 190 says engineers at a baler factory in Hesston, Kansas developed the big square baler more than a quarter of a century earlier, and that the original design concepts from 1978 at that factory form the foundations of the current range, with some owners producing over 40,000 bales a year with a single baler. MF 185/186/187/190 big balers brochure, Massey Ferguson.
• Bale sizes by model. The brochure lists bale sections of 0.88 m x 0.80 m for the MF 185 Series II, 0.70 m x 1.20 m for the MF 186, 0.88 m x 1.20 m for the MF 187 and 1.27 m x 1.20 m for the MF 190, with lengths up to 2.50 m on the first three and up to 2.74 m on the MF 190. MF 185/186/187/190 big balers brochure, Massey Ferguson.
• Pickup widths. The brochure gives pickup widths of 2.0 metres on the MF 185, 2.25 m on the MF 186 and MF 187 and 2.1 m on the MF 190, with gauge wheels that protect the tines, hydraulic raising and lowering from the seat and two centering augers feeding the packer tines. MF 185/186/187/190 big balers brochure, Massey Ferguson.
• Pre-forming chamber and double knotter. Massey Ferguson's brochure credits its Hesston engineers with the pre-forming chamber, which builds each flake to a preset density before it enters the main bale chamber, and with the double knotter, in which the first knot finishes one bale and the second starts the next, which it says virtually eliminates miss-ties. MF 185/186/187/190 big balers brochure, Massey Ferguson.
• Cutter option. According to the brochure, the MF 185 SII cutter has 11 knives while the MF 186 and MF 187 cutter has 19 knives, giving average chop lengths of 48 mm, 96 mm and 192 mm, each knife on its own spring-loaded breakaway, with the knife bed lowered for access. MF 185/186/187/190 big balers brochure, Massey Ferguson.
• Knotter blower and lubrication. The brochure describes a knotter blower driven from its own baler-mounted hydraulic pump that keeps a blast of air moving at over 140 km/h through the knotter stack, standard when the cutter is ordered, and says every MF large rectangular baler has an automatic lubrication system set through the Fieldstar terminal. MF 185/186/187/190 big balers brochure, Massey Ferguson.
• Tandem axle. Massey Ferguson says the tandem axle option is self-steering with up to 19° of passive steering on the rear axle, speed-rated to 65 km/h, with hydraulic brakes on all four wheels and air brakes available where regulations require. MF 185/186/187/190 big balers brochure, Massey Ferguson.
• Straw for power stations. The brochure says Denmark and England are home to some of the world's largest straw burning power stations, all using the 1.27 m x 1.20 m x 2.50 m bale size of the MF 190 as the standard, and that one consumes a 500 kg bale every 1.5 minutes. MF 185/186/187/190 big balers brochure, Massey Ferguson.

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