One Beefy Tractor: the Massey Ferguson 1533

One of North America’s most accomplished whitewater pioneers, Paul Breuer spends more time these days riding his tractor than guiding a raft. Along with his wife Jennifer, Breuer owns and operates Country Road Cabins. The 89-acre rustic resort is home to 20 deluxe rental cabins near West Virginia’s New and Gauley rivers, where Breuer helped build the state’s whitewater industry.

Paul Breuer on the MF1533

In addition to maintaining the property’s miles of gravel roads, he mows fields and lawns, buries cable and water lines, clears snow and pulls a towable lift to work on those hard-to-reach places on his cabins, all with one tractor—a versatile, durable 33-HP Massey Ferguson® 1533.

In addition to stability and power, the MF1533 has a creeper gear that allows Paul to perform some exceptionally tricky tasks. “I have this 25-foot pole [that’s fitted to the] front of the tractor that I lift trusses with and set structurally insulated panels that are 400 and 500 pounds. You’ve got to go very slow and be very careful with it, and that’s where this creeper gear is just fantastic for me.”

From tractor to service, owning a Massey Ferguson has exceeded his expectations, says Paul, especially “after owning another ‘red brand’ that had 32 HP, but no real steel and guts under the hood. The Massey Ferguson is just heavier and more solid, but it’s got better fuel economy. It’s the best of both worlds.

“I don’t know how they do it, but they do it and it works. I wouldn’t trade that tractor for anything,” he says, pauses and adds, “except another Massey.”

For more, including a video of Breuer at Country Road Cabins, see http://www.myfarmlife.com/features/a-blue-sky-kind-of-guy-the-great-outdoors-with-paul-breuer/.