Looking for some quick advice. I have a 25 hp Ford that is going back to its original owner, so I need to get me a new one by end of October. What I would need it for is brushhogging, pushing snow out of my driveway, tilling for food plots, pulling a square baler, and other things like loaded hay wagons. All on pretty much flat ground. So far, I have only looked at Kubota, where the dealer recommend a mx5200. At some point, I would add on the FEL. He feels as though a 7' brushhog would work great and could do a 6' tiller without issue. I would also like do to do a no till drill at some point if that is at all able to be done with this tractor. Does that seem reasonable with the 52 hp? I have had a few people recommend different directions as far as the stick or hydrostatic. One being easier cruise with the hydrostatic, but one feeling like the stick would keep much better pulling power. All had recommended the power shuttle, but i am not familiar with that at all. Any thoughts or recommendations on that tractor?
First time tractor buyer..
- Thread starter r49740
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Dukslayr
5 year old buck +
I’m no tractor expert but I’ve owned two. The first was a 38 hp Kubota hydrostatic transmission w FEL. I recently sold it and bought a 75 HP 6x6 with power shuttle, cab and FEL. I used to think that I loved my hydrostatic transmission until I started doing a lot of long runs with a mower, planter, disc, etc. If you’re not working in tight quarters or doing a lot of loader work, I think the conventional transmission with power shuttle is the way to go.
In regard to your drill question, I think you’re going to be undersized for most AG style drills if you stay with the 52 HP. You will want to consider looking at drills to decide what you might want and go from there. For example, if you want a 3pt 606NT you’re going to need a tractor with enough 3 pt lift capacity to to pick it up and enough HP to pull it while it’s engaged with the ground.
I would also highly encourage you to just get the FEL right out of the gate. It’s the most useful tractor accessory made in my opinion.
I had great luck with my Kubota and don’t think you can go wrong with one. I would have bought that 7060 but ended up liking the Massey a little better for my needs. Good luck with your purchase.
In regard to your drill question, I think you’re going to be undersized for most AG style drills if you stay with the 52 HP. You will want to consider looking at drills to decide what you might want and go from there. For example, if you want a 3pt 606NT you’re going to need a tractor with enough 3 pt lift capacity to to pick it up and enough HP to pull it while it’s engaged with the ground.
I would also highly encourage you to just get the FEL right out of the gate. It’s the most useful tractor accessory made in my opinion.
I had great luck with my Kubota and don’t think you can go wrong with one. I would have bought that 7060 but ended up liking the Massey a little better for my needs. Good luck with your purchase.
I agree with Dukslayr - that 52 hp might be a little undersized for a conventional drill. I would also get a FEL right out of the box - cant imagine having a food plotting tractor without one. I also think it will pull a 7 ft hog - but that is really gonna pull it down in thick grass. Keep the blades sharp and it will help
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I also agree on size and FEL. I'm looking to upgrade myself and have just started exploring. I'm leaning toward the Kubota M7060 myself. This thread has some good info to stimulate thought: http://www.habitat-talk.com/index.php?threads/tractor-upgrade.11005/
I think sometimes we go about a tractor purchase backwards. My dealer saved me from spending unnecessarily on a larger tractor than what I needed. It did it by having me identify the implement sizes I thought I would be using. Explain to your dealer what type and size of implements you intend on using and let him tell you what size tractor it will take to sufficiently operate them.
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
I agree with this; however, many people buy less tractor than they need as the want to save money on the tractor purchase so they can buy all their implements up front. The old rule of thumb is buy the next size Hp up from what you are looking at and it will keep you from under sizing.
^^^^ Definitley explain to your dealer how acres you want to work, soil type, and the type of work you want to do. There is a trade off between large tractors that can handle large fields quickly, and mid size tractors that can maneuver well in food plots, brush cutting, and working in the woods.
Tree Spud
5 year old buck +
I have had my Kubota MX5800 for 5 years now. Have been very pleased with it. I have a double row 6' disc and could easily go up to 8'. Also a 6' brush hog, back hoe, grapple, 8" auger, fork lift, and rear blade. I also pull a 7' no till Van Brundt drill. Do 10-12 acres per year of food plots. Most of the landowners (non-farmers) around me have Kubotas.
If you are looking at a 5200, I would encourage you to go with the 5800 with 4WD. Also agree that the FEL is a must up front, adding weld on bucket hooks will let you light and move a lot of heavy stuff. I have the hydrostatic transmission and that works well for me. Have your rear tires filled with beet juice (or what the dealer recommends). It is non-corrosive and adds 600 lbs per tire of rear weight.
I have a 28 hp JD 790 and a 65 hp JD 5065e. I put more hours on the 65hp, but the 28 hp gets used more days. I plant about 60 acres of food plots.
I got a JD 4052M this year, which looks to be about the green equivalent of what you are looking at. Given comparable size and power, I am quite happy with what the tractor is capable of, given I down-sized from a much larger IH674 but using the same equipment. I used a 6ft brushhog with zero issues, so I bet a 7ft would do fine. On flat ground a use a heavy built toothed 7ft disc in heavy ground. It works great though I wouldn't go any bigger. With the 4WD it pushes the bucket into a dirt pile much better than the 674 did. I don't know what a no-till drill weighs, but I was impressed when my JD lifted that heavy 7ft disc with no issues.
The only issue I've had with it power-wise was pulling a heavy toothed 5ft disc up a pretty good hill.
I would definitely make sure you get 4WD. It is a WORLD of difference. With my 674 on a crushed limestone driveway with only moderate slants, I still had to be very careful on slick snow as I could lose control of the front end and was limited how I could push snow. With 4WD I don't have to worry about that.
Green or orange, I'd be heavily influenced by dealer service. The closest Kubota dealer around here is someone I walked out and told them they would get no more business because they refused to service another piece of equipment I bought there. I can rely on my JD dealer and they have treated me well.
I have not filled my tires because it does what I need it to do without it. A major reason for down-sizing was so I could trailer it behind my F150 to my hunting property for plot work, something I couldn't do with the 674. So I didn't want to add extra weight.
I got mine with hydrostatic, which the dealer says is what >90% of people order. In most situations, it is superior to the shuttle shift system on my 674. The only situation in which I have not liked it is in a bump field work situation like discing, where it's harder to control the speed due to the bumpy movement. I think some of the models have a cruise control option which may help with this.
The only issue I've had with it power-wise was pulling a heavy toothed 5ft disc up a pretty good hill.
I would definitely make sure you get 4WD. It is a WORLD of difference. With my 674 on a crushed limestone driveway with only moderate slants, I still had to be very careful on slick snow as I could lose control of the front end and was limited how I could push snow. With 4WD I don't have to worry about that.
Green or orange, I'd be heavily influenced by dealer service. The closest Kubota dealer around here is someone I walked out and told them they would get no more business because they refused to service another piece of equipment I bought there. I can rely on my JD dealer and they have treated me well.
I have not filled my tires because it does what I need it to do without it. A major reason for down-sizing was so I could trailer it behind my F150 to my hunting property for plot work, something I couldn't do with the 674. So I didn't want to add extra weight.
I got mine with hydrostatic, which the dealer says is what >90% of people order. In most situations, it is superior to the shuttle shift system on my 674. The only situation in which I have not liked it is in a bump field work situation like discing, where it's harder to control the speed due to the bumpy movement. I think some of the models have a cruise control option which may help with this.
Dukslayr
5 year old buck +
This would be me too. If I still had my my L3830 it would get more “starts” than my new larger tractor, but no doubt the bigger tractor would log the longer hours.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I currently own a Kioti DK45 Cab, 4x4 with FEL and a Kubota B2400 4x4 with FEL. My partner has a 16hp Ford 1300 4x4. We have about 20 acres total of open area that we maintain. I started with the Kubota and found it was just too small to keep up the 7 acres of food plots we started with. That is what pushed me to buy the Kioti. That really helped. Beyond the food plotting, I pushed the Kioti beyond its limits to clear more land. Part of the issue was me pushing it to do what a larger tractor could do, and part was a poor loader design, but I've put a lot of repair cost in the loader. It also has a very poor AC design and I went through a number of compressors before I gave up on it. A cab without AC is a liability, not an asset.
The Kioti works well for typical food plotting tasks on larger fields, but I use the little Ford a lot too. The kioti handles my little Kasco no-till versa-drill well. It also handles a good sized Woods RM990 mower. It is sort of a cross between a finish mower and a bushhog. It has multiple blades and is belt driven but is very heavy duty. The little ford is great for a 4' bushhog maintain woods trails and small harvest plots. During planting season, it is great to have both. It means less implement changing. I keep my little B2400 at home for mowing the lawn and snow removal, but it could do what he Ford does and more.
There is nothing the Ford or Kubota can do that the Kioti could not do, but they can do some of the tasks much more efficiently.
Thanks,
Jack
The Kioti works well for typical food plotting tasks on larger fields, but I use the little Ford a lot too. The kioti handles my little Kasco no-till versa-drill well. It also handles a good sized Woods RM990 mower. It is sort of a cross between a finish mower and a bushhog. It has multiple blades and is belt driven but is very heavy duty. The little ford is great for a 4' bushhog maintain woods trails and small harvest plots. During planting season, it is great to have both. It means less implement changing. I keep my little B2400 at home for mowing the lawn and snow removal, but it could do what he Ford does and more.
There is nothing the Ford or Kubota can do that the Kioti could not do, but they can do some of the tasks much more efficiently.
Thanks,
Jack
Thanks for all the responses. Its a tough job trying to determine between what I need, what I want and what I want to pay for... and most importantly where they all intersect. I'm going to stay with gear driven. But have been told to get it with the shuttle. So need to look into that. I had the mx5200 priced out. I'll ask abut the mx5800 as well. Most are good at spending someone elses money, and the farmer I do a lot of work with says I should get a m65 or better. But the difference in cost, for what i do, I think out weighs my wants as far as that big.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
My Kioti is gear drive with a shuttle shift and my little Kubota is hydrostatic. If your primary use is FEL work, hydrostatic is the way to go. It is very convenient for FEL work when you are constantly going between forward and reverse. I like the gear drive better for most food plotting tasks. The shuttle shift makes is much more useable with a FEL than without it, but it isn't quite as quick as hydrostatic. Gear with shuttle shift is a pretty good compromise for the tasks you describe.
Thanks,
Jack
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
One more point to consider that I did not think of back when I purchased my tractors was rear hydraulic ports. I have only one set on my Kioti. I found a hydraulic top-link to be a huge benefit to me with the implements I use and that takes up the port. A hydraulic side link would be nice for some box blade work on road maintenance but I don't have the ports. I'm now looking at a batwing when I buy a new tractor, this could use more than one port. This may be one reason your farmer friend is suggesting a larger tractor. I'm just beginning to get my hands around the different kinds of hydraulic controls, how they work, and which implements need which. I too am struggling with the cost. I have my eye on a M7060 but have not ruled out a JD yet. For me, the brand may come down to the local dealerships and their reputation.
Many of the tractor forums have a lot of green/orange/blue/red arguments. From what I can tell, each color's comparable models have advantages and disadvantages. From my perspective what is more important when it comes to brand includes things like distance to dealership (how will you transport? Will they pickup? Charge?). Mechanic competence (unless you do your own) and whether they have sufficient staff for peak demand periods. Do the mechanics stay long-term? What kind of part inventory to they keep?
Best of luck
Many of the tractor forums have a lot of green/orange/blue/red arguments. From what I can tell, each color's comparable models have advantages and disadvantages. From my perspective what is more important when it comes to brand includes things like distance to dealership (how will you transport? Will they pickup? Charge?). Mechanic competence (unless you do your own) and whether they have sufficient staff for peak demand periods. Do the mechanics stay long-term? What kind of part inventory to they keep?
Best of luck
Dukslayr
5 year old buck +
I would ditto what Jack said. Better to have more remotes and not need them than to need more remotes and not have them. I’ve owned a Red (Massey) and Orange (Kubota) and liked both very well...both came from the same dealership though, which as Jack points out is maybe the most important part of the decision.
Great point. I have had luck with the local kubota dealer thus far, but that was on smaller things like zero turn, change saws, etc. Ill be stopping back up there on Friday to talk some more. As of now, I am leaning towards the mx5200 with the FEL, gear driven, and the shuttle shift. Any idea on change in price with the shuttle shift? We didnt discuss that at all yet, so not sure what to expect there. Also, are the remotes able to be added at any time?
I also want to have a price quote to compare on the 5800, although based online, that is only the HST. I'll also have him write up the m60. I just think that is more than I need or want to spend.
I also want to have a price quote to compare on the 5800, although based online, that is only the HST. I'll also have him write up the m60. I just think that is more than I need or want to spend.
I added a rear hydraulic remote to the single one that came with my tractor. My JD can be ordered with two sets of rear hydraulic ports but most on the lot only have one. Cost $1000 to have it added. The only thing I have used the second one for is on my hydraulic rear blade
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
I think you can get a ballpark on cost using the Kubota website on-line. They let you configure a tractor and get pricing. You can configure several different options and compare price. These are likely list prices, but you can get a feel this way.
Different tractors have different capabilities for adding remotes. I was looking at some comparable JD/Kubota/NH tractors a bit larger than you are looking at. They had differences in the number of remotes and the controls for those remotes. I'm not sure if the pump size changes depending on configuration with some models or not. It was hard to tell configuring things on-line. I'm not quite far enough along yet to go talk to the local dealers.
Thanks,
Jack
Thanks. I have been playing around on their site. Haven't found anything about the shuttle though.
yoderjac
5 year old buck +
Check the standard equipment for the tractor you are looking at. It may be part of the package when you buy a non-hydrostatic tractor.
Thanks,
Jack
