Is the 5103 enough tractor?

[trook]

I have been looking at the 5103 tractor for using a 6ft. meduim duty Woods brush cutter, and I would like to use a 8ft disk instead of a 6ft disk if possible. According to the specs on the brush cutter, the MINIMUM HP is 35 at the PTO. I am a little concerned that the 38 PTO HP rating on the 5103 may cause the engine to strain during heavy cutting.

Will the 5103 have enough HP in less than perfect conditions, or would I be better served with a 5303? Also, would 4WD make $4,000 worth of difference pulling the 8ft disk?

I am also considering a Kutota L4400 2WD. It has 37.5 HP at the PTO

 

[Taylork]

I have been looking at the 5103 tractor for using a 6ft. meduim duty Woods brush cutter, and I would like to use a 8ft disk instead of a 6ft disk if possible. According to the specs on the brush cutter, the MINIMUM HP is 35 at the PTO. I am a little concerned that the 38 PTO HP rating on the 5103 may cause the engine to strain during heavy cutting.

Will the 5103 have enough HP in less than perfect conditions, or would I be better served with a 5303? Also, would 4WD make $4,000 worth of difference pulling the 8ft disk?

I am also considering a Kutota L4400 2WD. It has 37.5 HP at the PTO

See if you can find a new or used 2007 5103, it has 50 HP and about 42 or 43 HP at the PTO, sorry can't remember the precise figure. Never heard why JD dropped the HP to 45 for 2008. I have the 2007 5103 and absolutely love it. But, I only have the 6 ft JD midrange shredder, not the 8 ft monster.

Probably wont' apply to you, but one thing to remember is (and this would have been a disaster for me a few times) that it is *so* easy to jam up the 8ft shredder going through an area that your tractor can go but the shredder can't. In fact, my dealer, knowing I was a novice, highly encouraged me to go that route and he was right.

The 5103 is a wonderful tractor. No complaints, but some have suggested you get the larger tires rather than those that come standard. I don't have 4wd (obviously) but I really haven't needed it yet. Of course, I haven't done a bunch of front end loader work. And to be honest, I have been nervous at times due to the excessive rain we had in the area this year and a fear of getting bogged down, but I simply chose not to use the tractor during those unusual times.

Good luck, let us know what you chose to do!
Taylor

 

[Z-Michigan]

I think the 5103 would be fine with a 6' medium duty cutter. I run a 6' light duty (LX6) on my 5105 (a bit more hp) and have way more power than I need.

However, you would be close to the limit with an 8' disk, depending on soil conditions and whether you get MFWD. I run a 6.5' disk with my 5105, which has more power and MFWD, and while I don't bog it down I am defniitely making it work. I do have fairly heavy soil conditions, which are a factor.

Although Kubota's L4400 is an excellent tractor also, the 5103 is about half a class larger, despite the very similar PTO hp. I would say an L4400 with MFWD would do about the same work as a 2wd 5103.

 

[CWP37]

I recently sold a 2007 5103 and will hopefully soon be getting a 4WD 2008 5203. My opinions:

A dream for shredding. Comfortable ride and plenty of power. We had some serious rain and growth this year and I never bogged down. My neighbor had to cross cut his pasture with a Kubota while I just made one pass. In Kubota's defense, he has an older shredder (don't know what brand/model). I have a JD MX-6.

My problem with the tractor: the stock back tire was too narrow and bogged me down...quickly. If you get a 2WD (a great tractor for the price), upgrade to the larger rear ag tires.

I never pulled a disk, but see the attached picture with a 6' box blade. I'd think hard about 4WD for dirt work.

 

[unreconstructed]

My 5203 with MX6 is a fireball.

I seem to remember Cowboydoc posting he pulled monster rotary cutter with 5103. I searched but could not find it so maybe I dreamed that up. You might do a little searching on your own and find those posts. Quite a bit of discussion on those units back in 2005.

 

[Turkflyer]

The 5103 has more actual hp than advertised, plus lots of torque to pull thru tough areas. It'll have enough power.

 

[ddivinia]

What altitude will you be at when running it? You might want a turbo charged tractor.

D.

 

[dgl24087]

What altitude will you be at when running it? You might want a turbo charged tractor.

D.

Aren't the new 5x03's turbo'd in the 3 cylinder engines?

 

[Z-Michigan]

To my knowledge both the old and new 5x03 models are turbocharged. The old 5103 makes more power than the new 5103, FWIW.