M5040/7040 questions

[Z-Michigan]

The M5040 has been at the top of my shopping list for a while now, but my nearest dealer doesn't have anything between the MX5000 and M95S in stock. Well today I finally got to see and drive the Mxx40 series - an M7040 with a cab and hydro-shuttle (at another dealer). I was quite impressed overall but I have a few questions:

1) The range shift lever (high or low) was extremely difficult to move and even got stuck in neutral once. Has anyone else had this problem? It also felt like just a bar of metal with a rubber cap on it, which seems rather cheap for this class of tractor. I'm wondering if the cab version (again, what I drove today) has a clumsy linkage for this. I cannot figure out, from the Kubota brochure, where this lever is on the ROPS platform models. Can someone tell me?

2) The gear shift (1-4 gears in each range) also seemed slightly balky. Not real bad, and I didn't have any serious trouble, but not as smooth as I've experienced on the MX5000 or Kioti tractors. Does this get better with use? Or could this be another cab-version linkage issue?

3) Although the loader (L1153) worked wonderfully in general, I could not get it to combine raise and curl functions. The one I drove had self-leveling. Would that be why it wouldn't do both at once? I hope this loader has the valve ability to do two functions at once, since they put it on the loaders for L-series models!

4) The dealer strongly recommended the hydro-shuttle if I was going to do any loader work, and mentioned a customer who had bought a Kubota from him 6 years ago who had a regular (dry) clutch wear out at 240 hours after doing loader work (and said they guy then traded it for a model with a hydro-shuttle). I liked the hydro-shuttle and it seems like the price premium is around $1000 or so. Are there any downsides to the hydro-shuttle other than price?

Thanks.

 

[keving]

The M5040 has been at the top of my shopping list for a while now, but my nearest dealer doesn't have anything between the MX5000 and M95S in stock. Well today I finally got to see and drive the Mxx40 series - an M7040 with a cab and hydro-shuttle (at another dealer). I was quite impressed overall but I have a few questions:

1) The range shift lever (high or low) was extremely difficult to move and even got stuck in neutral once. Has anyone else had this problem? It also felt like just a bar of metal with a rubber cap on it, which seems rather cheap for this class of tractor. I'm wondering if the cab version (again, what I drove today) has a clumsy linkage for this. I cannot figure out, from the Kubota brochure, where this lever is on the ROPS platform models. Can someone tell me?

2) The gear shift (1-4 gears in each range) also seemed slightly balky. Not real bad, and I didn't have any serious trouble, but not as smooth as I've experienced on the MX5000 or Kioti tractors. Does this get better with use? Or could this be another cab-version linkage issue?

3) Although the loader (L1153) worked wonderfully in general, I could not get it to combine raise and curl functions. The one I drove had self-leveling. Would that be why it wouldn't do both at once? I hope this loader has the valve ability to do two functions at once, since they put it on the loaders for L-series models!

4) The dealer strongly recommended the hydro-shuttle if I was going to do any loader work, and mentioned a customer who had bought a Kubota from him 6 years ago who had a regular (dry) clutch wear out at 240 hours after doing loader work (and said they guy then traded it for a model with a hydro-shuttle). I liked the hydro-shuttle and it seems like the price premium is around $1000 or so. Are there any downsides to the hydro-shuttle other than price?

Thanks.

1. Mine was a little hard to shift from L to H or H to L. If you are stopped and put in the clutch it moves very nice on my 7040 cab.

2. As far as shifting, it is a little clunky at first but after a few hours is seems to be second nature. I guess that's like any manual shifting transmission once you become familiar...

3. It's likely you had the lever on the 1153 sent to auto level. It is loacated on the forward part of the loader controls. You can see it much better if you open the left door and look from the outside.

4. I have no experience in this area.

I do love mine!

Good luck on your purchase,

Kevin

 

[Blksim]

Mine is an open platform and the high-low shifter is of the same build. It is tight but I feel it will loosen with time. I'm not that up to date on the hydro shuttle. My M5030 had the standard shuttle and I put 1800 hard haying hours on it with no clutch problems. The neighbor that bought it says it still works fine. The M7040 just has the synchro-shuttle and I'm happy with it.

 

[Glowplug]

The range shifter takes a slight bit of getting used to. The manual states that you must be stopped and have the clutch pushed in. That should solve those problems. The gear shifter just takes a couple hours of use to get accustomed to then it works like second nature. The loader was probably set to auto self-level. If you push the lever on the front to self-levelling off then it should work fine. Mine does. Hydro shuttle is nice for loader work. I have the hydraulic shuttle on my m7040. I think I can do loader work as good if not better than if I had a hydrostatic transmission with my hydraulic shuttle. With the hydraulic shuttle you can change directions without clutching which is very nice for loader work. Hope this helps.

 

[HEC]

I have the m5700 with hydro shuttle and like it very much , it is a wet clutch system so it should last much longer , so I have been told. If you do alot of loader work you will probably want to use a different gear going into the work than retreating from it , so you will still have to use the clutch anyway but you still have the advantage of the wet clutch system which I think is well worth the extra money for the ease of use doing the other chores that I do.
Good luck
Herb

 

[Glowplug]

What I've found works well in my brief time with my m7040 is to go into loader work in a low gear (like L2) with a low throttle. Then throw it in reverse with the hydraulic shuttle without clutching and use the foot throttle to override the hand throttle to increase engine speed. Then shift into a higher gear using the clutch to travel to the location you are taking the load. Like I said, I don't think I could do any better with a double-pedal or treadle pedal HST. But that's just me.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Mine is an open platform and the high-low shifter is of the same build. It is tight but I feel it will loosen with time. I'm not that up to date on the hydro shuttle. My M5030 had the standard shuttle and I put 1800 hard haying hours on it with no clutch problems. The neighbor that bought it says it still works fine. The M7040 just has the synchro-shuttle and I'm happy with it.

Can you clarify? In the cab model 7040, there are two similar levers next to the gear shift - there is the high/low range shift in front of it, and the hand throttle to the left. On the photos of the xx40 series in the brochure, there is a lever to the left of the main shift (1-4) that looks like the hand throttle. I do not see any other lever with an orange handle that looks like the range shift (high/low). Is the lever to the left the hand throttle, and where exactly is the range shift lever?

Thanks in advance.

Also, for everyone who suggested it - I was stopped and had the foot clutch in when I tried to shift ranges. It was still extremely difficult. I have experienced some similar difficulty in the range shift lever on an L5030 with HST that I test drove. I have not experienced any stickiness in the range shift on either an MX5000 or any other brand of tractor I have tried (Kioti, NH, JD). I can deal with this if it goes away after 10-20 hours, but if it's sticky for the lifetime of the tractor I would find it too aggravating.

 

[Blksim]

I'm sitting on the tractor. On the M50,60 and 7040 open platform tractor the closest lever (just to the right hand side of seat) is the range gear shift lever. This is my high and low range for the transmission. Directly to the left of the main gear shift lever (1- 4 gears) is the throttle lever. I won't comment on the cab model layout as I don't have one.
If you're looking in a brochure, don't let the levers shown that are only applicable to the 8540 & 9540 throw you.

 

[Glowplug]

I'm sitting on the tractor. On the M50,60 and 7040 open platform tractor the closest lever (just to the right hand side of seat) is the range gear shift lever. This is my high and low range for the transmission. Directly to the left of the main gear shift lever (1- 4 gears) is the throttle lever. I won't comment on the cab model layout as I don't have one.
If you're looking in a brochure, don't let the levers shown that are only applicable to the 8540 & 9540 throw you.

Yeah, the 85 and M9540 have a lever to the right of the shifter that is a hydraulic parking brake lever. On the M50 - M7040 the parking brake is applied by pressing the brake pedals and locking them in place with a lever immediately above the brake pedals. On all these M-series tractors immediately to the left of the gear shifter on the console is the hand throttle lever. Down on the side to the right of the seat is the range shifter lever for hi, lo, and creep (if equipped).

 

[Z-Michigan]

Thanks, now I understand where it is on the ROPS models. Given that the lever on ROPS models is between seat and right fender, I'm wondering if the linkage is shorter and stiffer on the ROPS models than on the cab models, which would probably make for easier shifting of the range gears.