Which would you buy

[rickyb01]

None of the Kubota dealers near me have a mx5400 for sale. I was looking at a hydrostatic transmission Mx tractor. Need to start dirt work on getting yard leveled. My two wheel drive 65 horse Ford has been good but no shuttle shift and no 4wd.

There are two in my area for sale. One is a 2018 mx5200 that has shuttle shift 135 hours with landpride (rcf’ (bush hog for 31,000

the other is 2020 Mx5400 with 75 hours 4 year warranty shuttle shift and 6’ bush hog (landpride rcr1872 and landpride disk. 36,000.00

Is the newer one worth the xtra 6,000. I’m thinking not but wanted to see what your opinions were. Also could look the other way on not getting hydrostatic trans or would you guys wait until all the craziness is over and get a hydrostatic

my mistake it’s a 6’ disk.
I mostly will use tractor for bush hogging and keeping my land clean. Right now I am converting 3 acres into a yard. Still have a lot of small sticks and uneven areas to deal with.

 

[Ortimber]

You will get a lot of opinions on gear vs hydro. I chose to go with hyrdo when I bought my Deere 4052. It's good/great for everything
except really heavy tillage, which I do very little of with that tractor. New vs. used is very subjective and again you will get a lot of opinions, no comment on that from me.

 

[jeff9366]

Also could look the other way on not getting hydrostatic trans or would you wait until the craziness is over and get a hydrostatic.

That depends on how much maneuvering you will do in restricted spaces.

 

[oosik]

I've had two tractors - both were geared. First - Ford 1700. Now Kubota M6040. Not having a hydrostatic transmission has not hampered any projects I do. The M6040 is hydraulic shuttle shift model.

 

[sea2summit]

I'm not seeing a 6k difference in value between those two options unless the 5200 has a lot of hours on it.

I've got Hydrostatic in my MX and shuttle in the M4, the hydro is nicer for confined spaces (stacking round bales in my pole barn) but otherwise I think it's a disadvantage. It robs a lot of power, Messicks did a great video testing two same horsepower L's against each other and even they were surprised at the results. Not sure what type of dirt work your doing but shuttle might be a plus.

 

[jeff9366]

Right now I am converting 3 acres into a yard. Still have a lot of small sticks and uneven areas to deal with.

A 72" wide Disc Harrow with pans 20" or 22" in diameter will be very useful in this endeavor. About $3,000 new.

12/27/2017 jmsmithy wrote:

I'm looking at buying new tandem disc harrow for my Kioti DK40SE HST primarily for approximately 20 acres of food plots. May also use to cut up some old logging roads, roundup them all, then resurface....

What is the difference between notched vs smooth discs?


Twenty acres is a LOT of food plots.

Notched discs will CUT and chop crop stubble and grass. Smooth discs are somewhat better for SMOOTHING minimally vegetated fields. Smooth discs have a a tendency to roll over vegetation that notched discs will penetrate. For Food Plots, unless you have a lot of rocks in your food plot soil, go with notched front, notched rear. If you get a disc with 50-60 pounds bearing on each disc you could go with notched front, smooth rear.

Generally speaking you want a minimum of 40 pounds harrow weight bearing on each disc. For opening 20 acres of food plots, 50-60 pounds per disk will open ground for eager germinating food plot seed in one pass. After seeding you need to cover or roll in the seed. ( In a field you can disc more than once at a 45 degree angle across first pass, in a food plot a second pass is rarely practical.)

Disc diameter and concavity influence total harrow weight, how far soil is thrown out and in, and how deep disc can sink on successive passes. I recommend 20" or 22" disc diameter on 1-1/8" axles, not 18", for your 4,000 pound tractor.

You could pull a 7' to 7'-6" disc harrow with 20" disc diameter in a field with no strain. But for food plots, where you will be maneuvering between trees and boulders and working on slopes, buy a disc 5' to 5'-6" in width. Anything wider and the tractor will pass through gaps but the disc will "hang up" and you will waste a lot of time extricating tractor+ harrow combination.

You need minimum of 5-horsepower per foot of disc width plus four wheel drive. Your Kioti has plenty of horsepower plus ample weight at 4,000 pounds.

You probably want a disc harrow with 9" spacing between the pans, rather than 7" spacing. Wider spacing will have less "float" and therefore cut better. Also, a little easier to clear vines from axles with wider spacing. (That said, EverythingAttachments.com offers interesting, HEAVY 20"-22"-24" Disc Harrows with 7" spacing.)

Consider the purchase of a CULTIPACKER to roll in your seed and help prevent erosion. Rolling twenty acres a CULTIPACKER will improve seed germination enough to pay for itself over five years.

XTreme Duty Large Deluxe Box Frame Disc Harrow fully adjustable

Large Box frame tubular steel Deluxe Disc Harrow fully adjustable by hand crank sealed ball bearings by Everything Attachments Made in USA Free Shipping

www.everythingattachments.com

A Harley Rake/Power Rake would be optimum.

Tractor PTO Power Box Rake Harley Rake

Harley Rake Tractor PTO Power Box Rake angles 15 degrees with all working widths adjustable size barrier Free Shipping from Everything Attachments Made in USA

www.everythingattachments.com

 

[fishheadbob]

The 2 you're considering are both low hour machines;$6000 idivided by the 60 hour difference works out to $100 per hour. I see from your post that you have some older tractors so I figure you can shift gears and work a clutch without problem; similarly hydro versus gear shouldn't be an issue to you; you're not mowing lawns in tight spaces. some of it also depends on whether you need the few extra horses you would lose with hydro? If you have a good feeling about the older of the 2 the lack of warranty shouldn't be a problem, but maybe ask the sellers of both for reasons for unloading and see if they give any hints into why.

 

[Cougsfan]

Why are you stuck on Kubota? No doubt, they are good tractors, but there are lots of other good tractors too.

 

[fried1765]

None of the Kubota dealers near me have a mx5400 for sale. I was looking at a hydrostatic transmission Mx tractor. Need to start dirt work on getting yard leveled. My two wheel drive 65 horse Ford has been good but no shuttle shift and no 4wd.

There are two in my area for sale. One is a 2018 mx5200 that has shuttle shift 135 hours with landpride (rcf’ (bush hog for 31,000

the other is 2020 Mx5400 with 75 hours 4 year warranty shuttle shift and 6’ bush hog (landpride rcr1872 and landpride disk. 36,000.00

Is the newer one worth the xtra 6,000. I’m thinking not but wanted to see what your opinions were. Also could look the other way on not getting hydrostatic trans or would you guys wait until all the craziness is over and get a hydrostatic

my mistake it’s a 6’ disk.
I mostly will use tractor for bush hogging and keeping my land clean. Right now I am converting 3 acres into a yard. Still have a lot of small sticks and uneven areas to deal with.

Why not just sit tight and keep using your Ford, until the right tractor deal comes along?

 

[rickyb01]

The 2 you're considering are both low hour machines;$6000 idivided by the 60 hour difference works out to $100 per hour. I see from your post that you have some older tractors so I figure you can shift gears and work a clutch without problem; similarly hydro versus gear shouldn't be an issue to you; you're not mowing lawns in tight spaces. some of it also depends on whether you need the few extra horses you would lose with hydro? If you have a good feeling about the older of the 2 the lack of warranty shouldn't be a problem, but maybe ask the sellers of both for reasons for unloading and see if they give any hints into why.

The 2020 tractor the guy is relocating and doesn’t need it. Told me he paid 40,000 for it all. Don’t know about the 2018

 

[rickyb01]

Why are you stuck on Kubota? No doubt, they are good tractors, but there are lots of other good tractors too.

Not really stuck on Kubota but if I where going to buy one that’s my first choice

 

[rickyb01]

Why not just sit tight and keep using your Ford, until the right tractor deal comes along?

More than likely what I will do but 4wd would be nice and my hydraulics are a little slow

 

[Doughknob]

You say boh are shuttle shift. Then talk about hydro trans. You realize these are different right? I love my HST tractor. But do not plan to pull ground engaging implements all day either.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

None of the Kubota dealers near me have a mx5400 for sale. I was looking at a hydrostatic transmission Mx tractor. Need to start dirt work on getting yard leveled. My two wheel drive 65 horse Ford has been good but no shuttle shift and no 4wd.

There are two in my area for sale. One is a 2018 mx5200 that has shuttle shift 135 hours with landpride (rcf’ (bush hog for 31,000

the other is 2020 Mx5400 with 75 hours 4 year warranty shuttle shift and 6’ bush hog (landpride rcr1872 and landpride disk. 36,000.00

Is the newer one worth the xtra 6,000. I’m thinking not but wanted to see what your opinions were. Also could look the other way on not getting hydrostatic trans or would you guys wait until all the craziness is over and get a hydrostatic

my mistake it’s a 6’ disk.
I mostly will use tractor for bush hogging and keeping my land clean. Right now I am converting 3 acres into a yard. Still have a lot of small sticks and uneven areas to deal with.

MX 5400 with the shuttle... I absolutely love mine...

 

[fried1765]

Not really stuck on Kubota but if I where going to buy one that’s my first choice

I had a low hour 1970 Ford 3400 TLB that I bought used in 1986.
I kept it for 33 years, before selling it in 2019, to upgrade to an extremely low hour 2006 Kubota L48 TLB.
The Kubota is a fine machine, but I am not wildly excited about the HST, and in many ways I do miss my old Ford.
The JD 110 TLB was my original replacement choice, but the JD transmission case cracking history scared me off.

 

[rScotty]

Personally I'd go with the higher priced machine just to get that warranty.

 

[newbury]

You need to look more carefully.
Unless I'm reading wrong you state

There are two in my area for sale. One is a 2018 mx5200 that has shuttle shift 135 hours with landpride (rcf’ (bush hog for 31,000

the other is 2020 Mx5400 with 75 hours 4 year warranty shuttle shift and 6’ bush hog (landpride rcr1872 and landpride disk. 36,000.00

Is the newer one worth the xtra 6,000.

That is:
2018 w/ bush hog for 31,000
2020 w/ bush hog AND DISK for 36,000
To start with that's a $5,000 diff. (36-31) NOT $6,000
Makes me wonder what else you may have missed.

So considering the disk to be worth at least $2K that get's it down to $3K difference.

 

[AndyMA]

You need to look more carefully.
Unless I'm reading wrong you state

That is:
2018 w/ bush hog for 31,000
2020 w/ bush hog AND DISK for 36,000
To start with that's a $5,000 diff. (36-31) NOT $6,000
Makes me wonder what else you may have missed.

So considering the disk to be worth at least $2K that get's it down to $3K difference.

I have a MX5200 with HST. It's been great. New Holland TN75D before it was shuttle. I'd be ok with a shuttle MX. I'd go with the new one, although I've had zero issues

Andy

 

[tlj87]

It’s my understanding that the MX shuttle is not synchronized and you have to clutch to change directions. Not as nice as the hydraulic synchronized “PowerReversr” Deere uses of their comparable 4 series and up or Kubota on the M5660 and up.