kenlip
Silver Member
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2017
- Messages
- 222
- Location
- NSW Australia
- Tractor
- Kubota MX5100 with Challenge FEL and 4:1
Thanks for letting me join the group.
Some background:
Our family (me and two daughters) have bought a bush property in Laguna, NSW, which is in the lower Hunter region (edge of wine country).
It is not suitable for farming. It is totally off-grid and we plan to build a weekender house for the use of all the members of the family.
The property has some very steep hills, with roads that are currently barely passable without a 4x4.
My feeling that a tractor should be one of the first things on our shopping list has been confirmed by many folks. We will need it for road maintenance, firewood hauling, etc. So, I am in the market for a suitable tractor and the relevant attachments.
I have briefly looked at New Holland, John Deere and Kubota and keep on biasing towards Kubota. At first I considered an L3200 but a dealer convinced me to go bigger and get the L3800. Talking to another dealer came up with the advice that an L4600 would be more suitable. Mentioned this to the first dealer, who suggested that if one is looking at the L4600 (top of the L range in Oz) one is much better off spending a bit more and getting the MX5100. The advantages of the MX series were cited as more HP, 4-cylinder versus 3, turbocharged, more weight, and made in Japan rather than Taiwan.
The rest of the family were a bit horrified at the cost of the tractor so I said I'd check if one could get a better deal from a different dealer. No better deal available, but the second dealer said they prefer the Challenge FEL ( http://www.cih.com.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=41&Itemid=238 ) to the Kubota one. The advantages he cited are (I quote):
They have over %50 more lift capacity then the Kubota, (and more than any other equivalent sized loader.) They achieve this by mounting the loader further back on the tractor which in turn better distributes weight between the axles. Larger rams also help.
The bucket is closer to the front of the tractor, this gives better vision to the bucket and keeps the overall length down which increase manoeuvrability.
The construction and finish is very strong. Their buckets are also exceptionally hard wearing.
The locking pins for the loader arms are camed, so can be turned to loosen when attaching or removing the loader arms. Making is very easy.
The bucket level indictor is a simple thing, but a big help.
When using the 4-in-1 you have proportional control of the hydraulic grab function making is easy to gently grab objects, rather than an on/off system.
So, now I am even more confused, and am hoping that the vast collective wisdom of TBN will help clarify for me which tractor to buy and whether to get the Challenge FEL and bucket of the Kubota one (assuming I go with a Kubota tractor).
I will also need help from the TBN experts deciding which attachments/s to get for sorting out the roads (grader blade, box scraper, grader-scraper, other?).
Ken
Some background:
Our family (me and two daughters) have bought a bush property in Laguna, NSW, which is in the lower Hunter region (edge of wine country).
It is not suitable for farming. It is totally off-grid and we plan to build a weekender house for the use of all the members of the family.
The property has some very steep hills, with roads that are currently barely passable without a 4x4.
My feeling that a tractor should be one of the first things on our shopping list has been confirmed by many folks. We will need it for road maintenance, firewood hauling, etc. So, I am in the market for a suitable tractor and the relevant attachments.
I have briefly looked at New Holland, John Deere and Kubota and keep on biasing towards Kubota. At first I considered an L3200 but a dealer convinced me to go bigger and get the L3800. Talking to another dealer came up with the advice that an L4600 would be more suitable. Mentioned this to the first dealer, who suggested that if one is looking at the L4600 (top of the L range in Oz) one is much better off spending a bit more and getting the MX5100. The advantages of the MX series were cited as more HP, 4-cylinder versus 3, turbocharged, more weight, and made in Japan rather than Taiwan.
The rest of the family were a bit horrified at the cost of the tractor so I said I'd check if one could get a better deal from a different dealer. No better deal available, but the second dealer said they prefer the Challenge FEL ( http://www.cih.com.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&layout=item&id=41&Itemid=238 ) to the Kubota one. The advantages he cited are (I quote):
They have over %50 more lift capacity then the Kubota, (and more than any other equivalent sized loader.) They achieve this by mounting the loader further back on the tractor which in turn better distributes weight between the axles. Larger rams also help.
The bucket is closer to the front of the tractor, this gives better vision to the bucket and keeps the overall length down which increase manoeuvrability.
The construction and finish is very strong. Their buckets are also exceptionally hard wearing.
The locking pins for the loader arms are camed, so can be turned to loosen when attaching or removing the loader arms. Making is very easy.
The bucket level indictor is a simple thing, but a big help.
When using the 4-in-1 you have proportional control of the hydraulic grab function making is easy to gently grab objects, rather than an on/off system.
So, now I am even more confused, and am hoping that the vast collective wisdom of TBN will help clarify for me which tractor to buy and whether to get the Challenge FEL and bucket of the Kubota one (assuming I go with a Kubota tractor).
I will also need help from the TBN experts deciding which attachments/s to get for sorting out the roads (grader blade, box scraper, grader-scraper, other?).
Ken