Good deal on MF481?

[Builder]

Hey guys, ready to buy new Kubota M7040. Just don't feel like paying that much. I came across this MF481. I thought it looked like a good deal.

My questions are: it's a manual transmission, but does it have a shuttle lever for forward/reverse? I can't imagine doing loader work having to clutch & shift to "r"

It's got the venerable Perkins 4 banger-no worries there. Tires & overall condition & low hours look great.

Any comments appreciated.

[GaryCrowell]

Well, you don't mention how much it costs so it's hard to say if it's a good deal or not.

A couple of years ago I bought a massey ferguson 471 which is the exact same tractor as the 481 except 10 hp less, all other specs are the same. I looked at the kubota M7040 at the same time but chose the massey. They wanted $1400 more for the kubota but that really wasn't the reason I chose the massey. Several reasons went into that, first being that you're really comparing two different classes of machines. The horsepower between the kubota and massey are similar, but when you get into the specs you'll see that the massey is a physically much bigger, heavier machine with more hyd output, lift capacity etc. It's just more tractor period. To really get closer to the massey's capabilities you have to go to an 8540 or so in the kubota lineup. Granted the massey's a bit more "old school" than the kubota, which I personally like. I don't like all the new electronic garbage they hang on tractors, I like them simple so they're easy to work on and there's not so much stuff to break.

There were two transmissions offered in the 481, a mechanical 8F/8R shuttle and a non-shuttle 8F/2R. If it has the shuttle then it'll say "shuttle" on the rear of the hood and will have a F/R lever on the left side of the steering wheel. The massey's is a standard shuttle, you have to clutch between forward and reverse. You can get the kubota setup that way or with their hydro shuttle that you don't have to clutch. My tractor's 4wd with a FEL and I use the FEL quite a bit. The clutching personally doesn't bother me at all, but then again I grew up driving manual transmission tractors and vehicles so it's second nature to me, I just don't give it a thought at all. Again, to me "old school", simple and basic are what I prefer. Only you can decide if clutching bothers you or not.

Kubota makes nice tractors, no doubt. I don't want to come off like I'm bashing them because I'm not, but personally I feel that their strength is in their compact utility lineup not their utility line. When you really dig into the specs you'll find that a kubota M series tractor of a certain horsepower is a considerable smaller tractor than one of the same horsepower in a Deere, New Holland, or Massey. They seem to put higher horsepower motors in smaller frames. Most of us are used to comparing tractors by horsepower expecting a 70 HP deere to be roughly comparable to a 70 HP massey/New Holland, etc. Kubota kind of skews that equation with their utility lineup so you really have to be careful that you're comparing equal tractors. Around here you see a lot of homeowners with kubota CUT's, but rarely see a farmer using a kubota AG tractor, they're usually running deere/massey/new holland.

My 471's been great, I'm well pleased with it. If you can get a good price on the 481 I'd jump on it, it's a lot of tractor.

[Builder]

Sorry bout that, duh. Forgot the link. I must be working too much.
OK, I guess this one must be a standard tranny with no column mounted reverser.
Here it is:

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listings...EE421F099EE90B

[chh]

It is not a shuttle. MF puts a seperate label on the side that says shuttle if it is. You also should have been able to see the handle under the steering wheel. That is a good price on it though. 1rst and reverse line up on the shifter. On my 596 I use that like a shuttle but it keeps the right hand busy flipping the shifter back and forth and running the loader too.
Last fall the new price on a 581 with cab and FEL was in the upper $30's.

[Builder]

Originally Posted by chh

It is not a shuttle. MF puts a seperate label on the side that says shuttle if it is. You also should have been able to see the handle under the steering wheel. That is a good price on it though. 1rst and reverse line up on the shifter. On my 596 I use that like a shuttle but it keeps the right hand busy flipping the shifter back and forth and running the loader too.
Last fall the new price on a 581 with cab and FEL was in the upper $30's.

I was afraid of that. That tractor would have been perfcet for me at that price with a reverser.

I knew the price was too low.

[chh]

I should have mentioned you won't find a 4XX or 5XX series with a column reverser. These are all the plain jane series and the shuttle is a manual gear shuttle, not a power shuttle. They are meant to be a basic utility ag tractor and don't have some of the nicer features.
Here is a 481 near me that is going to be auctioned next weekend. You can see the shuttle label on the side under the 481.


I owned a 481 open station, MFWD and with a MF1070 loader.(the 1070 was actually 1 size over the recommended size for that tractor.) I did quite a bit of dirt and loader work with it. I had a side job for awhile and I could load a lot of shale in a dump truck, but it wouldn't keep up with a Case 580 backhoe that worked with me part of the time. The mechanical shuttle sure wasn't as slick or fast as my nieghbors JD with power shuttle. That said it was good for what it was meant for and I prefered the longer reach of the MF 1070 loader over the DL260 that I now have on the 596 for loading hay on trucks.

[Builder]

So this is a basic, manual transmission, with no sycros and you must clutch to put her in R.

[chh]

Definetely clutch for R. The tranny is syncronised, but it is all gears, with no hydro assist.

A MF 5435 or 5445 would most likely be a closer match to what you are looking for. They have power shuttle and higher hydraulic flows than the 4XX or 5XX series.

[Builder]

Originally Posted by chh

Definetely clutch for R. The tranny is syncronised, but it is all gears, with no hydro assist.

A MF 5435 or 5445 would most likely be a closer match to what you are looking for. They have power shuttle and higher hydraulic flows than the 4XX or 5XX series.

Now if I could just find all that in the low 20's with ~70-80HP, 2 rear remotes, cab & 4x4.

[h2onut]

I have a 471 with 4 wheel drive but my land is hilly. With the loader on the front the 4 wheel drive is very important. I had a 471 with 2 wheel drive and it couldn't handle the hills and I am not talking big hills. Great tractor which is why I got another but with 4 wheel drive. Now one year old and she has done everything I have asked.