5055e with MX7?

[LD1]

I have a 5055e cab (2014) and had a mx7. It'll work fine. However, I would STRONGLY encourage you to consider an 8' twin spindle mower instead. I mowed my neighbors 23 acres. It's thick pasture grass. 15 hrs, 50 gallons of diesel. Absolutely horrible to me. I was having to slow way down as it was bogging it pretty good. The 8' would be less of a load on it and not stick so far behind the tractor. The swing can be annoying but you get used to it. 6' is way to small for the tractor. 7' barely covered the wheels.

After the 23acres and some issues, I ordered a 5100e cab 24x24 with mx15. It'll cut my mowing time down to less than 5 hrs and fuel should be around 20ish gallons.

Brett

What were the issues that were causing you to go so slow? Bumpy ride? hills? Lots of stuff to mow around? 1.5 acres/hr with a 5055e+ mx7 just dont sound right.

 

[rustyshakelford]

What were the issues that were causing you to go so slow? Bumpy ride? hills? Lots of stuff to mow around? 1.5 acres/hr with a 5055e+ mx7 just dont sound right.

Lack of power. This should've been cut and baled but the owner had a bad experience when he went in on shares. Guy cutting decided he didn't need any more hay and charged him for every bale against the agreement. He was stuck with a bunch of hay and had no need for it.

Place is real smooth and only trees are mature hardwood. I don't know what the problem was. It's just drug on and on and on. Every 6 hrs I needed to get fuel at 20 gallons a pop. I was running wide open and b1-3. Averaged prolly 3-3.5 mph. I honestly don't know what the deal was. Just slow going.

Hopefully I won't be short in HP now. I don't have the time to spend two days on a place at $20 per acre

I cut him a deal because it's 1/3 mile down our road and I can get to it when I get a little time here and there

Brett

 

[LD1]

I am not disputing that it took you that long to do. I have been into jobs like that, where they just seem to drag on. Perhaps you were trying to cut too low? Or didnt have the rear of the cutter a tad higher than the front? I have done jobs in dense grass before, where simple raising the cut height up an inch or so lowers power requirement by ~50%.

With 45pto HP and 7' cut, (6.5hp/ft) you should have been able to go faster than 3.5. but even at 3.5, should have been ~2.5 acres per hour with 80% efficiency. The fact that it took you 15 hours, tells me you were only averaging 2 MPH for the job.

Going to a 5100e and 15' cutter is gonna lower your HP per ft down to 5.5. So in theory, you will have to go even slower than the 2mph.

2mph with a 15' cutter is ~3 acres per hour. So I think you are still looking at a 8-9 hour job.

 

[rustyshakelford]

I am not disputing that it took you that long to do. I have been into jobs like that, where they just seem to drag on. Perhaps you were trying to cut too low? Or didnt have the rear of the cutter a tad higher than the front? I have done jobs in dense grass before, where simple raising the cut height up an inch or so lowers power requirement by ~50%.

With 45pto HP and 7' cut, (6.5hp/ft) you should have been able to go faster than 3.5. but even at 3.5, should have been ~2.5 acres per hour with 80% efficiency. The fact that it took you 15 hours, tells me you were only averaging 2 MPH for the job.

Going to a 5100e and 15' cutter is gonna lower your HP per ft down to 5.5. So in theory, you will have to go even slower than the 2mph.

2mph with a 15' cutter is ~3 acres per hour. So I think you are still looking at a 8-9 hour job.

I cut it as high as I could and still have the tail wheel on the ground. I had a guy that helps me run it for part of the job and that could account for some of the time. I didn't want to go to high and it showed like I just trimmed the top a hair. I wish this place would have 6' tall weeds over the density of the pasture. My 5055e is also a couple hp lower than 45 due to the cab. I think it's somewhere around 42-43. IIRC, the 5100 is around 85 or 87 according to the Nebraska tests. The mx15 hopefully will pull easier even though there is loss thru all the gear boxes since the blades aren't nearly as hefty as the mx7 and it'll have higher blade speed!

I wouldn't recommend an mx7 to anyone, get the 8" twin spindle even if you have power to spare

Brett

 

[LD1]

I cut it as high as I could and still have the tail wheel on the ground. I had a guy that helps me run it for part of the job and that could account for some of the time. I didn't want to go to high and it showed like I just trimmed the top a hair. I wish this place would have 6' tall weeds over the density of the pasture. My 5055e is also a couple hp lower than 45 due to the cab. I think it's somewhere around 42-43. IIRC, the 5100 is around 85 or 87 according to the Nebraska tests. The mx15 hopefully will pull easier even though there is loss thru all the gear boxes since the blades aren't nearly as hefty as the mx7 and it'll have higher blade speed!

I wouldn't recommend an mx7 to anyone, get the 8" twin spindle even if you have power to spare

Brett

I am not really sure there will be that much difference. I think the logic that it takes more power to run a 7' single vs a 8' twin is faulty logic. And I think alot of the argument is about the heft of the unit, and length. Making it "feel" like a bigger heavier cutter even if they weight the same.

Sure, a 7' has bigger blades, and heavier blades. But there are fewer of them, and 2 fewer gearboxes robbing power. But even so, how fast you can cut through grass, shouldnt matter. 7' may take more power to spool up initially, but once there.....sustaining it at speed should be no different. And all that extra heavy momentum that took longer to spool up.....also takes longer to slow down. IE: hit a thick dense patch....it shouldnt slow down as much as a lighter cutter.

 

[rustyshakelford]

I am not really sure there will be that much difference. I think the logic that it takes more power to run a 7' single vs a 8' twin is faulty logic. And I think alot of the argument is about the heft of the unit, and length. Making it "feel" like a bigger heavier cutter even if they weight the same.

Sure, a 7' has bigger blades, and heavier blades. But there are fewer of them, and 2 fewer gearboxes robbing power. But even so, how fast you can cut through grass, shouldnt matter. 7' may take more power to spool up initially, but once there.....sustaining it at speed should be no different. And all that extra heavy momentum that took longer to spool up.....also takes longer to slow down. IE: hit a thick dense patch....it shouldnt slow down as much as a lighter cutter.

According to Deere, min hp for a mx7 is 50, mx8 is 40 for pull behind and 50 for lift (assuming they rate it that way for a tractor weight guide) mx15 is also 50 hp min. Just food for thought. I don't know if they base that off tractor weight hoping that a higher hp will mean more weight or if it and to do with the required hp to run correctly. I would think the gear reduction in the mx15 will help with the lower hp and increased tip speed. Hoping it'll be like 4.30 rear end gears vs 3.73

Brett

John Deere rotary cutter guide (by duty level)

 

[sisupower]

According to Deere, min hp for a mx7 is 50, mx8 is 40 for pull behind and 50 for lift (assuming they rate it that way for a tractor weight guide) mx15 is also 50 hp min. Just food for thought. I don't know if they base that off tractor weight hoping that a higher hp will mean more weight or if it and to do with the required hp to run correctly. I would think the gear reduction in the mx15 will help with the lower hp and increased tip speed. Hoping it'll be like 4.30 rear end gears vs 3.73

Brett

John Deere rotary cutter guide (by duty level)

That's the chart I was going off when you look at what is compatible with the 5055E. I can post a pic if you want shows all the pull and lift shredders for that model that will work

 

[rustyshakelford]

That's the chart I was going off when you look at what is compatible with the 5055E. I can post a pic if you want shows all the pull and lift shredders for that model that will work

If all your mowing is weeds, typical pasture and not hay producing pasture it's been fine for my needs. I will say that it is a heavy mower and I broke no less than 3 or 4 of the bolts on the top part of the hitch that has the bushing. It has mowed maybe 100-120 acres max. I ended up hitting a stump with it a few months back and it dented the chain guard holder and front lip. Took it to the dealer to have some insurance work on that and some other issues as a result of the stump (still worked fine) and they totaled the dang thing. Hoped to buy it back but it went to auction and I haven't been able to find it. Aside from that it was perfect. Just mowed grass and maybe a few limbs that were in the grass. 5055e has enough power for most tasks but I would still recommend the mx8 if you can afford it

Brett

 

[sisupower]

If all your mowing is weeds, typical pasture and not hay producing pasture it's been fine for my needs. I will say that it is a heavy mower and I broke no less than 3 or 4 of the bolts on the top part of the hitch that has the bushing. It has mowed maybe 100-120 acres max. I ended up hitting a stump with it a few months back and it dented the chain guard holder and front lip. Took it to the dealer to have some insurance work on that and some other issues as a result of the stump (still worked fine) and they totaled the dang thing. Hoped to buy it back but it went to auction and I haven't been able to find it. Aside from that it was perfect. Just mowed grass and maybe a few limbs that were in the grass. 5055e has enough power for most tasks but I would still recommend the mx8 if you can afford it

Brett

Yep agreed

 

[LD1]

According to Deere, min hp for a mx7 is 50, mx8 is 40 for pull behind and 50 for lift (assuming they rate it that way for a tractor weight guide) mx15 is also 50 hp min. Just food for thought. I don't know if they base that off tractor weight hoping that a higher hp will mean more weight or if it and to do with the required hp to run correctly. I would think the gear reduction in the mx15 will help with the lower hp and increased tip speed. Hoping it'll be like 4.30 rear end gears vs 3.73

Brett

John Deere rotary cutter guide (by duty level)

Typically HP ratings are just a general guide to get you to size the tractor correctly.....physically. Usually has little to do with actual PTO HP. A 1500# 7' cutter is more load on the tractor than a 1500# 8' twin, because the weight is so much farther back, leverage does its thing. And it actually "feels" like a heavier cutter.