Buying Advice How important is 4 wheel drive on MX5100?

[ishiboo]

I'd say you definitely want 4wd. I use mine all the time when box blading, loader work, etc.

The tractors in that size are very light for their power, and you run out of traction very quickly.

 

[motownbrowne]

I just got an MX 4700. I really wanted a loader tractor and was planning on a 2wd IH 504 or 656. Boy am I glad I went with a 4x4 tractor. just to experiment, I played around moving snow in 2wd (loaded rears, light back blade for ballast). No comparison even with the diff lock. Sure you could put chains on it and increase ballast, but when you pick up a load on the front, having power to those wheels makes a lot more things possible. Go to a dealer and drive a 4wd. Then put it in 2wd. I bet you'll be amazed and decide to spend the extra dough. Also, unless you need the few extra HP, the MX 4700 would make the price a little easier to swallow. Also, you don't have to worry about cooling down the turbo after work.

I'm not trying to start a turbo discussion here, just trying to make the price tag on a 4wd a little more attainable.

Good luck.

 

[buickanddeere]

Assuming the front lift is a front end loader.
Type of soil and moisture?
Load carried?
Operator experience?

Personally I couldn't imagine using a FEL without 4WD.

 

[k0ua]

If I didn't have 4WD around here the tractor would be at the bottom of one of our steep slippery hills, and that would be where it would stay.

Think about this, When you pick up a load with the FEL (Front End Loader), guess what happens? Your rear tires get light, and if you are pointed down hill, they get VERY light. Just when you need them the most. Now you have reduced traction. Sure you can compensate some by loading the 3PT hitch with something heavy and that is highly recommended to do even on a 4WD tractor, but it is still not the same. Really big farm tractors with really large wheels and tires, can do much better with a loader because they weigh so much to start with and because of the size of the tires, but an MX5100 does not qualify as a "really big farm tractor". It NEEDS 4WD to really be effective with a loader. And the more hilly or wet your terrain is the more important it becomes. Do what ever your heart and pocketbook tells you, but I think you would be making a BIG mistake by not getting the 4WD on the MX, or any tractor that size with a loader.

 

[zqr]

Thanks very much for the replies. Will definitely go with four wheel drive.

 

[GManBart]

Thanks very much for the replies. Will definitely go with four wheel drive.

You won't regret it one bit....huge difference in capability. R,

 

[Wayne64SS]

I have an MX5100 and I have the BH92 mounted on the back(1800lbs). My rear tires are not loaded. Let me tell you that front end loader will do some WORK..... however the tractor isn't going to move much without 4wd. Most of what I lift with mine is 1700lbs-2k. The rear tires become unloaded and spin frequently. You're going to need to load the rears, (preferably with lead) and add a weight box if you want to use the loader to it's potential.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Keep a thousand pounds on the three point and your good to go.

A thousand pounds on the rear wont even offset the weight of the loader. Any tractor with a FEL needs 4 WD to be efficient. Sure some of the 100+ HP tractor fully ballasted with tire weights and fluid in the tires can handle a FEL but even then not to the extend needed to utilize the HP in hand.
My LS P7010 even with loaded rear tires and a 2000# bush hog on the rear will not climb a slight hill in reverse with a fully loaded FEL bucket (3500+ pounds)when in 2 WD and that is a 10,000# piece of equipment Any CUT or small Utility tractor with FEL is pretty useless in traction category without 4 WD.
Even most large Ag tractors sold now are 4 WD because they are much more efficient that way, better traction= less tire slippage = less fuel burned per acre covered.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm 4x4 all the way.

With that said, my Cousin lives on a relatively flat 40 acres, pasture/hay ground. Has a few cows and sheep. Bought a new MX5100 2wd with FEL. Has a pair of chains for the rears. When using the FEL he carries a 1500lb bale of hay on 3pt. He's as happy as a pig in mud. Perfectly content with the 2wd. He has never owned a 4wd.

 

[ENC]

I'm with everyone else. Can't live without 4wd. If your dealer has a dirt pile in the back ask to test one of their demo units with a loader (any one will do). Play with the loader and dirt pile for about 5 minutes each in 2wd and 4wd. Doubt it will take the 5 minutes.