Tractor Sizing Which tractor would best suit us?

[mr2143]

Hello all,

I致e been browsing the forum for years. I believe I知 finally ready to make my first tractor purchase. Here痴 our current situation- We live on 20 acres. Half of that is pasture, and the other half is wooded. I知 set on a tractor/loader/backhoe. Chores for the tractor would be: plowing snow, grappling work, driveway repair and maintenance until paved, potential hay work on 5-10 acres, food plot management, removing/moving stumps, etc.

If I wasn稚 planning on utilizing the tractor for hay and tree work, I致e thought about the L3901. However, if I壇 like to incorporate that into the tractor痴 chore list and have the extra weight and power for other tasks, I壇 like to jump to the MX5800. Does that seem logical? My hesitation in moving to the MX series versus staying in the L series is mainly around the width of the MX being 74 while many implements would be 72? Also, on the rare occasion the tractor would need be used close to our house on our lawn, I think the weight of the MX forces me to avoid ever bringing it on the lawn- especially with filled tires, wheel weights, etc. With all that being said, I do like the idea of a heavier and more capable tractor. Thoughts?

 

[jeff9366]

We live on 20 acres, 10 acres pasture, and ten acres wooded.

Chores for the tractor would be: plowing snow, grappling work, driveway repair and maintenance until paved, potential hay work on 5-10 acres, food plot management, removing/moving stumps, etc. I'm set on a tractor/loader/backhoe.

If I was not planning on utilizing the tractor for hay and tree work, I would consider the Kubota L3901. However, if want rot incorporate haying into the tractor chore list and have extra weight and power for other tasks, I'd jump to the MX5800. Does that seem logical?

My hesitation in moving to the MX series versus staying in the L series is mainly around the width of the MX being 74" while many implements would be 72"? Also, on the rare occasion the tractor would need be used close to our house on our lawn, I think the weight of the MX forces me to avoid ever bringing it on the lawn- especially with filled tires, wheel weights, etc. With all that being said, I do like the idea of a heavier and more capable tractor.

Thoughts?

If you can forsake the idea of producing your own hay, a 2,700 pound bare weight L3901 will be ample.

An MX is the next increment heavier at 3,700 pounds bare tractor weight plus larger wheels and tires and a Category I/II Three Point Hitch. (Actually a Category II Three Point Hitch with adaptor shims to fatten Category I pins in the tool box.) The heavier hitch and rigid stabilizers on MX5200 and MX5800, relative to an L3901, allows you to push implements prudently without bending hitch components.

74"/72" should not be an issue.
1) While the tires may measure 74" if you measure R4 tire imprint in the soil it will probably be 72".
2) Implements oscillate on the Three Point Hitch. Most 72" implements actually sway over 74" to 76".
3) Few tractor Three Point Hitch applications are completed in ONE pass.


"I think weight of the MX excludes bringing it on the lawn- especially with filled tires, wheel weights, etc."
If you opt for R1/ag tires marking your lawn could certainly be an issue. Most tractors with loaders are sold with R4/industrial tires which have less indenting tread. Also, the wheels and tires on all the MX series are pretty large, so tractor weight is spread over a good size tire contact area.

An MX4800 should be amply ballasted with loaded rear tires.

An MX5800 would benefit from both loaded rear tires and wheel weights in snow.


I travel over lawns most days with my 5,400 pound operating weight L3560 equipped with R4 tires, usually with an implement mounted, without marking. However my soil is resilient sandy-loam, unlike the clay in parts of Pennsylvania.


Here is an excellent thread on haying ten acres:
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/haying/413025-round-bales-small-tractor-my.html

 

[Tompet]

What about the L4701...you can also get the more capable bh92 with that model with its larger frame.

The L3901 with bh77 would work too, but with twenty acres I can see why you looked at MX series. But as previous poster said taking haying out of equation changes things. You could always get an older used 2wd utility tractor in the future if haying is in your future.

Lol, Maybe compact haying equipment too...good luck with your decision and post what u eventually decide.

 

[aczlan]

If you can forsake the idea of producing your own hay, a 2,700 pound bare weight L3901 will be ample.

I would have to disagree. We do hay with our L3830. Yes it's slower than a larger tractor, but the main issue is a lack of horsepower, not bare tractor weight.

"I think the weight of the MX forces me to avoid ever bringing it on the lawn- especially with filled tires, wheel weights, etc."
If you opt for R1/ag tires marking your lawn could certainly be an issue. Most tractors with loaders are sold with R4/industrial tires which have less indenting tread. Also, the wheels and tires on all the MX series are pretty large, so tractor weight is spread over a good size tire contact area.

We run our L3830 with R1 AG tires on the lawn all the time, we just have to avoid using it when the ground is wet or muddy.
Yes it leaves indentations from the lugs, but our lawn is not a golf course and they are not noticable from 10 feet.

 

[Fallon]

An economy L machine will not safely lift big bales. I helped a friend move a small barn full of "1,200lbs" bales with my L3200. I could left them a few feet & it was sketchy as **** even with loaded tires & heavy ballast. All 2 & 3 thousand series economy Ls in the past 8+ years have the same frame & lift capacity.

I can't comment on making small bales as I never have. You could handle a small stack of small bales on a pallet or what not with the loader.

 

[aczlan]

An economy L machine will not safely lift big bales. I helped a friend move a small barn full of "1,200lbs" bales with my L3200. I could left them a few feet & it was sketchy as **** even with loaded tires & heavy ballast. All 2 & 3 thousand series economy Ls in the past 8+ years have the same frame & lift capacity.

I can't comment on making small bales as I never have. You could handle a small stack of small bales on a pallet or what not with the loader.

Our L3830's loader is rated to lift 1400# at 20" from the pins, the L3200 loader is rated to lift 855# at 20" from the pins.
I wouldn't use the L3200 to move round bales, but a L3830 should be handle it.

Aaron Z

 

[Diggin It]

Thoughts?

My thought is you should look beyond Orange. There is plenty of Red and Blue out there more than capable of any task you can think of and at better prices.

 

[rScotty]

Hello all,

I致e been browsing the forum for years. I believe I知 finally ready to make my first tractor purchase. Here痴 our current situation- We live on 20 acres. Half of that is pasture, and the other half is wooded. I知 set on a tractor/loader/backhoe. Chores for the tractor would be: plowing snow, grappling work, driveway repair and maintenance until paved, potential hay work on 5-10 acres, food plot management, removing/moving stumps, etc.

If I wasn稚 planning on utilizing the tractor for hay and tree work, I致e thought about the L3901. However, if I壇 like to incorporate that into the tractor痴 chore list and have the extra weight and power for other tasks, I壇 like to jump to the MX5800. Does that seem logical? My hesitation in moving to the MX series versus staying in the L series is mainly around the width of the MX being 74 while many implements would be 72? Also, on the rare occasion the tractor would need be used close to our house on our lawn, I think the weight of the MX forces me to avoid ever bringing it on the lawn- especially with filled tires, wheel weights, etc. With all that being said, I do like the idea of a heavier and more capable tractor. Thoughts?

Thinking back on many messages here on TBN, I only recall a couple of times where a person wished for a smaller tractor... and I believe those few times involved lawn mowing with a belly mower.
Conversely, there are endless messages where the owners are glad they moved up in size. So I'd vote towards the MX5800 ... or somewhere in the M series for 20 acres.
The M series seems to be a more heavily built tractor than the L series. As far as the extra power and size, it sure is nice when the limitation is somewhere other than HP or stability.

Only the experience you get tractoring on your own soil and doing that work in the way you like to work a tractor will tell you whether you need to fill the tires and/or add wheel weights and what tire tread to get. Frankly aI would advise you from here would be a guess, and that seems too important to be so vague. I don't wnat to go there.

But what I can tell you what we use here and why.... Your neighbors may have opinions too.
Our soil here has very little clay and that is key. The soil is partly loam in areas but always over a shallow sand and gravel base. In the winter it is snowy and cold, but not slushy. With that soil, there is no need for extra weight as in wheel weights or certainly not filled tires. The soil is delicate here at 7000 feet in the dry mountains, and we try not to damage plants, hay, or our lawn. But we still need to get work done and that does sometimes involve driving the tractor where we would rather not. We use R4 type industrial type flat lugged tires instead of R1 "mudder" type traditional Ag lugged tires.

On Kubota vs the other colors, for a first time buyer I'd stick with one major well-known brand and get to know it. Kubota is a good choice; they are quality and have a good selection of features. Kubotas do cost more, but everyone says that you get it back on the other end. Other than a slightly lower entry price, I don't see that any of the other brands offering anything special that is unique to their brand. At least I see nothing unique in a standard 4wd utiilty tractor configuration.
The videos at Messicks.com are a good place to start. Better yet, rent an MX5800 for a week or a month and see how you like it. Now I'll confess that I think that makes a lot of sense, but it seems rare for buyers to actually try out the tractor that way so maybe I'm missing something.

Hmm... mr2143 I'm looking at your original post and some of the characters aren't reading correctly in the post...confusing symbols and such that I'm sure you didn't type. Do you see that as well?
TBN does have trouble interpreting some computer browser settings. You might try going up to "My Home" at the top of the page and then: My Mettings/General Settings/Miscellaneous Options/ and play around with the Message Editor Interface. See if that makes a change.
good luck,
rScotty

 

[Tractorrr]

I think the L3901 would be good. Not sure about the haying but there is some compact hay equipment or you could posibly do square bales rather than round bales so they would be easy to lift.

 

[skipperbrown]

In the woods and in the fields, weight is your friend and is more important than HP. However, weight and R1s don't bode well on lawns. If the primary use is in the fields/woods, go with the MX.