MF4610

[ironpen]

I thinking about buying a MF 4610. Does anybody here have one and if so what do you think?? I am a little concerned about 99 HP coming out of a 3 cylinder engine. Do you think it's heavy enough to pull a 15 foot batwing bush hog? Looks like a weighs about 6900 lbs., which looks a little light for that much power. I would appreciate any thoughts. My dealer has some 4608's in stock....is that enough for the batwing?? They are 4WD, which I don't think I need and they all have joystick and aux. hydraulics to run a FEL. I also don't need that since our loader stays permanently on a New Holland at the farm. They tell me it will be 4 or 5 months before I can get a 2WD with no joystick.....should I look at the 4608's. Would I miss the HP? TIA

 

[ironpen]

Surely somebody had an opinion......

 

[jeepcj7]

Great little tractor - the county I live in recently acquired a 4610 to pull a 15 ft batwing and it handles it just fine. Seems to have more torque than a larger size Kubota. Puts out 80 hp at 2000 rpm with no problem.

 

[deputyrpa]

I have a MF 3635, which is the Italian version that was discontinued. That's the Sisu 3-cylinder turbo, I believe, that AGCO snapped up. Don't be fooled by it's displacement, because it is a powerful, fuel-efficient engine. In my opinion, the Sisu has no equal for power-to-fuel consumption ratio. Although mine delivers a little less horsepower, I use a baler and large wagon in hilly terrain regularly, and average 2.5 gallons per hour while baling. It may weigh a tad more than the 4610 though, but not by much. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised with the machine.

 

[JWR]

I have a MF 2660 of lower HP than the 4610. I think the 4610 will pull the batwing 15 foot hog with ease. A friend uses a JD with a lot less than 100HP (on hilly terrain) and it pulls the 15 ft batwing OK. Every application is different but in the places I cut (hilly country in WV) a tractor without 4WD is a stuck tractor and one you cannot control in too many kinds of places. One thing I noticed with the 4600 series is that they have bevel gear drive front turning spindles rather than big U-joints (like my 2660 and most of the JDs above 50HP .) That makes the 4WD much more maneuverable than the big ones with U-joints. I would not be too concerned about the 3 cylinder but I suppose I would prefer a 4cyl. in that size engine. Heck, go out and test drive one with something heavy attached like a batwing 15 footer. If you are going to plunk down that kind of money they at least owe you a test drive.

 

[irvingj]

Ah-ha, I thought so! Just looked up AGCO SISU... Yep, made in Finland.

Look up what "sisu" means in Finnish. Finns generally don't apply that acronym lightly.

 

[WilliamBos]

Ah-ha, I thought so! Just looked up AGCO SISU... Yep, made in Finland.

Look up what "sisu" means in Finnish. Finns generally don't apply that acronym lightly.

SISU has a legendary reputation in the logging industry. They have strong following!!

 

[mac1]

just bought 4610 with fel and 3rd valve for hay grapple. so far only disappointment is there is no where to mount baler monitor, dealer is helping me get what he call a ram mount to attach monitor on right hand door rod.

 

[Flatbroke]

just bought 4610 with fel and 3rd valve for hay grapple. so far only disappointment is there is no where to mount baler monitor, dealer is helping me get what he call a ram mount to attach monitor on right hand door rod.

It sounds like we will have the same tractor. I ordered same thing including a grapple. Please PM me with how you like it now.

 

[Flatbroke]

Is there any one else that has a 4610 yet? More reviews, or opinions please.

 

[JWR]

Is there any one else that has a 4610 yet? More reviews, or opinions please.

Both of you (Flatbroke and Mac1) have either a DL250 or 260 loader I assume ? I have the DL 250 on an MF2660 and the loader valve was defective from the factory. Several others had the same problem. It would not force the bucket tip downward. Would let it drop by gravity, but not force it down. A new replacement valve changed nothing and had the same disease. Finally got with the valve manufacturer myself, they admitted the problem, sent me parts and it was an easy fix.
You guys probably do not pry up old tree roots etc. like we do in the WV Hills but that loader frame is not stiff enough and you can bend it rather easily by forcing things on either tip end of the bucket. With a bigger tractor than mine, you may see that happen. In my opinion they should have gone to a heavier loader on the 4600 series.
I too use a grapple (actually a 4-in-1 bucket) as well as a hydraulic motor driven brush cutter that mounts on the skid-steer adapter of the DL250 loader. You folks may be more experienced than me, but I was shocked to find that the hydraulic remotes (on almost all tractors) have a one-track-mind. You cannot run the grapple or the brush cutter while raising the loader frame. There are flow-dividers, etc. but the solutions are expensive. The much more expensive/larger tractors probably come equipped with a solution that does not involve an added pump and reservoir.
If either of you operate on very steep ground, I'd like to ask some 4610 questions.
Good luck with the new machines !

 

[Flatbroke]

The one I am getting will have a DL-260 loader I wanted to use a skid steer type attach as I am trading in a skid steer and want to keep all the attachments. I hope I do not have trouble with the valve like you did. What does your hydraulic cutter look like can you post or email me a photo. I hope it is a good tractor as I am breaking the bank by getting it.

 

[MFRED]

4600 would have a factory valve no an outside sourced like what was on the 2600 series. You can get an aftermarket 3rd function to have live aux. that will allow you to do more than one function at a time.

 

[JWR]

Attached are pics of the front cutter. It is plenty heavy duty & uses 3 - double edged blades so it cuts with rotation either way. It is an EDI Sales unit. See https://www.edisales.com/compare/452/448 They won't say where they get it but I think the source is in North Carolina. There are models 60", 66" and 72" . Mine is the 60" "Low Flow" version. It cuts light materials well but just does not have the cutting power of a PTO driven unit. Most likely the "High Flow" version would do better. My tractor has a combiner valve allowing both the 3pt lift and the main remotes pump to combine flow and even then it only puts out 14.5gpm. Your pump puts out more gpm I am sure but don't know if it is enough for the high flow cutters. Suggest see someone with experience in driving hyd motors. Your DL260 is plenty strong for picking up and using the front cutter. LOOKOUT for catching one side but not the other of skid-steer implements on your loader ! It is hard to see from the seat and if you only catch one side and pick up a heavy cutter it will bend the cross bar on your skid steer adapter right off of the attach points. The 60" HD cutter weighs about 1300 lbs. & has 5/8" thick blades. There are many brands on the market (try web search.) Have seen them for sale used at auctions, etc. too.
Forgot to mention: get large diameter hyd hoses to run all the way from back to front for the cutter. The small ones work the pinch bucket or grapple fine but not the cutter. At least 1/2" or larger is better.

 

[JWR]

4600 would have a factory valve no an outside sourced like what was on the 2600 series. You can get an aftermarket 3rd function to have live aux. that will allow you to do more than one function at a time.

(1) My 2660 uses a NIMCO CV152 type loader valve. It was not an after-market valve but was supplied by the MF parts people via their dealer as the standard factory valve for the DL250 when mounted on a 2660. It was made in Europe and NIMCO's US distributor, parts and info source is in Wisconsin. I would take your word for it but I did not think that any of the tractor manufacturers make their own loader valves in-house. Especially with the 4610 being made in Japan surely the DL250 and 260 loader valves come from the same sources as they do for any MF tractor that the loader fits (?)
(2) What is the nature of the 3rd party after-market live auxiliary ? Unless it adds a pump somewhere it must be splitting the flow of the existing pump supplied to the remotes ? Can you suggest a source or website ?
Thanks.

 

[MFRED]

Nimco was not aftermarket, just outside sourced and put in with the loader kit to make the hydraulic package. The 4610 would have an Iseki valve as factory equipment. Now that may very well be outsourced as well, but it's going to be a better quality valve than the Nimco.

The 3rd Function I am talking about is from W.R. Long. They can do a diverter valve, like what you have by the sounds. Or you can get a live valve, that would hook in line with the power beyond line so that you can have a live 3rd function.
I've put a few on for guys to run post hole diggers when they can't get somewhere with a skidsteer.

As mentioned, flow is the big problem when looking for implements. The tractor will have weight, lift capacity and clearance enough to run skid steer stuff, but it'll probably fall short in the hydraulic flow end. If you can find low-flow matched implements you will be much happier with them. Post hole diggers, grapples and such don't matter much, but a rotary cutter or snow blower you can tell the difference.

 

[ironpen]

I started the thread....but still on the sidelines trying to decide what to buy. Looked at the New Holland T4.75 and other than the turf tire options on the NH, I like the MF better. I just wish I could get Galaxy Turf tires on one and I would already be the proud owner. MF rep says there is no way to option it that way.

 

[WilliamBos]

I started the thread....but still on the sidelines trying to decide what to buy. Looked at the New Holland T4.75 and other than the turf tire options on the NH, I like the MF better. I just wish I could get Galaxy Turf tires on one and I would already be the proud owner. MF rep says there is no way to option it that way.

Is he sure? I would get him to double check.

 

[JWR]

I started the thread....but still on the sidelines trying to decide what to buy. Looked at the New Holland T4.75 and other than the turf tire options on the NH, I like the MF better. I just wish I could get Galaxy Turf tires on one and I would already be the proud owner. MF rep says there is no way to option it that way.

Not sure of a specific tire brand but I would be amazed if a dealer could not/would not get the type tires you want on any new tractor, especially one of that size/cost. Turf tires on a tractor that big is fairly unusual though so you might have very limited choices.
By the way, I do not own one, but I like the bevel gear front drive on the 4600 series which has to be far more maneuverable in tight quarters than most of the over 50HP tractors that use big u-joints. I know when I went from a bevel gear smaller John Deere to a larger u-joint MF 2660 the reduced maneuverability was very noticeable. You may already know, but one of the claims to fame of the 4600 series is not having to add some sort of fuel fluid and not having to replace a rather expensive particulate catalyst or some cartridge every 1000 hours. To do with Tier 4 or other clean air regulations.

 

[MFRED]

Being as new a series as they are it will probably take a little while to get all the options figured out and listed. I think there is a company out in Indiana by the name of McCord that did floatation stuff. They had new and buffed used floatation tires and would build you a set for whatever you wanted. I'm sure it's not cheap, last time I checked was probably 10 years ago and it was around $5k with rims for used tires.
If you're looking for just regular turfs, your dealer should be able to find an option locally. Just be sure the lead ratio is kept within spec and it should be pretty easy.