MX5200 loader capacity?

[GamblerAcres]

2018 Kubota Mx5200 HST with 87 hours. Over the past few days I put some serious use on the loader for the first time. I moved about 30 tons of clean dirt that had been sitting in a pile for about 3 years. I also moved about 20 tons of crush and run gravel that had been sitting for over a year, compacted by horses (yes, they loved climbing it).

The piranha tooth bar made it easy to cut into the piles. My concern is that whenever I got a good bite into either pile the loader would stop lifting or curling. I've read many posts that the MX series will easily lift the rear end, even with plenty of rear ballast. That never happened, not even once.

The only ballast I have is a 3 point drum filled with concrete and blocks. I estimate it to weigh about 1400 lbs. The rear tires are NOT filled, nor do I have any wheel weights.

Normal or do I have issues?

 

[fruitcakesa]

Plenty of counterweight but I would be very careful of tipping with such a tall setup especially with the bucket raised with a load.

 

[TripleR]

Have your pressure checked to make sure, but on my old 5030 or present 5740 with about 1100 pounds ballast I cant lift the rear wheels, I have fluid in my tires and additional wheel weights. There was a thread recently on Kubota loaders. I don't need a stronger loader, but some seem to.

 

[bullbreaker]

Yes like TripleR said have your pressure checked . You can find out your safe max capacity and bump up yours if running low or came from factory too low. I dont know if yours will bump up the same but heres an old thread I used to bump up lift cap on my L3400 DT Bota . I bought the meter guage at Northern and install "Correct" fittin thats rated at 2500 psi (i think) dont remember .

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...-up-lift-capacity-l3400.html?highlight=cowboy

 

[DK35vince]

I'm not sure you even have a problem.
Any loader I have ever run can stall the loader when digging into a compacted pile till you get the bucketful broken lose. (trying to lift the whole pile)

 

[GamblerAcres]

I'm not sure you even have a problem.
Any loader I have ever run can stall the loader when digging into a compacted pile till you get the bucketful broken lose. (trying to lift the whole pile)

I understand. My concern is that I'm missing out on power that should be there. I bought the MX for the loader after all.

 

[DieselBound]

There are two things to consider here: 1) Loader lift capacity; and, 2) Breakout force.

I'd "think" that if your lift capacity is about on spec (2,275lbs to full height at pins) then the breakout force would also likely be close to spec. Though you're utilizing different cylinders you're using the same pump (and its pressures).

Are your engine RPMs dropping when you're running into the pile and then starting the curl?

Do you have anything else to compare against?

I use 4wd to do hard loader work: for digging into material; I then will look to pop back into 2wd for turning and generally moving about.

I had one project in which I moved about 400 tons of material with my NX and a dump trailer. I was running the combo on a back road about 1/4 mile, which required hooking up and unhooking the trailer: loading up meant that I had nothing but ballasted rears- I never raised the rears, but I could tell I was pretty much at max as it would get a bit on the bouncy side (my KL6010 loader is good for 2,700lbs at the pin; breakout force is slightly less than the LA1065).

 

[RickB]

I have always said that a tractor with a loader will have one of two problems. It will either lift the rears off the ground, or it will not.

 

[DieselBound]

One other thing to differentiate is the material.

Anyone with heavy clay soil knows "stiction." Stiction is going to be more prevalent with wet material.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

I've had the opportunity to hog into a pile of clay dirt repeatedly with my 5200 and I have been able to do any and all of the above. The break out is really tough with the clay, but the rear has popped up a few times and it's gotten light with certain movements. I'm using filled tires and 100lbs of weights on the rear wheels. Sometimes I've used a bush hog as cb and others i've not had anything on the rear.

FYI.

that's actually a load of it in my avatar. I estimate I moved 20ish yards moved. Each 72" wide bucket is approximately 1/2 yard or 16cf I believe. I may not have made 40 trips, but it's probably close.

 

[big bubba]

a heavy duty tooth bar will make a big difference in excavation shallow cuts help too

 

[MechanicalGuy]

I have always said that a tractor with a loader will have one of two problems. It will either lift the rears off the ground, or it will not.

I see what you did there.

 

[Fallon]

I have always said that a tractor with a loader will have one of two problems. It will either lift the rears off the ground, or it will not.

Yup. My L3200 was way to light. Even with heavy 3pt ballast it almost pulled the back end off the ground & rolled.

The new L4060HSTC is rock solid stable with little 3pt ballast when the hydraulics go into relief. It barely lifts my 1,700lbs flail with the bucket or forks on. The LA805 is rated to a 1,700, so about right. The L4760 is the same tractor with a bigger engine & front axle. Presumably they limit the loader size on the smaller Grands due to front axle strength (and probably marketing or market segmentation).

All things considered I'd rather be annoyed at the lack of lift than at an upside down tractor.

 

[GamblerAcres]

I've had the opportunity to hog into a pile of clay dirt repeatedly with my 5200 and I have been able to do any and all of the above. The break out is really tough with the clay, but the rear has popped up a few times and it's gotten light with certain movements. I'm using filled tires and 100lbs of weights on the rear wheels. Sometimes I've used a bush hog as cb and others i've not had anything on the rear.

FYI.

that's actually a load of it in my avatar. I estimate I moved 20ish yards moved. Each 72" wide bucket is approximately 1/2 yard or 16cf I believe. I may not have made 40 trips, but it's probably close.

Which is why I think mine is weak. I've read multiple reports like yours about the MX where a person can't get enough ballast to keep the rear end down. If I wanted a weaker loader I would have bought the L4701.

 

[TripleR]

a heavy duty tooth bar will make a big difference in excavation shallow cuts help too

yep, we have one for our M8540 and it really held.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

Which is why I think mine is weak. I've read multiple reports like yours about the MX where a person can't get enough ballast to keep the rear end down. If I wanted a weaker loader I would have bought the L4701.

Meh, I'm not saying that I can just pop the rear end up at will. It has bumped up on occasion though. The mx is worlds better than the 4701 though, not just for loader capacity either.

 

[troverman]

I replied to you over on the Kubota forum, but I will here as well. How do you know you are within the lift capability of the tractor? Are you expecting that if you have too much weight in the bucket that the rear will automatically lift? You claim you have 1400lbs of ballast, and what do you think the rear portion of your MX weighs, nothing? Your "in the bucket" lift capacity is probably around 1500lbs. You've got way more weight than that on the rear of the tractor, so I don't think you are going to lift it. Take off some ballast if you want the rear to come up.

 

[MechanicalGuy]

I replied to you over on the Kubota forum, but I will here as well. How do you know you are within the lift capability of the tractor? Are you expecting that if you have too much weight in the bucket that the rear will automatically lift? You claim you have 1400lbs of ballast, and what do you think the rear portion of your MX weighs, nothing? Your "in the bucket" lift capacity is probably around 1500lbs. You've got way more weight than that on the rear of the tractor, so I don't think you are going to lift it. Take off some ballast if you want the rear to come up.

I missed where he had ballast. I've never popped up my backside with ballast on my tractor.

 

[troverman]

I missed where he had ballast. I've never popped up my backside with ballast on my tractor.

With my water tote weighing about 2000lbs, and my forks on, my MX could just barely lift it a couple of inches off the ground, and the rear did start to come up slightly, even with loaded tires and a brush hog on the back. But this makes sense to me considering any tractor will lift more right at ground level since there is more leverage at that point. From the bed of my truck, it simply wouldn't do it.

He could check his pressures, but it's probably a normal condition he's experiencing. The MX is a great tractor, with enough lift for my purposes, but there will always be that time when you wished you could pick up a little more.