Making switch from Green to Orange

[BCinVA]

Welcome to the MX club. I just hit 100 hours on my 5400; what a great machine. I went with gear drive on mine. What dealer did you go with?

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This one came from Beverage Tractor.

 

[BCinVA]

How many hours were on the Deere?

The Deere had about 1100 hours.

 

[BCinVA]

Is the backhoe going to come with a sub frame? Seems like they would have gone ahead with installing the power beyond for the backhoe.

Backhoe will have a subframe. I asked when they were putting this one together if there was anything they could do now to make the backhoe install easier later, but they said no.

 

[pokey1416]

My only comment is you’ll love the BH w thumb

 

[civilian]

My only comment is you’ll love the BH w thumb

View attachment 719702

Especially if it is a hydraulic thumb. Love mine on my B26TLB. Jon

 

[BCinVA]

Made the first mods to the new machine today. I welded on some chain hooks on top of the bucket. I also drilled a hole in the leading edge. I did this on my old machine so I could stick a hitch ball in there. It is really hand for moving trailers around on the property. While I was at it I went ahead and fabbed a chain hook that would mount there as well if I wanted to lift from bottom edge of bucket instead of top. I also found out there apparently is a big shortage of equipment matched paint right now. No Kubota orange to be found around here at least. So for now I painted with Rustoleum orange. It is a lighter orange but will do to prevent rust until I get some to match. Pics attached.

 

[Milo]

Nice, 3 hooks are the way to go and the hole for a hitch ball is good idea.

 

[jyoutz]

After a long search for a new tractor, I am finally taking delivery of a Kubota MX5400. I currently own a JD 4400 HST that I bought new all the way back in 2000. It has been a great machine and never let me down. I retired and have a list of projects and wanted a backhoe and grapple. By the time I added that to my existing machine, I questioned whether I shouldn't just put that funding toward something new. Since I owned a JD I looked there first. My requirements were an open station HST with at least 40 HP at the PTO. The 4 series JD's were simply not available without going hundreds of miles out of the area. Best promise for a factory order was 6 months. I started talking to a Massey guy about their M28xx series which I really liked. Only problem there was the 2860 is not available in open station HST. When you add and HST to it, you automatically get a cab. The 2855 is gear only. The 2850 was the only option with open station and HST. It came up short on PTO horsepower, but I could have lived with it. Local guy couldn't get it. Same as Deere, 4 to 6 months. So finally last week I called the Kubota dealer about 25 miles away and asked about an MX5400 or MX6000. Just by coincidence he had one coming in. I said I was interested and went down to take a look when it came in. Well, I made a deal and will take delivery either end of this week or first of next week, depending on when they finish putting it together. I opted for two rear SCV's and a 3rd function to run a grapple. I also ordered a backhoe. The backhoe was not in stock and the promised delivery is sometime in February. Hopefully with a customer name against the backhoe it may be expedited a bit. I have never owned a Kubota, but have only heard good things about them. I guess I will find out. I will update when I get it, with impressions and any problems or quirks. If any MX owners out there have words of wisdom, I am open to hear them.

Nice tractor. I’m anxiously awaiting delivery of my new MX6000 HST. I’ve had a small JD gear tractor for the past 20 years, so this will be a huge upgrade for me. Mine arrives in about 2 weeks. Keep posting your impressions and experiences as you get used to your new MX.

 

[Cycledude]

The lousy Kubota HST pedal is probably the biggest reason I didn’t buy a Kubota. But I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t take long to adapt to it. Seems like every brand has pluses and minuses

 

[LD1]

I am curious what you plan on running on the back (other than the backhoe) that you wanted no less than 40HP

The treadle is natural for me. I hop on anything other than a kubota and it takes me a minute and some thinking to not make a mistake. You will adapt and it will feel natural in no time.

My opinion is I think kubota makes the loader lever intentionally long....so you can taylor it to what works best for you.
Again, all what you are used to, but when I get on a machine that has the lever mounted by the seat or on the fender it feels awkward to me. And one of the benefits is the valve is directly controlled by the lever. No cables or remote mounted valve that have cause so many people issues

Nice machine and pretty much the same step up I made in terms of size and capability when I went from a L3400 bota to a MX. They are quite a bit more capable

 

[deezler]

My opinion is I think kubota makes the loader lever intentionally long....so you can taylor it to what works best for you.
Again, all what you are used to, but when I get on a machine that has the lever mounted by the seat or on the fender it feels awkward to me. And one of the benefits is the valve is directly controlled by the lever. No cables or remote mounted valve that have cause so many people issues

Man that is actually a really good point.

My old Cub Cadet had the lever directly on the valve up on the loader mount, and I could really feather that thing and do two functions at once like a pro.

My new Kioti has the lever on the fender, which I thought was going to be a huge plus. When sitting down nice and relaxed, and just moving loose materials around, sure, it's great - right at your fingertips with arm on the armrest. But the minor slop in the control cables makes it harder to quickly control minor adjustments. And then if I need to stand up to precisely view my SSQA fork tips, now I have to bend/crouch over to reach back down to the lever (thinking about making it longer/taller).

 

[BCinVA]

I am curious what you plan on running on the back (other than the backhoe) that you wanted no less than 40HP

The treadle is natural for me. I hop on anything other than a kubota and it takes me a minute and some thinking to not make a mistake. You will adapt and it will feel natural in no time.

My opinion is I think kubota makes the loader lever intentionally long....so you can taylor it to what works best for you.
Again, all what you are used to, but when I get on a machine that has the lever mounted by the seat or on the fender it feels awkward to me. And one of the benefits is the valve is directly controlled by the lever. No cables or remote mounted valve that have cause so many people issues

Nice machine and pretty much the same step up I made in terms of size and capability when I went from a L3400 bota to a MX. They are quite a bit more capable

The biggest reason for the PTO horsepower is that I run a wood chipper. My old tractor was about 30 at the PTO and was a little challenged for that. If I had found a great deal I could have lived with less than 40, but I had set that spec as a guideline when I did my search. I am also the kind of person who typically buys and owns something for a long time. I have a 1990 Dodge cummins diesel I bought new in May of 1990 and still drive...LOL. My last tractor was a JD that I bought new and owned for 22 years. So when I made this investment I wanted to make sure it would meet current and future power needs as it will definitely outlive me.

 

[BCinVA]

Man that is actually a really good point.

My old Cub Cadet had the lever directly on the valve up on the loader mount, and I could really feather that thing and do two functions at once like a pro.

My new Kioti has the lever on the fender, which I thought was going to be a huge plus. When sitting down nice and relaxed, and just moving loose materials around, sure, it's great - right at your fingertips with arm on the armrest. But the minor slop in the control cables makes it harder to quickly control minor adjustments. And then if I need to stand up to precisely view my SSQA fork tips, now I have to bend/crouch over to reach back down to the lever (thinking about making it longer/taller).

It definitely varies from one machine to the next. I was used to the fender mounted lever on my old one. It didn't use cables though, as the valve was right underneath it and it was directly connected. I am getting more used to the location I have now, and of course they all have pluses and minuses.

 

[dieselbob69]

Made the first mods to the new machine today. I welded on some chain hooks on top of the bucket. I also drilled a hole in the leading edge. I did this on my old machine so I could stick a hitch ball in there. It is really hand for moving trailers around on the property. While I was at it I went ahead and fabbed a chain hook that would mount there as well if I wanted to lift from bottom edge of bucket instead of top. I also found out there apparently is a big shortage of equipment matched paint right now. No Kubota orange to be found around here at least. So for now I painted with Rustoleum orange. It is a lighter orange but will do to prevent rust until I get some to match. Pics attached.

Tractor Supply has the Majic spray cans of Kubota orange, but it takes FOREVER to dry. When I got new ballast box couple weeks ago, it was red. So when I was in Ace hardware looking for something, I looked in paint aisle. No Kubota orange color spray paint, but Ace had their own brand of Allis Chalmers glossy orange. It was on sale at time, but normally $5.99 for a big can. It is pretty close to Kubota orange and looks pretty good on the ballast box...it also dried pretty fast....

 

[MossyDell]

That is an awesome tractor. As for the treadle pedal, I am getting used to mine after 8 months. Reverse takes effort in the B2601! I may have weakened the spring by chocking the pedal with a piece of 2x4. But I think it's mostly that my body has adjusted.

 

[BCinVA]

OK all you other Kubota HST owners, here is a question for you. I have had this MX5400 just a short time and it is my first Kubota. Today I was picking up some debris out of the yard and putting in the loader to take to my burn pile in the field below the house. I was stopped on a fairly steep incline. I had the trans in high range. When I started to pull up the hill it pulled the engine down a little at first but then just slipped. The revs stayed up but when I pushed on the forward direction pedal it didn't stall the engine but kept reving but not moving. It was just like you were driving a car with the clutch slipping. I put it in mid range and it pulled right on up. After that I thought, maybe I had inadvertently bumped the range selector in neutral. So I drove around to the same spot and tried it again. Same result. The JD HST I previously owned would not do this. If you tried to go up a steep incline in high range and it wouldn't do it, it would just stall the engine, but it definitely wouldn't just sit there and rev and not go. Is this normal for the Kubota HST? It runs perfect otherwise, I just found this a little strange.

 

[ljjhouser]

My HST would load the engine. It would not do what you have described.

 

[rScotty]

OK all you other Kubota HST owners, here is a question for you. I have had this MX5400 just a short time and it is my first Kubota. Today I was picking up some debris out of the yard and putting in the loader to take to my burn pile in the field below the house. I was stopped on a fairly steep incline. I had the trans in high range. When I started to pull up the hill it pulled the engine down a little at first but then just slipped. The revs stayed up but when I pushed on the forward direction pedal it didn't stall the engine but kept reving but not moving. It was just like you were driving a car with the clutch slipping. I put it in mid range and it pulled right on up. After that I thought, maybe I had inadvertently bumped the range selector in neutral. So I drove around to the same spot and tried it again. Same result. The JD HST I previously owned would not do this. If you tried to go up a steep incline in high range and it wouldn't do it, it would just stall the engine, but it definitely wouldn't just sit there and rev and not go. Is this normal for the Kubota HST? It runs perfect otherwise, I just found this a little strange.

OK. We have the same engine, but I don't know how much help my description will be because we have different transmissons. But they are both Kubota HST trannys, so see if any of this sounds familiar when taking a load up a hill.

I'd say that what you describe is about normal for my HST+. If the hill is too steep and I am in too tall of a gear it simply will not make any progress - and it won't speed up - especially if I slow or stop and then push down the pedal all the way down like I normally do. What happens instead is the engine revs up but not all the way, although it definitely won't stall. From the way the engine sounds and the whine of the HST the tractor is certainly feeling a load, but instead of speeding up we are slowing down...way down. We may continue up just slightly moving, but it sure feels & sounds like tractor abuse.

Now if I let off on the HST pedal it will stop laboring the engine and whining so much....AND we will go just slightly faster, but still you can tell the engine and transmission just aren't in sync or happy with each other... The engine RPM are too high and the speed too low and the whining too loud.

That's about when I slap myself, apologise to the tractor, and select the next lower range. Then it all quietens down and goes right up like it was on flat ground.
rScotty

 

[LD1]

Mine is a MX5100 that is 9 years old. So I dont know what if any changes were made to the HST and/or if they have incorporated some type of stall guard or auto-throttle in the MX line.

But with mine, in high gear and loaded or on a hill....It will slow the engine down if I try to give too much pedal. Back off the pedal (lessen the HST demand) and the revs come back to whatever I have the throttle set at. That may or may not be enough to move the machine and if it does it may be slow.

If you are unfamiliar with hst and have never driven one they take some getting used to.

Instinct from every other piece of equipment says that when you start to load up and need more power you need to push the go pedal harder. HST is just the opposite. When the engine starts bogging or loading up.....you need to back off the pedal to let the engine catch up with the HST.

Again....if it has some type of anti-stall feature....the tractor may be doing that for you even though you have the pedal pushed....which is why your RPM's are coming back