~50~60Hp compact cabbed tractor with a good loader and lots of stability?

[Sid Post]

I own a Kubota L-4600 today. In relatively flat Oklahoma where I grew up, it was a great tractor for chores but, where I am at in Texas is sloped with feral hog wallows hidden in the pasture grass and similar obstacles that are hard to see from the seat.

I need something that is stable using a loader out in my pasture which my L-4600 is not. For those that will ask, yes my tires are loaded with "beet juice / rim guard" with wheel weights and normally a heavy 6' tiller for ballast and it is still too light in the rear. It also has a high center of gravity with a narrow "footprint" for loader work.

I need a tractor heavy enough for normal farm chores for me including but, not limited to using:

• post hole digger
• bush hog (AKA rotary cutter) so at least 35Hp PTO as a hard minimum
• heavy loader work
  • big round bale movements (not stacking)
  • buckets of wet soil
  • Skid Steer pallet forks with moderately heavy loads like pallets of range cubes or half pallets of concrete

I am looking for something with a good cab which will serve me well as I get older than I am today. To me, this means easy entry and exit, air conditioning that works well in Texas heat and humidity, and ergonomic controls that won't fatigue me with age or extended use like mowing around trees and other obstacles.

My initial search has me looking at the TYM T574 and Massey 2850M/2860M since they have relatively good dealer support around me. Yanmar is of interest but, that dealer is ~200 miles away! The Massey options are in the $45K range new and the TYM is in the $38K range so, while $7K is a lot of money, not enough to encourage me to buy the wrong tractor due to cost.

John Deere and Kubota generally dominate this market space but, Kubota is not of interest right now because their tractors are too light for their loaders and are generally undersized in the class IMHO. John Deere's business model has this diehard legacy John Deere owner looking somewhere else these days. "Right to repair" may get around their proprietary software issues for fixing a broken tractor but, that was a real turn-off for me. United Ag and Turf, the local John Deere dealer, has not been a good experience generally so far when I went there for implements and similar stuff.

What are people's experiences with Mahindra and LS tractors in this class? LS dealer support is weak but, Mahindra seems to be really making an impact on the Lowes and Home Depot garden tractor shopping crowd that just bought a small acreage. I am open to other brands that have reasonable support and a track record of being good for the owners and long-term dealers.

TIA,
Sid

 

[sea2summit]

If your out on Kubota and Deere I'd probably look hard at Massey next. I haven't worked with their tractors but I've sat in a few when visiting the dealer I get most of my implements from and am impressed with a lot of what I see.

I've got experience with hog wallows, only thing I can say is look hard at tire size. Nothing smooths out the ride like bigger tires in a tractor. When I got my M4 my neighbor got a deer 5400 series and the difference in tire size when they are parked next to each other is staggering. I get across rough fields much faster than he does when we're working together.

Other thing, when you get a cab rear remotes are sure nice so you don't have to climb in and out so much when hooking up.

Goodluck.

 

[Sid Post]

If your out on Kubota and Deere I'd probably look hard at Massey next. I haven't worked with their tractors but I've sat in a few when visiting the dealer I get most of my implements from and am impressed with a lot of what I see.

I've got experience with hog wallows, only thing I can say is look hard at tire size. Nothing smooths out the ride like bigger tires in a tractor. When I got my M4 my neighbor got a deer 5400 series and the difference in tire size when they are parked next to each other is staggering. I get across rough fields much faster than he does when we're working together.

Other thing, when you get a cab rear remotes are sure nice so you don't have to climb in and out so much when hooking up.

Goodluck.

I tried to buy a Kubota M5-091 right as COVID hit so, the order never went through. During COVID I could not get one configured closely to what I wanted so, that and a $20K price increase for fewer features was a real turn-off. Recently the tractor I wanted was sort of available but, was delivered on "spec" so, there was no chance of getting the transmission I really wanted.

I ended up with a Massey 5711D! A lot more tractor and significantly cheaper too! That Dyna transmission with the Brake-n-Go feature is simply awesome!

The Massey's also have some features others miss. Specifically, the 2850M I looked at had 3-pt ends/swivels that spun 90 degrees to go from Cat 1 to Cat 2! Genius!

 

[TractorTYMe]

If you go for the T574, that's a solid tractor with 2700# FEL lift capacity, heavy and stout tractor. Mechanical injected simplistic engine, it also has adjustable rims for width.

 

[Sid Post]

If you go for the T574, that's a solid tractor with 2700# FEL lift capacity, heavy and stout tractor. Mechanical injected simplistic engine, it also has adjustable rims for width.

The engine I think is a cloned Cummins like you see a lot in irrigation systems and similar applications. With a single dry clutch plate though, the manual transmission will likely need service in ~2,000 hours or after many years to be replaced which will be pretty expensive.

The T494 I looked at seemed like a really nice tractor at a fraction of the price of a similar Kubota or John Deere. I really thought hard about a T754 before I committed to the Massey 5711D.

The current Massey's aren't like the ones I grew up around but, they still seem like a really solid tractor with good fundamental engineering and a solid design team unlike some of the others trying to build to a price point or to one-up a competitor.

 

[Citydude]

Either tractor you mentioned will fit your needs but without comparing standard features to options between them will give you a better understanding of the cost.

As mentioned by TracorTYme, adjustable rear wheel width is important. For hilly terrain, the wider the better.

 

[TractorTYMe]

The 5711D is quite a big machine indeed, I'm sure it will serve you well.

 

[Citydude]

Congrats on the 5711!

 

[sea2summit]

I tried to buy a Kubota M5-091 right as COVID hit so, the order never went through. During COVID I could not get one configured closely to what I wanted so, that and a $20K price increase for fewer features was a real turn-off. Recently the tractor I wanted was sort of available but, was delivered on "spec" so, there was no chance of getting the transmission I really wanted.

I ended up with a Massey 5711D! A lot more tractor and significantly cheaper too! That Dyna transmission with the Brake-n-Go feature is simply awesome!

The Massey's also have some features others miss. Specifically, the 2850M I looked at had 3-pt ends/swivels that spun 90 degrees to go from Cat 1 to Cat 2! Genius!

Dang, with a 5711 why do you care about a 50hp tractor's loader capacity

 

[rScotty]

I know the problem, and have a solution that worked for me....probably not a universal fix, though. But I have an old Ag tractor that has wheels on both ends that can be spread out until the tractor has approximently the same look and stability as a horned frog.

It's old two cylinder JD530 series Ag tractor - originally for 20 to 40 acre corn and vegetables - with adjustable front and rear wheels. Rears are power adjustable for width but fronts you have to wrestle out.

The front and rear can be made to be ridiculously wide. The tractor only has 32 hp, but they made larger ones. I doubt this is special to JD. Chances are a lot of older Ag tractors in the utility 30 to 60 hp size were used for truck and crops were available with wide adjustable width.

This JD530 one weights right at 7500 lbs. 4 speed, manual shift, factory power steering. The loader easily handles a ton or more. The 3pt is cat II with draft and has hand cranks for adjustment, the PTO is independent and clutched, and the hydraulics are high flow. Seat is sprung and damped.

Nice old tractor, and you simply can't tip it over. Maybe there is something similar in your neck of the woods.
rScotty