Anyone use a tree and post puller on a Kobota MX5800, Grand L series or Kioti NX6010?

[dbchaplin03]

Has anyone ever ran a tree/post puller with their MX5800/5200, Grand L 5460/6060 or NX6010/5410 series tractors? We have a lot of honey suckle to clear and I had a skid loader and tree puller that was incredible at pulling it out by the roots but everytime it rained it was 2-3 days before I could get back at it (it was also costing me an arm/leg/kidney to maintain and service) . I know these machines don't have the weight, capacity, or breakout force that my 60hp skid loader had so please don't think I'm being naive.. I had considered buying a Kubota M7060 or Kioti RX7320 but those are a lot of machine and we move every 3-4 years with the military. The MX and NX series tractors I've been quoted are about $7500 cheaper then the M7060 but are comparable to the RX7320 if you don't use the 0% Kioti financing.

The RX7320 wouldn't fit in my garage or shop even with the ROPS folded so unfortunetly it is out because I never leave my equipment outside. That one is very disappointing because without the 0% financing I could get one of those for around $33K. But with us moving so frequently I don't want to have to build a new shop everytime we move for it to fit in.

If i bought the smaller machine I think it would do 90% of what I want and I could rent a mini-ex to take out a lot of the 4-8" scrub trees that i used to be able to pull with my skid steer. I'm just curious if anyone has ever used a puller on one of the large CUTs? My last puller was the one from Titan Attachments Heavy-Duty Post And Tree Puller For Skid Steers, Universal Landscape Tool and it was phenominal for the price but the guy who bought my skid steer couldn't live without it. If i wen't with the RX7320 or M7060 i was planning to get the Danuser Intimidator that I've drooled over for the last several years. That would be way to much for anything smaller then the Ag tractors though.

Other work to be completed over the next 4 years will be landscaping, light brush mowing, fencing, processing over 100 trees we took out already into firewood, dirt moving, and some gardening. All of which the machines above would do great at.

I just want some real world advice since I bought a new Kioti CK4010SE 2 years ago and was immediately disappointed with the performance. Not that it was bad, it just wasn't big enough for what i needed it to do. Thankfully i paid the cash price and was able to get almost all my money back out of it

 

[nybirdman]

Don't know if your "honey suckle"is the same as our's but I have pulled a ton of it with my L4240 with a tooth-bar and thumb.Ours is bush type honey-suckle and shallow rooted.Spring is the best time when the ground is damp.

 

[jjp8182]

Actually I've got a Danuser Intimidator that I've used on my L3560 to pretty good effect (even though it eats up a lot of the loader lifting capacity).

I generally use it on things under 3" in diameter, as trees above that size it's just as easy (if not easier) to use a horizontal grapple to push the tree over, roll the root ball to break the remaining roots.... and then haul the whole thing off horizontally rather than trying to move it in a vertical position.

Biggest thing is having enough weight to the tractor to effectively get the engine power transmitted to the ground. So on that note even with my L3560 with an L805 loader, and a full set of wheel weights I usually find myself being traction limited more than power limited (I've had the tractor in low, differential locked, 4WD and had all four wheels spinning a time or few ....all in soil conditions that were pretty much optimal for the work I was doing).

Of course depending on what's around and how big the vegetation is you're trying to remove a box blade with rippers down can also do quite a number to any vegetation than can be safely driven over....

Between the Danuser Intimidator, an EA single-lid grapple (Single Lid Wicked Root Grapple Lightweight Strong Large opening), and an EA box blade (Category I & II Severe XTreme Duty Tractor Box Blade - Everything Attachments) I've actually remove a fair amount of vegetation in the last couple years. I particularly like the Intimidator for removing brush and small trees that are close to structures.

 

[dbchaplin03]

JJP8182,

Thats really good to know and I appreciate that feedback. I've been in awe of that Danuser Intimidator for years. I think I'm set on either the MX5800 or an M5660 that i had orginally thought about and then crept up to the M7060. These darn tractors are terrible to buy... Especially if you read forums and do research! You think you know what you want and then you read someone who says.. If you like that... Check out this... If you like this.. Check out this... And you just start climbing the price ladder lol.. I'm sure none of you expereinced that :laughing:

I'm eliminating Kioti at this point. I think they make outstanding tractors. I owned one. Great fit and finish, just too small for my needs. However, with Kubota's 0% financing the price between paying cash and financing at 0% is only $700... The price difference with Kioti is $4500-5500 depending on the model between cash price and low rate financing. Even with personal or bank financing you'd end up paying more for the Kioti than the Kubota if you pay on it for more then 3 years. The other thing was if you ever need to resell... It took me a long time to find a buyer for my CK4010SE. The only thing that saved me is paid cash for it so I got the substantial savings up front. Won't be able to do that with this new tractor.

I have at least 5 Kubota dealers within an hour of me and at this point I'm looking for the best pricing. The best price I've seen so far on an MX5800 is around $32.7k for HST, loader, R-4's, and 3rd function valve. Waiting on some price quotes for the M5660 but i don't expect it will come in that much higher then the MX5800.

 

[mikester]

KOBOTAs are junk Chinese knock offs of the real Japanese made KUBOTA.

 

[dbchaplin03]

You got me.. Thats what i get for trying to type a novel on my iPad :duh:

 

[TripleR]

We use one, a Titan, on our M8540HDC and it works great, but it helps if the soil is damp. My brother uses it on his Kioti CK27 and while it certainly can't match the bigger tractor, he finds it useful.

 

[Hozzie]

I have been planning to get one of these as well for my MX5800 as I have some small creeks that run through my property and I think this would be a good way to be able to pull some smaller trees from the banks to clean things up. It is all well overgrown right now. The Titan has great reviews. I also found this one not too far from where I live on CL.



I like the idea of the top bar to help push on the trunk while trying to dislodge it. I know I don't have the capacity to just lift most out, but I think with some movement most will come out. Downside on this one is I think the frame needs some beefing up at least behind the teeth. Seems like it could twist easily with some stress. Trying to decide if I want to add the top bar to the Titan or beef this one up a bit. Anything stand out to anyone on which may be a critical differentiator?

Leaning towards the Titan and adding the top bar to it. Wouldn't be too hard although it is about $150 more expensive.

 

[jjp8182]

The resell concerns were one of the things the dealer brought up when I bought my L3560 as they apparently don't sell many of the Grand L's in my area. But since I was trying to get the most tractor I could in the smallest footprint possible the L3560 seemed the logical/best choice for my situation ..... of course, that doesn't mean I haven't already looking at adding a second larger (probably in the 10k lbs and 70hp+) machine into the mix as well ...or possibly even a third after adding a second :laughing:

So you're probably heading down a good path.

Though if you haven't already considered it, having the rear tires filled, or adding rear-wheel weights (or a combination of both) would probably be a wise thing to do up front. If there are animal or ecological concerns for where you'll be working it's probably worth paying attention to what liquids are used for ballast in the off chance a tire is punctured. Personally, I ended up going with rear-weights which do a decent job (even if it's more expensive and a pain to run nuts down a cumulative 10-12ft of threading) as I'd rather not run the risk of someone else's competition horse (or high-end working dog) lap up some sort of toxic liquid that escaped from my tractor tires.... particularly given either one (or both) of those types of animals are occasionally on my property.

 

[dbchaplin03]

Hozzie,

I’d buy the titan again because it is extremely well built. I took a chance when I ordered it and for the price it was great. Used it for over 100 hours on a 60hp skid steer and minus getting a little rusty and knocking an exposed hose loose every now and then it was great. In 100+ hours I never bent or damaged anything that needed replaced.

2 things. Only gripe I had was there is no grease zerks unless they’ve changed the design over the last 1.5 years. Other thing I’d if you call them with interest in something they’ll often email you a discount code. When I bought mine it was around 15% off. They were having a big sale and I used the 15% off code and got it shipped to my house with liftgate service for $600 and some change.

Only drawback I can see on a tractor is the visibility piece because the opening isn’t as large as other pullers. But for $600 what more could you ask for?

 

[dbchaplin03]

JJP,

We’ve taken out close to 60 locust trees so I don’t want to mess with fluid or weights. The thorns of those thing are awful! Finally slimed out ATV tires because of flats. Skidsteer had around 6 flats on brand new tires which was irritating. Don’t want to have any difficulties being able to remove a tire.

My plan Is to get a cat2 ballast box and fill it full of cement. I should be able to get 1100-1400 lbs back on the 3point if I am needing more ballast than a brush hog can provide

 

[jjp8182]

Makes sense to me. While I doubt it'll be needed, the wheel weights shouldn't get in the way of tire removal unless they are of a different design than mine. The ones on the L3560 attach to the inner hub only and don't interfere with access to any of the wheel mounting hardware. Just for informational purposes I've attached a picture of the full set installed.



However, if you can do what you need to without having to add wheel weights or liquid ballast (or worse resorting to foam-filled tires) that'd be ideal.

One of the things I forgot to mention earlier was that with the Intimidator upfront, and a 700-800lb finishing mower on the back a short wheel base (like on the L3560) can mean the two implements on either end make the tractor a bit bouncy in a teeter-tottering way. It's usually not a problem as all the wheels stay on the ground, but it's something to be aware of since it can occasionally be a bit unexpected and cause further operator induced rocking. First couple times it happened, I mistook it for the start of the rear-wheels coming off the ground so reacted accordingly and my actions introduced additional rocking of the sort that had started to dampen out.

However, I haven't seen the problem arise when using shorter ballast implement (e.g. the box blade) on the back though, and that combined with the wheel weights pretty much eliminated the problem for me (which implies a heavier short ballast implement would likely work just as well).

Anyway best of progress (I've had to remove a few Bradford Pear trees that had spikes on them so I can definitely appreciate not wanting to deal with tire difficulties).

 

[Hozzie]

Hozzie,

I壇 buy the titan again because it is extremely well built. I took a chance when I ordered it and for the price it was great. Used it for over 100 hours on a 60hp skid steer and minus getting a little rusty and knocking an exposed hose loose every now and then it was great. In 100+ hours I never bent or damaged anything that needed replaced.

2 things. Only gripe I had was there is no grease zerks unless they致e changed the design over the last 1.5 years. Other thing I壇 if you call them with interest in something they値l often email you a discount code. When I bought mine it was around 15% off. They were having a big sale and I used the 15% off code and got it shipped to my house with liftgate service for $600 and some change.

Only drawback I can see on a tractor is the visibility piece because the opening isn稚 as large as other pullers. But for $600 what more could you ask for?

Thanks for the feedback. Certainly if I can get a 15 percent coupon it is a no brainer. I will call them.

 

[dbchaplin03]

JJP or anyone with experience with a Grand L or M series tractor,

I got back quotes on all the tractors i was looking at. I did a lot of research on the Grand L series and I think im in love with that HST+ transmission. Do you have any regrets with the 3560 you have JJP? Besides pulling honey suckle and trees here, I also would like to get a tractor for doing some landscaping, fencing and one that can eventually cut, rake, and small square or 4x4 round bale some hay. Of course I'd love to have the biggest tractor, most hp, heaviest load but most of what I'm doing now is in trees.. Below are the best prices i have so far (0% Kubota financing included):

L Series includes HST, 4x4, R-4's, Loader, and 3rd Function
L6060- $37,800
L5460- $36,200
L4760- $34,500

M5660SUHD- 4x4, loader, R-4s, 3rd function $33,900

M7060- 12/12 Powershuttle, 4x4, loader, R-4s, 3rd function, $39,700

With my calculations the L4760 is more than sufficient for anything i want to do here, but when we get ready to do some hay, I'm not sure it would be heavy enough with enough power. Weight you can add but PTO HP you only get one chance. The M5660 is not only the cheapest, but it has a 50% greater loader lift capactiy and 1k lb greater 3 pt lift and nearly the same PTO hp as the L6060. However the powershuttle is good for loader work, but the HST would be much better doing landscaping and in the trees.

I think i would prefer the smaller Grand L 90% of the time, especailly where we are now. But I know as we move and buy more land, I may want the stregnth of the M series.

 

[jjp8182]

For the most part I haven't had any regrets on the L3560 as most of what I do hasn't required a whole lot of hp at the PTO (not baling, & no rototiller as I specifically wanted to go the plow/disk harrow route). The most demand I've put on the PTO has been taking a 6ft finishing mower (using mulching blades) through pasture with grass that's 18-24-ish inches tall that might (occasionally) be a bit wet. In those cases I slow down and use 4-5ft of the 6ft deck as that has made me appreciate the stall-guard feature a time a or two.

However, I have really appreciated is that even with the R4 tires (which are/were same size tire across all the Grand Ls), the total width of my L3560 (as setup) is under 72" wide which in combination with the HST has made it possible to get into/through some small/tight spaces (i.e. a 72" implement having less than 1/2" clearance to either side). ...and for the curious: yes, I've actually done that example -- multiple times in single day; rubbed the paint on the box blade doing it a few times, but the wheels were always kept clear.

Really other than the PTO power, there also isn't a whole lot of difference in the implement limitations published in the manual between the top and bottom of the Grand L line (where differences exist). For example the 3560 has trailer weight limit of 2000kg (4400lbs) and the top three models have a trailer weight limit of 3000kg (6600lbs) with all models having the same drawbar load/tongue weight of 650kg (1430lbs). Box Blade published limits are 65" & 880lbs for the L3560 & L4060, and 72" & 1040lbs for all other Grand L's; sickle bar mower published limits are the same for all models at 84" & 1100lbs.

Though from what I've experienced, I suspect that Kubota is conservative in at least some of those limits as I've had a 72" version one of these: Category I & II Severe XTreme Duty Tractor Box Blade - Everything Attachments filled with a moderate-to-high clay content loam (in friable soil conditions) and in low range, low setting for range, 4WD engaged the tractor wasn't struggling in the least.

Regarding hay I've looked into that (semi-tempted to try that when/if I get more acreage), and while it might be possible to do hay with the Grand L's I think the issue would start being how well the tractor would handle the weight of the baler with a bale (especially if it's anything other than a light small square baler, or a compact baler for small tractors). While I could be very wrong, I'm not so sure the same issue wouldn't arise with the smaller M-series tractors (i.e. those below the M6060/M7060 & M4 ranges). By searching (via google) for the operator's manuals for different models/series you may be able to find Canadian versions in a pdf format that would allow you to see the implement specifications for that model/series.

As for cutting, tedding, and raking I suspect the Grand L's would work for a small operations with relatively short travel distances. In fact, I think the low fuel consumption would make them very tempting to use for those activities (I usually run wide open throttle and average <1 gal/hr).

Just my opinion, but depending on how far you're moving the resell value might be the deciding factor as it's been said by others before: the easiest way to move a tractor and implements cross country is in your wallet (in the form of money).