Big job, total newbies, least # of pieces of equipment to get the job done :)?

[hunt4570]

View attachment 439509Great choice. About as rugged and capable a unit as you'll find without getting into full-scale construction equipment. If you haven't already done so, spend some time searching the Kubota subforums here regarding the M59. There are a number of informative discussion threads and several M59 owners who may have useful comments.

If not already so equipped, would suggest the addition of a "toothbar" for the lower lip of the front bucket. Greatly increases the digging power of the loader's already considerable ability, and reinforces the bucket when dealing with rocks, etc. You can see the toothbar on my tractor in the attached photo; also note the chain hooks welded at the upper corners of the bucket for attaching a log chain, useful for securing, lifting or even pulling objects. There are many separate attachments that can be connected in lieu of the bucket, but those hooks are very handy regardless.

So what tooth bar is that, and is it bolt or weld on?

 

[s2dm]

View attachment 439509Great choice. About as rugged and capable a unit as you'll find without getting into full-scale construction equipment. If you haven't already done so, spend some time searching the Kubota subforums here regarding the M59. There are a number of informative discussion threads and several M59 owners who may have useful comments.

If not already so equipped, would suggest the addition of a "toothbar" for the lower lip of the front bucket. Greatly increases the digging power of the loader's already considerable ability, and reinforces the bucket when dealing with rocks, etc. You can see the toothbar on my tractor in the attached photo; also note the chain hooks welded at the upper corners of the bucket for attaching a log chain, useful for securing, lifting or even pulling objects. There are many separate attachments that can be connected in lieu of the bucket, but those hooks are very handy regardless.

Thanks! Will look into the tooth bar, we already have the chain hooks on the bucket.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I think you made a great choice for now. Use it, do what you can with it. I was going to say that the MX might be less tippy, but not sure about that. I also think you made the best choice to let some professionals handle the initial work you want done.

I can't vouch for Ca, but here in Texas, I'd go straight to our local government county farm agent for advice. I'd be afraid that in Ca, once you get big brother watching over you, you might regret having called them in the first place. Maybe your professionals will be able to advise.

The one thing I can say about rental backhoes, is they are often rented by inexperienced operators. These guys will try to do stuff with them that shouldn't be done, or they'll do it the wrong way. Also, they'll often try to "bash" their bucket into the ground to peck out a rock and this puts a lot of stress on the bushings and the whole frame of the unit. Learn to use your bucket curl to pry things out and to dig more efficiently.

 

[s2dm]

I am definitely worried about lurking gremlins from its rental days. We saved about 30k over new and about 10 over single owner used machines that still would have shipping, so Im hoping that problems wont appear, and if they do, it just offsets some of those savings. It came with a bunch of the add on hydraulics i would have had to add as well. But its definitely in the back of my mind how it might have been mistreated. Also part of why I went with the TLB, figured maybe it could tolerate rental abuse better than some of the others.. The dealer changed out quite a bit (my kubota guy found it for me) including replacing the water pump that had a small leak. It comes with a 30 day warranty from the seller so I was planning on just using the heck out of it over the next month so any problems will surface.

 

[GManBart]

Yes, the L45 and M59 both have the creep to reposition feature. Went to the dealer today and left feeling like I really wanted something in the TLB over the MX5100hst series. Small stuff, but the chassis seemed much stouter and was evidenced by the lift capacity. Also seemed like the backhoe on the TLB was a more useful backhoe, swivel the seat, standard backhoe controls, creep to reposition. It felt like a real add on on the mx.

Now just debating L45 versus M59. Seems the M59 is just a little bigger than the MX5100 footprint wise. Might just go for it. Like the smaller footprint on the L45 though as well for future orchard use once the landscaping component calms down.

The TLB machines are definitely much stouter than the MX5100 series machines.

One thing to consider is that if you buy a clean M59, and later decide you want something a bit smaller, you won't have any trouble selling it for a reasonable price.

 

[Grandad4]

So what tooth bar is that, and is it bolt or weld on?

It's bolted on, dealer added it when I bought the tractor new in 2002, and it hasn't ever been removed. I think it's from W R Long.

 

[s2dm]

So, after about 6 months of use, I'm considering some changes, and wanted to poll the audience.

I like the m59. Its kind of a swiss army knife if you will, pretty good at everything, but..great at nothing. We use it daily, but have come across a few shortcomings, the biggies being lifting strength and digging speed. Our big jobs over the next year or two are trenching about a mile of new irrigation lines, digging a bunch of retention basins, creating a bunch of paths in somewhat rocky soil, digging a pool and new septic, and moving a ton of larger sandstone rocks around. We are also about a year out from planting our orchard, so the space I'll be operating in continues to get tighter.

We've rented a mini excavator a few times, KX-121 and KX-91 and both dig and work circles around our backhoe, I'd say atleast 4-5 times the productivity without the endless repositioning. So, we've decided to get a mini excavator, atleast for the next 4-5 years. I just find myself wanting it frequently with our tasks, and the quotes we've gotten for trenching our new irrigation lines are 60% the cost of a low hours machine.

Our big quandry now is what to use as our general purpose machine. Keep the M59, sell it and get something more compact without the backhoe, or get a skid steer or CTL? Our ground is pretty level and groomed. Main purposes will be digging and moving material/mulch around between rows, moving larger rocks for landscaping, running a flail mower. I like CTLs, but my uses don't seem to justify the added cost and maintenance. So, I'm really stuck between a CUT and skid. We've been eyeing implements, and I've been realizing I need to commit to one system or the other. Skid implements cost more, but are easier to use for sure, haven't been a fan of looking over my shoulder on the tractor constantly thus far. And I find myself avoiding using our scraper just because of the time involved in taking off the hoe and putting it on. As we get further on, I see the need for a scraper decreasing precipitously, I could do most of it with the angle blade on the ex.

So, in short, whats the best farm complement if you have a mini ex?

 

[GManBart]

So, after about 6 months of use, I'm considering some changes, and wanted to poll the audience.

I like the m59. Its kind of a swiss army knife if you will, pretty good at everything, but..great at nothing. We use it daily, but have come across a few shortcomings, the biggies being lifting strength and digging speed. Our big jobs over the next year or two are trenching about a mile of new irrigation lines, digging a bunch of retention basins, creating a bunch of paths in somewhat rocky soil, digging a pool and new septic, and moving a ton of larger sandstone rocks around. We are also about a year out from planting our orchard, so the space I'll be operating in continues to get tighter.

We've rented a mini excavator a few times, KX-121 and KX-91 and both dig and work circles around our backhoe, I'd say atleast 4-5 times the productivity without the endless repositioning. So, we've decided to get a mini excavator, atleast for the next 4-5 years. I just find myself wanting it frequently with our tasks, and the quotes we've gotten for trenching our new irrigation lines are 60% the cost of a low hours machine.

Our big quandry now is what to use as our general purpose machine. Keep the M59, sell it and get something more compact without the backhoe, or get a skid steer or CTL? Our ground is pretty level and groomed. Main purposes will be digging and moving material/mulch around between rows, moving larger rocks for landscaping, running a flail mower. I like CTLs, but my uses don't seem to justify the added cost and maintenance. So, I'm really stuck between a CUT and skid. We've been eyeing implements, and I've been realizing I need to commit to one system or the other. Skid implements cost more, but are easier to use for sure, haven't been a fan of looking over my shoulder on the tractor constantly thus far. And I find myself avoiding using our scraper just because of the time involved in taking off the hoe and putting it on. As we get further on, I see the need for a scraper decreasing precipitously, I could do most of it with the angle blade on the ex.

So, in short, whats the best farm complement if you have a mini ex?

As always, there's no easy answer, but one or two things stick out to me. For one, if you're finding the M59 short on lift capacity, any normal/smaller CUT is going to be quite a bit worse. The M59 lifts just shy of 4,000lbs to 126". Most large CUTs are under 3,000lbs to something like 115" or so, which makes the difference even larger....it's probably more like losing 1,500lbs of lift capacity to the same height even if you got a CUT with one of the strongest loaders.

When you start talking about moving lots of dirt short distances...the pool and septic you described, a skid or CTL will likely be quite a bit faster than the M59. If you have to travel long distances with the material the M59 would probably catch up, and might be faster.

As far as skid versus CTL, I'm far from the most experienced operator, but after using both of the kinds of tasks you're talking about, I would go CTL....smoother ride, more stable, etc.

 

[LD1]

^^^ Agree

If you are disappointed with the lift and material moving capabilities of the M59, I think a CUT is going to be a waste

 

[mike69440]

^^^ Agree

If you are disappointed with the lift and material moving capabilities of the M59, I think a CUT is going to be a waste

So Very true
I have the L39, Check your hydraulic main, Loader & BH relief valves. There are a ton of them on the M59.
I've got mine set at about 2900 Psig, Kubota specs 2750 Psig. Often they are set low form the factory.

I Just up sized my Curl Cylinders on my Max 28.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/...53387-weak-loader-curl-possible-solution.html
That is another option on the M59.

I frankly don't know how anyone who uses the CUT hard can be really satisfied with the loader lift & curl performance.

The loader is much stiffer as well as stronger on a TLB, however professional landscapers will tell you the best tool for most of what they do is a skid steer or even better a CTL and Min Excavator..