Have you moved to a higher horsepower tractor?

[mkane09]

I moved from an L2800 to an MX4700 this past August. I needed more front loader capacity for a grapple and the PTO in/out on the little Kubota (an HST) was driving me crazy. I've had the rears filled recently on the MX and I am amazed where this thing will go and the work it will do. The grapple is awesome! My only...."complaint" is that all my implements were sized for the L2800 and I really need to upgrade to larger implements to take full advantage of the MX. Control-wise, operating-wise, the MX is just like the L2800, only on steroids. I really like it...

mkane09

 

[montelatici]

if you don't think so... never say anything about the 0% and act like you are paying in full with cash and work out your best deal... until you sign the paper. See what happens.

I would at least work the deal out and see how much it will cost you... are you going to trade in your old tractor???

I did that. A 1,000 dollar discount that my 22K will earn at least 5K in 5 years. No way anyone should not take the 60 month zero interest loan.

 

[slowzuki]

I went from an L5030HSTC to a MF5455 which is 100 hp with cab loader 4wd etc. But I kept the Kubota too. The Kubota is too small for a couple of things I do, the MF is too big for most of what I do.

 

[therdriele]

one more guy's experience for what it's worth. . .
We own 56 acres and I do pretty much everything from brushhogging to logging to grading to tilling, etc. I upgraded from a L2550 shuttle to L4610 HST with a cab...grew up on a farm driving an Allis Chalmers 180 (big) with no brakes and missing half the gears, so anything 'Kubota' is pretty much of a luxury beyond description as far as I'm concerned. Loved the old Allis but she was no lady
My observation is that you want to get the right trractor for your needs and that depends on how much time, money, and land you have among other things, and also whether you have to make a living with it.
bigger is faster but uses more fuel
bigger makes a bigger mess and will get you in trouble faster if you dont know what you're doing
bigger is less tippy lifting things and for loader work in general
bigger is necessary when pulling larger wagons, esp when trying to stop them
some things just cannot be done safely with a very small tractor, including heavier logging, pulling overloaded wagons, baling etc. you need 55-60 hp for baling but you can mow rake and ted with a smaller tractor

smaller is better if you are working inside a barn or in tight spots in the woods, and for finish mowing (e.g. lawn) but other than that for most of what I do now I mostly prefer the 4610 and dont miss the 2550, and I LOVE my cab; all things considered I prefer the HST as an all-around but I dont love the hydro for field work

I think my point here is that within limits, you can get most jobs done safely whether you are under- or over-powered, but in general you will be happier if your tractor is sized right for your tasks and property. Obviously, the best solution is to have several tractors (IF you can afford a divorce).

 

[allen in texas]

Waiting still sucks.

I thank everyone for their input here but perhaps I should have worded my question better.
I'm going to repeat something that I said in my first post...

"I have always been amazed at what the 3240 can do but I have still yearned for more power."

Since day one, I wanted the 5740 but I bought the 3240 because at the time, it fit my budget. It has served me well. I want more power.

I studied long and hard before I bought the smaller tractor. I've learned to work it within it's limits. I want to work beyond those limits. I now have the finacial means to move up in no small part due to the money I've made working the 3240 for other people.

The simple fact is, when I charge for my work by the hour and I know how long it will take, sometimes I miss a job because someone else can do it faster for the same hourly rate. I don't normally bid a job because I've burned myself a few times. I'm sure that will still happen but now, I can get an hourly job I might otherwise miss because I can get it done faster. I can do better on a bid job because I can do it faster.
Does any of this make sense?
If I weren't finacially able to move up, this question would have never been posed here and I would be happy with the 3240.

 

[Baby Grand]

Allen,
The waiting is the hard part. It seems like you have a good understanding of the amount of time the 5740 will shave off a job for bidding purposes vs. the 3240. How does fuel consumption figure into this? I don't bid work and only have experience with 1 tractor, so this may sound like a dumb question, but I'm guessing that it takes the same amount of fuel to do a given job regardless of tractor size, or am I oversimplifying this?
-Jim

 

[GeneD14]

I went from a Kubota L4330 to an M95. What an awesome machine!!! The not so awesome thing is the price of larger cat II implements. But the work it can accomplish is incredible.

 

[The Dougster]

My post is too late to be of help to Allen but perhaps it will help someone else.. A few years ago, I bought my first tractor... I was a complete rookie and depended on the dealer for advice. I bought an L2800, Hst w/FEL and bush hog.... The tractor has done almost everything I've asked of it on my 225 acres of Texas Hill Country. Like almost everyone, I've wished many times that I'd bought a bigger tractor... <sigh>
Not long ago I talked to the dealer about upgrading... he brought up points I hadn't considered... a bigger tractor would mean I'd need a bigger FEL, bush hog, etc. Hey, I'm still a rookie, I was thinking about using my existing equipment. lol
in the end, I decided my little L2800 was still doing "almost" everything I asked of it and the extra bucks would be spent just to justify my ego. Did I mention I'm also a cheepskkate? lol

 

[allen in texas]

Tractor is ready. I pick it up in the morning. I probably won't sleep a wink tonight. It's like when I was a kid on Christmas Eve trying to go to sleep so Santa would come.


Is this stupid or what?

 

[TripleR]

Tractor is ready. I pick it up in the morning. I probably won't sleep a wink tonight. It's like when I was a kid on Christmas Eve trying to go to sleep so Santa would come.


Is this stupid or what?

Heck no, I'm the same way; nothing like a new tractor.:thumbsup: