L4400/MX5100, moving round bales?

[Dirtslinger2]

I'm 2 days from putting money down on my first new tractor. I'm still caught up on the L4400 vs MX5100, (5100 is on backorder while 4400 is on a good discount being a 2007 model)...

With either, and I do gather the L4400 can only go up to 800LB bales, but what attachment is best for round bale movement?

Can you pick up an 800 or 1200 (MX5100) LB bale with the FEL by any chance?
Is the quick attach pallet fork significantly better?

Winter jobs for the tractor includes mainly clearing driveway snow and moving bales. Summer... I will need to start another thread!

Thanks!

 

[TUG HILL ADDICT]

I'm 2 days from putting money down on my first new tractor. I'm still caught up on the L4400 vs MX5100, (5100 is on backorder while 4400 is on a good discount being a 2007 model)...

With either, and I do gather the L4400 can only go up to 800LB bales, but what attachment is best for round bale movement?

Can you pick up an 800 or 1200 (MX5100) LB bale with the FEL by any chance?
Is the quick attach pallet fork significantly better?

Winter jobs for the tractor includes mainly clearing driveway snow and moving bales. Summer... I will need to start another thread!

Thanks!

the key to safely moving large weights be it bales or anything is adequate counter wieght. Are you buying a FEL? For lifting off the 3 point hitch in many cases the engine alone is an adequte counter weight...add a FEL and even empty it's a good counter weight and of course it's even better when filled with something. When I skid logs I always add a 5-6 foot log to the loader for added front wheel traction

My point is if you are going to use a FEL with a bale spike you will have to have something on the 3 pt to counter the front weight. I lift crates filled with firewood on my Kubota using a 3 pt hitch bale forks without a FEL and have no problems...I'd guess the crates weigh around 800 lbs

 

[art]

Go with the quick attach for the bucket and the proper front spear and you should be good off the loader and one behind on the three point and on most all terrain conditions you should be good.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm 2 days from putting money down on my first new tractor. I'm still caught up on the L4400 vs MX5100, (5100 is on backorder while 4400 is on a good discount being a 2007 model)...

With either, and I do gather the L4400 can only go up to 800LB bales, but what attachment is best for round bale movement?

Can you pick up an 800 or 1200 (MX5100) LB bale with the FEL by any chance?
Is the quick attach pallet fork significantly better?

Winter jobs for the tractor includes mainly clearing driveway snow and moving bales. Summer... I will need to start another thread!

Thanks!

The 4400 seems a bit light in the britches if 800# is it's limit??

If you want to move rounds.. I'd get one that can lift them.

I've got old fords fromt he 50's in the 33hp range that can lift 1200# bales on the fel..

don't limit yourself too much..

soundguy

 

[Don R.]

Well, I cannot say much about the 4400, but I've got a 4740HST with the quick attach front hay spke and the 3-pt hay spike. I've never had a moments trouble moving round bales up to 1200 pounds as long as I've got one both front and back. Be careful when buying, if you buy too small you are pretty much stuck. Me? I kind of went with the bigger is better route.

 

[Dirtslinger2]

Thank you for all the tips here!
The seller is highly recommending I get the quick attach pallet forks instead of a spear... that'd be take the FEL off, then attach the pallet forks.

Does he have a point or is he selling me an attachment that'll sit on the pile?

Thanks again.

 

[texasjohn]

The comments regarding weight balance are very, very true...

Suggest you put liquid in tires.

Make sure you always, always have rear counter weight when hauling bale in front.

I prefer a bale spike rather than front forks. Yes, you NEED to take FEL off and use either a spike or forks... gives you more payload lift capability since the spike/forks weigh significantly less than the bucket.

Thus a quick attach for FEL is oh-so-necessary/handy.

Me, I had several older and smaller tractors over the years.. always running on the edge of serious danger because they were under powered, under weight and not quite the right implements. When I bought my Kubota L5030, only then did I realize how much extra effort, time, energy, risk, etc. I had been accepting as payment every time I used that tractor.

I discovered that there were 100's of things I had not even attempted (but needed to) because of inadequate tractor capability and equipment. Thus, I am now firmly in the camp of " buy more tractor and implements than you now believe you need" and you won't regret it.

 

[Lar1911]

The dealers I talked to, all assured me that the MX5100 would handle round bales in that range+ with no problem front, back or both, but so far I haven't been able to try mine out yet. Now, I wasn't planning on stacking or making any high lifts when talking with them so that wasn't discussed. The tractor shows to have plenty of power and lifting capabilities in the spec.s

This is just an initial observation, but it might not hurt to have a little weight on the back or fill the tires just from what I've seen so far, if you are going to be lifting with the loader. I have a IH454 that is about the same weight as the MX5100 and a little less hp. and used it for years to shuttle a few bales around off the 3pt. hitch and it handled most of them decently with no weight added on the front. Some might be a little heavy and the tractor was a little light in the front from time to time, but always got them moved.

With the FEL on the MX, so far it handles the weight of the same rear cutter that I used on the IH effortlessly and I always thought it was heavy for the other tractor, so I don't fore see any problems carring hay behind the MX for sure.

Wish I could be of more help, but I just haven't used the tractor much as of yet.