Comparison L47 or M62

[Nick87]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forums; however, I have been reading many posts for quite a while now regarding Kubota L45 and M59 TLB. I have got prices on both models and for the L47, the dealers around my area are asking roughly $55-61K outfitted with remote hydraulics, 4 in 1 bucket, 3 point hitch, quick attach, and thumb, whereas the M62 similarly outfitted, is running about $75k.

I'm not sure whether or not it is worth paying the extra $12k for the M62. I definitely will not be digging 14 trenches, however the extra reach is nice. I will be purchasing a small ranch with six acres or so, and will be doing side jobs with my cousin who is a landscape contractor. I plan to later purchase a hydraulic box scraper to use with the tractor.

My initial thought was if I ever needed more machine for a job that I would use a full size backhoe or something else and thus I think the L47 would be sufficient. I had the chance to see both side by side and the M62 does not appear to be 鍍hat much larger than the 47, other than beefier somewhat wider, larger volume FEL bucket, and a bigger backhoe.

Will the L47 struggle to dig into hard ground? Can it lift a pellet of sod? The dealer recommends I purchase the L47 and tells me it they both have the same features and it will do the same thing, other than the dig depth, size difference.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you all might have, questions etc.. This is tough!

Thanks
Nick

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Your pallet of sod maybe the one thing that could push you to an M62. Look a the lift specs, sod can be heavy.

 

[mike69440]

Your pallet of sod maybe the one thing that could push you to an M62. Look a the lift specs, sod can be heavy.

With Pallet forks a L47 with the hydraulic pressures actually set to factory spec. can lift and move a 3,000 Lb pallet, but not to full height. It's a good idea to load the rear tires, even if Kubota says not to. Partial lad to 600 Lbs will be enought. If you are just unloading from a relatively low Flatbed, should be no problem. My L39 with upsized cylinder will pick near 2 tons, maybe 1 Ft off ground, while my friends stock L45 moves around +3000 Lb Batteries racks for his solar business. Don't even try to pick that much weight up high however, as it is dangerous, then you need to get an M59/M62, but for 75 grand, you can get one nice real construction TLB.
The L39/L45 will load a 1 ton dump just fine, but the lift height is limited for larger trucks.
No fun towing one however!
Don't be afraid of buying a lightly used Kubota TLB machine. My 2005 L39 has been used hard and long, and at well over 2000 hours will be better than new with the hydraulic refresh.
If you buy new, make them toss in a box blade for spending all that money with them.
Search my name in the projects section to see what the mid size Kubota TLBs can do.

 

[disney]

both have the same features and it will do the same thing, other than the dig depth, size difference.

I'd appreciate any thoughts you all might have, questions etc.. This is tough!

Nick

one big difference I think you are over looking is pto HP. that may not matter to you, if you never plan to have anything besides a hoe, or a bb on, but it is something to think about.

 

[rScotty]

I like the stability of the M59 over a smaller TLB. As far as ultimate power goes, all the Kubota TLBs seem to have enough power to work themselves well. Smaller just means it takes longer to do the same job. But our land is sloped in places so for us it was important that the tractor be large enough relative to the load it carries so it wouldn't get off balance when carrying a full load over rough terrain.

Several people have said that you can pick up a nice used full size & cabbed construction backhoe for the price of a new M62 - which I think is true. But that's not the whole story. I find that the handiness of the M59 is what makes me choose it over our full size backhoe for doing most jobs. On our little ranch we probably use the M59 ten hours for every one hour we put in on the full size machine. The difference is in moving snow; a cab sure is nice for cold weather. For working in the forest or in dense trees a cab is just in the way.

Whatever way you go, I'd recommend getting a thumb on the backhoe. A thumb makes a backhoe into an all purpose
"picking and placing" tool.
rScotty

 

[LD1]

There is significant differences in key areas between the two IMO.

PTO Horsepower of 33 vs 46
Tires on the M62 are quite a bit bigger
M62 weighs almost a ton more @ 8925 vs 7205
Loader power : lift to max height 2841 vs 3960
....................................breakout 4531 vs 5992
Loader lift height....9.5' vs 10.5'
not a huge difference in backhoe power, but huge difference in reach
Digging depth 10' vs 14'
Reach 13' vs 17.5'

Think about what you need to do. Just digging trenches and such with the hoe.....yep they will both do the job, the L47 will just be a little slower.

But if you need reach for something, or need lift height to load trucks, or need that loader power for lifting 2-ton pallets........its not a matter of the L47 just being slower. It just wont do the job.

So if you dont actually "need" the size and power of the M62, rather it would just be a convenience and allow you to work a little faster, then the L47 would serve you fine if you want to save some coin. But if you actually need the power, there is no replacing that.

Now sure how prices compare elsewhere, or what some of the options cost, but when I bought my MX5100 at the dealer earlier this spring, the dealer had a M62 on the showroom floor. He knew I wasnt interested but asked just out of curiosity what one of them cost. He said $62k. Easy to remember....M62 = $62k. HAve you tried getting prices from other dealers? OR perhaps find a left-over or gently used M59?

 

[MrFoPow]

I have no doubt the L47 performs well.

For me it would be a cost issue. Can I afford the extra $ or not.

 

[Nick87]

Thanks for the thoughts on these two different but seemingly very capable units. I've decided to wait until a few used units come about or there is a leftover unit with a much better price, since the cost for both are indeed steep and comparable to a used full size CAT or Deere. I think I'm leaning towards the M62 due to the extra reach and carrying capacity.

Curious, how much slower would the 47 be in terms of backhoe performance, generally speaking, as I know a lot depends on work conditions and the operator.

 

[LD1]

I think speed is all gonna come down to what your use is gonna be with the hoe.

Digging holes to repair blow outs, plant trees, retaining wall projects, etc. Where there isn't much repositioning.....not gonna be much difference IMO.

Doing long runs of trenching, where the added reach would mean less repositioning....or otherwise tough digging where the added power would benefit, such as stump removal.....I think the difference would be more significant.

 

[rScotty]

Thanks for the thoughts on these two different but seemingly very capable units. I've decided to wait until a few used units come about or there is a leftover unit with a much better price, since the cost for both are indeed steep and comparable to a used full size CAT or Deere. I think I'm leaning towards the M62 due to the extra reach and carrying capacity.

Curious, how much slower would the 47 be in terms of backhoe performance, generally speaking, as I know a lot depends on work conditions and the operator.

We've had both a full size Deere and an M59 for a few years now. I can't compare either with the L47 because I've never used an L47 - only ran one around at the dealer once.

But we can compare the full size Deere and the M59. As far as the full size Deere 310SuperG versus the M59 goes, both have 2 foot BH buckets and work at about the same boom and swing speed. But the Deere's bucket is deeper and can hold about twice as much in each pass. It can also reach out to 18 feet (extendahoe) so it doesn't have to be repositioned so often. On the other hand, the Deere BH controls aren't quite as accurate as the M59, the M59 has that handy thumb for picking things up or just holding the load in a full bucket. Operator seating makes more of a difference than you'd think too. The Deere is more comfortable, but the M59 BH seating position gives the operator a better view of what he is doing with the bucket. All in all, I'd say that for rough and coarse work the the Deere will easily outwork the M59 by 2:1 or even more for straight digging. And the Deere will do so in greater comfort and for proportionately less fuel. However, if the work space is tight, or the work requires a careful touch next to a wall or to move junk like scrap wood, roots, tree trunks, and big rocks - or for stacking - then the advantage changes around so that the M59 with its thumb and better controls ends up slightly outworking the Deere. Power wise, both machines have enough power. That is, the M59 has just barely enough power sometimes.... and the Deere has way more than enough all the time.....but both have enough.

For loader work it's much the same as the backhoe. The Deere will easily do twice the work in rough stuff, traveling long distances, demolition, or just loading dirt and rocks onto a dump truck. For more careful backyard work or working next to a building they are more likely to end up taking about the same amount of time to get the same job done.

I have to correct one misconception. That is I keep hearing that for the price of a new M62 or M59 one can get a used full size Deere or Cat. But there's another way to look at that. There are lots and lots of full size machines on the market and relatively few M59/62s. With any luck, a little searching, and willingness to accept higher hours a guy could probably get an equally serviceable Deere or Cat for substantially less than the cost of a Kubota. Which one would I keep if I had to choose? Well, I'd miss the cab, longivity, and the heavy solid quality Made-in-the-USA feeling of the Deere, but the Kubota is the more versatile machine for small and medium jobs.
best of luck,
rScotty