Lovin' My new MX5100

[Turbys_1700]

We have no trouble here getting folks to cut our farm for the hay. The cut acreage is around 70 or so. Smaller farms like TripleR said are harder to find tenants.

 

[LD1]

Not many people around here do hay anymore, as there arent many livestock farms. At least not like there used to be. Everything is just crops. Bout the only ones that buy hay are horse people, and they seem to be pretty picky about their hay, and I dont think this field would be anything a horse owner would want to but.

After that job and fuel up though, I mowed another smaller job that took 1 hour. Then this morning I just did another 4 acres...1.5 hours. So a total of 2.5 hrs since last top off and was heading home right past a diesel station. Took exactaly 5 gallons. So it seems about 2 gallon/hour or a tad more, since the last 2.5 hours wasnt all as thick and dense as my last job.

This was full speed mid range, or pretty close. I'd call it 6-7 MPH easy.

 

[k0ua]

Not many people around here do hay anymore, as there arent many livestock farms. At least not like there used to be. Everything is just crops. Bout the only ones that buy hay are horse people, and they seem to be pretty picky about their hay, and I dont think this field would be anything a horse owner would want to but.

After that job and fuel up though, I mowed another smaller job that took 1 hour. Then this morning I just did another 4 acres...1.5 hours. So a total of 2.5 hrs since last top off and was heading home right past a diesel station. Took exactaly 5 gallons. So it seems about 2 gallon/hour or a tad more, since the last 2.5 hours wasnt all as thick and dense as my last job.

This was full speed mid range, or pretty close. I'd call it 6-7 MPH easy.

View attachment 472110

Obviously it seems the PTO power is very adequate for that size of "hog" to move along that fast. Do you have a sense of how much reserve power it has to be able to move up to a larger cutter?

 

[Turbys_1700]

Not many people around here do hay anymore, as there arent many livestock farms. At least not like there used to be. Everything is just crops. Bout the only ones that buy hay are horse people, and they seem to be pretty picky about their hay, and I dont think this field would be anything a horse owner would want to but.

After that job and fuel up though, I mowed another smaller job that took 1 hour. Then this morning I just did another 4 acres...1.5 hours. So a total of 2.5 hrs since last top off and was heading home right past a diesel station. Took exactaly 5 gallons. So it seems about 2 gallon/hour or a tad more, since the last 2.5 hours wasnt all as thick and dense as my last job.

This was full speed mid range, or pretty close. I'd call it 6-7 MPH easy.



View attachment 472110

Dang that is some really nice grass.
I hogged couple weeks ago with my Workmaster 50. I could not mow over 4 MPH due to the rough area I was in. It bounced me all over the place. I've noticed that the R4 tires are much stiffer than my old R1's.
My tractor used around 1.5 gallons per hour hogging. Finish mowing I am in the 1 gallon per hour range. Very satisfied so far.
I am like you RD1. I have a really nice 6' Brown cutter that marches up well with both my Ford 4610 SU and Workmaster 50. I would like to find a 10' pull cutter. Used ones are almost non existent.

 

[FatTire]

Your fuel use matches up pretty well with what I got on our MX5100 when running a 5" chipper, which was just a little under 2 gal/hr, including a little bit of idle time while I organized or trimmed branches. But now I am fueling from an un-metered elevated tank, so the days of knowing what any piece of equipment is using are pretty much over.

 

[C4Ranch]

Nice work! Don't recall, do the MXs have rabbit/turtle? I usually mow in M rabbit but if I need a quick boost of power, on flick of the left hand into turtle and tractor on....

Agree on use of cruise, don't really use it mowing because I have to slow down to turn anyways.. But in my 1/4 mile long field, it's nice...

 

[LD1]

Obviously it seems the PTO power is very adequate for that size of "hog" to move along that fast. Do you have a sense of how much reserve power it has to be able to move up to a larger cutter?

Not sure. PTO speed is ~2600rpm. Max wide open is ~2700-2750. I run wide open. In those fields at 7 MPH, the lowest my RPM dropped was maybe 2400.

But all that aside, the reason for wanting a larger cutter isnt necessarily to get done quicker or mow more acres per hour, even though on the nice jobs that will be the case.

The reason for wanting a bigger cutter is to be able to maintain my current acre/hr cut rate, but at a slower speed.....smoother ride. I just got home from another job. About 5.5 acres and took 3.5 hours. Only speed limiting factor was it was extremely rough. But I knew this going in, have mowed for this guy for the last three years. Even with an 8' cutter, I think the speed limiting factor would still be rough ground. The goal is to have to slow down because I am out of power (using the tractor to its fullest potential). And NOT because rough ground. Because I find my self pushing it to get done as fast as I can, which is hard on the body AND equipment. If a mounted 10' cutter wasnt too wide to trailer, I'd be looking at one of those honestly.

Dang that is some really nice grass.
I hogged couple weeks ago with my Workmaster 50. I could not mow over 4 MPH due to the rough area I was in. It bounced me all over the place. I've noticed that the R4 tires are much stiffer than my old R1's.
My tractor used around 1.5 gallons per hour hogging. Finish mowing I am in the 1 gallon per hour range. Very satisfied so far.
I am like you RD1. I have a really nice 6' Brown cutter that marches up well with both my Ford 4610 SU and Workmaster 50. I would like to find a 10' pull cutter. Used ones are almost non existent.

Seen quite a few 10' and 12' pull types around here. If Only I could find a nice 8' pull type. Converting to mounted wouldnt be hard at all.

Nice work! Don't recall, do the MXs have rabbit/turtle? I usually mow in M rabbit but if I need a quick boost of power, on flick of the left hand into turtle and tractor on....

Agree on use of cruise, don't really use it mowing because I have to slow down to turn anyways.. But in my 1/4 mile long field, it's nice...

No rabbit/turtle that I am aware of. Only L-M-H selector right next to the cruise lever. Thats the only things on the left side.

 

[LD1]

View attachment 472110

Just realized this pic I posted dont really do it justice due to the angle. I should have got off and took a side shot.

the grass was ~36" high, and at times you could see the tops (seed pods or whatever you want to call em) over top of the grill guard. And in that pic the cut quality dont look as clean as in person. Looks kinda ratty in the pic, but it was a nice cut. All the stuff that almost looks like it didnt cut even, is just the clippings scattered around.

Mower is set to 4-4.5" cut height in the front, measured off level concrete floor. Bout 1.5" higher in back.

 

[k0ua]

Yep, no rabbit turtle on a Standard L, Only the Grand L's have that function.

 

[LD1]

Yep, no rabbit turtle on a Standard L, Only the Grand L's have that function.

Except its not an L