MX5000 w/LA852 loader, need toothbar?

[Stackwood]

Greetings forum. I will soon be the proud owner of a new MX5000 and will thus join the clan. Wahoo! Can't wait. This forum has been a goldmine of information; thanks to all. Now I have some specific questions.

The tractor will see hard use. I hope to dig with the FEL extensively. Right off the bat I need to clear the top soil for a 24x24 garage, followed shortly by digging two shallow, 1-2' pits 6' in diameter for a couple of cisterns. Future use will include stump removal and, hopefully, construction of stock ponds on the hillside. Our soil is heavy clay interspersed with rock. The new tractor will have 4wd.

I believe a toothbar will be manditory for these efforts. The dealer quoted me $225 for one, not sure what make. Is this a good price?

Anyone had any experience with toothbars? How do they hold up? Do they have replacable teeth in this class? Am I likely to tear up the bucket by installing one? How well do they work?

Thanks in advance for your insight.

 

[m7040]

Any digging will require a toothbar. Very much a worthy investment. I was digging out an old UG tank this weekend and was more than 6 ft deep with a ramp for access. Did not take very long to dig even in rocky soil. The 72 inch bucket with the toothbar can take some big bites. A toothbar will allow you to fill the bucket every time versus wasting time on getting the soil in the bucket. But watch the curl on the bucket when driving into the soil and keep it flat to prevent busted hoses.

 

[john_bud]

No, you don't require a tooth bar. I have a smaller tractor without teeth, and have moved 1000's of yards of dirt, gravel, clay and what ever. It takes more technique and finese, but it can be very effective without a tooth bar.

However, a tooth bar will make the digging action easier as it will loosen up the dirt, especially beneficial in your clay. Is it worth $225, probably. Just be sure that the teeth are replaceable. Either pin on or peen on work well.

jb

 

[m7040]

a toothbar makes you much more efficient and saves time

 

[Stackwood]

M7040, it sounds like you've got a big tractor. I have to ask, what's a UG tank? I didn't quite follow you about the busted hoses. Do you mean overloading the hydraulics and building too much pressure?

John bud, I agree about the replacable teeth. I check with my dealer. Glad you think the price is right.

My experience with an ancient old backhoe we used to have was that I spent a lot of time skidding on the surface when I tried to use the untoothed loader on virgin ground. I didn't know if a toothed bucket on a lightweight tractor would have much effect without the weight and brawn of a track loader.

 

[m7040]

It is an old fuel tank left on the farm from years ago. Do not like the idea of it rusting and leaking so decided to dig it out. Now that I have it out not sure what to do with it and can not cut it up since it smeels very strongly of gas. May I can explode it and see what is left?

Yes you can bust the hydraulics by too much pressure on the bucket when curled. Was not a problem on my 2 wheel drive MF since it had limited traction. The M7040 in 4 wheel drive has very good traction so I learned my lesson when I busted the hose this weekend

 

[Stackwood]

Ouch. I lived in fear for years of breaking something expensive or difficult or both on the old Case. I seem to remember replacing a hose or two. A local shop made them up, using the old one to establish size and length.

That old tank is a real headache. Be careful. What you've got is a large, unpredictable bomb. How much raw gas do you think is still in it? Blowing it up might actually be one of the safer things to do. Time was that you could go buy your own dynamite for the job, plus 500 ft or so of wire. Not anymore since 9-11.

 

[Stackwood]

That would be a big heavy tractor. How much does it weigh fully loaded?

 

[m7040]

it likely weighs about 8000 lbs with the liquid in the wheels. About to add 2000 lbs of ballast to bring it up to about 10,000 lbs

 

[mr.wayne]

Stackwood,
I'm about to buy an MX5000 FWD also. Been haggling with the dealer for a couple weeks now. I didn't know if I needed the heavy duty loader or not. Most of my work will be moving dirt around. This tractor priced with the loader, Modern Contractor's boxblade w/ratchet lever scarifiers,1 hyd. remote in rear, for $23,400. Don't really know if this is good or not. Just wondering. I've been reading this forum for a while now. Very informative group here. I'm sure I'll have alot of questions in the near future. Congrats on your new tractor.
Thanks Wayne

 

[Stackwood]

Wayne,

Sounds like a pretty good deal depending on the cost of the box scraper. Of that I have no idea. I'd like to have one, though. I think it'd come in real handy.

I have two strong reasons to get the heavy duty loader. The first is that as I understand it you need the HD version to get a quick detaching bucket, thus freeing the loader up for other implements. We want to start using round hay bales, thus a bale spear would be necessary. The other reason also has to do with the round bales: The LA 852 has about 2600# of lift capacity compared to about 1800#. Round bales can be very heavy, 1500# or more. Best to err on the side of caution.

When you get yours, we'll compare notes. Should be a hoot. I'm going to try my hand at pond building. Well, little ones, anyhow, enough to help with watering stock in normal weather.

Cheers

Stackwood

 

[Stackwood]

Wayne,

The main reason I went to the heavy duty loader was to get the quick coupler attachment for the bucket. That way I can mount a bale spear close to the pivot points. I may also end up with pallet forks, which would be very handy for construction projects.

The other reason is capacity. We want to go to round bales for our livestock, which can run 1500# and up. The LA852 has about 2600# of lift capacity compared to the LB702's max of about 1800# (working off memory here). Best to err on the side of caution with those round bales.

What kinds of projects do you have in mind for the new tractor? I'm already eyeing a pond site in our winter paddock.

Stackwood

 

[Stackwood]

O.K., my computer is doing weird stuff. When I write a post, it doesn't seem to make it to the main list. That's why I've put in duplicate posts.

 

[john_bud]

Wayne,

Sounds like a pretty good deal depending on the cost of the box scraper. Of that I have no idea. I'd like to have one, though. I think it'd come in real handy.
Stackwood

Stackwood,

If you get a box scraper, don't go cheap or you will wind up spending more in the long run. I bought a Gannon Landscaper from the Construction side of the site. There have been a number of folks that have bought decent box's but with high tractor power, they have had issues. Bent blades, broken scarifiers, twisted mounts. With a tractor of your size, you should be only looking at top shelf. Here is a link to the woods site. I bought the H120 and have an L3410 tractor. It is listed as having 3/8th endplates and weighing 829#, but it was made with 1/2 ends and the ship weight was 988# on a 4x6' pallet. If you have a rear remote, the hydaulic scar bar is a great luxury!

Hydraulic scar bar's
Gannon Industrial Scrapers by Woods Equipment Company - Construction Equipment

Manual scar bar
Gannon Industrial Scrapers by Woods Equipment Company - Construction Equipment

I think this series is tough enough for about any use you may have. Other companies will also have acceptable products, maybe others can steer you to them. Oh, don't forget to bring your wallet as quality costs....

jb

 

[Stackwood]

Try Watkins Lawn & Garden in Paris, TN, if he's close enough for you to pick up the tractor. Jerry Watkins is a great guy with great prices.

If I were going to use it a lot, I'd get the heavier loader. I figure it's less likely to break. Part of my youth was spent building a road with an ancient Case 530 backhoe, which broke a lot. It's more fun to dig than to weld, especially if you're a bad welder

 

[Stackwood]

O.K., I'm still catching up with the old emails. Just discovered the "page two" button, which fixed a lot of my problems!

john_bud, I think you're right on about the box scrapers. Years ago we lent our adjustable scraper blade to a neighbor. Unfortunately it was no match for his 100 hp tractor. It took a trip to the welding shop to straighten it out. Those Woods models look very stout. I think they'd last a lifetime.