Hey Attala, I'm in Lawrence County, MS. I've had my MX5100 two years now, although it has only about 70 hours on it. It's fitted out pretty much like yours -- LA844 FEL, 6-foot Rhino 172 brush hog, 6-foot box blade (brand escapes me at the moment), 4WD, R4 tires. No canopy. I have 50 acres of young (15 years) mixed pine and hardwood forest, although there are some open areas I keep mowed. I use the tractor most of the time for general utility work. It's been a great machine, and my dad, who owns four tractors on his poultry farm, lusts after it every time he comes over.
In addition to using my own implements, I've used my dad's disc and landscape rake for various chores. No problems at all pulling the disc or anything else.
However, there are a few weaknesses.
It likes the taste of diesel fuel. At PTO engine speeds, it'll guzzle it in a hurry. I've never measured consumption in gallons per hour, but elsewhere in the forums some have said they've measured about one gallon per hour if I recall correctly.
The parking brake is better suited for a toy than a 50HP tractor. As far as I'm concerned it's pretty much useless. I just use the FEL and/or a lowered attachment to keep it from moving when stopped on a slope.
I wish the flashers (atop the fenders) were enclosed in a heavy wire cage. They're pretty vulnerable to damage when out in the woods, and I've already broken one clean off. Cost me about 40 dollars to replace.
The hydraulic fill port is in an awkward place when you have to hoist a 5-gallon can to add fluid. A long funnel is a must, or else you're gonna dump fluid everywhere.
The tool box is too small and the latch is hard to manipulate, especially when wearing gloves. I ended up accidentally bending the latch tab (by hand), and no matter how much I futz with it, I've never been able to get it positioned just right like it was I before bent it. One of these days I'm gonna replace the whole box with something bigger.
A few tips I've learned the hard way...
When using the brush hog, I've found the tractor handles better with the FEL attached, although I usually remove it when mowing to reduce clearance. A 6-foot mower juts out a *long* way behind the tractor, and it's pretty dang heavy too, and the tractor front end gets kinda light when the mower is raised. I end up having to use the brakes to steer from time to time.
If you remove the FEL during summertime, try to detach it in a shady spot. Even if you relieve hydraulic pressure by rotating the control valve lever before disconnecting (and you should), heat from the summer sun on those black hoses will cause the fluid to expand and create pressure in the FEL lines. You'll have a hard time reconnecting unless you first relieve the pressure with a hammer and drift punch. Or you can wait until the next morning when it's cooler.
Move the top link to the lowest of the three connecting points. My tractor came with the top link connected to the top point, but I remember reading somewhere that that stresses the connection block unnecessarily. Makes sense. None of my attachments have needed the top link connected to anything other than the lowest point.
The tractor can be pretty tough on your yard, especially if the ground is even just a little wet. You can tear up sod pretty quickly, especially when turning hard. And I've managed to create bare tracks in areas where I've repeatedly traveled back and forth, compacting the soil and killing the grass.
Other than the nits I mentioned earlier, like I said, it's a great machine. It'll serve you well.
Cheers,
Jay
