MX5200 vs. MX5800

[coolbrze]

Got it narrowed down to these 2 tractors. When does the turbo on the MX5800 shine & when would I be better staying w/ a MX5200? Work will consist of a steep mountain property - clearing trees, downed debris, moving rocks, bush hogging a little, property is steep & 1,500' elevation. Other property is 65 acres of farmland 300' elevation that I'll be bush hogging & clearing trails. Will eventually add a grapple to the front for brush & logs but prob. not for a year or two.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Got it narrowed down to these 2 tractors. When does the turbo on the MX5800 shine & when would I be better staying w/ a MX5200? Work will consist of a steep mountain property - clearing trees, downed debris, moving rocks, bush hogging a little, property is steep & 1,500' elevation. Other property is 65 acres of farmland 300' elevation that I'll be bush hogging & clearing trails. Will eventually add a grapple to the front for brush & logs but prob. not for a year or two.

Im sure you do but... You know they are both turbo charged right?

 

[the old grind]

If you bought extra hp then tried to save fuel by lowering rpm you could be in for trouble. With CUTs if rpms aren't kept up (say upper teens vs at 'PTO rpm' far above it) you might end up in 'regen' more often than you'd like. Don't know that size would make that much different. Remember that tractor specs typically refer to the full rpm range as 'idling' speed. ("let 'er rip!")

If o'all size and engine displacement of the different models is the same I would be less hesitant to spring for the extra power. I'd also say the width of your BH would deserve the most consideration among your proposed uses. t o g

 

[motownbrowne]

You'd like the extra hp when bush hogging thick grass, unless you're only gonna run a 5' mower, in which case it won't matter. Those machines would be good with a heavier duty 6' or if you're mowing pasture a twin spindle 8'. There's grass that would make the extra power appreciated with either of those mowers. Otherwise you'd notice it in high range going up hill, or maybe pulling a substantial trailer up a hill in medium. Beyond that, for what you describe, it won't make much difference. You'd never notice it during loader work.

 

[the old grind]

Shuttle, not HST?

 

[jeff9366]

Got it narrowed down to these 2 tractors. When does the turbo on the MX5800 shine & when would I be better staying w/ a MX5200?

Both MX5200 and MX5800 have turbocharged engines.

The extra 6-1/2 horsepower of the MX5800 may allow you to operate an increment wider/heavier Rotary Cutter.

Tractor horsepower relates primarily to what size/type of PTO powered implements you wish to operate.

 

[motownbrowne]

Shuttle, not HST?

Who are you asking?

 

[LD1]

I often wish my MX5100 had an extra 6 or 7 HP.

Bushogging as others mention....more power may allow you to go a little faster.

Road gear....and/or hills. IF HST trans.....you may find yourself having to shift from M to Low without the extra power....or if gear you may need a downshift that wouldnt have been needed with more power.

And for me, Plowing and discing. I have a 3-14 plow, and a big disc. Really would be nice to do it in M range.....but bogs down the machine to the point I am going no faster than just running Low range. Which is hard on the machine leaving it in M range and letting it lug. So I put it in low. And Low is SLOOOWWWW for turning around or backing up to make the next pass. Its like the size disc and plow I have are caught right between the gearing I have. M is too fast for the power, and Low is too slow for my liking.

IF not a huge jump in price, I'd look at the MX5800

 

[bdhsfz6]

If the transmission is a factor, the MX5800 is only available with HST.

 

[rbtjr]

We opted for the MX5800 over the MX5200 for the increase in hp at not a huge cost. Although we can't compare with the 5200, we are very happy with the 5800.

 

[coolbrze]

Shoot you guys are right! See what happens when you quit looking at stats for a few weeks then decide to jump back in the game. So what you're saying is that I need to be running a turbo equipped tractor at higher RPMs vs. a non-turbo equipped tractor? I'm not the kinda guy to lower RPMs to save on fuel, I just run it (RPMs) where it needs run.

If it makes a difference, I'll be running a 6' bush hog. The mountain is steep & anything bigger (not that there's that much land to cut) will really jolt when turning around since the terrain is uneven. Thanks for the help so far!

 

[Peter 315]

The new tractors you run at a higher rpm because of the DPF on the exhaust

 

[the old grind]

.. and 'turbo' or not has little to do with what rpm works best for a particular job, or regen cycle frequency. Turbo's biggest advantage is better airflow, so that when the governor injects fuel to maintain its rpm setting the burn is cleaner. Gas/air turbines gain efficiency as rpms increase with 'throttle' setting. (a term that came from the steam era, btw) We want 'em to 'spool up', and 'mid-rpms' is were turbo action gets serious.

Smart operation may be simply a matter of operating at 'torque rpm' (often stated as such) vs 'PTO rpm' w/o using PTO and using the right gear for the task. Also why I asked HST vs shuttle, tho' it's power to ground that may suffer more with hydro than PTO power. (give or take a few hp)

Given that the OP may use BHOG a lot more than FEL, I might have preferred the shuttle for once vs HST. If the tractors weigh nearly the same, and offer the same FEL, the lift and traveling (full bucket) abilities wouldn't vary much.

 

[coolbrze]

.. and 'turbo' or not has little to do with what rpm works best for a particular job. Turbo's biggest advantage is better airflow, so that when the governor injects fuel to maintain its rpm setting the burn is cleaner. Gas/air turbines gain efficiency as rpms increase with 'throttle' setting. (a term that came from the steam era, btw) We want to 'spool up' and 'mid-rpms' is were the action gets seerious.

Smart operation may be simply a matter of operating at 'torque rpm' (often stated as such) vs 'PTO rpm' w/o using PTO and using the right gear for the task. Also why I asked HST vs shuttle. It's power to ground that may suffer more with hydro than PTO power. (give or take a few hp)

Given that the OP may use BHOG a lot more that FEL, so I might have preferred the shuttle for once vs HST. If the tractors weigh nearly the same, and offer the same FEL, the lift and traveling (full bucket) abilities wouldn't vary much.

I def. want HST & will use the FEL a lot more than the BHOG Thinking the 5800 is what I'm going with. Just trying to get all my ducks in a row before biting the bullet.

 

[the old grind]

Good call, IMO. I'm glad you have this sorted out and have considered all the angles. :thumbsup:

Some folks ask and we wish they had more experience as a starting point. Will the new Kubo' replace the Bobcat or L3010? You'd want to keep one as a backup, right? btw, the more I look at specs for the 5800 the more I like it .. well, except for color ..

Be sure to use your 'good' camera when you add pics to the thread. 'New' is always nice.

 

[Texasjonathan]

New here so if this is a stupid question, please excuse my ignorance. If the mx5200 and the mx5800 are completely identical mechanically, how does the mx5800 make the extra horsepower? Is it as simple as the ECM?

 

[LD1]

New here so if this is a stupid question, please excuse my ignorance. If the mx5200 and the mx5800 are completely identical mechanically, how does the mx5800 make the extra horsepower? Is it as simple as the ECM?

Pretty much.

I dont understand why everyone is always so shocked when two identical motors are programmed or tuned for different power levels. ITs nothing new, everyone does it. And not just small tractors either. All the way up to the 500+hp machines.....sometimes several models are offered ranging from 300 up to 450hp and the only difference is a program.

and not just with tractors.

Look at the diesel motors that the big 3 put in their 3500's......yup, same ones go in the 450/4500's and 550/5500's.....but less power.

 

[Swampcollie]

I cant exactly address your question, but I have had the 5800 for a couple years without a single issue. Given the similarity, I would expect the 5200 to be of equal quality.

 

[bdhsfz6]

Got it narrowed down to these 2 tractors. When does the turbo on the MX5800 shine & when would I be better staying w/ a MX5200? Work will consist of a steep mountain property - clearing trees, downed debris, moving rocks, bush hogging a little, property is steep & 1,500' elevation. Other property is 65 acres of farmland 300' elevation that I'll be bush hogging & clearing trails. Will eventually add a grapple to the front for brush & logs but prob. not for a year or two.

I chose the 5800 over the 5200 mainly for the added HP. It's a time saver for me when working my steep slopes. 6HP doesn't sound like much but in many cases it lets you work a gear range higher with greater ground speed and less shifting.