Sizing mower for Kubota MX6000

[RocketManJeff]

Greetings!

After debate and research, I have chosen to purchase a Kubota MX6000 tractor to use on the roughly 15 acres of land that I own down in Florida. The two discussion threads that helped me to arrive at this decision are here and here for reference.

My question is what size of a mower is a good fit for this tractor? I'd like to cut with a 12' batwing based on the size and topography of my property. The Kubota folks at the agricultural expo where I first saw the MX6000 didn't think this would be too big of a problem, whereas my local dealer who I'd be purchasing the unit from expressed concern with the idea. It's important to understand that this would be for grass cutting only - not overgrown brush or highway weeds.

After reading the boards a bit I came across the Rhino TS12 which seems to be sized small enough to work well with the MX6000's 51HP PTO. For the tighter areas of my property both the Woodmaxx FM-78H and IFE Trim 181E offset flail mowers seem to be an option. Yes, two different mower types, but I have some trail areas to maintain that a 12' won't fit into (nor do I want to go bigger than a 12'). I've also considered stepping up to the larger Kubota M6060 or M7060 but strongly prefer the hydrostatic clutch found on the MX6000 that isn't available on anything larger. Having driven both machines I think I'd struggle with the shuttle clutch when really needing precision control.

I'm open to any suggestions to get this purchase right. Thanks!

-Jeff

 

[ovrszd]

Congrats on your decision. Looking forward to pics.

I think that tractor will handle the 12' batwing very well. Assuming you have two rear remotes?

I use a 15' batwing to cut road banks. My tractor has three remotes. I separated the wings so I can raise one at a time. Very handy in tight spots.

 

[Hozzie]

It will run it great. I have the land pride 12 with my MX5800. I have a post on here somewhere with video. I bought the land pride due to higher blade tip speed. I値l post a link to that thread when I find it.

Here is the thread that probably discusses a lot of your questions. There is a link to my video on the third page.

https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/418512-moving-up-my-rotary-cutter.html

 

[RocketManJeff]

Awesome, thanks for the input! Hozzie, thanks for linking your thread - I知 surprised I didn稚 come across that when reading through previous discussions. I found your video on YouTube though! Anything that I壇 be cutting wouldn稚 be higher/thicker/worse than what youæ±*e cutting in your video, so it sounds like either the Rhino 12 or the Land Pride 12 will run just fine on the MX6000.

Regarding the rear remotes, that brings up a good point. The MX6000 can handle 3 rear remotes. What痴 the general consensus for the right assortment of valve types? The only rear hydraulic implements I can think of using would be a batwing, an offset flail mower, and maybe a box blade at some point - nothing crazy. I haven稚 placed my order yet so I知 open to suggestions on this as well, and being relatively new to the tractor world I know there are a lot of valve configurations choices you can make...

Thanks again!

 

[RocketManJeff]

If money is no issue, get all 3 with 2 float, although I am not sure if they will do that from the manufacturer kit. I added two to my 5800 since I bought it used and did it myself. First valve is regular, 2nd has float.

When I bought my batwing, I had convinced myself I was going to need a third with float because my plan was to control each wing separately (you will want float for these) so I could lift one side or the other individually. The extra kit you can get with it allows for separating the full lift and the wings separate, but not individually if that makes sense. In the end, I actually just use it as it came with the one hookup and run it on my float valve. The height is controlled by the stops on the hydraulic cylinder and then the wings lower and I put it in float so they can move as needed up or down. I don't have any obstacles that I wouldn't drive around anyway so just didn't see the need to spend the money and time re-plumbing the batwing for no real gain (for me).

Now is certainly the time to do (adding all three that is) it if you can afford it as it is cheaper than doing it later. However, if you want to limit the money a bit, I think you could get by with two as I have. I also highly recommend getting the third function valve put in if you will have any cleanup to do where you may need to run a grapple or tree puller.

Thanks again Hozzie. I'm not sure why your post no longer displays in the thread, but your advice is much appreciated. I'll check with my dealer to see which options are available to me, but I can definitely see the appeal to the setup you describe.

I had my quote including the third function valve on the front as well and having already reached out to EA for help sizing the appropriate Wicked Root Rake Grapple, so I think I'm good to go on that end as well. Thanks again for the help - this gave me the clarity that I needed. I'm definitely looking forward to taking delivery of this!

 

[Hozzie]

Glad you saw it. I wasn't sure what happened either. I have the 66" Wicked Root Grapple V2 with double lids and think it is the perfect size. I am not sure if the root rake would have been better, but mine has done a lot of work and I am very happy with it. I am sure you will be happy with anything EA. I also have their box blade. All well made.