Buying a MX5800 HST. Recommended Attachments/Adds

[UmpquaMichael]

I am new to tractors. I am in the process of purchasing 76 acres and as soon as that is finished in mid July I am going to purchase a new tractor. I have decided on the MX5800.
I am planning on adding Top_n_tilt, Backhoe, Brush Hog, and 3rd position in the front.
Property is sloped, and was recently clear-cut and replanted. There are a couple of roads that need to be graded, graveled, and maintained.
I am wondering whether to get a box blade or a landscape scraper, 72" or 84" bucket, and what other accessories or adds are recommended?
Thanks in advance. Mike

 

[mickeyd]

Welcome to the OTT forum Mike. You sure came to the right place as we love to spend other people's money.

Congrats on the new land.

So, are you raising trees for harvest and are you planning on doing thw harvesting yourself?

 

[Cle808]

Pallet forks on a pallet frame. Bought some with my L6060 thinking they would be handy. Now my bucket is the secondary attachment for my loader and the forks are on 99% of the time.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Welcome aboard Michael!

Good choice on machines. You will fall in love with the capabilities of that machine and the implements. I bought a like-new "scratch & dent special" that came with three implements. Two of which I never use.

When you buy new, the dealers offer you smoking deals on implements. That is the time to get what you need. On a few items:

Backhoe- Plus: Super handy and very useful for trenching and general high lifting and placing of objects. Neg: They raise your CG significantly so the machine gets a little tippy on hills. They don't clip on and off. It takes time to get them on and off and while they're are on, your 3-pt hitch is out of action. When they are off, they are not easy to move. If you leave them out in the weather, they won't last near as long as a dry location like a barn. You get any rain up there?

Box scraper- An absolute must. Plus, they are cheap. Get one as wide as your machine. Basic grading and road building tool that will get you 90% of the way there (with practice!). It can drag a pile along as well as push a pile, in reverse, where you need it.

Land Plane- Kind of like a box scraper but it only works in one direction and it fills in dips and variations far better than a box can. Great for routine maintenance of a gravel or dirt road. Keeps it leveled out far better and easier than a box scraper. One tool you will be really glad to have if your roads get a lot of travel or precipitation erosion.

Brush Hog- Mega-monster mower for turning weeds and small trees into bio-mass. What's not to like?

I would tend to get the bucket that is wider than your machine. My bucket is 72" and when I go backwards and let the bucket "float" it covers my tracks nicely. Handy when trying to fine tune a pad or road. I am thinking with the bigger machine, you'll prolly want the big one. The 5800 should have lift capacity to lift wet soil in the 84". Again, when taking it off to put on the forks, it'll be heavy to move by hand, but you can pick it up with the forks and put it out of the way.

Forks- I was dumb. I bought clip-on forks (clip on the lower bucket lip) and they cut my lift capacity by 50%. You will really get a load of use out of those so get a set that mount on your bucket quick-mount without reservation. Money well spent.

Suggestion: Get your rear tires filled for extra weight.

Have fun. Learn how to upgrade pictures. We love to follow your work via tractor "porn."

 

[Beaudeane]

I got the same tractor a couple months ago. I love it. U will too. Way more tractor than my dads L3130 I have used a lot since he got it new in 05. Think my loader bucket is 6 ft. It was on it at the dealership. I got the backhoe and use it a good bit clearing at my creek. 6 ft brushog and it’s about my favorite implement because u can see the results immediately. 6 ft tiller was used to put in my garden with it. Lots faster than the troybilt walk behind I been using. Just wish I had an implement to lay off rows with. Got an auger at tractor supply I used to put up wife’s greenhouse frame with then fence post holes for my neighbor. My grapple finally got delivered this week from EA. Had been waiting on it a couple months and think it will be my new favorite once I get home cause been trucking a couple weeks now. Wife picked it up and it’s still in the bed of my truck wrapped in plastic on a pallet. She sent pics of it like that the day she got it picked up. I plan to get a finish mower by end of July and am well set on a woods 990. I think mowing a 7.5 ft wide swath at a time will be a great thing for my place. I don’t have a box blade as I’ve always used the loader in the past when maintaining my several hundred yard driveway and gotten good results with it. I can see with top and tilt it may make it into something I’d use more often. I am looking at the garden bedder EA sells but build time was too long to worry about one for me this year. A thumb on my backhoe may happen one day but hopefully with the grapple I won’t think I need that anymore. I have filled r4 tires on mine. They do a good job for me. Ag tires would have only been better if I was gonna use it in soupy ground or doing way more plowing than I do. I have 39 hours on mine and do at least a little something with it every day I’m not gone trucking. It’s just fun. Backhoe to 3 point or vice versa in 10-15 mins is usual for me. Can put the backhoe on way easier and faster than I ever did with dads 3 point backhoe. No regen yet as I know of but I don’t putter the engine around. U are gonna love it.

 

[UmpquaMichael]

It's going to be awhile on the harvest. It was just replanted about 6 months ago. I'm mostly going to be working on cleaning up and road grading to begin with. I'm sure it will evolve from there.

 

[UmpquaMichael]

Thanks for all of the info and the welcome. I appreciate it.

 

[UmpquaMichael]

I will probably get some forks too as that seems to be the consensus and I'll go with the box scraper and save the land plane for future spending. I was planning on getting the 84" bucket but hadn't thought of filling the tires. I will look into that as well. Are there any attachments/hydraulics(i.e. 3rd position, top-n-tilt, etc.) that I should do aftermarket to save money? I am mechanical and can figure stuff out if it is worth my time. I'll post some pics after I get the tractor. I am still waiting on the property to close before I go spend more money.

 

[mickeyd]

Great as we all love pictures. Pictures of your land would be welcomed also.

 

[UmpquaMichael]

Here are a few pictures of the property

 

[UmpquaMichael]

Here is a picture of the entire property from above. Plenty of work to keep me busy.

 

[majorwager]

OP,

If no room , loft, exists in upper garage gable, floor joists, , one taller OH door might be helpful.

With frequent implement changes, Pat's quick change lower links invaluable.
Spreader bar provides infinite width adjustment.

Not sure of your winter weather? If significant snowfall, nice all glass aftermarket cab is available.

 

[mickeyd]

Here is a picture of the entire property from above. Plenty of work to keep me busy.

Great pictures. Great property and house.

Box blades are a great choice as they are easier to get proficient with.
I have filled tires and it gives you more traction and stability.
You will find a lot more uses for the forks than you can imagine.

 

[afret]

If your barn has concrete floors, it's helpful to put all your attachments on dollies. You can easily move them around and it becomes very easy to line them up with your 3 point.

If you get snow in the winter, think about getting a front snow blade and a rear snow blower. It's nice to get a front blade which has lateral oscillation and float so you don't have to use the float on your loader arms.

 

[UmpquaMichael]

There's not a lot of snow, about 5-6" a year. The barn doesn't have a concrete floor but thats a good idea. My dump trailer that I'm going to be using to haul the tractor is 83" wide, so I think I am going to have to go with the 72" bucket. I will upgrade to the heavy duty bucket and get a cutting blade for it.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

I cannot overstate the importance of having a great place to store your machinery. I lucked out and got a barn with concrete and my equipment has not aged in the five years since I bought them.

You can use the tractor to excavate the floor and prep for concrete. Well worth the time and money.

Great pics -great looking property.

 

[UmpquaMichael]

I have another question. The dealer said that I would be fine with the MX5800 as long as I don't need to hay. There is about 10 acres at the bottom of the property that I will probably want to hay. Should I go with a M5660 SUHD? Advice is welcome and thanks for all of the replies that I have already received.

 

[PaulL]

I thought with hay the problem is PTO HP for the mower. But unless you're buying a hay mower, surely you'd hire it out anyway to someone with all the equipment for mowing and baling? Would you ever make enough money off hay to pay for your own mower and baler?

Looks to me like you have a lot of lawn mowing around the house too. Will the MX be your lawn mower, or will you have another machine? If you're going to tow a finish mower, think carefully about loaded wheels - you might be better to add ballast using a ballast box when you need it.

 

[nickelplated5s]

You can run hay equipment with a '58 as long as you use a narrow mower/conditioner. On the other hand 10 acres doesn't justify the price of the implements. Find a neighbor to do it and run it on Sch. F for your EFU.

 

[UmpquaMichael]

Thanks for the info. I was a little nervous about not buying enough tractor. Sounds like I should be able to do everything I want with the mx5800.
This is my first tractor and I want to make sure I'm getting the right one.

I am going to use a riding mower for the areas close to the house. I'm not planning on getting a finish mower for the tractor at this point.