Buying a MX5800 HST. Recommended Attachments/Adds

[D2Cat]

When it comes to putting up hay, it's all relative. All equipment varies in size. You can put up small square bales that weigh 60# or big squares at 2,000#.

With round balers you can go from about 400# bales to 1600# bales.

Cutting hays has many variables also. You could cut with a sickle bar and need 20HP, or go to a disc mower and need 50 or more. It mostly depends on how wide of a swath you take at a time.

For a few acres and your own use (not have to be prefect to sell) you can get by with used equipment, and not need anything special.

For example, you can buy an "ordinary" round baler which will put up a 5'x6' bale (largest round bale) and simple not make the bale 6' in diameter. You can quit wrapping it and any weight you choose and wrap the bale with twine. You can also get balers that put up various size of large bales, like 4'x6', or 4'x5'...lots of variations.

You could rake your hay with a 4 wheeler if you needed to! Doesn't take much HP. Baling take the most HP, but you also need a tractor with some weight because the baler is heavy and your putting more weight in it.

I'd be buying a tractor that meets all my needs other than figuring it has to put up hay. If you bought a tractor with haying as the primary purpose you would end up with a tractor too big for other work on your 10 acres.

As mentioned, finding a nearby farmer who already puts up hay has the equipment, knowledge, etc. do get it done simply and easily.

You will soon discover putting up hay is only done when the weather is miserably hot. (You've heard the expression, "Make hay while the sun shines!") Then you have to figure how much can you cut so it can cure out and you can get it baled before the next rain comes in.

Better off to got to work and hire the job done!!

 

[MtnViewRanch]

If you are considering a top & tilt set sometime, then I highly recommend that you get all 3 rear remotes and that 2 of them should have the float feature. More money, but better to have and not need vs needing and not having. The float feature provides different capabilities with both the top & tilt cylinders that you otherwise DO NOT HAVE.

If you see a need for a grapple in the future, you may want to get a 3rd function when ordering the tractor, just easier to do this stuff from the beginning.

Good luck with everything.

 

[Boo]

I have the MX5800 as well. I am happy that I have forks, grapple, bucket, backhoe, land plane, flail mower, box blade, post hole digger, man-lift platform, and ratchet rake. I have been wrestling with the Piranha Tooth Bar since I may want to dig out a shooting range slope and that may be the easiest way. The tools I don't use: grader blade, boom pole, landscape rake.

I don't use all of them a lot, but when I need one; its there. Manual labor is not getting easier for me.

 

[UmpquaMichael]

Thanks again for all of the advice. I am almost there. I will get all of the remote valves from the factory and the 3rd position and leave the haying to the pros. The house is due to close on the 20th, then we leave on vacation for a week. When we get back it will be time to spend some money on a tractor. I have a lot of tools, but this is one that I am really looking forward to.

 

[EverUpward]

A piece of advice someone gave me was to avoid buying the backhoe, you probably won't use it as much as you think, its a pain to put on and off and is an expensive option.

with the money you save, hire a guy with a real backhoe, who can do the small jobs you have faster and at a much cheaper price than installing your own.

Of course, if you're gonna use it a whole lot.. that is different.. but most people don't use their backhoes all that much..

 

[Dunbar]

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.

Could you lift the 84 inch bucket above the sides of the dump trailer and drive it in?

 

[Michael In Tennessee]

A piece of advice someone gave me was to avoid buying the backhoe, you probably won't use it as much as you think, its a pain to put on and off and is an expensive option.

with the money you save, hire a guy with a real backhoe, who can do the small jobs you have faster and at a much cheaper price than installing your own.

Of course, if you're gonna use it a whole lot.. that is different.. but most people don't use their backhoes all that much..

You are right that the BH is expensive. But, if you need a hoe for an hour, you can be done right now, not next week.

As it stands, I have more hours using the hoe than the loader. I'm sure that will change as I get my land into shape, but it's darned nice to have.

 

[Beaudeane]

I agree bout the backhoe is expensive but I have mine on 50 percent of the time. 10-15 min swap to or from 3 point hitch. Not a big deal to swap out. Since I have it, I use it a lot. Just makes getting what I need or want done easier for me and it can happen right then instead of waiting for someone else to be paid to do it and it’s done the way I want it. Finally getting proficient with it enough to do some digging for someone else to make a few bucks. It was a learning curve for me to be able to operate it well.

 

[afret]

I didn't get a backhoe on my MX. Decided to use the money toward a mini ex. That leaves the 3 point on the MX open and having both the mini ex and the MX makes yard work faster and more fun.