M62 vs M7060 with backhoe

[Jimbabwe]

Will be buying one of these shortly.

I need to mow with a rotary mower about 20 acres, drag a box scraper over about 5 miles of very hilly trails, pick up trees and brush I've cleared or which has fallen, and dig trenches and whatever. I want to be able to top and tilt the box scraper.

Can the M62 do all of this, should I stick with the M7060 with added backhoe?

The M62 is about $13K more. For what? What do I lose? What do I gain?

Thank you for the help!

 

[majorwager]

My impression of the M62 is that your tasks should be centered around excavating and loader tasks.

Not sure but the M 62 might have a hydraulic PTO, less power than M7060.

Your tasks appear more PTO , and 3 point orientated. Believe the 7060 is more suitable. The 12 speed 7060 is preferable, has greater hyd flow output like M62.



Lots of open space mowing negates the HST advantage. This tranny generates a lot of heat in long duration tasks.

I don't remove my loader but if this is imp to you, the M62 has fixed attachment.


The 7060 offers cab option. The optional M62 cab is expensive, function over comfort and NO A/C. New 7060 cabs to offer buddy seat option.


Unless excavating is a primary desire, the M62 might not fulfill your expectations. The M62 offers single seat BH access, no dismount requirement.

For field mowing, my preference is a shuttle trans over HST. Once accomstomed, the shuttle just as handy for loader functions.

The commercial construction TLB's are ALL hydraulic reverser shuttle transmissions.

 

[mikester]

Will be buying one of these shortly.

I need to mow with a rotary mower about 20 acres, drag a box scraper over about 5 miles of very hilly trails, pick up trees and brush I've cleared or which has fallen, and dig trenches and whatever. I want to be able to top and tilt the box scraper.

Can the M62 do all of this, should I stick with the M7060 with added backhoe?

The M62 is about $13K more. For what? What do I lose? What do I gain?

Thank you for the help!

M62 is construction grade. M7060 is AG grade. If you need to do a lot of heavy digging or BH work get the M62 or a construction TLB.

If you need to use the BH regularly you are going to hate the M7060 real fast because you will be constantly climbing on and off the tractor every time you need to move. 3PH backhoes just plain suck.

If you need an AG class tractor for 3PH work with a comfy cab get the M7060.

If getting into tight spots isn't an issue I'd get the M7060 without BH and put the money saved into an older CASE/CAT/JD TLB to do the grunt work.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Not familiar with either but I will say that it's hard to beat a hydraulic shuttle from the longevity standpoint. I would never buy any tractor without a hydraulic reverser. Kubota's are self adjusting for disc wear and modulated for smooth engagement and load compensating.

Never a dry clutch in this barn

 

[Jimbabwe]

Thank you, all.

I agree that an HST is not what I'd want for mowing nor for box scraping 5 miles of hilly, rocky trails.

I have decided that if I need to do heavy digging in the rocky "soil" I will rent a CAT BH or excavator. I'm sure I'll be needing to do light digging and especially need the ability to reach far and pick trees and cleared brush from over hillsides and in stands of poison oak.

Not sure about the M62 PTO. Specs say "independent."

I will not be doing intensive, frequent BH tasks. I don't need a cab.

I looked at older BHs, JD and CAT, yesterday. For the amount and frequency of heavy digging I will need to do, my wife and I have determined that renting a nice, new CAT is more cost-effective than investing a larger sum to own an older BH.

I'll stick with the M7060. Not sure if I'll add the M4011V BH to it. With bucket and thumb I'm looking at an additional $18,800. For a few thousand more I can have a used CAT, Case or JD loader-backhoe.

 

[Jchonline]

Hi Jim,

My father is considering a M7060 for his 100 acre hay/cattle farm, and I have a M62 for my 47 acre rock farm (ie I live in the mountains). I have used a M6060 for a few hours at his place as a demo unit.


If you are mowing a bunch, you want a cab and you want a hydraulic shuttle. There are some HST tractors that have cruise control for mowing and such. The M62 is not one of them. Independent PTO just means that when the tractor is running the PTO shaft isn't spinning unless you engage it. So you can use the PTO independently of the tractor running.

I agree with other posters. Get the M7060 for your farm work and get a cab if you expect dust or weather to be an issue. It is a great machine. Now for the BH I strongly recommend against it. These machines are not built for a BH, so you are going to be making compromises somewhere. By these machines, I mean the utility tractors. They actually seem to work out better in the smaller L and B series tractors for smaller tasks. Look at a nice used Mini Ex, rent, or hire someone to come in and get it all cleaned up.

I got the M62 because it is the best machine for most of my tasks. Lots of rock moving, dirt work, logging/forestry management, a good big of digging for my garage, house, and all that goes with it. I don't need a cab, but I did want a very sturdy ROPS/FOPS as it is quite windy where I am and tree limbs can fall. I have no mowing, no haying.

Before buying a Mini-Ex, please do rent one and see just how much you like it and can get done. They are amazing machines, and you might find at that a rental once a year gets everything you need accomplished. You can probably rent one for the weekend for a few hundred dollars. In fact, see if your Kubota dealer rents them out. Mine does. KX040-4 is a great size to work with. If you need more, check out the KX-080..it is a beast for such a compact machine.

 

[Jimbabwe]

Hi JCH,

Thank you for your insightful post. I really appreciate it.

I can live without a cab, as I'm very used to dust and couldn't justify the $$ anyway. I agree with the hydraulic shuttle and I don't want HST. That rules out the M62. Thanks for the clarification about independent PTO.

I'll skip the BH option for the M7060 and look into a used piece of equipment for my small BH needs and renting a CAT 430E for my bigger BH needs.

I really am wondering just what I NEED. I certainly need to be able to drag a box scraper over the steep 5 miles of trails. The once or twice a year mowing of the 20 acres of star thistle weed... maybe a smaller machine would be fine for that. I don't need to make hay. Digging holes or a trench... hmmm. A BH or Mini-Ex with a thumb?

Certainly a 4-in-1 front loader and probably a front grapple. No need for big horsepower.

Will 70 horsepower do me a lot more good than 48 for dragging the box scraper? Maybe not. Maybe I should just rent a CAT D3 once a year for $1500/week to groom my 5 miles of trails.

Anyway, your advice on the M62 vs M7060 is well taken. Whether I actually need an M7060 is another story.

Watch this space...

 

[Jchonline]

Hi JCH,

Thank you for your insightful post. I really appreciate it.

I can live without a cab, as I'm very used to dust and couldn't justify the $$ anyway. I agree with the hydraulic shuttle and I don't want HST. That rules out the M62. Thanks for the clarification about independent PTO.

I'll skip the BH option for the M7060 and look into a used piece of equipment for my small BH needs and renting a CAT 430E for my bigger BH needs.

I really am wondering just what I NEED. I certainly need to be able to drag a box scraper over the steep 5 miles of trails. The once or twice a year mowing of the 20 acres of star thistle weed... maybe a smaller machine would be fine for that. I don't need to make hay. Digging holes or a trench... hmmm. A BH or Mini-Ex with a thumb?

Certainly a 4-in-1 front loader and probably a front grapple. No need for big horsepower.

Will 70 horsepower do me a lot more good than 48 for dragging the box scraper? Maybe not. Maybe I should just rent a CAT D3 once a year for $1500/week to groom my 5 miles of trails.

Anyway, your advice on the M62 vs M7060 is well taken. Whether I actually need an M7060 is another story.

Watch this space...

HP wont matter much for dirt work. These are ground engaging tasks. Weight is much more important. Weight of tractor, weight of the box blade (ie dont skimp on a super light one).

If you dont need the cab, I am liking the MX more and more, maybe even a larger L (L4701, etc). I do think you can get by with a L no problem. Others have much more experience with mowers, hopefully you get some responses from L owners that mow like yourself.

The other thing you mentioned was ditches. A rear blade on a tractor makes great ditches on the side of a road. I dont think you need a BH or Mini ex for these tasks at all. For holes, depends on what kind. Auger for fence posts, and a BH/Mini ex for larger.

You probably wont need a 4n1 bucket and and a grapple, but remember the 4 in 1 is master of none. It isn’t anywhere near as good as a grapple for grabbing things, but it works. If you want something you can put on and not have to change it out, it makes sense. With the SSQA on the loader, you can change these out in just a few minutes once you get used to it.

 

[Jimbabwe]

Hi JCH,

Thanks again for your insight. I've decided on either an L3301, L3901 or L4701 with FEL, 4-in-1 bucket AND a grapple (I'll need both, for sure), a box scraper and a mower. I'll know which one next week.

 

[Jchonline]

Hi JCH,

Thanks again for your insight. I've decided on either an L3301, L3901 or L4701 with FEL, 4-in-1 bucket AND a grapple (I'll need both, for sure), a box scraper and a mower. I'll know which one next week.

Awesome great to hear. Let us know what you decide on, and post some picks once you get it! I am a bit jealous. That 4 in1 does look fun to use.

One additional point on the 3rd function. Make sure you get true independent third function if it is available on the L (sorry I am not sure). A diverter or tapping into a rear remote will be frustrating (unless they’d an actuate the rear remote with a simple switch on the loader control). I say this because you have 2 front implements that will make use of the 3rd function. A diverter will be frustrating because you will loose bucket curl when you are actuating the grapple or 4 in 1. It isn’t the end of the world, but at least you know what you are getting.

 

[majorwager]

The theme of this thread is NOW so radically, no drastically removed from the thread starter, that perhaps it might be best for the OP to actually re-examine his purchase perameters and start over.


It it realistic for a serious buyer to begin w/ a M-7060 and evolve downward to a L-3901 ????

 

[Jimbabwe]

The theme of this thread is NOW so radically, no drastically removed from the thread starter, that perhaps it might be best for the OP to actually re-examine his purchase perameters and start over.


It it realistic for a serious buyer to begin w/ a M-7060 and evolve downward to a L-3901 ????

Yes, it is, because I'm a serious buyer, but one who was led, through various means, down the path of bigger is better.

You're right about the thread drift, majorwager. I've deleted the post and started a new thread.