Enough vs too much tractor

[Sapper50]

First post on this forum -
Question - am I on the right track with the Kubota and HP/platform mix?

quick background on use cases:
1. 10 acres in western washington, 8 that will be worked
2. Virgin dirt - was old growth timber, logged, replanted, harvested then sold into lots.
3. Good loam but a glacier a few mil years ago deposited some rocks 3-5% large (monsters) 10% bigger than a helmet, 75% double fist size and smaller, but they always reproduce!
4. Middle busting initially then follow with PTO tiller, dirt leveling and drainage set, then fert/lime then pasture grass.
5. Over next 3 years about 4-5 acres will be pasture (horse), other three an MX track for this old guy.

Requirements as I see em?
Lot of dirt work (not even going to purchase a bush hog)
Middle buster (single shank ripper in my world - heavy junk construction)
PTO tiller
Drag blade
Landscape rake for rock gathering out of the pasture and the track (never ending work)
Loader work (will be installing a tooth bar etc) for dirt moving for drainage set and the MX track.

With all I am looking at doing and reading a LOT of posts here and other forums - I am really leaning hard towards the MX5200 DST with loader etc.

So at the MX5200......
Too much?
Not enough?
Expert feedback please.
Hyrdro recommendations for the rear (get em up front, not later) with all the dirt work I will be doing?

Ive been around heavy junk/diesel mechanic for 3+ decades, but my first ag equipment. Dozer/grader/Scraper operator (dont ever ask me to drive a backhoe unless you want a mess)

Last thing I want to do is not get enough 'butt' for the non-stop dirt work I will be doing.
But, I dont want something too big either if an L series could do it, without working things too hard or expecting too much.

Once the pasture is set in a couple of years (rotating the work to get it all done and have a place for the horse in the short term) and the MX track will be a labor of love and seat time.
I rented a JD450 for a week and did initial super heavy dirt work, tree and thick brush removal, stumps are gone etc, now its time for pasture and track work.

thank you all, awesome site, glad I found it as I get ready to pull the trigger and get a rig at the fort.

Scott

 

[BravoXray]

Scott,
First off, welcome aboard! Secondly, I would like to suggest that instead of the tiller and middle buster that you consider a two bottom plow and a set of disk harrows. Pasture grass doesn’t need deep roots, a turning plow like the two bottom would likely be enough, then pick the stone out, (landscape rake will help!) run over the field with the disks for a while and plant. A tiller is a great tool for gardens, but it’s tough on virgin ground and I don’t think you’ll be really happy using it in your application. I’ll leave the tractor size issue for others to comment on, since my Kubota is much smaller. I have an old Ford for the bigger jobs.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide upon,

Jerry

 

[Brazos]

Without being on your place and seeing what you have and what you have to do to get there it is hard for me to say. I went with this approach. I bought the tractor sized for what I need when I get to where I want to be. Though I find it useful, I hire out the big stuff to get it knocked out. Once I have tamed the land I won't need a giant piece of equipment but will need exactly what I bought.

 

[helomech]

I have a mx5100 and I have never wished I had a smaller tractor. I have 64 acres, but most of it is pine plantation. The only issue with a larger tractor, is that it won't fit in some tight places. Other than that I see no disadvantage to a larger tractor.

 

[Ridger]

I think you are on the right track with the MX5200. Since you mention you will be doing a lot of dirt work, I would suggest you consider an HST instead of the DST. You may also want to look at the L5460. It's the Grand series with a few more bells and whistles and a more plush seat. Nevertheless, I think you are on the right track and will not be disappointed.

 

[helomech]

Oh yes, go with the HST

 

[captmikem]

Scott,
I am in Western Washington as well. I had 8 acres which was logged and replanted about 30 years ago, so loamy soil over clay, and on the top of a slight rise lots of fist to basketball size rocks down about 1 to 3 feet.

I have had a bx2660 for about 6 years and it worked pretty good but could not pull my disk, (which I pulled with my 8n). I purchased another 27 acres west of longview and decided I needed a bigger tractor.

I started out looking at the L series, but soon discovered the MX is not a lot more in price (800 bucks more than an L4701), but it is a heavier and more designed for field work than landscape work. (Plus... the wife said she wanted the MX... so no argument there..)

I bought an MX4800 HST six months ago. To me it is perfect, I have a woods BSM84 box blade that I find if drop the rippers down and angle it and make a couple of passes the soil is easy to work. Few rocks at that depth but the rippers bring them up, then the disc moves through it fine. May be double the work but the rippers open up the dirt and also collect most of the limbs. If there are a lot of limbs or larger rocks, I have an 84” grapple that I open up and float backwards and it is a great limb and rock collector. ( Those rocks 10% larger than a helmet pick up with ease). I have a rock rake for small stuff but it tends to get clogged up with sticks and starts dragging dirt. After disking I drag an old spike tooth harrow with my bx and it is ready to seed. The box blade weighs 750 lbs so it is a nice counter weight for the loader or grapple. For small things I find I use it for moving dirt more than I use the dozer because it is faster, simpler, and does not tear the ground up getting there.

To me the MX series is just what I need, also got the BH92 back hoe. I have little experience with a back hoe but I have pulled a few large stumps with this one and it is a another great piece of equipment. I have a six foot rotary cutter that takes care of most of the small limbs and sticks and does a good job cutting through the growth alder saplings, blackberries, and just about anything. The 4800 seems to have the power to deal with it unless it is really thick tall grass and it loads down, but I think that is probably my fault.

I have no experience with larger Kubotas, but IMHO you would be pleased with the MX5200.

M

 

[crmorse]

I've just recently completed doing basically the same task on about 2 acres with my L47 and JD455G. Here's my results:

Middle-buster - not really that useful. Didn't break up enough width to be practical. Went deeper than really necessary but did act as a phenomenal anchor anytime I found an old stump or big roots that was left behind and well below the surface.

Landscape rake - returning it, that is all.

Monster landscape rake - (see thread here) worked much better than the garden variety but wouldn't only dig down about 1" so not so useful for loosening soil. Keeping it as I think it'll be very useful for future years.

7 Tine all-purpose plow aka spring plow aka chisel plow - the stand-out winner! Was fast, worked reasonably deep, ripped up all the smaller roots and left them in nice piles to easily move off to the burn pile with the FEL grapple. It even did a great job at a first pass of smoothing out the soil.

Disc harrow - great for 2nd pass of smoothing and breaking up the few larger clods the chisel plow left behind. Doesn't like rocks very much though. I found it worked well to counter the soil compression of later tractor passes.

Box blade - as everybody says, takes some practice to use, but indispensable.

So my final technique was like this:

1. 2 passes in alternate directions with the spring plow
2. 1 pass with kids helping to pick up rocks
3. 2 passes in alternate directions with disc set to maximum chop angle
4. Smooth with box blade
5. Lime & fertilize
6. Plant (TBD)