New MX5200

[PaulL]

Finally, after all the talking and dithering, today was the day for my new tractor.

I have:
- MX5200 with loader and 72 inch bucket and SSQA
- self levelling loader was a surprise inclusion, and really useful
- Pallet forks (light weight so as to not reduce capacity too much)
- Box blade
- Flail mower (1950mm - I think that's about 72 inch as well)
- Hedge trimmer

Still waiting on the canopy/roof, and the second hydraulic outlet with detent so I can run the hedge trimmer and log splitter.

We had a long trip to get here last couple of days - one of the ferries was out of commission across the Cook Strait, so our booking got cancelled, then standby at 2:30am, then an actual booking at 2:30am, then the actual ferry departed about 6am. So we left home Monday morning, stayed the night with Mum, left her place 10pm Tuesday, on the ferry at 5am, off the ferry 9:30am, 11 hours of driving.....arrived 10pm last night. Since we brought 2 vehicles, that meant no breaks for the drivers. And since we brought 2 dogs and a cat......couldn't really stop the night on the way.

Tractor delivery this morning, then a drive to the closest freight depot to pick up the flail and hedge trimmer. Some assembly needed on both those, but a little tired to do that well. And it's started raining. So tomorrow's job is the flail, and once the rain stops I'll get into the driveway with the box blade while it's damp.

The tractor seems good, and lifts far more than the B2601. (Putting the spa pool on the trailer up north was a mission, getting it off relatively easy at this end with a tractor that lifts twice as much). In NZ we're still getting an older spec machine, so no DPF (yay), but also a clutch pedal despite being HST (weird), and therefore also brakes on the right with the HST pedal. It'll work though.

 

[PaulL]

I also think I'm now following @McMXi's path. I had a BX, I upgraded to a B2601, and now I have an MX. To be fair, unlike him, my B2601 was the right size for the property I had at the time - the MX is only because we moved to a larger property.

 

[McMXi]

Finally, after all the talking and dithering, today was the day for my new tractor.

I have:
- MX5200 with loader and 72 inch bucket and SSQA
- self levelling loader was a surprise inclusion, and really useful
- Pallet forks (light weight so as to not reduce capacity too much)
- Box blade
- Flail mower (1950mm - I think that's about 72 inch as well)
- Hedge trimmer

Still waiting on the canopy/roof, and the second hydraulic outlet with detent so I can run the hedge trimmer and log splitter.

We had a long trip to get here last couple of days - one of the ferries was out of commission across the Cook Strait, so our booking got cancelled, then standby at 2:30am, then an actual booking at 2:30am, then the actual ferry departed about 6am. So we left home Monday morning, stayed the night with Mum, left her place 10pm Tuesday, on the ferry at 5am, off the ferry 9:30am, 11 hours of driving.....arrived 10pm last night. Since we brought 2 vehicles, that meant no breaks for the drivers. And since we brought 2 dogs and a cat......couldn't really stop the night on the way.

Tractor delivery this morning, then a drive to the closest freight depot to pick up the flail and hedge trimmer. Some assembly needed on both those, but a little tired to do that well. And it's started raining. So tomorrow's job is the flail, and once the rain stops I'll get into the driveway with the box blade while it's damp.

The tractor seems good, and lifts far more than the B2601. (Putting the spa pool on the trailer up north was a mission, getting it off relatively easy at this end with a tractor that lifts twice as much). In NZ we're still getting an older spec machine, so no DPF (yay), but also a clutch pedal despite being HST (weird), and therefore also brakes on the right with the HST pedal. It'll work though.

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Awesome and what a great spot! Congratulations on the new tractor. Interesting model for sure, and the 854 loader is different too. A self-leveling loader that can easily be switched to standard function the way the L47 works is an upgrade I'd like, along with the 2-speeds per range.

I went BX25D > MX6000HST > MX6000HSTC > M6060HDC so not quite the path you're on, but as you say it's similar. I've never regretted upsizing the tractors.

 

[PaulL]

I went BX25D > MX6000HST > MX6000HSTC > M6060HDC so not quite the path you're on, but as you say it's similar. I've never regretted upsizing the tractors.

I thought you had a B in between there somewhere. Must be misremembering.

I didn't necessarily want self levelling, but now I have it, I struggle to think when I wouldn't want it. Even with a bucket it's probably useful.

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Congrats on the new machine sir!!!

I am a bit envious of that loader capacity.


Can you “override” the self leveling feature if you want to? (Just curious.)

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Very Nice machine. Congratulations.

Are you not required to strap or chain down the loader where you are at when trailering?

 

[Bearcatrp]

Nice tractor. Your pulling that nice machine with a toyota? Seems its squatting a bit.

 

[McMXi]

I thought you had a B in between there somewhere. Must be misremembering.

I didn't necessarily want self levelling, but now I have it, I struggle to think when I wouldn't want it. Even with a bucket it's probably useful.

I would only use self leveling with pallet forks when I'd need the load to remain level, so would like a way to turn the feature on and off fairly easily. I can't imagine it being useful in other situations but it's good to learn something new, so if there's another application I'm all ears.

 

[PaulL]

Congrats on the new machine sir!!!

I am a bit envious of that loader capacity.


Can you “override” the self leveling feature if you want to? (Just curious.)

Override in that I can still angle the joystick and crowd the loader while it's lifting - yes. So if I was lifting a bucket of something out of a pile, I can crowd while I lift.

 

[PaulL]

Very Nice machine. Congratulations.

Are you not required to strap or chain down the loader where you are at when trailering?

Delivery guy brought it like that, so I presume no. We're a small country, so we're lucky that we don't get lots of overly prescriptive laws. No doubt there's an obligation to make sure it's safe, and a liability if it's not.

 

[PaulL]

I would only use self leveling with pallet forks when I'd need the load to remain level, so would like a way to turn the feature on and off fairly easily. I can't imagine it being useful in other situations but it's good to learn something new, so if there's another application I'm all ears.

With a bucket of dirt, when I lift I usually crowd as well so I don't tip the dirt on me / lose dirt onto the ground.

I seem to recall that, despite my comment up thread that we don't have lots of prescriptive laws, that we get Australian spec loaders often, and they have a requirement for a system that prevents you tipping the load on yourself. Certainly my B2601 had an Australian spec loader and it had a complex system that would roll the bucket forward if you were about to tip your load out. Perhaps it costs about the same, but is more useful, to add self levelling?

 

[PaulL]

Nice tractor. Your pulling that nice machine with a toyota? Seems its squatting a bit.

Delivery guy's Toyota. It's a Hilux, very common vehicle around here. Basically indestructible. He said "this isn't our usual trailer, it's a loan one, it'll lift the rear of the Hilux when I drive off." I think their normal trailer is a tipper. And it most certainly did. He said "if this was a Ford, doing that would turn the suspension inside out and we'd have to take it into the shop to get fixed". (Best selling vehicle in NZ is a Ford Ranger - which is a different Ford Ranger than you guys get in the US - it's built in Thailand to an Australian design.)

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Delivery guy brought it like that, so I presume no. We're a small country, so we're lucky that we don't get lots of overly prescriptive laws. No doubt there's an obligation to make sure it's safe, and a liability if it's not.

Oh my…fork tines can and will come off.

I am very interested in your impressions after moving up through several frame sizes.

IMO you are coming along nicely.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

Delivery guy's Toyota. It's a Hilux, very common vehicle around here. Basically indestructible. He said "this isn't our usual trailer, it's a loan one, it'll lift the rear of the Hilux when I drive off." I think their normal trailer is a tipper. And it most certainly did. He said "if this was a Ford, doing that would turn the suspension inside out and we'd have to take it into the shop to get fixed". (Best selling vehicle in NZ is a Ford Ranger - which is a different Ford Ranger than you guys get in the US - it's built in Thailand to an Australian design.)

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That’s a now a double oh my…glad it worked out…either way out blocks or jacks.

I wish we could buy a HiLux for Us 50 states.

 

[McMXi]

With a bucket of dirt, when I lift I usually crowd as well so I don't tip the dirt on me / lose dirt onto the ground.

I seem to recall that, despite my comment up thread that we don't have lots of prescriptive laws, that we get Australian spec loaders often, and they have a requirement for a system that prevents you tipping the load on yourself. Certainly my B2601 had an Australian spec loader and it had a complex system that would roll the bucket forward if you were about to tip your load out. Perhaps it costs about the same, but is more useful, to add self levelling?

I'm not familiar with the expression "crowd" when using a loader. Do you mean curl?

 

[PaulL]

I'm not familiar with the expression "crowd" when using a loader. Do you mean curl?

Yeah, not sure why it's called crowd down this way, but it is. Gemini has a long explanation that sounds only partly true to me:

‎Gemini - direct access to Google AI

Created with Gemini

gemini.google.com

 

[NordTrac]

Congrats with the new MX5200! I love mine. I've put over 150 additional hours on it in a little over a year since I got it (was 525 when acquired).

It's a perfect match with the 78" pull-type snowblower. It gets yanked around by the logging winch from time to time.

I'm sure you'll not regret it (especially no ReGens...)!

 

[number two]

Some guys get all the cool stuff!
NICE

 

[PaulL]

A lot of success today. I spent a bunch of time assembling the flail, because it has a hydraulic side shift, and was shipped detached to save space. Unfortunately a bunch of the bolts weren't accessible to the impact wrench, so hand tightened. Ugh. And had to cut down the drive shaft.

But, 4 hours of work today. Mowed some of the lawns, some of the roadside, some paddock. I need to work on flail height setting - changing the height of the roller is an involved process. And I remembered why I dislike 3pt mowers:

• Actually hard to attach, even with extending 3pt arms
• Even more annoying to take off as it turns out - if you put it down first then try to take out the sway bar pins they jam, and as I learned today, if you take them out before putting it down, and put it down swung all the way to one side, you get one 3pt arm off, and then you're screwed because you can't take the other arm off, and you can't put the first arm back on. Some cursing about that.
• Mowing along a fence line is tricky. If you creep in against the fence by accident, when you try to turn away it swings the mower hard into the fence. You have to stop and back up to reset. Lucky I got that hydraulic side shift.

I also connected the box blade and levelled most of the driveway. I'll do the rest tomorrow, then get into some more mowing. Sunday I'll probably assemble the hedge trimmer and then give that a go.

I did try some things with the loader self levelling. Yes, it auto self-levels, but if you push the lever on an angle to run the curl circuit while you're lifting, it still does that correctly. So yes, you can override, and yes that means best of both worlds.

Observations on the tractor.

• The clutch is kind of useful actually.
• I would still like a floor mat - I'm marking the paint already.
• The hydraulic connectors are push to connect, pull to disconnect. Haven't seen that before, but much nicer than having to pull a collar.
• It rides WAY nicer than the B2601 when mowing.
• The seat safety switch is far too sensitive (or I'm too skinny these days). When I lean out the side to see the mower or the box blade, the tractor stalls out.
• The cross beam on the loader is in exactly the wrong place when using pallet forks, the ends of them are invisible. And when you stand up you can't creep forward like I could on the B2601 - the safety switch is very active. So I have to stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down. Good exercise I guess.

Mower assembled.


Roadside mowing. I have video of the mower going zip zip in and out of trees, which works quite well. But no video on this site....


Practicing with the box blade levelling a section of paddock that had been dug up before we purchased.


Starting box blade on the driveway. I do have video of it finished. But not photos apparently.