Prelude8626
Member
Gents, in the process of narrowing down my tractor choice. I’m between a Kubota Mx5400 or an Lx4060. Would love to see input on either one or better options. One hard decision I’m having is cab or no cab.
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Tractor Help
- Thread starter Prelude8626
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yoderjac
Well-Known Member
I have 2 tractors, a Kioti DK45 with a cab and a little Kubota B2400. I bought the B2400 at an auction with lots of hours on it for $5K. Both tractors are 4x4 with a FEL. The B2400 had stickers from a rental company, so I'm sure it was used hard and abused before I got it. The Kubota has rarely been in the shop. It just keeps chugging along. It has a belly mower and was used weekly for mowing a large lawn.
The Kioti DK45 is a much larger tractor. It has been in the shop constantly. It has a very poor design. The AC condenser sits in front of the radiator behind the battery. The battery blocks some air flow. The radiator has a screen in front of it but the condenser does not. What happens is that the condenser fills with chaff and debris when you are mowing and it puts stress on the compressor. When the radiator screen gets full of debris, you notice the engine temperature begin to rise, you know to remove the screen and clean it. There is no indicator when the condenser clogs. I went through several compressors and finally had them remove the AC all together. The cab now acts as a solar still and it is impractical to uses in hot weather. The loader on mine is poorly designed and I've had a lot of issues with it.
In fairness, the Kioti was the only large equipment I had at the time and I pushed it to it's limits clearing new ground for food plots which is really a job for a mini-excavator or dozer.
My Kioti is near end of life. I'm in the process of transitioning to retirement and building a new home, but when that is done, I'll likely be looking for a replacement. I've been doing some research. Right now, the Kubota M4D series. While my B2400 is too small for a cab and doesn't have AC, I don't see many folks having issues with Kubota AC in their cabs. As I'm getting older, I will probably go with a cab. It is really nice an lets you work in more conditions in comfort. Once you run over a yellow jacket nest when mowing, you will want one. The only caveat is to look hard at the AC design. If it fails, a cab becomes a liability. Otherwise, it is a great asset. Is it worth the cost? That probably depends on you.
For me, 4x4 and a Loader are must haves.
The Kioti DK45 is a much larger tractor. It has been in the shop constantly. It has a very poor design. The AC condenser sits in front of the radiator behind the battery. The battery blocks some air flow. The radiator has a screen in front of it but the condenser does not. What happens is that the condenser fills with chaff and debris when you are mowing and it puts stress on the compressor. When the radiator screen gets full of debris, you notice the engine temperature begin to rise, you know to remove the screen and clean it. There is no indicator when the condenser clogs. I went through several compressors and finally had them remove the AC all together. The cab now acts as a solar still and it is impractical to uses in hot weather. The loader on mine is poorly designed and I've had a lot of issues with it.
In fairness, the Kioti was the only large equipment I had at the time and I pushed it to it's limits clearing new ground for food plots which is really a job for a mini-excavator or dozer.
My Kioti is near end of life. I'm in the process of transitioning to retirement and building a new home, but when that is done, I'll likely be looking for a replacement. I've been doing some research. Right now, the Kubota M4D series. While my B2400 is too small for a cab and doesn't have AC, I don't see many folks having issues with Kubota AC in their cabs. As I'm getting older, I will probably go with a cab. It is really nice an lets you work in more conditions in comfort. Once you run over a yellow jacket nest when mowing, you will want one. The only caveat is to look hard at the AC design. If it fails, a cab becomes a liability. Otherwise, it is a great asset. Is it worth the cost? That probably depends on you.
For me, 4x4 and a Loader are must haves.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
I'm a cab person, in the winter when it's too cold to be out I'm plowing snow, and in the summer when it's too hot to be out I'm mowing. If you can afford a cab get one, you will never regret it. Unless you are the outdoorsy type that likes being out in the wind, close to the soil that's being tilled. If you don't mind eating dust and you like to smell the hay you are mowing, and you've never had skin cancer or allergies, then don't get a cab.
At my age (57) I'm now seeing the people around me who've spent the most time in the sun over the years getting basal cell skin cancer spots removed on a regular basis.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
The 5400 is the more capable tractor if it fits in our budget. Get gear drive if you are doing row crop work in crop fields, get Hydro if you are doing a lot of loader work. Either transmission works well for mowing.
davidhelmly
Active Member
I would never buy another tractor without a cab.
jsasker007
Active Member
I would vote for a cab. Once you have a cab you don't want to be without it. Whenever buying I always consider being able to get machinery serviced. Sooner or later you will need service. I don't have any experience with kubota. No dealers around me. Sorry, not much help with the brand. Just with what I see sitting on people's properties it does look like Kubota is gaining popularity where I live in central Minnesota. John deere is still what I see the most.
yoderjac
Well-Known Member
Great point on service. In my area, Deere is problematic. With the recent proprietary software issues and folks not being able to make even simple fixes to their tractors, service is inundated. The local shop prioritizes the big acreage farmers making the little guy wait forever for service. There are a mixture of colors of tractors in our area. With dealerships for 5 or 6 brands in reasonable driving distance.
jsasker007
Active Member
That would be a lot of fun to have options and be able to go around comparing different brands. Ideal scenario there. I'm curious about New Holland and how they compare but I don't know anyone who has one to ask them questions. Also have to be leary of the brand loyal guys. The ones who say whatever they have at the current time is the best one they've ever had. Then a year later they have a different brand and now that one is the best they've ever had. jmho
yoderjac
Well-Known Member
We have a New Holland dealer next to the Kubota dealer. I've got friends with New Holland tractors that seem to like them. I don't have any personal experience with them.
Prelude8626
Member
Thank you!! I’m leaving towards a Kubota MX with a cab.
yoderjac
Well-Known Member
Be sure to post your experience once you buy it.
davidhelmly
Active Member
A buddy that I work for has several sizes of JD’s and Kubotas and bought a new Kubota M7060 with cab a few weeks ago, I used it one full day last week and liked it pretty well for a mid size tractor.
yoderjac
Well-Known Member
Do you know if he looked at the M4D series? I was looking at both the M7060 and M4D on paper and leaning toward the 4D. It would be good to know if he looked at both and why he chose the M7060.
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yoderjac
Well-Known Member
That should not be a problem buying new. At one point in time they were making tractors for other countries like Mexico that were not intended for sale in the US. Some folks were bringing used tractors from those countries into the US for resale They were referred to as Grey Market tractors.
yoderjac
Well-Known Member
I've run lots of colors of equipment. I'm not married to any brand. They all have strengths and weaknesses. I've been happy with Deere machines themselves in the past, but the two big issues I have with the newer equipment is that the electronics control everything. Something like a failed sensor can shut down a machine and you can't diagnose or fix it yourself because of the proprietary software needed. In my area, JD service is problematic for the little guy. The dealerships prioritize their big farmer customers, so you can have your tractor in the shop for a long time just waiting.
My partner has an older JD and it is great! No fancy electronics and it is a workhorse. Very dependable, especially compared to my Kioti. I'll never buy another Kioti. Talk about bad loader design, Kioti takes the cake. There is no bucket curl, by design, on my loader. At full curl, the bottom of my bucket is only tilted a degree or two above level. The attachment pin design is poor. You need an exact fit into the bracket. A slight bend in the bracket causes pins to constantly come loose. I had to modify mine with long pins to resolve that.
A couple weeks ago I was spreading stone. I suddenly lost my bucket curl down function. When I checked it out, the joystick uses cables down to the loader valve for control. One of the attachment standoffs for the cable had broken. I took it into the shop a couple weeks ago. I called the other day and the mechanic had time to look at it. They said Kioti does not list that standoff part number! They are working with Kioti to try to find out what part it is so they can order a new one. It is probably a $10 part, but It will likely be down for over a month.
Clearly Kioti is not in the same class With JD, Kubota, Case, and New Holland.
I'm thankful for forums like this where guys can share their experiences with different brands and models.
My partner has an older JD and it is great! No fancy electronics and it is a workhorse. Very dependable, especially compared to my Kioti. I'll never buy another Kioti. Talk about bad loader design, Kioti takes the cake. There is no bucket curl, by design, on my loader. At full curl, the bottom of my bucket is only tilted a degree or two above level. The attachment pin design is poor. You need an exact fit into the bracket. A slight bend in the bracket causes pins to constantly come loose. I had to modify mine with long pins to resolve that.
A couple weeks ago I was spreading stone. I suddenly lost my bucket curl down function. When I checked it out, the joystick uses cables down to the loader valve for control. One of the attachment standoffs for the cable had broken. I took it into the shop a couple weeks ago. I called the other day and the mechanic had time to look at it. They said Kioti does not list that standoff part number! They are working with Kioti to try to find out what part it is so they can order a new one. It is probably a $10 part, but It will likely be down for over a month.
Clearly Kioti is not in the same class With JD, Kubota, Case, and New Holland.
I'm thankful for forums like this where guys can share their experiences with different brands and models.
M. R. Byrd
Active Member
In 2012 when I needed to replace my tractor I looked at new Kubota. I was planning on running a rototiller on the back of it(1.5 mph operation) so would need creep gears. I was planning on financing through Kubota and they ended up impossible, so dropped that plan. Ended up with a used 2008 John Deere Premium tractor with IVT transmission. It has been a good fit, but there are so many sensors that can throw off alerts, some of which will put the tractor into lame duck mode. I am able to find some of the error codes on the internet now, but in 2012 when I got the tractor I would call the service department. Once it was flashing a code and shutting me down and I called the service manager. He looked it up and it had to do with the right brake. He had never seen that code, but thought maybe there was some dirt in a sensor(micro switch). Told me to stomp on the right brake a few times to see if that cleared it. It did, but that is how sensitive some of those systems are. I had another issue one time with the tiller on the back. I really needed to finish up, but it kept de-rating my operation due to over temperature, but my monitor showed 175 degrees. Finally by the time I finished I was down to 0.2 mph. Stopped by the dealership and the service manager knew exactly what was happening as it had happened to a sod farm on their bat wing mower tractor. The tractor has basically two cooling systems that use the same radiator and the coolant had gotten low and one side had gotten some air, but the monitor was only showing the one side at 175 degrees, but when it switched to check the other side, it was too much of a differential, but it didn't show me that. The service manager printed out the bleed instructions so I could take care of it. Point being, good relationship with your service manager can save money and trips to the shop.
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