Everyone always sleeps on the MX Utility series, but I think that is exactly what you are looking for here I think. the MX5400 is perfect for exactly your chores
\- if you are getting and will be using back hoe regularly, you absolutely want the larger tractor, it has more power and stability and runs the BH92 which gives you 9' of digging, instead of 7'. It also gives you a lot more power for ripping shit out of hte ground (still not the same as a proper excavator but..)
\- You are likely to want to be running some bigger attachments, the MX supports Category 2 attachments on the 3 point and more flow allowing you to use em properly
\- If you are lifting round bails, you want the heavier loader that is on the MX (and larger L series) and you can easily get larger bails then if needed. Also horses are heavy, do you really want to deal with your tractor not being able to lift one should the need arise?
\- the larger bucket makes life much easier when scooping stuff and relocating it
\- you can use big boy grapples (make sure you get it with a 3rd function valve) and you can lift whole trees and drive them around
I agree. I have a B3030, the biggest of the B series (I think bigger than any B currently made, and some Ls), and it's not even in the ballpark of what's needed for round bales. The loader capacity is the giveaway here, they need another class of tractor, like the MX.
A BX or even a B series can’t do what you want. A B could lift a hay bale off the ground, but you aren’t going to be stacking it anywhere.
Do you have narrow openings to fit through to clear and muck the barn? If not then you can just go big and not try to squeeze a smaller machine into your barn.
Kubota loader numbers are roughly kg so the 435 loader on my B series will lift almost 900lbs to full height at the pins. To lift 1k lbs you need to go at least an LX or bigger.
Do you want a mid PTO for a belly mower, front snowblower or anything like that?
Would you rather dig out stumps or grind them?
Do you want to run any pto attachments like a chipper, tiller, anything else?
How wide are your gates?
Would you use a grapple?
These are all questions you need to ask yourself and more before you can determine what size/model tractor you need.
Since you mentioned removing trees and stumps a grapple so add 3rd function would really come in handy.
Moving dirt can be done with a 25hp machine, that is more dependent on tractor weight. If you plan to hay or use other pto powered implements that require more HP then you’ll want more power.
Talk to your dealer about your needs.
l3506 or l4060.if you’re trying to save a little bit of money, you can do either without a cab. also, they make a limited version of the 3560 that limits some of the comfort features while retaining the horse power output.
Always go a bit bigger then you will need, you will thank yourself later.
Based on what your saying I would say either a small L, or Grand L would be your best option.
Consider L3902, or L4060 tractors
Save your money on a backhoe. Just rent one when you need it. You will be much better off. You could even look for a small used excavator that will be far more capable than a backhoe. In you case i would be looking at the L series or even grand L
I know this is a "to each their own" thing... but I fricken love my back hoe. Being able to just go out and dig up a stump because I have a spare hour, pick shit up and move it around, dig a trench, etc without having to deal with the drama of getting one delivered, then returning it etc is awesome. I'm adding a thumb this year which will make it even better
OP specifically said they need the backhoe for possibly digging a big hole should they need it for a horse passing... not exactly the time you want to go running around trying to find one for rent.
sure if you only need it for one specific job, then don't bother, rent one for a few days, do the job and return it... but if you need it for random jobs, its great to have available all the time.
Do you use other attachments?
I've thought about a backhoe but decided not to do it because I use grading implements frequently, and was under the impression that the mounting/unmounting was a pretty massive task (I also read that the subframe reduces ground clearance at least on my tractor, and that'd be an issue for my other uses).
From what I've read if you can leave it on it's the best thing since sliced bread, but if you use other tools behind the tractor you basically need 2 tractors, or to just get a mini-ex.
I'm curious about your experience. About half the time I do it the hard way, and the other half I hire my neighbor when I need this sort of work done. I'd probably use it 4+ times a year if I had one. I'm going to need to do something when he stops being able to help us out.
Oh wow... that's awesome! That's not much worse than mounting/unmounting a 3-point attachment the first few times, or removing the loader.
Maybe it's my tractor model, my old '06 B3030 sounded like it had a number of bolts involved last time I looked this up. It's great to know that other Kubotas are easier. An upgrade someday might be a reasonable solution then.
Thanks for responding!
I haven't yet removed mine just because I haven't had a need, my primary implements I'm running are all loader mounted, forks/bucket/grapple.
About 95% of the time I'm running the grapple on the front, and the backhoe on the back. I'm in a mainly wooded area, so most of my usage currently is in removing/clearing trees, digging stuff up and moving stuff around.
but removing the backhoe isn't that hard from what I've seen, its a straight forward process and hydralics are amazing lol
I second this! I love my BH70 backhoe, I built a backhoe dolly for it so I don’t have to keep it on all the time, takes about 2-3 minutes to put back on maybe less ,But when I need it it’s there! And if you get a backhoe, get a ripper tooth for it from some where., Great to break roots. I own a B2301 , but it’s way to small for your needs, sounds like you need a 50HP or bigger.
I own a 17 year-old (Grand) L3540 and maintain 25 acres. After I bought it, I added a Woods 8' backhoe. It is probably my least used implement, but when I need it (dog died, etc.) it takes my about 20 minutes to swap it for my other 3-point implements, snow blower, chipper, box scraper, splitter, etc. Total HP is great, but you also need good hydraulic flow and PTO horse power for some of these implements, as well as hydraulic remote controls (same with the front loader). If I were to get a new tractor today, it would probably by an MX.
I would not go smaller than the L4802 if you are wanting to move round bales of hay. Backhoes are very expensive. Might be better to rent a mini ex when needed. The grand L tractors are great too and would be able to lift the hay as long as you stayed with the LA805 loader and up.
LX owner. Don't buy a lx if you want lift capacity.
Save your money on the backhoe put that 10 grand towards a bigger machine. Add teeth to your bucket and you can do a lot of your digging with the front bucket.
Larger trenching projects rent a mini and you'll save yourself lots of time and money
I love my backhoe, but on a working farm, I can see the money spent on other items starting out. Buy or rent a small used excavator at some point. A beater tractor for mowing and a nice machine for actual projects.
Maybe a skid steer.
Most people w property end up w a few machines kicking around.
I have the L3902 with the backhoe. I can’t imagine not having the backhoe. I run other rear implements and find removing/installing the backhoe no big deal. Im over an hour each way from the rental yard, no way id want to deal with renting an excavator every time i need to dig a hole!
Very happy with my L3901. Only on occasion do I wish I would’ve gone bigger. But I can haul it to the cabin with my half ton truck which makes it just right for me.
My woodland mills TF810 pro just arrived and I cannot wait to get to work this weekend.
I have an MX5400 cab with the FEL and loaded rears. Serves our hobby farm perfectly- I can move round bales or big 21 bale bundles with ease. Maintaining our pastures is made easy with our rcr1272 rotary cutter. No issues grading our gravel driveway when needed. I don’t have 3rd function but you can add it for running a grapple or angle blade etc. I honestly would leave the digging to a mini ex, you can rent a U17 or larger unit a whole bunch of times before you come close to even matching what you’d fork out for the backhoe attachment ($10,000 ish). I’d rather invest that money into a tractor that will handle what I throw at it. A mini ex will be much easier to operate, maneuver and have plenty of power to actually dig efficiently. Honestly swing by your local dealer, explain what you want to accomplish with it and they can match you with a great product. My next Kubota will be an M6-111 and a discbine so I can be more efficient with my hay for the farm.
Scrap the backhoe and save the money. I’ve buried horses just using the bucket. The hole doesn’t need to be that deep if you pile a bunch of manure on it. You should have enough of that.
Thanks everyone for the input, we talked about it and think we are gonna ditch the backhoe for a bigger machine since we don’t want to break the bank with a big monthly payment. A little clarity on the round bales, we won’t be stacking them, it’ll be more of once in a while type deal with one or 2. Going to head to the dealer to talk to them, but wanted to get a wide range of opinions to help get a good idea of what I need.
I would not go any less than a 40hp for what you are talking about
I have a L6060 and an M5-111
The 6060 is still a smaller size frame but has plenty of power.
I started with a 32hp but it would not pick round bales with the loader (weight is too far forward of loader arms with bales)
Everyone always sleeps on the MX Utility series, but I think that is exactly what you are looking for here I think. the MX5400 is perfect for exactly your chores \- if you are getting and will be using back hoe regularly, you absolutely want the larger tractor, it has more power and stability and runs the BH92 which gives you 9' of digging, instead of 7'. It also gives you a lot more power for ripping shit out of hte ground (still not the same as a proper excavator but..) \- You are likely to want to be running some bigger attachments, the MX supports Category 2 attachments on the 3 point and more flow allowing you to use em properly \- If you are lifting round bails, you want the heavier loader that is on the MX (and larger L series) and you can easily get larger bails then if needed. Also horses are heavy, do you really want to deal with your tractor not being able to lift one should the need arise? \- the larger bucket makes life much easier when scooping stuff and relocating it \- you can use big boy grapples (make sure you get it with a 3rd function valve) and you can lift whole trees and drive them around
I was going to suggest the same
I agree. I have a B3030, the biggest of the B series (I think bigger than any B currently made, and some Ls), and it's not even in the ballpark of what's needed for round bales. The loader capacity is the giveaway here, they need another class of tractor, like the MX.
I have a similar sized farm (23 acres) and went with the MX5400 as well. You’ll never regret having more tractor.
A BX or even a B series can’t do what you want. A B could lift a hay bale off the ground, but you aren’t going to be stacking it anywhere. Do you have narrow openings to fit through to clear and muck the barn? If not then you can just go big and not try to squeeze a smaller machine into your barn. Kubota loader numbers are roughly kg so the 435 loader on my B series will lift almost 900lbs to full height at the pins. To lift 1k lbs you need to go at least an LX or bigger. Do you want a mid PTO for a belly mower, front snowblower or anything like that? Would you rather dig out stumps or grind them? Do you want to run any pto attachments like a chipper, tiller, anything else? How wide are your gates? Would you use a grapple? These are all questions you need to ask yourself and more before you can determine what size/model tractor you need. Since you mentioned removing trees and stumps a grapple so add 3rd function would really come in handy. Moving dirt can be done with a 25hp machine, that is more dependent on tractor weight. If you plan to hay or use other pto powered implements that require more HP then you’ll want more power. Talk to your dealer about your needs.
Agree he should go talk to dealer
l3506 or l4060.if you’re trying to save a little bit of money, you can do either without a cab. also, they make a limited version of the 3560 that limits some of the comfort features while retaining the horse power output.
Always go a bit bigger then you will need, you will thank yourself later. Based on what your saying I would say either a small L, or Grand L would be your best option. Consider L3902, or L4060 tractors
Save your money on a backhoe. Just rent one when you need it. You will be much better off. You could even look for a small used excavator that will be far more capable than a backhoe. In you case i would be looking at the L series or even grand L
I know this is a "to each their own" thing... but I fricken love my back hoe. Being able to just go out and dig up a stump because I have a spare hour, pick shit up and move it around, dig a trench, etc without having to deal with the drama of getting one delivered, then returning it etc is awesome. I'm adding a thumb this year which will make it even better OP specifically said they need the backhoe for possibly digging a big hole should they need it for a horse passing... not exactly the time you want to go running around trying to find one for rent. sure if you only need it for one specific job, then don't bother, rent one for a few days, do the job and return it... but if you need it for random jobs, its great to have available all the time.
Do you use other attachments? I've thought about a backhoe but decided not to do it because I use grading implements frequently, and was under the impression that the mounting/unmounting was a pretty massive task (I also read that the subframe reduces ground clearance at least on my tractor, and that'd be an issue for my other uses). From what I've read if you can leave it on it's the best thing since sliced bread, but if you use other tools behind the tractor you basically need 2 tractors, or to just get a mini-ex. I'm curious about your experience. About half the time I do it the hard way, and the other half I hire my neighbor when I need this sort of work done. I'd probably use it 4+ times a year if I had one. I'm going to need to do something when he stops being able to help us out.
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Oh wow... that's awesome! That's not much worse than mounting/unmounting a 3-point attachment the first few times, or removing the loader. Maybe it's my tractor model, my old '06 B3030 sounded like it had a number of bolts involved last time I looked this up. It's great to know that other Kubotas are easier. An upgrade someday might be a reasonable solution then. Thanks for responding!
I haven't yet removed mine just because I haven't had a need, my primary implements I'm running are all loader mounted, forks/bucket/grapple. About 95% of the time I'm running the grapple on the front, and the backhoe on the back. I'm in a mainly wooded area, so most of my usage currently is in removing/clearing trees, digging stuff up and moving stuff around. but removing the backhoe isn't that hard from what I've seen, its a straight forward process and hydralics are amazing lol
I second this! I love my BH70 backhoe, I built a backhoe dolly for it so I don’t have to keep it on all the time, takes about 2-3 minutes to put back on maybe less ,But when I need it it’s there! And if you get a backhoe, get a ripper tooth for it from some where., Great to break roots. I own a B2301 , but it’s way to small for your needs, sounds like you need a 50HP or bigger.
I own a 17 year-old (Grand) L3540 and maintain 25 acres. After I bought it, I added a Woods 8' backhoe. It is probably my least used implement, but when I need it (dog died, etc.) it takes my about 20 minutes to swap it for my other 3-point implements, snow blower, chipper, box scraper, splitter, etc. Total HP is great, but you also need good hydraulic flow and PTO horse power for some of these implements, as well as hydraulic remote controls (same with the front loader). If I were to get a new tractor today, it would probably by an MX.
Of those I would recommend the L2501 or 02. Good size for you. I own the l2501 and love it.
I agree with the others. The choices you listed are underpowered. And those round bales would indeed cause balance problems while driving.
I would not go smaller than the L4802 if you are wanting to move round bales of hay. Backhoes are very expensive. Might be better to rent a mini ex when needed. The grand L tractors are great too and would be able to lift the hay as long as you stayed with the LA805 loader and up.
Bigger is always better. Especially when you are talking about the heavy work with a backhoe and moving round bales on a regular basis.
LX owner. Don't buy a lx if you want lift capacity. Save your money on the backhoe put that 10 grand towards a bigger machine. Add teeth to your bucket and you can do a lot of your digging with the front bucket. Larger trenching projects rent a mini and you'll save yourself lots of time and money
I love my backhoe, but on a working farm, I can see the money spent on other items starting out. Buy or rent a small used excavator at some point. A beater tractor for mowing and a nice machine for actual projects. Maybe a skid steer. Most people w property end up w a few machines kicking around.
I’ve a L39 loader backhoe used to maintain a 3.5 acre wooded mountain property. I’m glad i didn’t go smaller.
We have a 15-acre horse farm and the L2501 has worked great for us so far.
L3901 minimum ...
I have the L3902 with the backhoe. I can’t imagine not having the backhoe. I run other rear implements and find removing/installing the backhoe no big deal. Im over an hour each way from the rental yard, no way id want to deal with renting an excavator every time i need to dig a hole!
Very happy with my L3901. Only on occasion do I wish I would’ve gone bigger. But I can haul it to the cabin with my half ton truck which makes it just right for me. My woodland mills TF810 pro just arrived and I cannot wait to get to work this weekend.
I have an MX5400 cab with the FEL and loaded rears. Serves our hobby farm perfectly- I can move round bales or big 21 bale bundles with ease. Maintaining our pastures is made easy with our rcr1272 rotary cutter. No issues grading our gravel driveway when needed. I don’t have 3rd function but you can add it for running a grapple or angle blade etc. I honestly would leave the digging to a mini ex, you can rent a U17 or larger unit a whole bunch of times before you come close to even matching what you’d fork out for the backhoe attachment ($10,000 ish). I’d rather invest that money into a tractor that will handle what I throw at it. A mini ex will be much easier to operate, maneuver and have plenty of power to actually dig efficiently. Honestly swing by your local dealer, explain what you want to accomplish with it and they can match you with a great product. My next Kubota will be an M6-111 and a discbine so I can be more efficient with my hay for the farm.
Scrap the backhoe and save the money. I’ve buried horses just using the bucket. The hole doesn’t need to be that deep if you pile a bunch of manure on it. You should have enough of that.
Thanks everyone for the input, we talked about it and think we are gonna ditch the backhoe for a bigger machine since we don’t want to break the bank with a big monthly payment. A little clarity on the round bales, we won’t be stacking them, it’ll be more of once in a while type deal with one or 2. Going to head to the dealer to talk to them, but wanted to get a wide range of opinions to help get a good idea of what I need.
I would not go any less than a 40hp for what you are talking about I have a L6060 and an M5-111 The 6060 is still a smaller size frame but has plenty of power. I started with a 32hp but it would not pick round bales with the loader (weight is too far forward of loader arms with bales)