Kubota MX series walk around and features

We're going to do a quick walk around the machine here and show you some of the features and functions of the tractor. See if this may be the right machine for you. Kubota has a rather complex product line and sometimes it's difficult to really establish what is the right tractor for you.

Kubota offers an L-series of machines that are really geared towards landscape task. Ones where you don't necessarily want a big heavy tractor.

Ones where the weight of the machine will simply cost you to write up loans, to cause damage to turf applications where a big, heavy, bulky tractor is really not necessary. As you move up in the product line, you'll start to shift into the M-series tractors. Where now you're getting in the machines that are intentionally heavy tractors made for more utilitarian type task. Where you'll start to get more clutching gear type transmissions that are really geared towards more ground engaging work where weight becomes a necessity.

The MX-series is kind of a bridge between those two. Where we're starting to move out of landscape type task and into more utilitarian type task. We still want a tractor that has an available hydro-static transmission. Is this so physically large that it's hard to get around? That's kind of the niche that the MX operates. Kubota does offer several standard series tractors. In the L-series, you'd see the 01-series machines, the 3301, 3901, 4701. Then, you just start to move up into the MX as you continue forward.

This tractor shares a lot in common with an L4701. When you sit them side by side, they're nearly the same size tractors. In fact, they look almost exactly the same. One place the MX differs from an L4701, is in the rear end. This is a category two, three-point hitch, with the physically heavier and larger rear end than what's used in an L4701. The customer who would want that would typically be the guy who's doing more ground engaging type work.

Where you want a little bit more weight in the rear end of the tractor or you're going to start running some larger implements that are going to use category two pins rather than category one pins. Typically, you're going to find that to be large, heavy rotary cutters when you start to move into medium duty stuff, for it's physically a lot more weighty than say, a standard duty cutter. Even in this size, you can comfortably get into some 84-inch cutters that would run okay on this machine.

Then the 84-inch ones and the medium duty, they can start to weigh quite a lot. Category two pins become a necessity for those larger implements. This is still a standard series tractor. While the three-point hitch does have a deluxe adjustment for the tilt, you're still using term back holes without extendable link arms in order to put your attachments on. Those are some upgraded features that you'll find in Kubota's more deluxe tractors.

All the MX-series tractors use a four-cylinder Kubota diesel engine. That heart of the engine is really what Kubota has become known for over the years. The 48-horse motor right here is naturally aspirated while the 52 and the 58-horse versions are turbocharged. Being that these are all Tier 4 final track because they do have diesel protect lift rotors up here on the top. If you've read about or heard about these things before, essentially what they do is take the place of a muffler capturing soot that comes out of the engine.

Once they plug up it needs to go through a burn cycle which purges the soot out. In a tractor like this, you'll typically see that happen about every 30-50 hours or so. Generally, on a machine like this, it's nothing to worry about. Operate your tractor at reasonable rpm so you have good hot exhaust and go operate the machine and it basically takes care of itself. As you work your way back to the engine compartment here, you can see Kubota's actually put some thought into making this tractor easy to service.

The battery, perhaps the most common thing that you get out under the hood is right here. I don't know how you could have an easier battery to change out than this one. Others come and checks right here for your -- Radiator fluid is right in the front, all of your radiator and hydraulic coolers is right here in the front as well, making them really easy to get out and clean if you need to.

The air filter is a large canister right here in the front. It's easy to pop that guy open and slide the element out to check it. Simple things like oil filters and dipsticks are located right around this side. The dipstick for the engine is right here at the bottom. You don't even have to lift a cowling or anything out of the way to get to it. It's right here at the side of the machine, a very, very easy machine to get around to take care of all of your periodic maintenance.

One thing that's often not talked about on Kubota tractors is the way that they set up their steering angle on the front axles. If you located how far around I was able to cock this tire, coming nearly around to the hood. They used a bell gear fine axle design that allows for really tight steering angle. It makes this a very maneuverable tractor even with a little bit longer wheelbase. If you're making passes back and forth, if you're mowing, you're not having to make a wide turns around to get back in row for next line.

You simply cock this thing around and away you go. You also notice some of their fine axle here and all the cylinders and everything are covered with shielding to keep everything out of the way. Rubber boots around all the moving spots to keep any kind of grasses or debris that you run into from getting caught up underneath the tractor. There are two main transmissions options offered on an MX-series tractor and that would be either hydro-static or gear. The gear type transmissions will typically have a shuttle shift and a gear selector.

You shift between those gears so the clutch much like you would on a manual transmission car. The hydro-static option is for us, the more popular of the options. It is a little bit easier, more accessible transmission to operate and is only normally more expensive given the cost of the tractor. To operate the hydro-static simply, all you do is push the pedal forward to go faster, and push the pedal back to the rear.

There's a three-range mechanical transmission that would give you a low, medium, high, that would say, "Set that operating range to about 0-5, 0-10 or 0-15 miles an hour." Simply, it drives like a big lawn mower. The harder you press, the faster you go. That's a great transmission for doing load of work and all kinds of versatile attachments that you can put on these tractors. For somebody who's simply going to go out and cut with a rotary cutter and just go out and mow the back forth.

Sometimes, a gear transmission is a fine choice where you're just going to kick the thing in gear and for an hour or two. If you're going to be doing a lot of direction changes or need to be doing precision work, I hydrostatic transmission is a great option. The dash of the tractor down here is really nice, and clean, and uncluttered. There's an analog gauge right here in the middle giving you a tact, showing you exactly what your PTO and engine RPMs are along with an hour meter down here in the bottom, a fuel gauge and a bunch of lights coming up here in the side to give you engine state and any kind of operating information.

Down here along the side, you'll see the control for the three-point hitch. To move this up and down, optional draft control or rear remotes are available for those slots right there. To engage and disengage the PTO, you have this knob that you push push and turn to turn it on or tap it to turn it off. Back around the other side, we have two other levers, mechanical cruise control. If you want to drive at a constant speed for a long period of time, you just push that dial four.

It will make the tractor drive at a constant speed by holding down the hydro-static pedal. Then, the range selector for the transmission, low, medium, or high. I like to say, "Loader, mower, highway." More often than not, that's how these things get used. To engage and disengage your four-wheel driver right back here on the bottom, there's a diff-lock back here on your rear heel.

That about sums it up. Like I said, this is a standard series tractor giving all the features that are needed, but not a whole lot of unnecessary extras. That's the Kubota MX-series. If you find yourself needing a tractor or any kind of parts or service needs for a machine like this, give us a call at Messick's. We're available at 800-222-3373 or online at www.mesicks.com