Just wanted to know what people think about this type of tractor. I am looking at possibly getting a kubota MX5200HST but am not sure how well the HST will hold up over time due to never owning one. I drove one the other day for the first time and liked it pretty well. The thing I worry about is the fact that rubber o-rings are the only thing holding it together and that scares me a little. Before I started looking at the MX5200 I had my heart set on a 65 hp M6060 but the thing I worry about with it is the size of it having to maneuver it in between trees in one of my food plots. I've read where the HST transmission gets really hot if running at a steady speed for extended periods of time which I do quite a bit since I have a 6 acre yard that I cut with a 6 foot finish mower. The other thing I wonder about with the HST is how well it performs pulling and will hold up to pulling a heavy 6.5 ft browns disc.

There great. No problems out of mine in 6 years. The 6060 will be alot more tractor than that 5200. Hst is great.

If you've got that many trees and small plots, this is where hydrostat shines. Gear tractors are awesome, especially with shuttle shift, but for someone dodging a bunch of trees and frequently turning, I'd favor a hydrostatic tractor.

I love my 45 hp HST but, for heavy dirt work Id go gear. The HST is a dream for loader and grapple type work. I even like it bush hogging as its so quick to fwd/rev and hit missed spots or around trees.

Love mine

At the moment I've only got 1 plot that has quite a few trees in it the other 2 are wide open but small. I looked the specs up for both tractors on tractordata.com and the m6060 is 73 inches wide vs 69 for the mx5200. The length of the m6060 is 138 inches vs 126 inches for the mx5200 and these measurements are with no loader so I'm sure that'll add a little bit to the width and at least a few feet to the length.

I've had a L5740 for 4 or 5 years now. Mowing 6 acres is nothing with a 6' finishing mower.

I have one. Great for loader work but during general use I can't say they have much of an advantage over a shuttle shift. I'm just 50/50 on it. Can't really say I love it or hate it. Sometimes it is great other times it is annoying.

ALDeer seems to be the world's epicenter of people doing loader work. I'm convinced some on here must put their food plots in with their buckets. Personally I spend more time driving in gear than changing gears moving back and forth every 30 seconds. If you have that many tight spaces with that many things to cut around... maybe think about a chainsaw... I don't know.

FEL are cool but make for a ruff ride. I take the bucket off or the whole loadernwhen I know I dont need it. A FEL is like alot of things, it's better to have and not need it than to need it and not have it. I think they make tractors get stuck more often too and the loader usually isn't strong enough to push the machine out

Uncle Huck loves his little lawn mower with hydrostatic drive.
Real men like gears.

I own a 2017 MX5200 hst . I worked side by side with my bil on a gear tractor. I could do 2 to 1 the work he could. His tractor was a big ford.

Sounds like lots of other folks like hydrostat as well, you grumpy young fart. I can say that because you revealed that you are younger than me, and you should learn to respect your elders.

I also moved into the modern era, and have an automatic transmission in my truck instead of 3 on the tree like I drove when I was a kid.

If I needed a tractor that large, that's exactly what I would buy. Kubota figured out hydrostatic drive a long time ago, and has been making reliable units since the 90's for sure, maybe longer than that.

Regardless of what some might say, most heavy equipment made today is hydrostatic drive, which lets you know the reliability is there. Ease of use is just a bonus.

Great tractor, just don’t like the ‘whine’ HST tractors make.

HST is awesome! It will lose traction before it bogs down, therefore power isn’t a problem. After driving gear tractors for 20 years I now wouldn’t have a tractor under 75hp without HST.

I have a new MX5200 HST. We put 6 hours on it today pushing up some brush and moving dirt. Never cut it off. It works like it’s supposed to. 257 might disagree with me but it’s as good as ANY 50hp tractor on the market. Fill the tires and it works bigger than it really is.

Loaded work the HST shines. Right hand on loader lever, left hand on steering wheel, forward and reverse with right foot.

Another thing to consider IF you're stuck on the MX is the other transmission offered in it is NOT a shuttle shift. It's a straight gear transmission. You can shift 1-2-3-4 on the go (may grind a little) but forward to reverse requires almost stopped and high to low a dead stop. There are dealers who call that a shuttle shift. I prefer to think they're uninformed rather than liars though.

The M6060 and 7060 (same frame size) DO HAVE a true shuttle shift. It's a manual linkage shift, unlike the electric switch operated one in the John Deere. The JD one is nice but there's a certain level of durability in levers and linkage and bolts and nuts versus wires and solenoids.

The MX also comes standard with cruise control, eliminating the "I have to hold my foot down the WHOLE TIME!" refrain so many people make. Yes, you hold the pedal down on a HST (that doesn't have cruise control) just like you do the accelerator pedal on your truck/car. The horror.



Bush hogging is also a great place to appreciate an HST. You're running the speed you want to ALL THE TIME. Getting thick? Slow down as much or as little as needed. Thinning out, speed up as much or little as needed. Yes, HST uses up some of the HP the tractor makes. You make that up and then some by running at the most efficient speed all the time. You'll get the same job done faster even with less power. The gear drive is always Goldilocks. One gear is too fast, but the one below it seems too slow.



There's no right or wrong answer. Try them both, buy what you like. It's your money.

Got a 2008 mx5200 gear, FEL 4x4, very pleased with mine,. I say pick your poison HST/GEAR can't go wrong with either. I will also add with a FEL and bush hog it's a long tractor

Would not recommend HST. The clutch went on my Kabota three times in 10yrs. Expensive as hell to replace. I must say I worked mine to death during that time.