# John Deere 6125M



## Rockvalley rob (Feb 25, 2010)

My work just purchased a 6125M and expect delivery of it by the end of June. We are now trying to decide what type of plow we will use. It does have a loader but we do not really need it in the winter to load our dump trucks because we have a wheel loader for that. We are looking at a HLA Snowwing 12-18 or a Kage 12' box. The Kage is fairly new and unproven while the HLA seems to get good reviews. Do you think the 12' HLA is the right size for this tractor?


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## dodge2500 (Aug 20, 2009)

We run deere tractors one being a 6310 with a 640 loader and a 12' arctic ld pusher and the other being a 7520 with a 740 loader and a boss bx12 box. Both machines handle those boxes well. I would think for most applications that a 12' plow or pusher of any brand would work well as long as the tractor is ballasted properly.


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## DeereGuy (Dec 12, 2003)

Rockvalley, I have the limit of one season under my belt with a 5115M 9-15 metalpless blade and rear snowblower. I decided on the 9-15 based on the fact that I needed to travel on public roads between acts. That said a 10-16 would be what I would consider the best choice for my machine. Any larger and all the late season wet snow we get here would simply be too heavy. Also I plow with the storm between parked rows of cars and that is as big as I'd want to go for that reason. I don't use my H310 for it though as the undermount factory frame just seemed like the better way to go for me. More compact and probably stronger. Though stacking would arguably be better with the loader. I will need more weight over my tires next season which should make turning more predictable. 

My configuration is a little big for small broken up lots and a little small for walmart sized jobs. Though perhaps the front ballast would boost my confidence on the larger jobs were it in place. 

Your machine is bigger and heavier so 12-18 might be great if you normally dont have the heavy snow we get here. I do like the option to windrow and find it can really speed things up on certain storms. The MetalPless blade is quite a pc of engineering. TH400 steel throughout with soft trip and wings that trip in the box configuration. Very nice. It may be more money than the HLA. I don't really know. I would suggest a comparison.


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## Rockvalley rob (Feb 25, 2010)

Thank you for the feedback. It is nice to hear it works before you make a purchase. We decided on the 12' HLA after seeing one up close. Was very impressed with the way it was made. Did also get a quote from Metal Pliss and they look like very good plows. Came down to a HLA dealer being close to us.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

A 12-18 Snowing was a good choice for that tractor. It will push it just fine. The only thing I might suggest a little more ballast for the rear. We run wheel weights on all of our tractors.


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## Rockvalley rob (Feb 25, 2010)

We ordered it with a rear ballast box and one rear wheel weight. Do we need more then this, or will that be sufficient? Any front weights needed? Can not wait to receive and try this tractor and the HLA next winter.


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## DeereGuy (Dec 12, 2003)

I have loaded rear R1's so added around 1600lbs plus the rear blower is 1200lbs or so. First winter indicated great need for another 1000lb or more over front axle. I will probably ballast front tires to acheive the 1000lbs. Losing steerage as the weight in the front box builds was a normal occurrence. I would have to lift front blade/box in an effort to put weight on tires. Lead cast to a shape that would sit on my frame over the front tires would be my first choice but not sure I will have the time to deal with that this summer.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

DeereGuy;1628501 said:


> I have loaded rear R1's so added around 1600lbs plus the rear blower is 1200lbs or so. First winter indicated great need for another 1000lb or more over front axle. I will probably ballast front tires to acheive the 1000lbs. Losing steerage as the weight in the front box builds was a normal occurrence. I would have to lift front blade/box in an effort to put weight on tires. Lead cast to a shape that would sit on my frame over the front tires would be my first choice but not sure I will have the time to deal with that this summer.


I'd be very leary of the front end of a 5000 series. They're not heavy enough to load the front tires. Even with our 8000 series tractors we still have ot feather the blade up to turn or get more traction.


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## Rockvalley rob (Feb 25, 2010)

So JD Dave you would recommend no weight on the front, just in the rear for a 6125M? Since you have a lot of experience with tractors, I would definitely would like to hear your opinion. Thanks.


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

JD Dave;1628636 said:


> I'd be very leary of the front end of a 5000 series. They're not heavy enough to load the front tires. Even with our 8000 series tractors we still have ot feather the blade up to turn or get more traction.


Have to tell my operator that, he's always complaining about lack of traction\turning on my 'bota.

I do it in trucks some time, not sure why it's such a big deal. I did it when I ran that tractor in the biggest storm we've had since we got a tractor-16".

I figure just get over it, adapt and overcome.


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## Big Dog D (Oct 1, 2005)

dfd9;1628644 said:


> I figure just get over it, adapt and overcome.


You are so Old Skool !!!

All the Kool Kidz just biatch, moan, groan and want more money needing to adapt for something like that.

wesport


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## DeereGuy (Dec 12, 2003)

Well I think a little weight couldnt hurt for my situation. It is the M series front not the e series india made. I think the specs are closer to a 6 series. Think how much a loader arm configuration weighs in relation to the undermount frame and when in float mode the front has no weight added at all. I feel comfortable with 1000lbs or so added and will do so this summer. I should say, I need to do so this summer. I hate being pulled into those light poles...


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

There is no need to add any weight to the front of a tractor with a front blade as you'll still need to feather the blade to turn. Filling front tires will be expensive in the end and I know this for fact. Not sure why feathering a blade to transfer weight when needed is such a big deal.


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

It isn't.....


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## DeereGuy (Dec 12, 2003)

well.., we don't all have large straight pushes. I need to negotiate a lot of islands and small lot issues. If i cant scrape and plow I might as well use my truck mted v-plow. Faster and quicker but with less capacity weight and volume and blade width and less abillity to scrape. The tractor and pusher has to earn its own way. If you're saying I need to lift i.e. unweight it, than I may as well scrape with my v-blade because I can float that blade and negotiate turns and scrape at 9.5 ft very well. The tractor at a combined 1600lbs should prove to do all of that given the weight and cost. My opinion....Bottom line, I will figure it out... or if it can't pull it's weight, it's gone....


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

DeereGuy;1628734 said:


> well.., we don't all have large straight pushes. I need to negotiate a lot of islands and small lot issues. If i cant scrape and plow I might as well use my truck mted v-plow. Faster and quicker but with less capacity weight and volume and blade width and less abillity to scrape. The tractor and pusher has to earn its own way. If you're saying I need to lift i.e. unweight it, than I may as well scrape with my v-blade because I can float that blade and negotiate turns and scrape at 9.5 ft very well. The tractor at a combined 1600lbs should prove to do all of that given the weight and cost. My opinion....Bottom line, I will figure it out... or if it can't pull it's weight, it's gone....


Generally when your going around islands doing detail work you don't have a full pusher. Also my guys seem to use the hydraulic wing so they can basically go straight and just move the wing to follow the curb. I've only plowed with tractors commercially for 24 years and my dad did it about 18 years before me. We've tried lots of differnet combo's and maybe you know all of this but I'm just trying to help you out. We don't plow with pickups our tractors do all of the plowing and detail work. Your tractor should outplow your pickup very easily 2-1 and scrape better the weigh it's setup now. Hope you get it fugured out.


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## DeereGuy (Dec 12, 2003)

Thanks JD, I know you have experience to back up your opinion. I respect that and appreciate your efforts to point me in the right direction. As I unweight the plow I lose my scrape and I feel I have lost my efficiency if I have to go back and hit it again. Usually on this lot I don't have time to mess around. This is my largest lot and they rarely close and most days from noon to midnight the lot does an 80 percent turnover every hr. It's a kids indoor soccer arena with multiple fields and it is brutal. I typically plow right before opening and salt the crap out of it. And then keep salting until the lot empties out at meal times.

Honestly the biggest problem was Me. My lack of time given that I had more accounts than I could get to in a timely manner if the storm timing was bad or if I had any hiccups. I hired a guy early to drive my salt truck and help open lots and when he didn't work out I never replaced him. That was my decision and will make obvious changes next season. So some of my frustration with the learning curve was that I could not give myself a break during the season. I was still successful but it was tougher than it should have been. The fall tractor purchase and some 10 wks later finally a delivery the night before the first big snow was not the way I would have planned my season. It's in the past now thankfully. I have time to rethink and plan an attack for next season. 

My dealer also runs a bunch of machines for snow work and it was his suggestion that it couldnt hurt to add a little weight to the front. He would put liquid in the fronts were it him. He runs 6 series primarily. And they have more weight to begin with. I would say, I really recognize the tractors ability in large storms. Or during storms that are timed such that I get to plow 6" or more at once. This year I saw almost none of that. Usually I plowed with the storm during business hours 3" or less at a wack to make my rounds over and over. The blizzard we had was an exception. We just dont see the snow you get. We may have had around 70 inches plus or minus with many 2-3" storms early and a few 5-12 inch storms late plus the blizzard which was 22".

Perhaps it is simply my impatience in the speed department coming from doing everything in the truck before. The Tractor is still faster in the end because of the sheer volume it can contain but I am always trying to keep my speed up and have had enough scares to be wary of carving next to lines of parking barrier posts which unfortunately my largest lot is riddled with. I also hit asphalt curbs too many times hard enough to carve off material. My fisher v with curb shoes would simply ride up or relief angle under the same circumstances. The Metal Pless held strong and would peel asphalt. Round Curb shoes may be in order there but not sure. The metal pless wing corners have 45 deg cutouts for granite curbing which is not as prevalent around here as the formed asphalt. All of it is a learning curve for me.

I cannot windrow to the barriers where the posts are on my biggest lot as the slope drainage on that lot is awful and I am always fighting the thaw refreeze problem there. So I angle my blade away from the line of barriers a bit, angle my wing on the barrier side out to carve off what I can and angle the far side wing fully boxed to contain. I am trying to carve off the snow and have it slide down and be contained on the far side as to not have the tractor be pulled into the barriers. This works all well and good until two things happen. The snow is too sticky and will not slide down the blade or, the far side wing reaches enough capacity to allow a sudden piling up of the carving wing and in a split second the blade is pulled dangerously into the barrier posts. 

My reaction is usually to quickly steer away from the barrier with no result and total loss of steerage and no time to angle the wing or lift the blade before the next post so a stop is initiated. Posts are 6 ft apart. We had a lot of wet cement snow this season which did not help. That really is the crux of the situation. Wet, heavy sticky snow in quantity is just plain hard to move no matter what you are using. Unfortunately, that is no excuse when it comes to having all accounts clean and safe in a timely manner. Were it all cold and dry, I would not be *****ing about tractor or operator...Me. Well, that was my season. It could have been better. It could have been worse...


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## Rockvalley rob (Feb 25, 2010)

Would having a ballast box (like I have) or a snow blower hanging on the back make the front end lighter, causing more steering problems? Would it be better to just run rear wheel weights and nothing else?


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

Rockvalley rob;1629301 said:


> Would having a ballast box (like I have) or a snow blower hanging on the back make the front end lighter, causing more steering problems? Would it be better to just run rear wheel weights and nothing else?


That's actually a good question but if you need the blower it doesn't really matter. Thinking of a teeter totter the blower would take more weight off the front. Not sure if you guys run your blades in float or not but we don't. We tried but we never found they pushed right in doing so.


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## DeereGuy (Dec 12, 2003)

I can't make float work for me as I have no ability to angle, lift or anything with the elec joystick control in float mode. I have to take it out of float first and it just takes too long. I have some mechanical float in the front built in but I'd like a little more.


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## dfd9 (Aug 18, 2010)

JD Dave;1629303 said:


> That's actually a good question but if you need the blower it doesn't really matter. Thinking of a teeter totter the blower would take more weight off the front. Not sure if you guys run your blades in float or not but we don't. We tried but we never found they pushed right in doing so.





DeereGuy;1629309 said:


> I can't make float work for me as I have no ability to angle, lift or anything with the elec joystick control in float mode. I have to take it out of float first and it just takes too long. I have some mechanical float in the front built in but I'd like a little more.


Guess it was a different thread that I made the comment in, but running pushers or plows on tractors\loaders is stupid advice given by many manufacturers that apparently have no idea how it actually works.


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