Kubotas at play. Er, I mean work!

If shopping Kubota, do check out the Grand L60 series. The little picture on the website does not do them justice. In my comparison between my L3130 grand and a buddy's former L3400....Grand is physically larger and heavier, has more amenities (rubber floor mat, digital dash, cruise, etc), nearly silent HST transmission on the grand compared to a quite noisy one on the L3400, Ram steering vs regular steering box and tie rods. I only paid $1500 more (at the time), but got a lot more tractor for it. The L3400 does have a higher HP rating at the PTO.

My buddy recently sold his L3400 and got himself a Johnny Popper. Nice tractor with only 400 hours on the clock. Too big for what I do. Nothing wrong with the 3400, he just wanted a bigger toy, I guess.

 

The guy I bought my flail mower from runs an estate management business and has had quite a few Kubotas. He was disappointed in how much PTO power he lost with the HST transmission.

On the other hand, we don’t get any younger. Our synchro was fine for my wife when we bought it, but she has trouble doing a lot of clutch work now.

 

I have become HST 'spoiled'. There are very few instances when I'd rather have a gearbox. Road transit is one...the HST tops out at about 15 mph at 2500rpm. Geared tractors seem to be able to make about 20mph if not more.

 

I finally had a chance to try the box blade yesterday. Man that thing can dig up some rocks! I felt like a kid out picking rocks in the potato fields again lol.

 

Unless your going a long ways you aren't saving much time with a tractor doing 5 miles an hr faster, then you still have to deal with how much it would slow you down everywhere else .

 

Does anyone know the difference here. My L3800 is loud especially compared to a gearbox lol.

 

I haven't any idea what the differences would be. I thought something was wrong with my buddies tractor when he first got it. That's how much louder. My tractor isn't silent, but it doesn't groan like his did. I can say that the HST capacity on mine is ~12 gallons, where his was only 5-6.

Edit: No pic, but rolled a front tire off bead yesterday in the same place where I got drowned last week. It's beginning to look like I'm never going to get that tract's bush hogging finished. Had to walk about a mile back to 'base camp'. Got the buggy and a jack and went and pulled the tire & rim.


Heading up there after work to remount the tire today. Couldn't get it with a strap and the air I had available. We have a tire machine here at work.

 

Do a search at orange tractor talk forum and you’ll get all kinds of feedback on HST noise in L series tractors. My L2501 isn’t noisy unless I forget the park brake on lol. It comes with the new synthetic oil in it and from what I’ve read that’s making a difference. I couldn’t tell you if it would improve an older tractor but you can probably find that answer on the other forum.

 

I was at the dealer again yesterday prowling around the tractors. The 3901hst fits the bill well but I do have some concerns.

1. I don' like how the tie rods are exposed and asking to be bent especially when working out in the wood lot. If they were to get bent, replacing one looks rather easy but would it cause damage to the steering box or knuckle?

2. I don't like how the step and floor are flimsy. I can deal with it though.

3. Can the loader (la525) with forks installed lift a full pallet of hardwood? By full, I mean stacked 4x4x4. From looking at the capacity ratings and weight of the wood on the FHC charts, it doesn't seem feasable. I'll have to put less on each pallet I suppose.

My gut tells me I should maybe step up to the 4701. I definitely don't need 47hp but the loader capacity and overall weight increase is great for logging. Only problem is that I can barely afford the 3901 let alone the extra bills for the next step up.

 

1) You are correct that these and all other similar tractors are not really "armoured" for woods work. They all have some vulnerabilities. Just be careful.
2) Meh?
3) Don't know about this.
4) L4701 is a big step up from L3901. But if you can't afford it, then don't buy it. No need to go into debt for a firewood tractor.

 

3. No. I believe la525 means about 525kg. Throw in the weight of the forks, and you might (might ) get half that volume lifted when dry. You might investigate 3pt hitch forks to gain some extra umph.

 

You are talking about a half cord of wood-probably a ton minimum. I don't the 525 loader would begging to lift that. I'm not sure the FEL on a 4701 would do it-you probably need something labeled LA 1000 something.
The 3901 is a great tractor, but I got into a L3560 with the 805 FEL for about $ 3,000 more after I put cruise control and upgraded 3 point hitch stabilizers on the 3901. The Grand Ls solve the other concerns you have about the 3901-flimsy floor and steering design.

 

Yes, I agree. The Grand L's have a whole lot of nice details over the Standard L's.

 

You won’t be lifting half a cord with a L3901, but maybe 1/3 or so if you’re not lifting it very high. My L2501 will lift more than I expected it would just high enough to carry but I couldn’t give you a weight. I haven’t tried pallets of wood yet but at some point that’s my plan also. It will vary considerably by species, and how dry it is of course.

 

I had not realized this when I purchased mine (did very little research, found tractor at dealer I liked, price was right), but am glad I got what I got. The 3pt upgrades are almost worth it all on their own (are they still using external lift cylinders?). Also, no/low step over on operator platform with rubber mat, more robust steering, larger fluid capacity, and usually a little more heft/weight to them.

 

L2501 will have the same load capacity of the L3901.

 

Yeah, my older L3710 is a Grand L, but I didn't necessarily know that when I picked it up, either.

 

Almost forgot the 'tool box' behind the seat! lol Can't fit much in there, but I have mine stuffed with pins, clips, a small hammer and a big adjustable wrench. It was also the place I used to carry my saws (on top) until I made a scabbard.

 

Yes the Grands still have the external lift cylinders. I was surprised at the price difference-I thought it would along the lines of $5,000 or so-hadn't considered the L3560 until I got the quotes-glad I asked for quotes on both tractors.