herefromthere
Bronze Member
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2011
- Messages
- 71
- Location
- Wet Side of WA
- Tractor
- Kubota L3200HST 4WD, BH77 w/Mechanical Thumb, Land Pride BB1572 Box Scraper
Sorry for the long post, but I want to try to get all of the considerations in one place. Thoughts would be most appreciated. I'm seriously contemplating a tractor loader backhoe purchase, and so far I've spoken to the big three dealers locally (green, blue, and orange.) Red paint (MF) wasn't quite as local and was a really small shop. My property has about 1/4 mile of driveway with some steep sections, a planned 50' x 100' of garden (max for now), lots of forest that I will be building some access trails into, a few of which would be nice to have tractor width. The rest will be singletrack, so not relevant for the tractor requirements.
Implements I forsee wanting include a box scraper, a small tiller, and something to help with skidding logs. The primary use won't be for that, but I will occasionally want to move logs over distance. Planned upgrades I'd like to start out with include: bolt on bucket cutting edge, 3 weld-on chain hooks on loader bucket, telescoping 3-point arms, ballasted R4 tires, I do have lots of hills, so stability is a big consideration. Re-grading the driveway, changing the pitch, and adding drainage will be ongoing projects. I will occasionally have to move some snow, and will initially do it with the front bucket, but may do something else later.
A backhoe is a pretty big extravagance, but they are really handy for plucking the root balls of the small alder trees that grow like weeds here on the wet side of Washington state on any disturbed ground. It will get used for that and the driveway drainage projects enough to justify it, I think. If not, well it's a pretty darned fun toy, isn't it? I have been planning on a mechanical thumb with 6 positions. Are the dealer-installed ones set up with some kind of relief or shear pin to avoid bending or breaking something spendy? I was reading the mechanical vs. hydraulic thumb thread, but don't fully understand it yet. Just getting the backhoe is extravagant, but to add a hydraulic thumb seems to push it over the edge.
At one point, I rented a John Deere 2305 and was pretty underwhelmed with just about everything. Quality seemed poor, and I constantly had to wrestle that seat. Some of the functions malfunctioned sporadically, and the backhoe had nowhere near enough force. The common advice on here is to always go big, but I want maneuverable as well. From my experience and from what I've read here and other places, I figure around 30HP is a good place for my intended uses. I will plan on keeping a separate mower of some type, so mowing/brush hogging isn't a concern for now. The tractors below may not be perfect apples to apples comparisons, but they are what the dealers recommended when presented with the same criteria. I'd love to have a loaded Kubota B26 or a Deere 110TLB, but the lottery #'s haven't been in my favor yet.
John Deere 3320
Barnett Equipment (Mount Vernon)
Thoughts and concerns: Green paint is really expensive. Turbo adds expensive parts, so what is the advantage if not trying to save weight if we're talking comparable HP? How compatible with other companies attachments is the Deere I-match stuff? I assume it's standard across the line. Like the non-corroding material for the loader arm/cylinder(?) surfaces. Also like the fact that it's a large, established dealer. Too heavy with loader & backhoe for my 7k gross car trailer w/18' deck.
New Holland T1510
Brim Tractor (Mount Vernon)
Thoughts and concerns: Seems like a good, basic tractor and very comparable to the Kubota L3200. Too heavy with loader & backhoe for my 7k gross car trailer w/18' deck.
Kubota L3200
Scholten's Equipment (Burlington)
Thoughts and concerns: That jerky valve on the 3-pt I keep hearing about. Flimsy plastic feeling steering wheel that actually feels weaker than the one on the B3300SU. Seems very comparable to the T1510. Would add the BH77 backhoe which looks very similar to the Woods BH80X on the NH T1510. Too heavy with loader & backhoe for my 7k gross car trailer w/18' deck.
Kubota B3300SU
Scholten's Equipment (Burlington)
Thougts and concerns: Quick attach loader bucket/skid steer compatibility not available. Would add the BH77 backhoe which looks very similar to the Woods BH80X on the NH T1510. Does the basic utility tractor get a better 3-point valve than the L-series? Lighter than L-series, and would use rotating seat for backhoe, so it would be both more maneuverable in use and towable fully loaded on my 7k gross trailer.
Due to the price, the turbo vs. natural aspiration, and the possible attachment compatibility, I'm leaning toward the Kubota L3200 or the New Holland T1510. Any thoughts, comments, and recommendations are welcome. If I should be considering other tractors or accessories, please add them. Thoughts on the dealers listed above would be great as well. Thanks in advance!
Implements I forsee wanting include a box scraper, a small tiller, and something to help with skidding logs. The primary use won't be for that, but I will occasionally want to move logs over distance. Planned upgrades I'd like to start out with include: bolt on bucket cutting edge, 3 weld-on chain hooks on loader bucket, telescoping 3-point arms, ballasted R4 tires, I do have lots of hills, so stability is a big consideration. Re-grading the driveway, changing the pitch, and adding drainage will be ongoing projects. I will occasionally have to move some snow, and will initially do it with the front bucket, but may do something else later.
A backhoe is a pretty big extravagance, but they are really handy for plucking the root balls of the small alder trees that grow like weeds here on the wet side of Washington state on any disturbed ground. It will get used for that and the driveway drainage projects enough to justify it, I think. If not, well it's a pretty darned fun toy, isn't it? I have been planning on a mechanical thumb with 6 positions. Are the dealer-installed ones set up with some kind of relief or shear pin to avoid bending or breaking something spendy? I was reading the mechanical vs. hydraulic thumb thread, but don't fully understand it yet. Just getting the backhoe is extravagant, but to add a hydraulic thumb seems to push it over the edge.
At one point, I rented a John Deere 2305 and was pretty underwhelmed with just about everything. Quality seemed poor, and I constantly had to wrestle that seat. Some of the functions malfunctioned sporadically, and the backhoe had nowhere near enough force. The common advice on here is to always go big, but I want maneuverable as well. From my experience and from what I've read here and other places, I figure around 30HP is a good place for my intended uses. I will plan on keeping a separate mower of some type, so mowing/brush hogging isn't a concern for now. The tractors below may not be perfect apples to apples comparisons, but they are what the dealers recommended when presented with the same criteria. I'd love to have a loaded Kubota B26 or a Deere 110TLB, but the lottery #'s haven't been in my favor yet.
John Deere 3320
Barnett Equipment (Mount Vernon)
Thoughts and concerns: Green paint is really expensive. Turbo adds expensive parts, so what is the advantage if not trying to save weight if we're talking comparable HP? How compatible with other companies attachments is the Deere I-match stuff? I assume it's standard across the line. Like the non-corroding material for the loader arm/cylinder(?) surfaces. Also like the fact that it's a large, established dealer. Too heavy with loader & backhoe for my 7k gross car trailer w/18' deck.
New Holland T1510
Brim Tractor (Mount Vernon)
Thoughts and concerns: Seems like a good, basic tractor and very comparable to the Kubota L3200. Too heavy with loader & backhoe for my 7k gross car trailer w/18' deck.
Kubota L3200
Scholten's Equipment (Burlington)
Thoughts and concerns: That jerky valve on the 3-pt I keep hearing about. Flimsy plastic feeling steering wheel that actually feels weaker than the one on the B3300SU. Seems very comparable to the T1510. Would add the BH77 backhoe which looks very similar to the Woods BH80X on the NH T1510. Too heavy with loader & backhoe for my 7k gross car trailer w/18' deck.
Kubota B3300SU
Scholten's Equipment (Burlington)
Thougts and concerns: Quick attach loader bucket/skid steer compatibility not available. Would add the BH77 backhoe which looks very similar to the Woods BH80X on the NH T1510. Does the basic utility tractor get a better 3-point valve than the L-series? Lighter than L-series, and would use rotating seat for backhoe, so it would be both more maneuverable in use and towable fully loaded on my 7k gross trailer.
Due to the price, the turbo vs. natural aspiration, and the possible attachment compatibility, I'm leaning toward the Kubota L3200 or the New Holland T1510. Any thoughts, comments, and recommendations are welcome. If I should be considering other tractors or accessories, please add them. Thoughts on the dealers listed above would be great as well. Thanks in advance!
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