Am I Going to Wear Myself Out?

   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #1  

5thGenTexan

Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2012
Messages
48
Location
Van Alstyne, Texas
Tractor
Kubota Grand L3130
Soon my shop will be finished and I will at least have a place to keep a tractor out of the weather. So, I'm ready to buy. At one end of the spectrum I am looking at a $15,000 Kubota L4330 with all sorts of bells and whistles. Another option I am considering is a $4750 MF 150 that I would need to add a loader to. The link ends on the Grand L are something that I am not really impressed by at all. I learned how to back up to an implement on a MF 135, get off and hook up and go. Bells and whistles like that are not something I feel are important. My main area of concern is that of transmission shifting differences. I know with the MF I will be clutching alot and shifting between forward and reverse during any sort of loader work. Is the hydrostatic transmission REALLY worth the premium over the old and proven MF?
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #2  
I think the HST is the cat's meow for loader uses and mowing in wooded areas. I have had a lot of old iron over the years and they were great, but the newer ones with the bells and whistles are better. The extendable hitch on the 3pt. arms are great for heavier attachments, particularly with implements like post hole diggers. Kubotas are exceptionally reliable although they are light. My last two small tractors have been Kubota tractors and they are definitely my favorites. The HST's require more fuel than geared, but they are worth it as well.
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #3  
There will always be some who prefer the manual transmission over the HST, just as there are those who prefer a manual transmission over an automatic in cars and trucks. That's the reason they make both kinds. I've used both manual and automatic in cars and trucks and I've used both manual and HST in tractors. And I'm now one who prefers the automatic or HST, especially with a front end loader or in any application where I'll be changing direction (forward and back) a great deal.
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #4  
Also great are HST transmissions when using a back hoe. No need to shift to neutral, get off mount the backhoe and reverse order to move it, just leave it in gear and use the HST to move forward or back as needed. I have a special rod that I keep on my B26hoe that I can reach up with it and push the HST pedal when I need to move. For mowing or anything where a constant speed is needed for minutes or hours, an HST pedal can get a bit much. Some tractors have a cruise control on the HST but that would be one of the "bells and whistles" that the OP mentioned that didnt impress him.
The telescoping lift arms are a must have on any tractor for one man hook up unless you enjoy getting on and off the tractor, pulling and tugging on the implement to get it lined up with the pins.
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #5  
I never heard of any-one complaining about the extendable end-links;only if they didn't have them.If you don't want them look at the standard L's not the Grand L's.I grew up on standard shift tractors..wouldn't be without HST,at least for what I do with a tractor.
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #6  
. My main area of concern is that of transmission shifting differences. I know with the MF I will be clutching alot and shifting between forward and reverse during any sort of loader work. Is the hydrostatic transmission REALLY worth the premium over the old and proven MF?

if you truly are going to be using this as a loader machine for primary use.. you may want to get something with a pseudo shuttle (like the ford 5spd ).. ore a real F/R shuttle.. or a hydro.

i'm not big on shuttle/hydro for regular open field work / open mowing.. but if you will maneuver alot.. etc... it woudl be worth it IMHO...
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #7  
You can get alot of work out of the old MF for 4750. Where are you going to get a loader and how much will it cost? The Kubota will be way more user friendly/ comfortable, and a better hydraulic system. If have had and ran old tractors and I would prefer the newer one. If you are talking about the telescopic lift arms you will like them the first time you hook up to a implement.
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #8  
If you don't have a tractor and need one then either one is a huge improvement. If you had alot of loader work to do and had an older gear tractor and a newer hydrostatic tractor both sitting side by side I think you would find in a very short time that you would go for the hydro tractor the most. I really like my older gear tractor and it is in good shape but I make my living with the hydro tractors.

About the hitches and options, I can back up and hook up most implements without much difficulty using a standard hitch. I can use the telescopic hitches and hookup a heavy implement faster and easier than using the standard hitch. With the IMatch hitch I can hookup most of my implements without leaving the cab in less than a minute. I don't see much reason to do anything the hard way so almost everything I have is set up for IMatch.
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #9  
I'm a big fan of HST for casual acreage use.

My annual use more than tripled with the HST over the former gear tractor. Some of the increase is due to the new tractor's better features and stability, but the main factor is the HST. I am retired and can have back problems if I do too much twisting. The old gear tractor caused me back problems because I had to keep the left foot over the tunnel and down by the clutch. With the HST I can sit at an angle if I have to reverse or glance behind. Of course any flat platform would be an improvement but not having to keep my left foot by the clutch is a big improvement.

For hilly, twisting, and confined work I feel the HST is much safer. You can creep in confined or hilly places and easily accelerate when clear. There's an advantage when backing close to a structure too. A slip with a clutch is more apt to result in damage as opposed to slipping off an HST pedal.

So, if you're getting on in years or expect to have the tractor when you are older HST offers some advantages.
 
   / Am I Going to Wear Myself Out? #10  
5thGenTexan said:
Soon my shop will be finished and I will at least have a place to keep a tractor out of the weather. So, I'm ready to buy. At one end of the spectrum I am looking at a $15,000 Kubota L4330 with all sorts of bells and whistles. Another option I am considering is a $4750 MF 150 that I would need to add a loader to. The link ends on the Grand L are something that I am not really impressed by at all. I learned how to back up to an implement on a MF 135, get off and hook up and go. Bells and whistles like that are not something I feel are important. My main area of concern is that of transmission shifting differences. I know with the MF I will be clutching alot and shifting between forward and reverse during any sort of loader work. Is the hydrostatic transmission REALLY worth the premium over the old and proven MF?

Can't go wrong with HST for you intended use. Now get the right sized tractor for your intended future use.
 
 
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