3400 vs 4400

[art]

Originally Posted by Gamer1524

yeah 4 wheel drive is must....I know HST is nice..but I I have heard the pro's and cons...the one issue that the Kubota seems to have on the HST is the drive pump seems to be a week spot..that and the extra cost of the HST is not worth it to me...but on the flip side I hear replacing the clutch can be an expensive thing to do...the old 9n I am replacing it with has only had two clutches in it in over 40 years..so for me thats a pretty good record.

Could you help me. I'm not familier with a weak hydro with the kubota's especially saying it about the 4400.

[Bob_Young]

Gamer, to answer your original question, get the L4400 for sure. The L3400 should not be even remotely considered for mowing 400 acres. But even the L4400 will have to stretch for that application. Like the others have said, 70 plus HP and a 15' batwing might be needed to keep the job from becoming a full-time occupation. Whatever you buy is going to burn a lot of diesel mowing that many acres. At today's prices, you're going to need a day-job to keep the tractor fed. Can't do that if you're mowing all the time.

With that much field work, I'd get gear instead of HST. It's simpler. You don't have to ride a pedal or mess with cruise control. Just pick a gear, set the throttle, and go. If you come to an easy stretch, just push it along a little quicker with the foot throttle.

Only time an L3400 might be preferred is if you're doing a lot of work in tight quarters around obstacles or for lawn work. Doesn't sound like that's in your plans.
Bob

[Gamer1524]

Originally Posted by art

Could you help me. I'm not familier with a weak hydro with the kubota's especially saying it about the 4400.

I was at couple dealers and asked them what was the first thing that people had issues with...both place told me the only thing they had issues with was the pump on the HST models...he told me the tranny was solid..but them pumps were a bit weak...now they did tell me the people who had problems were using them for road work.....but he also told me they were under warrenty

[Gamer1524]

Originally Posted by swampvol

400 acres? I thought that was a misprint until he mentioned it the second time.

Well let me clarify just bit...I am not trying to mow 400 acres in a day..it's more about clearing out 40-70 acres a day...if it gets to high with broom weed..then it's time to break out the mower...

My real question is it worth 4k more for the 4400 hundred vs the 3400..and can the 4400 handle a 6 foot cutter (med duty)

[big bubba]

hate to sound the broken record, but go with a M series tractor. right tool for the right job unless you have worlds of time & patience bb

[ccsial]

Originally Posted by Gamer1524

more about clearing out 40-70 acres a day...
(med duty)

You won't do that with the 3400 or 4400. You need an M series with a bat wing.

Asssume 40 acres. this will require 55 miles of driving with a 6 foot mower,
assuming you are good enough to never overlap an inch.

Let's say you mow at 3 MPH. I don't know how high the brush or how bumpy your land is, so I am picking 3MPH.

At that rate it will take over 18 hours to do 40 acres with the 6 foot mower. If you mow at 6MPH you might do 40 acres in a long day.

If you have the time and you don't mind riding all day the 4400 would be the mimimum.

Remember that bigger tractors ride better over the terrain that is a bit bumpy so you can mow a bit faster.

[N80]

Originally Posted by Gamer1524

My real question is it worth 4k more for the 4400 hundred vs the 3400..and can the 4400 handle a 6 foot cutter (med duty)

For your needs, yes, and yes.

[canoetrpr]

Unless the small change in physical dimensions is advantageous, I don't see any reason for anyone to go with a L3400 over a L4400. Of course there is the question of $.

I think that you get a lot of bang for the buck on the L4400 - more HP, lot more loader capacity, better PTO etc. etc.

If they had HST when I bought my L3400 I might have seriously considered it.

[N80]

I agree and I suspect money is the issue for the OP. There is always a 'one-step-up' machine for a little more money. I know now that I could probably use the extra beef in an M5040 or even a 6040 over my L4400. But when I was buying I had a real budget, not just some vague idea of what I wanted to spend. That budget was under $20 and I wanted the most capability I could get for that price. That led me to the L4400. Similar constraints lead others to a 2800, 3400, etc etc.

On the other hand, I do not believe in the blanket statement that bigger is better. Any tractor that is much bigger than the dimensions of my 4400 would be difficult if not impossible to maneuver on my woods roads, in my tiny food plots and around my cabin. Any tractor much heavier would start to be a problem for towing with my F150.

So its a balance that for many of us is absolutely dictated by budget and modified somehwat about size and weight requirements.

The OP seems set on either the 3400 or the 4400. Most of us thinks he might need more than that but he seems concerned about the $4k difference between the two which means that he probably doesn't have another ~$6k that it would take to move up to a 4wd M5040 w/loader. That would be nearly $10k more than the 3400.

I have been fortunate. I got a machine that was just within my budget, was just the right size and weight and so far has done more than I ever expected it could and have yet to be unable to do what I wanted to do with it. And I expect the OP will find the same to be true. You can mow 400 acres with a 4400 and a 6 foot mower......but you better have plenty of time on your hands and be ready to see the fun factor of seat time ebb away! Trust me, I've mowed far, far less than that and it got old real fast.

[canoetrpr]

Yup, I understand that. I was trying to stay on a budget as well when I bought my L3400 and it was many thousands more than I intended to spend as I was looking used. Know what I know now (that tractoring is an obsession!), I would have gladly spent more if I went back in time.

Thats not because I needed to however. As the L3400 has done everything I have asked of it.

I would have to agree that the OP should at least get a L4400. Maybe consider one of those new rotary cutters that have two blades and a lower PTO requirement. Believe he should be able to run a 7 footer in one of those.