Questions for the owners of the big Grand L

[tomd999]

Hi All,

I'm researching my next purchase. I've decided to go big into the 40+HP/large chassis size. The closest Kubota dealer to me is working up pricing on a 4240 and a 5240 both open station and cabs. I would like to ask the owners of the Grand L's a few questions.

1: How stable is the tractor traversing inclined ground and also while working with the loader with heavy loads? (please let me know if yours is cab or open and if your tires are loaded)

2: Does the tractor have good traction when doing loader work or does it spin when pushing into or pulling away? I'll be outfitting with loaded R4's

3: If you have the larger loader, (I can't remember the number and the PDF on the site won't load tonight) have you found the loader to be lacking and not have enough power either when working with 72" HD bucket with dense material like stone dust or with pallet forks?

4: Will the big loader lift a 1 ton pallet off a 4x4 PU bed easily or is it at it's upper limit?

5: How is HST+ in the real world? Do you find the hi-low flip switch usefull or is it more hype fron the media people?

6: If you have the 72" front snow blower, how is the performance in dense snow? How easy is the change over from loader to blower?

7: What if anything would you change if you could about the tractor?

8: Back to the loader, does the big loader work well with the chassis or does it have a tendency to twist the tractor up on 3 wheels from time to time?

Thanks in advance,

Tom

 

[TripleR]

I have a L5030 HSTC and will answer as many of the questions as I can. Ecoslik and Nebraska Sparks as well as a few other have L5740's and should be able to help. Slowzuki, TexasJohn have L5030 as do some others.

1: How stable is the tractor traversing inclined ground and also while working with the loader with heavy loads? (please let me know if yours is cab or open and if your tires are loaded)

I have a cab with loaded Industrial tires extended all the way out and have found it to be quite stable though it took some getting use to as I was use to operating a considerably bigger tractor on slopes. I don't carry anything in my loader when traversing side hills, but do when going up or down and have not had any problems. If I am running an really heavy load down a really steep hill I have backed down as it is just a habit of mine. Operating with a full bucket on level ground has never been a problem, but even with filled tires, I feel better with ballast on the 3-point.

2: Does the tractor have good traction when doing loader work or does it spin when pushing into or pulling away? I'll be outfitting with loaded R4's.

I try to use mine only when the ground is dry and have had no problems with lack of traction. Yes, the tires will slip when going into a pile of dirt, gravel etc., but so does our M8540 HDC with Ag tires. The traction is more than sufficient and when I wear these tires out, I will replace them with R4's.

3: If you have the larger loader, (I can't remember the number and the PDF on the site won't load tonight) have you found the loader to be lacking and not have enough power either when working with 72" HD bucket with dense material like stone dust or with pallet forks?

I have the LA853 which has been replaced with the LA854 and I find it to be very strong. I have the heavy duty bucket on mine and often fill it to overflowing with rock or dirt. I have never hauled stone dust and don't have pallet forks, so I can't answer that. My wife has hidden my manual somewhere, so I don't have the capacities handy.

4: Will the big loader lift a 1 ton pallet off a 4x4 PU bed easily or is it at it's upper limit?

I honestly don't know, see above.

5: How is HST+ in the real world? Do you find the hi-low flip switch useful or is it more hype from the media people?

I can only go by the reports from people on ere who have the HST+ and they all love it, mine is the old style.

6: If you have the 72" front snow blower, how is the performance in dense snow? How easy is the change over from loader to blower?

N/A

7: What if anything would you change if you could about the tractor?

I have the L30 Series and the only thing I would change about it is the overhead is a little low, but this has been changed on the L40 Series by relocating the condenser under the seat instead of in the overhead.

8: Back to the loader, does the big loader work well with the chassis or does it have a tendency to twist the tractor up on 3 wheels from time to time?

The loader and frames are very well matched on these size tractors and I have never detected any flex. As with any tractor with a pivoting front axle, you can find yourself on three wheels. I have done it on just about every tractor we own with a loader, but it was the result of getting in a hurry and not putting the proper ballast on or pushing it beyond its design parameters.

 

[nybirdman]

I have a L4240HSTC purchased new ,now 385 hours.Loaded R1 tires,854 loader.
1.Tractor is very stable with loads
2.Good traction with R1's ,also have tooth-bar which helps with digging
3.Loader is very strong,able to lift back if not carefull
4.The 854 loader is rated at 1862lbs. I believe
5.HST Plus is great ,use it all the time
6.I have an eight foot Curtis snow-plow ,no blower
7.Changes?Stronger roof or stronger than my garage overhead
8.Never have,again very strong loader

 

[crazyal]

I think Johnbro (hope I spelled it correctly) had tried lifting a pallet around a ton out of a truck and I think it was at the upper end or maybe even a little much. The loader is all but worthless unless you have loaded tires or a ballast box, it'll just lift the rear tires without it. The only time I felt like there was a stability problem was when I had the rear tires set in the narrow position.

I have a 4240 open station with the 854 loader and a front blower. The blower has a sub frame that can stay on the tractor if you want to use the loader. All you need to do is remove the blower, it's held on with a single lever with a pin to lock into place. The only issue is the front of the sub frame sticks out in front of the tractor (but not as far as the bucket).

The blower works very well. The last snow storm was about even with the top of the blower. It wasn't super wet but it was pretty heavy. Because it was so deep I had to stop occasionally to let the blower clear itself out or snow would come over the top of the blower. I've never had to clear snow out of the chute.

The HST+ is a real feature. You will use it and I expect you'll see other brands start to offer it. For example, while snow blowing I'll often switch to slow when going up some of the steeper parts of the driveway and then back to fast (H-DS). All the other HST tractors would require you to stop, shift, and get going again. In the snow blower example above I was in low gear switching between slow and fast. I haven't used the autothrottle too much yet as most of my tractor use has been snow blowing but think I will use it a fair bit in the summer.

 

[SixHoeBob]

853 is the rated capacity in Kilograms, I suppose to full lift height. 1 Kilo = 2.2 pounds. 853 x 2.2 = 1876 lbs. Look at the breakout force of the loader. It might be over 4000 lbs? But this number decreases the further the load is from the ground. Something to do with sine/cosine of the angle between the lift cylinder and the loader tower :confused2::confused2:.

 

[slowzuki]

1: How stable is the tractor traversing inclined ground and also while working with the loader with heavy loads? (please let me know if yours is cab or open and if your tires are loaded)

Very stable, loaded R4's out to widest setting on a cabbed L5030HSTC. Implement on rear for heaviest loader work.

2: Does the tractor have good traction when doing loader work or does it spin when pushing into or pulling away? I'll be outfitting with loaded R4's

Good traction in all but wet slimey manure and clay. R1's would be needed there.

3: If you have the larger loader, (I can't remember the number and the PDF on the site won't load tonight) have you found the loader to be lacking and not have enough power either when working with 72" HD bucket with dense material like stone dust or with pallet forks?

Lot of power in the loader for size of tractor, far more than similar JD. I use the big material bucket moving heaping loads of sand and crushed rock. Its on the q/a too which reduces capacity a bit.

4: Will the big loader lift a 1 ton pallet off a 4x4 PU bed easily or is it at it's upper limit?

It will not lift a 1 ton pallet at that height. It can get it off the ground but not that high. It can pick up something like 4000 lbs down low but it falls off as you go up.

5: How is HST+ in the real world? Do you find the hi-low flip switch usefull or is it more hype fron the media people?

Don't have it on mine but would like it, not convenient to stop and shift ranges when digging from a pile then transporting.

6: If you have the 72" front snow blower, how is the performance in dense snow? How easy is the change over from loader to blower?

Don't have blower but loader on off is easy.

7: What if anything would you change if you could about the tractor?

Bigger by 20 hp, bigger front tires for soft ground.

8: Back to the loader, does the big loader work well with the chassis or does it have a tendency to twist the tractor up on 3 wheels from time to time?

Loader doesn't twist chassis, the 3 wheel thing is just because you loaded the bucket uneven and picked the rear end up. Add more weight to the rear end if this happens.

 

[crazyal]

One thing I would say is I have the Ag tires and I don't know if they are well suited for heavy repeated loader work. My choice would be to switch to the R4s.

 

[mikescruggs]

I have a L4240 with the 854 loader. I have a set of pallet forks for it, use a 8' plow, and a 7' snow blower on the rear.

With the pallet forks I have picked of a load of logs that are 4' long in a unit that is about 6' wide and 3' tall. With the pallet heaping (about 4' tall) I have had a challenge picking up wet wood more than 3' off the ground. I have picked up a 55 gallon drum of diesel.

With this tractor I went with R1 tires. The last two had R4 tires. Never again. As long as I don't turn hard and fast my lawn will be just fine. The narrower R1's were a little concern with heavy loads, but I have not had any problems yet (3 years). I really like the improved traction in the woods when hauling logs. I can go through the winter (until ice builds up) without chains. The R4 tires were very poor performers in winter. All my tires have been loaded (really helps with stability).

I have a toothed bard (I also have a replaceable cutting edge) on the bucket. It really makes a difference (the previous two tractors did not have a toothed bar) when digging. I take the bar off in the winter so I can use the bucket to help with moving snow.

The snow blower is very nice for moving snow out to the roadway without creating a snow bank. I like to plow the long driveway to push the snow to the sides and then blow it out of the driveway. When blowing in the wind a cab would be really nice. If I were to blow snow and not use a plow then I would want a front mounted one. It does bother the back after awhile when turning around.

I started with a rear blade. It was pretty neat in the multiple settings, but not nearly as effective as a box blade. I gave the blade to my brother inlaw and now have a box blade.

I have a york rake with scarifires and a blade. This unit works great for leveling dirt and refinishing the driveway.

I have Farmi Winch that has improved the ease and safety of removing logs from the woods.

I really like the L4240, sometimes bigger would be nicer. In those times I choose to work smarter and eventually complete the task. If I were to go bigger then I would be running into problems with too big for the size for the size of the area.

The first tractor was a 28 hp Challenger. When I stepped up toe a 33 hp Challenger it was clear that is the minimum size for me. When I upgraded again I looked hard at the L3940, but it was easy to see for a just a little more the L4240 had a lot to offer.

Good Luck,

Mike

 

[EastTexFrank]

I've had a cabbed L4740 for about 3-1/2 years with the 854 loader and filled R4's.

I can't add much to what has already been said but I will mention that the loader usually has a honking, heavy duty grapple on it. I have moved 1200# - 1500# round bales off a trailer with and it wasn't a problem. As for taking a 2000# pallet off a P/U bed using forks, it could possibly be done but I think that it would be right at the upper end of it's range and would definitely need something really heavy on the back.

I really like the HST+. I mow a lot on some fairly steep hills. If it starts to bog down on the way up, a flick on the lever is all it requires to change down and keep on chugging.

There's not much that I would change on it. It's been a good machine without problems. One thing though, when mowing during the Texas summer when it's dusty, filthy dirty, dry and 95 degrees outside, you really have to keep an eye on the temperature gage. There's just so much stuff packed in there under the hood that need lots of air that you really have to keep the grills and screens clean. During the worst of the summer I find that I can usually go about 4 hours of so before I have to come in and clean everything off. That's not too bad because after about 4 hours, I'm ready for a little break anyway.

 

[Stove]

Before I sold my L3830 I used to lift 1 ton stacks of wood pellets off a trailer with the LA 723 FEL & R4's with a woods 72" bush hog hanging off the back.

Here's the catch, I took the bucket off and used shipping straps around the entire pallet to the crossbar at the end of the FEL. With the L3830 firewalled she would pick up the load (throttle back to 2600), then back away from the trailer and drive them to wherever I was storing.

The front R4's would show a good bit of sidewall pressure, about 40-50% height loss.

I can tell you this, she had no more to give and was beyond her limits. I am now looking into a larger tractor with a cab. The local JD store quoted me $41k for a 5083E with the 563 FEL, he def has my attention atm with a 4103lb max height lift capacity at the pivot, just gotta check out what my Kubota choices are as well.

I sold my L3830 with the LA 723 FEL and the Woods Bush hog for $16,500.00 they def hold their value and served me well for almost 7-8 years.