Grand L 30 Series - need more help

[etgjr]

Hi All,

Thanks for previous input (Post: Grand L 30 Series HP question - Need Help) but I would appreciate more wisdom!

A quick recap of my situation:

I have 250a in Northern Michigan (UP), about 40a of fields/apple trees-flat, the balance is rolling to steep hills with lots of hardwood trees. Half mile county road that the county poorly maintains. I want to keep my woods roads maintained and mowed, move gravel, ditch and maintain the county road better than what the county does. A little field mowing and some post hole digging. Heavy snowblower in the future (200+ inches each winter). Clean up some old falling down farm buildings. Initial work will tax me and the tractor more than the maintenance work in the future.

1) I have decided on HST and I'm with a new dealer.

2) I had pretty much decided on a 3830HST w/723FEL but then I looked at the 723 along side of a 853 and the 853 was made alot heavier! So now I'm thinking of a 4330 w/853! Part of me sez I'm just going up the food chain! But the 853 seems to be built stronger than the difference in specs between it and the 723. Any comments?

3) Alot of you folks have bought the HD bucket. My dealer has commented that the newer Kubota standard bucket has really been improved and the HD is really not needed unless all your doing is rock type work. Comments?

4) Dealer almost always sells the Quick Attach bucket, I doubt I will every change buckets. Am I missing something here?

5) What are these 4n1 buckets, does Kubota make them?

6) Seems the R4's are the prefered tire choice on these boards. The dealer thinks the R1's are a better way to go. Why do so many you folks decide the R4's are the way to go?

7) Dealer has suggested the Woods HPL84 back blade medium duty (quoted $875), this blade makes good sense to me.

8) Dealer has suggested the Woods 5' or 6' standard duty rotary mower (quoted $995/$1225). Woods rates this as having a 1" capacity. Intially I would want to cut some 2" sapplings until I have reclaimed my roads, will this unit handle this?

Quoted price on the L3830 w/723FEL and quick attach, loaded R1's and a block heater is $21,045.

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

Ed

 

[MarkV]

Ed,

I'll try your questions in the order you presented them.

I don't think you would have a problem with the 723 FEL but you are right in that the 853 does look like a real well built unit. What would draw me that way is the extra 500 lbs of lift capacity. It is hard to have too much lift on a loader.

Just my opinion but I feel like the standard bucket is plenty strong.

The quick attach system can be real handy for a number of implements. The most common one is to put a set of forks on the loader. Besides the obvious use to move pallets they are very handy for moving brush, implements and any number of other things. You may also want to look at front snow blower options and the quick attach system would let you go from snow blower back to bucket in a matter of minutes.

A 4n1 bucket looks similar to a standard bucket but is built in two sections. The sections hinge on the top and split towards the back of the bucket. The sections can then be opened and closed hydraulically to offer different configurations and grab or clamp on to items. When closed you have a standard shaped bucket. When all the way open you have a dozer type blade. Positions in between let you grade more efficiently. You can clamp on to a small tree and pull it out by the roots or grab a log and transport it to a pile. Kubota does not make the buckets though most dealers can set you up with one. Expect to pay in the $2500-3000 range.

You see many of us use R4's for versatility. Kind of the compromise between an Ag tire and a Turf tire. Those who finish mow do less damage to the yard with R4's yet still can get some traction in the mud. R4's also generally have a greater number of ply's for puncture resistance if you have a big thorn problem like some do. Ag's will give you better traction in mud.

Wood's makes a good blade and the medium duty one will be plenty strong for the tractors you are considering. Good choice.

With as much property as you have I would lean towards a medium duty rotary mower my self. Many of us get by with a standard duty and it will do what you need but 2" stuff will give it a beating. I also feel like a 6' would work for those tractors.

Can't comment on the price but sure do think you are looking at some nice tractors. Let us know what you do.

MarkV

 

[JATO_RaT]

Ed:

The LA 853 is quite a bit heavier and for good reason, it lifts higher and has tremendous breakout force. The LA 723 however is still built quite heavily, especially when compared to other brands. Both use the 4 bar linkage. The quick attach pushes the bucket out slightly decreasing lift and breakout capacity slightly. If you really don't need it, but get the LA 853 loader on the L4330, the extra capacity will easily handle it, plus the future is open for anything from a forklift attachment, 4N1 bucket (they are made by many manufactuers, not by Kubota however). They are great for many things, especially picking up branches etc in the jaws. The R4's are quite a bit bigger but the tread design offers less digging ability into the soil. This can be a plus or a minus. I had seriously considered just going ahead and getting the L4330 HST after going from the L3130 to the L3830. I look at it this way. The L3830 is a more powerful L3130. The L4330 is a different tractor because of loader, front axle and engine, but really the same as the L3830 in all other respects. The L3830, L4330 and L4630 share many of the same things. Rear axle, ROPS, tires, and the L3830 and L4630 share the same gearing. For your needs, it really sounds like the L4330 would be a great fit. The loader being the biggest difference. After having my L3830 HST for almost 2 weeks, I have absolutely no regrets choosing the L3830 over the L4330. I thought I might, since having a L48 with a much bigger loader then either the LA 853 or LA 723 from which to equate too. I'm not disappointed at all, in fact very impressed. Get the HD bucket or a 4N1. My L48 bucket bent in the middle from using the center hook chained to a very large tree stump. The HD bucket uses a much stronger bar across the top.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Go with the HD bucket. It also has a replaceable cutting edge available which will also strengthen the bucket. Should add skid steer QA for about $300 (cheap if you ever need it). Also if you decided in the future to add the QA you would also have to change the bucket (big $$$)

 

[40Kchicks]

etgjr
Your missing something here, the QA loader is really worth the extra money. By getting the QA you will be able to find so many more tools, the 4 in 1 bucket is just for starts because the skid steer style QA is a now a standard for so many impliments. You won't be limited to just getting Kubota attachments. You will not believe how many types of buckets and other attachments are availible. Also the QA bracket on the attachments are easy to make. I have built my own high capacity bucket, sifting bucket, and hydraulic auger. I also have plans to build several more attachments. I use these tools, with my factory forks and tooth bucket all the time. One bucket just won't do all things. You may find you want a bucket with a tooth bar for general digging and a high capacity bucket for snow removal. The QA makes this change much easier and cheaper. Cheaper because you can find these thing for sale on the new and used market anywhere, not just at the dealership.

Your right that there are a lot of members that get the R4's I think this is because many user are using the tractors for mowing and landscaping. I have R4's on the skid steer and R1's on the Kubota. In Oregon this is mud country and my farm is wet and muddy half the year. I put tracks on the skid steer in the winter. Otherwise it just won't work (load)at all. With track it's like a tank. R1's are important for me. If your doing alot of groomed landscaping work the R4's may work better but that doesn't sound like this is the case.

You may find that a leveler or rear grader attachments works better for maintaining your road. Blades are tricky. When your tires go up over a bump the blade goes up and vise versa. A leveler or rear grader attachment has the wheels behind the blade so the blade knocks off the high spots and fills in the low spots. Just set the height you want and go. Much much faster than looking behind you trying to keep a blade level all the time. Yes blades can dig but I use the tooth bucket for that. Something else to think about. Possibly the dealer will let you try out the blade before buying it.

Good luck with the purchase /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
Eric

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I am relatively new to the forum and new to Kubota tractors, but I am in the process of negotiating prices for the same setup you are looking at, so I have been thinking about some of the same issues. With the 4330, you are jumping to a 4 cylinder engine and I am hopeful that this will provide some good, extra torque. On the heavy duty bucket, it is also called a 'round back' bucket. My dealer says that the round back releases wet, muddy soil easier than the square back bucket when you are dumping it. I don't have any experience to validate that point, but it makes sense. I also agree with other comments about how sturdy it is and I like the idea that if you get the QA plate, you can buy or make lots of other attachments. Pretty cool to have that flexibility. ON the tires, that's been a hard one for me, but at the end of the day, I opted for the R4's because my wife wants me not to tear up the grass on her horse pastures and I like the extra plies that resist punctures, and they look cooler, which shouldn't count for much, but ends up being the thing that tips the balance on the extra cost.

I would also like to say thanks again to all of the members of this board for their professionalism, and for being willing to share lots of knowledge. It helps a lot. (I figure that knowledge is going to cost me about $4k more in tractor and implements, but will deliver $10k more in satisfaction- so thanks.... ;-)