B26 or L3540

[cascadeeast]

Newbie here looking for opinions on a B26 or L3540.I understand that these are two total different machines.I believe both tractors are 2011.The B26 has 256 hrs and is from a dealer.The L3540 has a little over 1000 hrs and is a private seller.Asking price for B26 is 27,500 the L3540 is 19,500.The B26 is TLB with thumb, L3540 fel,but seller has brush cutter,tiller,blade for additional 2800 asking price.My thoughts are this after research ,alot of it here at TBN and talking to owners of both.B26 small,tough,plain. The L3540 bigger fel higher lift more HP also more creature comforts.May upgrade to snowblower in the future and not sure if the B26 would have enough Hp,my fault for not researching enough.Use would primarily be snow removal{cascade concrete} irrigation lines gardening trees firewood general dirt work and some digging for structures and anything else that mite save my back.Thanks in advance for the opinions, Iam sure I will be asking for more.Oh forgot there is a bh77 for sale in the area to basically new asking price 6000.

[Grandad4]

I'm thinking the L3540 may be the better package for your situation. It's quite a bit bigger and set up for more general purpose work, as contrasted with the B26, which is a smaller outfit optimized for digging work. You're right that the L makes a better platform for any attachments driven by pto due to the size and power. Further, you could equip the L with all the needed attachments for just a bit more than the cost of the B26 itself. The B26 is nearly new; the L3540's hours are nothing to worry about if the tractor has been maintained well. Check the condition of both units; that may be a deciding factor.

[case245]

I second the l3540 a 1k hrs is not much if cared for the 854 fel is awhole lot more fel then that of the b26

[Kyle241]

The B26 is a tough machine, you can't go wrong with it however based on your listed needs, I think you will get more bang for your buck if you go with the L3540. You won't regret the extra HP. I had a B20 and it did everything for me and our driveway used to be 1000ft and it had no troubles unless the snow was really wet. The big difference is the BH. The B26 is designed to dig and is better built for that task. You mention that there is a BH77 available at $6k, you will need this if you are going to dig. The big decision on a BH is how much digging you're going to do as they are expensive. Some guys are of the club to rent an mini-Ex every once in a while and others, like me, can't live without their BH. That's only a decision you can make yourself.

[nybirdman]

I second the l3540 a 1k hrs is not much if cared for the 854 fel is awhole lot more fel then that of the b26

The L3540 uses the 723 FEL not the 854 which is used on the L4240 and up.Capable(723) but not as much as the 854.And yes I have owne both.I vote for the L3540 also.

[Gary Fowler]

I don't know anything about the L 3540 but I bought a 2009 model B26 with hydraulic thumb last year for $25K with 160 hours on it with a 12" and 7" bucket. It is super for digging and FEL work. I think it would be not much use in the PTO category although the previous owner pulled a 5 foot bushhog with it in heavy cutting with no problems. TBN Member MissingTexas was previous owner and could tell you more about the PTO power situation. I have only used it for backhoe and FEL work and it lifts and pushes with the FEL very robustly. I can do just about anything with it that my BIL does with his NH 2030 except mow. The backhoe is quickly and easily removed but I have not intention of every taking it off as I have a much larger tractor for mowing/disking etc.
If you have a need for a backhoe and everyone will find some need for one and you can live with smaller sized cutting equipment, the B 26 might be a good fit. I am reading your post as the L 3540 is just the tractor with FEL so I think that price is a bit high, but I don't have a clue as to the original pricing of that tractor. It just seems high for a 35 HP used tractor

[Gary Fowler]

Some interesting stats on the two tractors.
The B26 weighs 4001# with BH (backhoe is 628#) where as the L 3540 weighs 3296.
THe FEL is not removable on the B26 and lift capacity is 1300 # compared to 1351 for the L.
Lift to full height 1021 vs 1300 for B26 @ the pins which is really surprising
Wheelbase is 71.1 vs 62.2 for B26
Original price $21,157 vs 33,673 for B26
Break out for FEL 2835 vs 2344
PTO HP 28 vs 19.5

[94BULLITT]

I would go with the L3540 especially if it is HST.

[Grandad4]

Some interesting stats on the two tractors.
The B26 weighs 4001# with BH (backhoe is 628#) where as the L 3540 weighs 3296.
THe FEL is not removable on the B26 and lift capacity is 1300 # compared to 1351 for the L.
Lift to full height 1021 vs 1300 for B26 @ the pins which is really surprising
Wheelbase is 71.1 vs 62.2 for B26
Original price $21,157 vs 33,673 for B26
Break out for FEL 2835 vs 2344
PTO HP 28 vs 19.5

Gary, the 3296 lb figure for the 3540 is for the bare, nekkid tractor only. To make an entirely apples to apples comparison I think you'd need to add about 1,500 lbs to the 3540 for its loader and bucket, plus another 1,900 for the backhoe. There is a small and a large loader offered for the 3540. The specs you noted are for the small one; the other is a good amount stronger.