Buying Advice New B3350

[bandit67]

Glad the dealer saw the error of his ways. You don't make a customer wait while you snatch up the first model to hit the lot. Not good business.

 

[ericdube]

Glad the dealer saw the error of his ways. You don't make a customer wait while you snatch up the first model to hit the lot. Not good business.

Just to be clear, the owner did immediately offer up the first B3350 as soon as I mentioned I was serious in purchasing one (even though that unit was ordered for himself.) This dealer has always been really good to me over the years and has gone to great lengths a number of times to help me out when I was in need. I really have nothing by nice things to say about everyone at the dealer (this will be my third tractor purchase from them.)

 

[jim_wilson]

SUCCESS!

I took the day off from work to run some errands - and I made my way thru the roadblocks up to m dealer - and got the order in for the QA setup and a bucket. I wasn't sure the parts would be active - but they had them in the system. He actually told me at first that he had the QA in stock - but it turned out that it had gotten installed on a tractor that just got sold. So I'm going to have to wait a couple of weeks to get the stuff.

I'm psyched to try out this setup and see how well it works. I already ordered a rock bucket a couple of weeks back in anticipation of getting this setup. I love it when a plan comes together.

 

[ericdube]

SUCCESS!

I took the day off from work to run some errands - and I made my way thru the roadblocks up to m dealer - and got the order in for the QA setup and a bucket. I wasn't sure the parts would be active - but they had them in the system. He actually told me at first that he had the QA in stock - but it turned out that it had gotten installed on a tractor that just got sold. So I'm going to have to wait a couple of weeks to get the stuff.

I'm psyched to try out this setup and see how well it works. I already ordered a rock bucket a couple of weeks back in anticipation of getting this setup. I love it when a plan comes together.

Nice! Glad to hear you were able to get it ordered.

How are you planning on attaching the rock bucket if the QA is non-standard?

 

[jim_wilson]

Nice! Glad to hear you were able to get it ordered.

How are you planning on attaching the rock bucket if the QA is non-standard?

When I get the Kubota QA I'm going to do some measurements and see what is "non-standard about it.

My thinking is this:

the skid-steer type QA is pretty simple, you've only really got a few variables. There's width, height, and possibly the angle of the attachment points. Also maybe the size of the slots that the pins engage into. In any case what you're dealing with is all straight line stuff. Even if I have to completely weld on new stuff onto the rock bucket - it's all straight angles so it's pretty simple.

But I'm betting on this: when I originally got the B3200 I did a lot of looking into what it would take to put a skid steer type QA on the LA504 FEL. And the major problem was that the location of the loader arms presented a problem in that they pretty much lined up directly where the engagement pin mechanism needs to be to fit the SSQA standard. There's actually a few different SSQA standards out there so it is a bit "sloppy". I'm betting that the part that that is non-standard on the Kubota is simply the width - or maybe the location of the pin engagement points. In either case - it's a pretty easy fix weld and cut wise.

There's a lot of implements out there that are SSQA compatible - including a huge amount of stuff that's made for the mini-skid steers that fits right into the weight range that make them useful on a B3200. "Real" skid steer implements are typically too heavy for the LA504 - they're made for much higher capacities than the LA504 is capable of - and therefore weigh so much they suck up a lot of the LA504 capacity and hence make themselves sort of useless. But I've found a pretty decent selection of available attachments that weigh in such that they would be useful on a loader with the LA504 capacity. The major stumbling block was getting them attached.

Trying to weld on the brackets for a pin-on style FEL connection is - in my opinion - much more of a pain in the neck than trying to modify an implement to fit SSQA.

We'll see shortly. I hoping the salesman was right and the stuff comes in - in a couple of weeks. I ordered the rock bucket a couple of weeks ago and they said 4 to 5 weeks. So I should see it all come in around the same time.

Once I get everything - I plan on documenting and posting everything here so everybody can take advantage. I know there is at least one other FELin the Kubota lineup (besides the LA504 and LA534) - that have the same arm spacing - and therefore could take advantage of this new QA setup.

 

[bandit67]

Trying to weld on the brackets for a pin-on style FEL connection is - in my opinion - much more of a pain in the neck than trying to modify an implement to fit SSQA.

The nice thing about the "old" pre-2013 pin type QA was that you only needed to buy the pin-on attachments that fit those loaders. Many of the aftermarket manufacturers have pin-on options for the big B series loaders.

However, it'll soon be a "6 of one, half dozen of the other" scenario now that Kubota went to their "skid steer style" QA. Us B series owners still have "redheaded stepchild" QA's, whether we have pin style or SS style.

All I know is I'll suffer through the old style pin type QA cause I ain't changing over my bucket, forks, & snowplow. If I only had the bucket, I'd probably do what Jim is doing, cause the SSQA is still a bit quicker on the change-out.

 

[jim_wilson]

The nice thing about the "old" pre-2013 pin type QA was that you only needed to buy the pin-on attachments that fit those loaders. Many of the aftermarket manufacturers have pin-on options for the big B series loaders.

However, it'll soon be a "6 of one, half dozen of the other" scenario now that Kubota went to their "skid steer style" QA. Us B series owners still have "redheaded stepchild" QA's, whether we have pin style or SS style.

All I know is I'll suffer through the old style pin type QA cause I ain't changing over my bucket, forks, & snowplow. If I only had the bucket, I'd probably do what Jim is doing, cause the SSQA is still a bit quicker on the change-out.

I haven't had a huge amount of luck finding the pin on style attachments. Maybe I'm looking at the more out of the ordinary stuff. Buckets and fork frame are available right from Kubota for the pin on style - and I've seen the random rock bucket and grapple too - but nowhere near the assortment that's available for SSQA type attachment.

I just bought my tractor last year. I've got a 60" bucket, a 54" bucket - which I was planning to weld teeth onto and just use for dirt digging, and I've got the Kubota fork frame. Since I've only had the tractor for less than a year - none of them are really all that beat up. Some scratches on the buckets and some nicks on the fork frame - but they're in pretty good shape. So I was left with a little bit of a conundrum - because it's going to cost me to switch. But I'm figuring I can sell all the pin-on stuff I have now and recover most of the money out of them - and then I'll be fully investedin the new SSQA style stuff - or - I could stick with the pin-on style and be pounding pins in and out forever more - and - have to do a bunch of welding for whatever other attachments I might want to put on the FEL. I figure in the end I'll likely be money even if I add a rock bucket , grapple - and maybe one or two other things to the FEL. Plus it will just be easier for me if I have to weld up anything to go on it. I really wasn't looking forward to the PITA of trying to make brackets and find the right tubing and line everything up that would go along with custom welding an implement to fit on the pin-on style attachment type.

I have a small property - but I've found I can justifiably swap four different implements over the course of any afternoon of 4 hours work. Dig some dirt - digging bucket. Pick up some rocks - fork frame, pick up a cut down tree: grapple, dig some rocks out of pile of dirt: rock bucket. Seeing how it takes me a good few minutes to swap each implement - I'm saving some measureable time.

Plus the skid steer style is potentially modifiable to be completely hands off - that's something the pin-on style could never be.

 

[Ductape]

Jim, Just curious.... why didn't you originally go with an aftermarket SSQA such as the one ATI makes? I think they are a grand-ish, but were available back when you bought your tractor.

 

[Ductape]

I was at the dealer today picking up some items and they had a B2650.
It's different, I could get used to it. Though I didn't get a picture but the floor has over an inch thick of heavy duty foam under the mat.
Boy that brochure is really emphasizing sound and dust proofing. The dome light, sound, dust and the speakers in the roof. Kubota really does read these forums.
I didn't have too much time today but I have to go back, I will ask to drive it. Not sure why they put the fuse box and wires on the floor?

That sure is nice. Looks like Kubota made quite a few improvements..... I'm very impressed with the left side brakes. I haven't been able to look at one in person since my local dealer doesn't have one on the ground yet. I suspect I'd opt for the 26 HP version since I'm pretty apprehensive about owning the new emissions crap if I don't have to. The clincher would be whether or not my Woods backhoe subframe, and front mount snow blower subframes would work on the new 50 series. I can actually justify spending money to upgrade to the new tractor, but no way I can justify taking the hit and buying a new backhoe and front blower to go along with it.

 

[ericdube]

That sure is nice. Looks like Kubota made quite a few improvements..... I'm very impressed with the left side brakes. I haven't been able to look at one in person since my local dealer doesn't have one on the ground yet. I suspect I'd opt for the 26 HP version since I'm pretty apprehensive about owning the new emissions crap if I don't have to. The clincher would be whether or not my Woods backhoe subframe, and front mount snow blower subframes would work on the new 50 series. I can actually justify spending money to upgrade to the new tractor, but no way I can justify taking the hit and buying a new backhoe and front blower to go along with it.

While I can't comment on the backhoe subframe (you will probably need to talk to Woods about this), I'm fairly certain there's a NEW quick-attach subframe (P/N B2714) for the B50 series (which should at least work with your existing attachments.) I'm fairly certain though that it's different than the B3030 subframe since I wasn't able get the pricing for it when I first got a quote for the B3350 because it wasn't in the system yet.

(FWIW, The backhoe subframe part number I got for the BH77 is BH4973. Although, I don't know what the part number is for the BH subframe on the B3030. If it's the same as that part number, you might be okay with the Woods subframe you have now.)

Edit: After looking at the on-line parts diagrams for the BH77, the mounting kits look somewhat different for the B3030 and the B50 series (and the parts aren't really identical.) I would definitely check with Woods.