New L3200

[Joe W]

I just bought a new L3200. This is my first tractor minus a 10HP john deer lawn tractor. Is the owner's manual serious about babying this thing for 50 hours? What can and can't do?


Thanks
Joe

[TripleR]

There are several threads on break-in, interesting reading.

I have broken in three new Kubotas by following the manual and didn't baby them, just varied the RPM and no full throttle operation for a while. I worked them fairly hard bush hogging and such.

[General Lee]

This is where the manual makes no sense to me. They say no full throttle operation for the first 50 hours. Well guess what my PTO speed is?........Full throttle. So I can't mow for the first 50 hours? Sometimes the grass is to thick to operate any less then full throttle.

[bp fick]

I don't know where the PTO speed is on your L, but on my B, it is 400 rpm less than full, wide open. Interesting.

I personally would not run wide open. I'd run up close, but not WOT for an hour or two. I'd vary the rpm, slow down my ground speed, take half bites, etc.

No, you can't really baby it and still do hard work, but there's a few simple things to do to make your break in reasonable. I broke in a BX two years ago and the B2320 this year. I don't really give it a whole lot of thought.

[rswyan]

They say no full throttle operation for the first 50 hours. Well guess what my PTO speed is?........Full throttle. So I can't mow for the first 50 hours?

I very rarely - if ever - mow at PTO speed (which BTW, isn't full throttle .... on my B2910)

[k0ua]

Full PTO 540 speed is about 350 rpm short of full throttle on my L3400HST
but like others I often mow less than PTO 540 speed, depends on how rough the area is that I am mowing.

James K0UA

[General Lee]

The PTO mark on the tach on my L4400 is at 2600 rpm. Kubota's bochure states the max HP is at 2600 rpm.The manual states PTO mark on tach indicates 540 rpm at 2650. When I'm mowing, the throttle lever when wide open, maxes out the tach needle at the PTO speed mark which is max speed. I don't always mow wide open but at times I need to.

[Joe W]

Thanks Guys! Good to know I can actually use this thing sooner than in 6 months!

[TripleR]

None of my Kubotas run full throttle even after break in; guess it depends on the tractor. My 2200 didn't have a tach, so I ran it high enough to get a good cut, but not full throttle. When it was fully broken in I ran it full throttle, but don't own it now. We have a 2660, L5030 and M8540 and none of them have PTO at full throttle though the 2660 is close.

As others have mentioned, you can get a good cut, good power at less than PTO speed on most models.

We bought our M8540 in the middle of summer and immediately put it to work pulling a ten foot bush hog. I took time occasionally to let it cool down and vary RPM, but certainly did not baby it.

[bigbull338]

i to started working my tractor as soon as i got it.i think the highest ive ran the rpms is maybe 2200.but my main working speed is 1500 to 2000 rpms.i know a guy that always ran his tractors wide open when ever he could working them.he would also run a disc cutter as fast as he could stay on the tractor.