Mowing B7800 vs L3430 both about 35HP

[perryg114]

I am in the process of buying a 44 acre farm. The current owner has a Kubota L3430 with about 2000 hrs on it. I have a B7800 that has 300 hrs on it. I have a loader and a box blade and a 6 ft belly mower for the B7800. The L3430 has a loader, and bush hog. I think 6ft wide, also hay spike, and disk for the tractor. He wants $10k for all of it. I think his has the manual transmission. I can probably buy the attachments from him and use them on my smaller tractor that has about the same HP. Mine is the HST version. Since HP is about the same, what would I be gaining buying his tractor? The loader capacity is about twice what mine is. The tractor is bigger and heavier. I don't plan on bush hogging the land like he has done so do I need the bigger tractor. It sounds like his tractor is right at the ragged edge of not having enough HP for the 6ft bush hog. I think my tractor is probably under powered for that size bush hog as well as being too small. The B7800 is currently use for mowing grass with the belly mower. This belly mower might be fine for mowing trails through the property and keeping them mowed so as not to need a bush hog.

Perry

 

[Fallon]

Weight defines what a tractor will do, HP is just how fast it will do it. A L will do a LOT more work than a B will with the same HP. Lots more traction, stability & lift on a bigger machine.

With a mower generally if you can lift it, you can spin it. It's just a matter of how fast you can go based on HP though.

A belly mower is not going to be fine for mowing trails. Like any lawnmower it has fixed blades mounted on relatively weak spindles. Rotary cutters have blades flexibly mounted to a stump jumper that is attached to a stout gearbox. When a lawn mower hits a big sitck, rock, dirt mound, etc. You break spindles & other things. When a rotary cutter hits the same, the blades fold up & the stump jumper rides over the obstacle (literally jumps the stump) & you keep going.

 

[jeff9366]

The Kubota L3430 is Kubota's lightest 'Grand L' model, two models earlier than my L3560, current model evolved from L3430. 2,000 engine hours on a well maintained Grand L is just broken in. Grand L engines go 12,000 hours with proper maintenance.

Grand Ls are sold with deLuxe kit standard. Really a significant step up from B7800 model, quieter too.

$10,000 with FEL and three implements is a bargain. Buy the L3430, sell the B7800.

SPECIFICATIONS: TractorData.com Kubota L343� tractor information

 

[jeff9366]

1) L3430 tractor is at the edge of not having enough HP for the 6ft bush hog. I think my tractor is probably under powered for that size bush hog as well as being too small.

2) The B7800 is currently use for mowing grass with the belly mower. This belly mower might be fine for mowing trails through the property and keeping them mowed so as not to need a bush hog.

1) True. You will need to maintain blades of the six foot Bush Hog reasonably sharp and mow when grass is no taller than 40" to mow rapidly.

2) Not true. A MMM will fail in field use. Rotary Cutter/Bush Hog is the tough implement engineered for field mowing.

3) B7800 is too light to lift round hay bails with a Bale Spear. Most Bale Spears are SSQA.

4) PARAGRAPH!

I am in the process of buying a 44 acre farm. The farm owner has a Kubota L3430 with about 2000 engine hours. The L3430 has a manual transmission, a loader, and three implements: bush hog, hay spike, and disc . I believe his tractor has barely enough HP to power the 6ft bush hog. He wants $10k for all of it.

I have a B7800/HST tractor-loader with 300 engine hours. My B7800 has a belly mower and Box Blade. Is my belly mower suitable for mowing and maintaining trails through the forty-four acre property?

I can probably buy the L3430 bush hog, hay spike, and disc to use on my smaller B7800/HST tractor. Will my lighter B7800 have enough power and tractor weight to operate these implements effectively?

The L3430 is bigger and heavier than my B7800. Since HP is about the same, what would I gain buying his tractor?

 

[Gem99ultra]

I have a L3400 which is my pride and joy. BUT - it is not a agile as a smaller B7800. If you can get the work done with the B7800, I see no benefit of buying the larger tractor. However - the price with attachments sounds very good.. A man cannot have too many tractors

 

[AStanton]

I say, if you can swing it, keep your tractor and buy his. You can keep yours rigged for mowing and rig his for bigger jobs. Sounds like he's motivated to sell that tractor, so maybe he'll come down a little more. With 2 tractors, you will always be able to pull yourself out of the mud.

 

[nybirdman]

I have operated a B7800 and owned a L3130 HST;IMHO ;no comparison.That L3430 has a lot more life left in it and is way more tractor.A lot of nice features also with the Grand L's.Your B7800 would struggle in anything but short grass with a six ft.BH.
Mid mount mowers are for lawns.

 

[perryg114]

Ok more details. It is a L3430D with the GST transmission and the loader. If we can afford it, I think we will buy his tractor and keep my B7800 at least till we sell the house we are in. We will build a new house on the property. I use the B7800 to mow 3 acres. The L3430 will be better for doing sight prep for the house and clearing stumps etc. I have gotten spoiled with the HST on the B7800 but GST looks pretty easy to deal with.

Perry

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

My second Kubota was a B7800 HST FEL RFM and used it more and longer than any other. It followed my first Kubota, a BX2200 FEL MMM.
I kept the B7800 for 3 years and used a cheap lightweight RFM for awhile and then finally traded that piece of pretty junk RFM to a Landpride Tank 6' RFM. At the bottom of the hill I'd turn and the Landpride RFM would swing my tractor around but never a stutter going up hills or powering the mower. I traded the B7800 to a Grand L3240 HST+ FEL. Never knew the Landpride RFM was behind it without looking. 1700 lbs tractor vs 3700 lb tractor. The L would start slowing down at the crest of the hill but the hp was about the same for twice as heavy and only noticed it on the steepest part of the hill.
Forward about 10 years and additional 28 acres and many trades of Kubotas and my most recent trade was a B2650 HST to a L3901HST when I obtained the additional 28 acres to add to my 5 acres. I traded for the additional weight mostly and the increase in HP to power some bigger heavier implements.
If possible, keep them both and after owning them both with the additional land you'll see why.

 

[perryg114]

If the grass is not longer than 6 inches nothing beats the B7800 with HST with the 6 ft mower deck (other than a dedicated ZTR). I have done some light bush hogging with it before with it raised up but it is not going to like logs and rocks etc. It is fast an nimble for mowing and you can use it for many other things. I don't think I would want anything bigger for finish mowing a yard. It will be great for mowing the front areas of the property and the bigger tractor will be for the back 40.

Perry