Test drove xg3032 and a xr4140 yesterday

[gersus]

I went by a LS dealer yesterday and kicked some tires. I've been mostly looking at the mid 30's hp compact tractors like the green 3032e, orange L3301, new holland, and now the LS. I'm impressed really with the build, features and price of the LS's. The dealer I went to didn't have any 31xx's. He said they have bugs to work out and he's been buying as many of the xg30xx's as he could. I drove a xg3032H and liked it. I also drove a XR 4140 SS because they didn't have a hydro in stock. Man what a tractor! That thing purred like a kitten. Overall feel was much heftier than the little xg. Huge difference in tractors for sure. For me though, the smaller xg3032 would be a better fit though I think. I need to get in tight places in the woods and don't have any tasks that require a large lift capacity like lifting round bales for example. Sure was a nice tractor though.
He quoted 16,250 for a xg3032h which seems pretty good from what I've read. He said when they get the xg3132's in they'll be 2500 more. All I need to do is convince the wife....

Thanks to everyone here for posting all the helpful info!

 

[rustyshakelford]

Common advice is find the one you like and go up a series. This is not lie. It’s much cheaper to get bigger now than later. At that size, the hst is the way to go. If you like the 4 series get that one. Worst case trim some trees so it’ll fit. You’ll appreciate the larger size and won’t work it as hard.

Brett

 

[gersus]

The xr4140 was impressive. The problem I'll have is transporting it though. I won't be able to transport it with my Tacoma. Will a half ton haul a xr4140 ok? I don't see myself transporting it very often but ya never know what the future holds.

 

[rustyshakelford]

The xr4140 was impressive. The problem I'll have is transporting it though. I won't be able to transport it with my Tacoma. Will a half ton haul a xr4140 ok? I don't see myself transporting it very often but ya never know what the future holds.

Good point on what the future holds....could be a new tundra!

Brett

 

[Snowman87]

The xr4140 was impressive. The problem I'll have is transporting it though. I won't be able to transport it with my Tacoma. Will a half ton haul a xr4140 ok? I don't see myself transporting it very often but ya never know what the future holds.

It looks like the XR cab models limit out at ~4,500 lbs (without any ballast weight), so if you add a loader (assuming it's not factored in there) and some gear let's say the package weighs 7,000 lbs. + weight of the trailer. I think a half ton truck can do it, you just have to understand your limitations. I've got a buddy that moves a good size skid steer several times a year with his newer 1/2 ton GMC and he's comfortable with that. I wouldn't use if for driving through the mountains or during overly windy days, but I can see it working fine for short trips and not necessarily a reason to buy a 3/4 ton. I can tell you that I pull a 4 place steel enclosed snowmobile trailer with 4 sleds (~7,500 lbs) just fine with my 1999 3/4 ton, properly balanced without any truck add-ons. However, if my Dad tries to pull it with his 1/2 ton without his load leveling bars it's definitely a bit uneasy.

Some things to think about:

- Proper weight distribution - you'll need a large enough trailer to properly distribute the weight. Too much tongue weight and steering gets light, while too little tongue weight and you can get the death wobble.

- Trailer brakes - personally I won't use a trailer hauling this kind of weight without trailer brakes. I know many people who do but that's just silly...

- Speed - as weight creeps up I would try to limit my speed a bit, no going 85 mph barreling down the freeway. It's all fine and dandy until you need to stop abruptly, swerve to miss an obstacle, or correct from gusty winds. That's when the sheer truck weight, heavier suspension, and bigger brakes of the larger trucks go to work and help you out!

 

[gersus]

Thanks for the info. I keep leaning toward the 4140. I think I would regret it later on if I went smaller.

 

[Snowman87]

It really depends on what you're going to use it for. You can read my thread but I went for the 4100 series because it seemed like a good compromise of everything I was looking for.

Honestly the more I use it the "smaller" it seems for some reason, guessing that's why many people say go one step larger than you "need"!

 

[gersus]

Honestly the more I use it the "smaller" it seems for some reason...

Thats what my wife tells me...

I've been reading some your posts Snowman and they've been very helpful. The xr41XX's have a lot to offer and I'd imagine can do a lot more if no reason but because they're heavier than the smaller 3XXX's.

 

[Snowman87]

Thats what my wife tells me...

I've been reading some your posts Snowman and they've been very helpful. The xr41XX's have a lot to offer and I'd imagine can do a lot more if no reason but because they're heavier than the smaller 3XXX's.

:laughing: That's great!

Happy to help another member out any way I can, I learned a lot on here before making my purchase. I tend to agree with your comment, if you were comparing the same configuration (cab, etc.) the 4100 series is definitely more capable because of weight and overall wheelbase size. That said, in terms of things like max lift height there's only ~4" difference between the two models...

Having not used a tractor or skid steer much I've found it really interesting how tough the ground can be in terms of digging or working it up. I live in heavy wet clay soil so that probably plays a bigger role than others who live an sandy soil areas... It's also interesting to see how heavy a full bucket of rock or even lone larger boulders are.

 

[gersus]

Ya never know when lift height might be needed I guess but I have no plans on stacking round bales so I can't think of any specific reasons I need a lot of height anyway.
We have some clay here but mostly just rock, definitely not easy digging at all. Many areas you can't plow at all.