Tractor Sizing FEL purchasing dilema

[Jerry/MT]

I have a 2002 Kubota L3710 4x4 with about 1200 hours on it. The tractor is in good shape but I need a front end loader.

My guess is the value of my tractor value is around $7,000 and a FEL would run about $5,000 installed. I would have to add another few grand to that if I want a four in one bucket.

Does it make sense to put that kind of money into this tractor or should I look for something else used with a loader already attached? Thanks!

It depends on how flush with money you are. Do you really need a new tractor because you need more power to do the tasks that you need to do? If you've outgrown your machine, that's a different story. I'm assuming your tractor does what you need it todo and you now need a FEL.

You have a tractor with 1200 hrs on it and I doubt it's only worth $7K. Where did you get that number? I think your tractor is worth closer to $10-14K, but that's a guess on my part. Look it up in the latest tractor blue book. It's not like a car that depreciates year by year. the tractors value isis mostly tied to the condition and that's usually driven by the number of operating hours. At 1200 hrs, yours is just getting broken in unless you'veput some really heavy duty work on it and its pretty thrashed.
I'll assume that your machine is more of an estate tractor then a farm or ranch machine, that its in pretty good shape and that it's paid off. It's more valuable that $7K. Putting a $5K loader on it wil provide you with a machine with more capability for an additional $5k. A newer machine witha FEL in that same HP class will probably cost you around $20K. Lets say you sell your old machine for $12K, your net cost is now $8K versus $5k it would cost you to improve your old machine.( If your machine is reallty worth $7K, the net cost is now $13K).
Now what about buying the loader and installing it yourself. If you are the least bit mechanically inclined you can do that and save the expense of the installation or you can by an upgraded loader and 4 way bucket with the savings. It's easy to do. These tractrs aren't the F-22!

Don't take these numbers as gospel. Do the foot work and find out what your tractor is worth and what a newer model with similar power costs with an FEL.
I think you'll find adding an FEL to what you have is the least cost way to go.

However, your $'s, your choice!

 

[LabLuvR]

The machine is used on my small farm for mainly for light bushhogging of pastures and planting some small food plots. It is by no means trashed, but could use a little cosmetic work. Otherwise it is in very good condition and fits my needs just fine. I really don't want or need a new one.

How hard is it to install a front end loader? I'm not too mechanically inclined but could probably find a helper. Thanks for all the great responses. I'll probably just buy a new loader. But first I want to find out the true value of my tractor.

 

[rtimgray]

Is the $5,000 for a loader a quote from you dealer? I don't know what loaders cost now, but when I bought one for my DK45, it was $3,000 (This was also about 8 years ago). I had bought the tractor without the loader and used it for a couple of years (I had an old JD backhoe/loader, so I thought I didn't need a loader on the new tractor - wrong!).

If $5,000 is the installed price, you might want to check what a different loader (an aftermarket one) would cost if you install yourself. As near as I can tell, most loaders, especially for compact tractors, and just bolt on assemblies to the tractor (there may be some heavy lifting involved) and a little bit of hydraulic plumbing. It might end up saving you several hundred dollars.

Anyway, if you are happy with your tractor, I say add the loader. If you have a hankering for a newer model, now would be a good time to trade in and trade up. Life's to short to have a tractor you're not happy with.

Good luck and take care.

 

[bigbull338]

loaders are $5000,but i dont think thats installed but it maybe.yours is a hard call to make.but if you want to keep your tractor id put a new loader on it.an let the dealer install it.theres alot to putting a loader on a tractor.

 

[RobertN]

That price is not unreasonable. I got my TC40D with 450 hours. It has the factory loader and 6' Rotary mower. It was $13.5k, in sweet condition. I can see where the tractor with the number of hours and cosmetic shape would be the price the OP was quoted. As someone else pointed out though, the price given might be "wholesale bluebook".

I got the loader on my old Kubota for $3100 installed. But that was 11 years ago, and it was on a smaller "B" series.

You can probably find a better deal than $5000 for the loader, but since it is a larger one, I would not expect it to be significantly less.

FWIW, adding the loader made my Kubota, a "tractor". I bought my first tractor(Kubota B8200) for cash. Did not want to finance anything. Then saved up for a loader. Was it ever worth it! I almost wish I would have financed some, and got the loader when I got the tractor.

 

[Jerry/MT]

The machine is used on my small farm for mainly for light bushhogging of pastures and planting some small food plots. It is by no means trashed, but could use a little cosmetic work. Otherwise it is in very good condition and fits my needs just fine. I really don't want or need a new one.

How hard is it to install a front end loader? I'm not too mechanically inclined but could probably find a helper. Thanks for all the great responses. I'll probably just buy a new loader. But first I want to find out the true value of my tractor.

Back in '99, I bought and Ezee-On loader for my Ford 4610 and installed it myself. (I had just "retired" and had the time to do it.)The manuafcturer's instruction were great and it probably took me a total of 20 hrs max to install it by myself. I put myself through college in the "olden days" (early '60's) working inthe steel mills in NW Indiana as a mechanic so I wasn't afraid to do it. As I said, it wasn't difficult, just followed the instructions.I ineeded no special tools and it was basically bolt the main frame to the tractor, put the pins in and grease zerks and grease, hook up the hoses and put the hose tips in to match the couplers on the tractor. I have since gone to a quick attach mount for my bucket and added a bale spear so I modified the bucket to match the quick attach mount. Make sure that you get a quick attach mount in case you want to add other implements to the loader and make sure the bucket is at least as wide as the edges of the front wheels.
As some of the other's said shop around and see what a new loader costs for your tractor from some of the good aftermarket loader outfits (Westendorf, Quicke, Brush Hog, Ezee-On, etc ) and get a bid from Kubota also. Most of the manuafacturers have a website where you can get specs. Most manuafacturers will only sell through dealers so there's some mark up. And find out what installation costs are to see what you can save.

 

[RobertN]

Interestingly, when I had the loader put on my B8200, Kubota was about $200 more than the Bushhog loader I ended up getting. Turned out, that my B8200 was just old enough, Kubota no longer carried a mounting kit for the newer loaders to fit that tractor. Dealer said they would have to drill and weld on the mounting kit to fit my tractor. This was 11 years ago, and the tractor was an '85. So it was 15 year old tractor.

It was a much shorter distance to the local independant that installed my loader. And, the Bushhog mount kit was a bolt on.

As some of the other's said shop around and see what a new loader costs for your tractor from some of the good aftermarket loader outfits (Westendorf, Quicke, Brush Hog, Ezee-On, etc ) and get a bid from Kubota also. Most of the manuafacturers have a website where you can get specs. Most manuafacturers will only sell through dealers so there's some mark up. And find out what installation costs are to see what you can save.

 

[Just Bill]

Hello
I think you get a discount from Woods by being a member here.
I have a Woods on my L3400 and have completely removed it and reinstalled it by my self.
It would be a very easy job for 2 people. I'm sure they are all about the same way for installing. Read the instructions and lay everything out.

 

[andrec999]

Hi,

Just check on TractorHouse.com , the cheapest L3710 is 9600.$ and there is one for sale in SC with a front loader at 12500.$ , maybe you could trade yours in with a couple of thousands to booth. Or buy the one with the loader for 11000.$ and pull out the loader and install it on yours and resale the tractor .

I purchase a used loader for my John Deere for 1800. and I installed myself .
it cost about 100. for fittings and bolts and a couple of scratched knucles, but in is in perfect shape and has a joystick , it runs perfect.

Just an idea.