Buying Advice Help cure ignorance....mine

[k0ua]

personal bias

cab allows work in bad weather...and you WILL be out in bad weather.

HST shines in safety for precise operation and back/forth

both reduce fatigue, thus increase safety.

best wishes

I would agree with this, Also that Grand L you discounted as being "fancy" also has more weight which will help a lot in brush clearing duties.. My Kioti does not have a cab, but I am in a much different climate than you. My Kioti has over 1000 lbs more weight than a 38 horspower L3800 Kubota which equates to more push and less wheel spin. As for hydrostat, well, I am biased heavily in favor of the hydro, especially for loader work. The Grand L 3940 is an excellent tractor and those "fancy smancy" features that it has are worth every penny when you start to use the tractor. They are not "frills" they are useful features that will get more work done in a given amount of time. The Hydrostat (HST+)on the Grand L's are a step up in useability as compared to other brands. Don't get me wrong I love my Kioti, with its industry standard Hydrostat but the HST+ of the Kubota does offer features I wish I had. We are not saying you cant get the job done with something less, and that includes a standard transmission and a lighter tractor, because you can, it is just a matter of how fast and how much operator fatigue you want to have. Good luck in your choices.

James K0UA

 

[murphy1244]

:welcome: To TBN, I think a Cab is #1 on the list. Hopefully AK Fisk chimes in, he lives up in the great north too.

 

[JerryK]

I'd get the HST..... and the cab.... I've seen those skeeters/black flies up there.... [ maybe a double cab with armor plating ]

 

[SanDucerro]

HST and CAB. You'll hate yourself down the road if you don't get the CAB.

As for HST... I have both trans types in my two tractors. The M7040 is the more powerful of the two tractors, and its FEL can lift significantly more, but it's a "manual" trans (even though it's a hydro shuttle). When doing FEL work I prefer to use the smaller L3130 with HST - it's SO much easier to operate. Here's why - when you take your foot off the "go pedal" on an HST tractor the machine STOPS. It doesn't creep forward, it doesn't rock back, it STOPS. It STOPS exactly where you took your foot off the power pedal. This assumes - of course - that you are on somewhat level ground, but even if you're not the tractor doesn't move but a fraction when you let off the juice. When using a FEL this "feature" is fantastic. It is so much easier to attack a stump, load the bucket with dirt, pick up pallets with forks, or anything else you can think of to do with a FEL when you have HST.

On a manual trans tractor - when you let off the juice - you keep going forward (or backward as the case may be) until you hit the brakes (which aren't that great to begin with). If you're just grabbing a bucket of dirt from a pile the manual trans isn't much of an issue. BUT - If you're not careful you can easily roll into a hole you're digging with the FEL or bump the back of the truck you're loading/unloading.

As for the CAB - ain't no way I'd consider a tractor in Alaska that didn't have a CAB to keep me warm... The money you save on payments by not buying a CAB wouldn't be worth the pain you'll feel as you "try" to operate an open tractor in the cold - especially in Alaska.

Best of luck in your purchase - and welcome to the forum.

 

[kiotiken]

I would agree with this, Also that Grand L you discounted as being "fancy" also has more weight which will help a lot in brush clearing duties.. My Kioti does not have a cab, but I am in a much different climate than you. My Kioti has over 1000 lbs more weight than a 38 horspower L3800 Kubota which equates to more push and less wheel spin. As for hydrostat, well, I am biased heavily in favor of the hydro, especially for loader work. The Grand L 3940 is an excellent tractor and those "fancy smancy" features that it has are worth every penny when you start to use the tractor. They are not "frills" they are useful features that will get more work done in a given amount of time. The Hydrostat (HST+)on the Grand L's are a step up in useability as compared to other brands. Don't get me wrong I love my Kioti, with its industry standard Hydrostat but the HST+ of the Kubota does offer features I wish I had. We are not saying you cant get the job done with something less, and that includes a standard transmission and a lighter tractor, because you can, it is just a matter of how fast and how much operator fatigue you want to have. Good luck in your choices.

James K0UA

Exactly what James said. All the tractors you're looking at are the economy or "standard" models and they are all very light. You need to look at tractors that will meet your requirements for the type of work you'll be doing and then figure out the pricing. Kubota Grand L tractors are arguably the nicest in their size range with HST+ being a huge plus, as James said. They have the weight and the strength that you're looking for.

Do you have a Kioti, Bobcat, Landini or McCormick dealer within reasonable distance. These are all Kioti tractors. Starting at 40hp, they are all very compatible with with Grand L models of similar HP. The Kioti versions have FEL lift cap. of 2700lbs to full height and 4000lbs breakout, significantly higher than the standard L line and slightly higher than even the Grand L line.

The other one to look at is LS. It is a division of LG and had been making tractors for New Holland and Landini (maybe others?) for years until recently. They are also a heavy strong tractor.

I'd be looking at Kioti DK40 or DK45 (Bobcat CT440/45, McCormick X10.40, Landini ??), Kubota L4240, JD 4120, LS ?? or possibly a Mahindra.

 

[vtsnowedin]

If I had to load fragile cargo onto somebody else's truck several times a week I'd want an HST tranny for the same reasons others have posted above but for tree and farm work I don't have a problem with a gear shift and clutch setup. Mine shuttles from 2nd to reverse in all three ranges and the 4000 lbs of lift gets the job done. Along with the cab make sure you have a block heater for cold winter starts. Working the trees in AK you'll be looking like this.

 

[TripleR]

Man, no way I can improve on the advice given by Kiotiken, SanDucerro, James KOUA, TexasJohn and other knowledgeable posters.

I also run HST, HST+ and hydraulic shuttle shift and for the new owner would recommend an HST/HST+ (see threads posted by joshbardwell), nothing wrong with gear and many like them, but...

Mjncad makes an excellent point, I am 65 and buy long term, I have open station tractors I can no longer use and have had to turn them over to my brothers, cabs are now a must for me. We have tractors made in the 50's, 60's and 80's still working; think long term.

As to brand, I could be happy on Kioti, John Deere, Kubota, Case etc., look for a good dealer and as mentioned compare apples to apples as there is a dizzying array of models and I honestly have to look many of them up to compare.

Good luck.

 

[nybirdman]

I'll vote for the L3940 HSTC,buy the right one the first time,it will save you money and aggravation.The HST+ is a great feature.

 

[kiotiken]

I'll vote for the L3940 HSTC,buy the right one the first time,it will save you money and aggravation.The HST+ is a great feature.

There's a big jump between the L3940 and the L4240 for FEL cap. You're going to want that lift for what you're doing, I wouldn't go below the L4240.

 

[PMA]

Check dealers. All the tractors mentioned are good but the dealership makes these tractors better or worse. A sorry dealership can cause a lot of headaches if you do have problems. I have a John Deere open tractor. Been a very good tractor but the dealership that I bought it from is sorry. Had a minor problem and ended up costing me over $1000 for a simple problem with the tractor having around 250 hours on it. When I purchased my cab tractor [CI] I have had great service from them. So dealership is prolly more important than the equipment being purchased.

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