I found one! I found one! But is it the right Kubota for me??

[jsydney5]

I found a 96' Kubota with 2000 hours on it in my price range. I need a tractor to lift 800-1000lb round bales to bring out to the pasture for horses. I know it's better to have too much tractor than not enough, but hoping that this one will get me by for a small horse farm. Uses for this tractor are for lifting round bales, dragging the ring, mowing the fields in the summer, and dumping compost in the compost bin!

The Tractor is a:
"Kubota L2550 4x4 diesel with front end loader. It has 2083 hrs. Turf tires, 3 pt hydraulic hitch, shuttle shift with hi & low"

TractorData.com Kubota L2550 tractor information

Can you tell me if this is enough (or barely enough) tractor for what I need??? Thank you!!!

 

[dbaer78]

I really don't think you'd be happy with that tractor for moving round bales that size...at least with the loader. The factory kubota loader is only rated for 880 lbs at the pins. My kubota MX5100 weighs probably 6000 lbs ballasted and has a loader rated at 2400 lbs at the pins and I it moves smaller round bales pretty easily although in my opinion if I were doing it continuously I'd probably want a larger tractor even yet. Just my opinion though. The old L 50 series tractors are great machines still yet.

 

[Baby Grand]

Welcome to TBN and congrats on finding a used Kub that meets your requirements!
I had no such luck when I went looking, so you've done well.
It will probably struggle to lift those bales with the FEL, but should be okay on the 3pt.

 

[jsydney5]

The horse farm is currently using a TractorData.com Kubota L3130 tractor information and that works with the front end loader. Is that one a little more man power than the one i found?? We would be lifting about 3 round bales once a week. Not a whole lot of usage, so we are trying to stay as cheap as possible!

Baby Grand-- the 3pt hitch...what would i hook up to it to lift a round bale? A spear? gosh..a girl has so much to learn!

 

[MikeInEburg]

My dad has an L2550 and it has been a great machine. That said, the front end loader won't adequately lift a round bale. He uses a carry-all on three point hitch and it works well. He backs up to bale and rolls it on. A dual spear would work on three point hitch, but unlikely that a single spear would work as you wouldn't get adequate height. If you can live with that, I can say that my dad's machine has been a very reliable tank.

 

[jsydney5]

Thanks MikeInEburg! So if the Kubota comes with a front end loader, i could use that for compost. And what should I buy as an attachment for the 3 pt hitch? What would you pick in terms of cost+ efficiency for a small amount of use, if you had to choose? The dual spear or the carry-all?

Can I just ask...is $6,500 good for this Kubota? I thought it was... but if it cant lift a round bale with the front end loader, now i'm not so sure if its a great deal? They said it runs good with no problems... but you know how that goes.

 

[Baby Grand]

We have an L3240 that is really the replacement for the L3130, so very similar. I would not want to move that size load on our FEL too often. Once in a while, sure, but not as a regular chore type of job. If you can find an inexpensive pair of 3pt forks you'd be getting the ability to move pallets as well as bales. Very handy.

 

[Gary Fowler]

It is just too small to lift one with a hay spear on the FEL and you could get in serious trouble fast even if it will raise the bale off the ground. You have to have a serious counterweight on the back to offset the weight in the front. DONT even think about putting one of the hay spears that bolt onto the FEL bucket as they put the weight so far out in front that even a 50 HP tractor struggles with it.

A 3 point hitch mounted hay spear is fine for carrying bales for that size tractor, however, it can only be use to lift a bale that is directly on the ground. It cant be used to lift one off a trailer, or remove or place one in a stack. I think you need to look for a bit larger tractor in the 40HP range minimum.

 

[tman1020]

I think that would be asking too much of the front loader. But you might be okay on the three point if you have a bail spear. Just remember the bail spear does not give enough counterweight for your front loader so you will have to change back-and-forth from the bale spear to a dedicated counterweight or something heavy in order to use the front loader safely for other tasks.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I found a 96' Kubota with 2000 hours on it in my price range. I need a tractor to lift 800-1000lb round bales to bring out to the pasture for horses. I know it's better to have too much tractor than not enough, but hoping that this one will get me by for a small horse farm. Uses for this tractor are for lifting round bales, dragging the ring, mowing the fields in the summer, and dumping compost in the compost bin!

The Tractor is a:
"Kubota L2550 4x4 diesel with front end loader. It has 2083 hrs. Turf tires, 3 pt hydraulic hitch, shuttle shift with hi & low"

TractorData.com Kubota L2550 tractor information

Can you tell me if this is enough (or barely enough) tractor for what I need??? Thank you!!!

ONE other thing, with turf tires on a tractor, even if it lifts a 1000# bale it is going to be a heck of a load for turf tires. Turfs also aren't going to give you much traction in mud which you will likely find in a pasture in the winter. Better to look for a tractor with at least R4(industrial) tires. They will have the load carrying capacity and traction to get you into the pasture and back out.