L48 vs Fullsize BAckhoe

[Kubota-monkey]

How bout this new Kubota L48... How does everyone think it compares to a full size backhoe or the L35?

The Ben from MA /w3tcompact/icons/cool.gif

 

[Muhammad]

I have been 99% sure that the L48 will be released for over a year now, but I have zero details... what have you heard? I have yet to hear about it from any dealers, or from Kubota (if I even would... I doubt it /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif).

 

[Muhammad]

Ok, I think Harv just got his wish... I have been reading forums from bottom to top... just saw Steve Carver's mention of the L48. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

Ok, I'll stop now. And read.

 

[gordon]

Muhammad, you the forum master of all people-----oops./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Looks like its nice and perfect size Kubota has been needing something like that for awhile now. To top it off a 4 in one bucket and the trans that the l35 should haveHST I wonder how much Mark will sell that outdated L4310 for. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon

 

[MChalkley]

Gordon - I started to reply to your message in the other L48 thread and say that my '99 L4310HST is getting a littlong long in the tooth, anyway... /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

I'm really interested in looking at one, but we all knew that. I especially want to see how the backhoe attaches to the tractor and whether it's as useful as my Bradco mount, how the power of the two backhoes compares, etc. It certainly appears that the L48 loader is a better design than my modified L4310 one, even though mine has more lift capacity. The L48 one has much better bucket breakout force, higher overall lift, etc.

The hydraulics on the L48 are, of course, incredibly better. I'm interested in seeing if the engine is the same, though, because it has the right specs to be, but the Kubota factory service guy told me not to put a front-mounted hydraulic pump on my L4310 because the front crankshaft bearing isn't designed for the side-load. So, the question is: Did they do something to the engine in the L48 to compensate for this? (I'm assuming the hydraulic pump is a front-mounted one like the L35 here.)

But, for once in my life, I think I'm going to take the practical approach that my L4310HST does all I need or would want it to do. And as I find situations where it doesn't, as I have in the past, it can be fixed. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

MarkC

 

[gordon]

Mark as usual you bring some good points to the table. The numbers do sound good overall on the tractor. The hydraulic output is really something. If the numbers are true to form this should end up a hot seller. I still wonder why they never put the hst on the L35. Good point also about the front mounted pump on the L4310 guess if that was possible it would open up a bunch of add ons for your tractor----Have to see what this L48 has to offer.
Gordon

 

[MChalkley]

Gordon - My opinion on why they never put an HST in the L35 is that the engine is already taxed to the limit by the hydraulic pump. Others have speculated that Kubota didn't view the HST as an industrial-solution transmission. I never for a second believed that, though. Now we know that's not the case but Kubota decided, for some reason, that they needed more hp - so it all adds up.

MarkC

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Mark the hook up on the hoe is the same as on the L-35 only larger. They use a total of three pumps on the tractor one for the power steeering at 5.9gpm the main pump at 12.7gpm and athird to run the boom swing only at 7.3gpm. and yes they do run it off the front of the crank.

 

[MChalkley]

tra - Thanks for the info! Do you know if the engine in the L48 is the exact same one as the L4310?

That's a bummer about the backhoe mount. So, I take it that you still have to remove the 3-point-hitch side links to attach the hoe?

MarkC

 

[art]

Mark the L-48 uses the 148cu.in vs the 134cu.in. The likages are now mounted on the loader frame so you don't misplace them. I can do the switch in 5 minutes and I would have to say if I did it more than once a year I could get it in less than that. Sorry about yesterday but I forgot to log-in so for speed I used my computer alias.