What tractor to buy?

[Boondox]

I'm going to disagree somewhat with the used ag tractor theme based on your need to brushhog once a year. We're not talking finish mowing on a weekly basis, so I think you could get away with a smaller tractor. I have an L3010 hydrostat for my 155 hilly acres that has served me well for five years. I'm trading up now but only because I need a larger backhoe and more mass to safely harvest the large hardwood trees that represent my winter wood supply. Personally, I like the HST because of my hills; I have much better control maneuvering between boulders and trees on steep slopes. Not sure if that's a concern of yours. The GST is a good option if preserving PTO HP is an issue for you.

Just my $0.02. Pete

 

[HEC]

I think back when I had the L235,what a work horse that little tractor was and it was only abt, 20hp If I remember correctly.I have kicked myself a thousand times for ever selling that tractor and I don't know how many thousands of hrs it had on it as the hr meter broke way back when.Yes I would rather have new also if time was not a factor in getting all his land mowed and would meet his other objectives.
Herb

 

[stumpfield]

Time is not a factor. I won't be mowing the entire 120 acres. Maybe a few hundread feet along the road and round the structures. I just want something easy to manuever, safe and it's the right tool for the job. I read Pete's other post that someone actually hated the HST and trade back to a gear transmission? Wow, I thought HST is a luxury upgrade (cost more, less HP) for the convenience. When I drive a car with automatic trans, I don't miss the stick at all.

 

[daTeacha]

Presuming you really mean 10 to 15%, not degrees, your land is pretty flat. A 100% grade is a 45 degree slope, so your statement puts your at between 4 and 7 degrees, which is very slight compared to what a lot of guys here work with. A shallow slope on a roof is 3/12, or about 25%, which is about the flattest part of my ground.

Based on that, you should be able to run all around the property without too much concern about falling over, unless you get stupid and carry a loaded bucket with the bottom higher than your front axle.

The L 3400 will work well, as will most any tractor in the 30 hp range. My FIL farmed several hundred acres here in Ohio while milking cows and raising hogs and chickens. All he used was his WD-45. The deciding factor on size is how much time you want to spend getting a given chore done. If you like lots of seat time, go with the smaller one. If your time is precious and you view using the tractor as work, find the biggest one you think can afford, then get the next size larger after the salesman tells you about the financing deals they have going on right now. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[stumpfield]

Yea. It's 10 to 15%, not degrees. What's the difference between the L3400 and L3430? Standard L series vs. L30 series. I looked the Kubota website but don't know enough where to look.

 

[DavesTractor]

Stumpfield,
You probably aren't too far from Galt when you get down to the valley. Check out Ted at Horning Equipment. He has Branson and Mahindra, both are good heavy tractors at a fair price.

 

[IslandTractor]

Most people like the HST transmissions and would not go back to gear. As in most things there are exceptions both legitimate due to specific characteristics of gear vs hst and what I would characterize as iconoclastic; some people just like to be different. In general for mowing and FEL work, HST transmissions are preferable. Make sure you get a cruise control if you will be doing a lot of mowing.

 

[rk246]

There are two familes in this size with Kubota, the L2800/3400 and the Grand L series, which has the L 3130, 3430, 3830, all in the same size frame basically and the larger frame and loader size the L4---'s which there are three of. The grand L series has several extra features that the more base model L3400 does not, but they are mostly just convienence features, ie, telescoping 3 pt arms, cup holder, fancier cockpit, upgraded electronics, tilt steering etc, The Grand L series ends up running about 4-5k more than the more base model L3400, as for a work horse I think the L3400 is great, it only depends on if you want the extra features or not...

 

[rk246]

Oh and as for HST it is very nice, I ran gear tractors of my families doing real basic tasks for several years and the HST is so easy and nice to run, but you do lose a few pto horsepower for the HST usually about 3-4, so just buy a little bit bigger hp tractor than you want with HST and you will never notice the decreased HP. My property is very hilly and the HST makes it very nice to drive around on, I hardly ever use the brakes because the HST does such a good job of stopping you...

As for dealers go look at all the different tractors in your area, they all have some very good features, then decide on a couple models, maybe try out the Hst and the Gear and decide on which you like better, then you can usually get the dealers to bring out the tractor/ tractors for you to try out on your property and see what works best for you....