Re: women needs help buying tractor
Ms.Grant:
First off, welcome to TBYNet, where you can get opinions and help on any tractor related question.
Second, you need to fill in your Bio.
Thirdly, How big are the rounds?? I had a 3710 HSTC that would handle 4 squares but only with some kind of counter weight on the back. I don't think for a suburban owner 3 years and 75 hours is out of line. For a rural owner, 75 hours is one season. I personally don't trade every couple of years unless I up rate.
What type of terrain do you have versus the bale weight. Like I stated above, the 3710HST would handle a 4x4 bale, but that is about all. One problem with the earlier Grand L series tractors is the steering linkage on the 4wd models. Basically, what you have is an oversize pitman arm attached to the steering box and two actuator rods (one to each wheel hub) attached to the cast arm. There is quite a bit of axial stress placed on the bushing where the arms attach to the cast arm. When I traded in my 3710 with about 250 hours on it, there was appreciable slop in the bushing You could feel that slop as steering wheel play with the motor off. I always greased the unit at intervals twice the recommended interval, so non lubrication was not a factor.
I'd suggest lifting the front of the tractor with the FEL bucket until the front wheels were off the ground about 6". Walk over to either side of the tractor and grab hold of the front wheel and try to move it back and forth. At the same time, observe the attachment point where the rods fit into the cast pitman arm (it will be easily visible with the front end raised). Any appreciable movement in the bushing indicates that a rebuild is eminent.
Any heavy work with the FEL, like moving rounds, dirt, etc., where there is a lot of weight on the FEL will accelerate the problem.
The newer Grand L's like my 5030HSTC have eliminated the linkage all together. The newer models have hydraulic ram type steering and no linkage.
I checked the specifications on the 3830/LA723 loader combo and the lift on the loader is 1400 pounds, basically at the edge of the bucket lip. Add a bale spike and you'd be right about 1000 pounds. Go to the quick attach Bobcat style mount and spear and you'd probably be about 1200 pounds. The gross weight of the tractor is 3330 pounds and the loader probably weighs about 1100 pounds. You can't add the weight of the loader to the gross weight as the bulk of the loader weight is past the centerline of the tractor.
You would have to have a substantial amount of weight on the back of the 3830 or the 3710 for that matter, to counter balance the loader/bale or the tractor would probably lift the rear wheels with disastrous results. If you are set on either the 3710 or the 3830, at least mount a large rear blade or weight box for your own safety.
My 5030HSTC will handle 4x4 bales with no wieight on the back whatsoever. 4x5's require some
ballast on the rear. Most of the time when I am loading bales in the field, I have a rear, 3 point spear on as well as a bucket spear in front. The ballast of an 800+ pound bale in th back is plenty for stability.
