2005 Kubota L3430 HST Tractor
Model Year: 2005
Good reliable engine, but a bit underpowered. Engine starts every time even in cold weather. If you live on flat land, power may be adequate for you. HST has been a good reliable transmission, except initially required a warranty job when new with the HST having jerking problems, but the dealer fixed it up promptly. Front end loader has had warranty on one of the cylinders, but has leaked ever since. The main ears on the boom broke off one side, just when warranty expired. When I phoned to tell Kubota, they said, "you are on your own". The warranty expired. When I said that someone could be injured by this problem, they again said, "your warranty has expired". I rebuilt the broken parts as well as the good one with heavier metal, 1/4 inch plate instead of the 3/16, and haven't had any more ears breaking off. The front axle is too light. I had one warranty job replacing bearings and seals. Since then another failed bearing and had to replace them, again at my cost. The Kubota dealer said that I was working the tractor too hard. I was quite insulted, because the dealer person didn't look like he ever put any time on a tractor in his life. I have bumped up my oil change intervals, and change the front diff. when I do the engine each 100 hrs. In cold weather the loader controls freeze up, so I have been keeping the tractor in a heated shop for the past 3 years. Since then, no problem. The HST filters and oil will cost you about $1.00/hr of operation. Overall, the tractor is good value for the money. You have to baby the weak front end and must repair the flaws in the front end loader to prevent someone from getting hurt, otherwise you will likely be happy with the tractor.
Pros: The HST is the only way to go for loader work.
Cons: Bucket controls are in a poor location, your arm will cramp up after a few hours of it being stuck up in the air in front of you.