I think I have most of this figured out

[reprosser]

OK - I took the plunge! Tractor was delivered today (Friday) It will be a birthday present for the wife.

I had the day off from work to meet the delivery. She got off work early, and did not get off the tractor till after dark (got to test the headlights).

Thanks for all the feedback and suggestions.

 

[SCtractorguy]

Rick,

good to hear, looks good on the avatar. Which dealer did you go with?


chris

 

[B3200]

We all need inspiration pictures here, of the tractor and the land, I think I want to retire in NC.

 

[reprosser]

Went with Mr Airy Equipment in NC. They offered free delivery (and no sales tax). My brother has done business with them regularly for his company, so I took his advise for the dealer.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Went with Mr Airy Equipment in NC. They offered free delivery (and no sales tax). My brother has done business with them regularly for his company, so I took his advise for the dealer.

That's a nice town, nice area. I've thought about retiring in that neck of the woods. Went to scout camp down there a couple yrs ago.
Enjoy the tractor! I've been thinking of trading in my L3130HST for a L4240HSTC.

 

[pitt_md]

I traded my L3240HST QA bucket and 35 hours to Barlows Wednesday for a B3200. You can save some money by contacting them. I had a B before and the L just seemed a bit to big for my use and Barlow's are easy to trade with. My 7th purchase/trade with them in 5 years.

they must smile every time they see you coming.

 

[HCJtractor]

You really need a grapple!! Once you use one, you will never use your bucket. Perfect for clearing brush piles, up-rooting trees, moving stuff around. I'm not sure of your loader capacity, but a 48" light duty Markham grapple should be ideal if your loader lifts 1400 lbs. or more. Hopefully your QA is skid steer type, not a Kubota specific QA which limits your choice of implements. This is the most useful implement I have on my Kubota. I'm in upstate S.C. (Greenville) My dealer may still have this same grapple that was sent to me by mistake. I wanted a heavier duty one for my larger Kubota. If they still have it, Markham may give you a deal on it. If you are interested, I can check on it. It's brand new, still in factory crate.

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

they must smile every time they see you coming.

I think I hear Steve Barlow holler to someone "order more hats" as I'm coming in the door. Only asked for 3 with this last purchase.

 

[reprosser]

You really need a grapple!! Once you use one, you will never use your bucket. Perfect for clearing brush piles, up-rooting trees, moving stuff around. I'm not sure of your loader capacity, but a 48" light duty Markham grapple should be ideal if your loader lifts 1400 lbs. or more. Hopefully your QA is skid steer type, not a Kubota specific QA which limits your choice of implements. This is the most useful implement I have on my Kubota. I'm in upstate S.C. (Greenville) My dealer may still have this same grapple that was sent to me by mistake. I wanted a heavier duty one for my larger Kubota. If they still have it, Markham may give you a deal on it. If you are interested, I can check on it. It's brand new, still in factory crate.

Yes, I do need a grapple, but no more funds at this time. What kind of price do they carry?

Not sure what the difference is between the QA and skid steer QA. My bucket has two handles to release with a plate on each side that catches on a lip to re-attach.

 

[HCJ]

The grapple that I would suggest is the light duty 48" Markham which costs about $900. You would also need hydraulics to control it. This can be done 3 ways, varying in costs. You can route them from the rear hydraulics which is the cheapest, or you can buy a electric over hydraulic (true third function) from WR Long which is the costliest, about $600. Installation may cost another $100 if your dealer does it. Some people have enough skill to do it themselves. You can find pictures and information on the Markham Welding website and also on the WR Long website. Melissa at Markham can quote you an exact figure and Nelson at WR Long is also helpful. As far as your specific tractor and loader, I am not sure. First, I would make sure your FEL has enough lift capacity to justify a grapple. It weighs about 450 lbs. so you need (in my opinion) a total lift of around 1400lb. minimum to give you 1000 lbs. of useful lift. Ask your dealer if your quick attach is "universal skid steer compatible" If not, adding a Markham grapple may not be possible unless they could custom make one for you or you buy an adapter. WR long also sells grapples, and they may have other style QA available. They are more expensive, however. One solution is to buy a ATI Tach All adapter that fits on the arms of your FEL that makes it skid steer compatible. That is what I had to do as my Kubota loader was not skid steer type. The Kubota style QA was an $300 option on my loader and I did not buy that or the Kubota bucket. I bought my FEL without a QA or a bucket, as I wanted the skid steer type and it was only available on certain Kubota loaders that did not fit my tractor. So I bought the Tach All from ATI for around $800 extra. It's much simpler if your loader is already skid steer QA. I also bought an aftermarket skid steer QA bucket instead of the Kubota. The bottom line is that if your loader is strong enough, and skid steer compatible, it's easy. A $900 Markham grapple, and whatever hydraulics you choose to use is all you need. Do a search as there are numerous posts about all of this. "IslandTractor" is a member who really helped me in my decisions. Hope this is clear. My grapple is fairly new, but it is incredible for cleaning up brush piles, uprooting small trees (up to 6" diameter), moving boulders, logs, stumps, etc. If you are ever in the Greenville area, I'll let you see it in action. Harold