newbie looking for some guidance

[Tompet]

Hi yamhat,
I have a B2920 TLB and am happy with it (had a Massey Ferguson 2310 TLb before the Kubota). For the projects you outlined and your preference with the single BH seat and loader valve position (both of which I also prefer) I would not totally discount the B3200 at this point in your search. Particularly the increased capabilities of the BH76 on the 3200 vs the BH65 of the 2920. That is about the only thing that would make me want to trade in my machine for the 3200.

There are always compromises in your choices/setup which you indicated with the L series, but if you are dead set against the B3200 then my vote would go for L based on what you described. Out of your list of uses, finish mowing would probably be last on my list of equipment add-ons for the tractor as I would eventually shoot for a dedicated mower.

Anyway, just opinion...you will enjoy your new machine whatever you decide.
tp

 

[k0ua]

Well on my approx 7 acres. mostly all wooded and bad terrain. very little flat ground. mostly just one of the driveways. I had a B7500 for 8 years here, and got a lot of use out of it. That said I lusted after a hydrostat tractor, and traded up in june for a L3400. Love it. love the extra size and grunt power. I can dig out stumps in a hour that would take all day with the B7500. Lift more push more pull more. Dont get me wrong, the B7500 was a great tractor, never gave a minutes worth of trouble, but the L3400 is a better tractor, at least for me. You mention going thru the woods, and wondered about the clearance, well with the L3400 just push the darn things out of the way!
Be sure to load the rear tires with the fluid of your choice. ( I used RV antifreeze, its nontoxic) much more stable on hills and give extra push power.
the L3700SU is the same tractor as the L3400 but with a loader included as a package and some engine tweaks. I think they are good buy right now. I cant comment much on the backhoe as I dont have one. But I would think that with a heavier tractor a backhoe would work better. just my 2 cents worth, I hope you find your dream tractor, and whatever you decide, you will get a lot of use/joy from it.
James K0UA

 

[Gary T.]

Hey yamhat,

Welcome, I remember when I was at the same place you are right now. I have 10 acres of gently rolling hills and very hard, rocky soil. When I first started looking at tractors I started looking at the B7800 and the B2910. After talking with the dealer, I quickly realized that I needed to be looking at the L's and not the B's. It's not that the B's wouldn't do most of the things that I needed to get done, but for my property an L would be a better fit. The L is wider (better stabillity for hills), heavier (better traction), stronger hydraulics (better for digging in my hard, rocky soil). The one mistake I made when I bought my tractor was letting my neighbor talk me out of getting the backhoe. Once I did purchase the backhoe I quickly realized that was the most used attachment that I have.

So, I started with a GL3130, then later purchased the BH90 backhoe, then purchased a BX1860 for mowing and close work around the house and garden, then sold the GL3130 (only because someone offered me the right price, and I needed an excuse to upgrade), Then purchased an L45 (thought about M59, but too big for what I have to work around).

I think with the list of things you want to do, like tompet said, you should at least get the B3200 for the extra hydraulic grunt and the bigger backhoe. Others have suggested buying smaller and renting bigger. I can't tell how nice it is to have a machine big enough to do everything I want to do, when I want to do it.

Good luck and have fun shopping,
Gary T.

 

[Alan L.]

I have an 11 year old B2710 which has slight fewer HP than the B2920, and it would seem just right for that property. Don't have a backhoe so don't know how that would perform though. But you can run a 5' brush hog, 5' tiller, 6' finish mower with that tractor. Never laid eyes on a snow blower so wouldn't know anything about that either.

 

[yamhat]

thanks for the replies, everyone

I guess I was ragging a little hard on the 3200...I'm sure they're fine, it just doesn't seem like a good deal to me based on the price

with the hoe and everything the jump in MSRP from the smallest I'd consider (B2320) to the B3200 is ~$4500, from there to the L3700 is only another $1100...it seems like if I decide it's worth spending a few thousand more for a bigger tractor it would be worth the jump to the L. of course this could all vary depending on what deals the dealer is willing to cut.

I read about the BXs briefly but ruled them out pretty quickly thinking I'd beat one to pieces on rocks/stumps

cab isn't going to happen, becuase of the garage and the cost. i've been plastered with snow from my little snapper walk behind for 15 years, I'll survive. money is enough of an issue that I don't want to drop 5k on a comfort feature I'll only use for half the year, even if it did fit in the garage.

trailering isn't an absolute necessity and won't happen that often, it would just be handy for doing some work at friends' places and bartering for small jobs. and warranty work if I need it since I'll probably be buying from the dealer 90 miles away, unless his prices are terrible...we liked him a lot, very friendly and helpful.

so, you guys are saying the L will be more stable on hills because of the weight/width? it seemed so much taller when we were at the dealer that I didn't feel confident about it...seemed like it would be tippy...but that's just my subjective feeling with no tractor experience at all. maybe we're just intimidated by the L because it seems so huge to us city folk

will the L with folding rops for sure fit in a 7' garage? I didn't think to measure it while we were there.

another dumb newbie question: the backhoe runs on the tractor hydraulics, right? does that mean the backhoe comes with rear hydraulic hookups? can they be used for something else (e.g. log splitter) while the hoe is off?

does the bigger BH76 mount the same way as the smaller ones? I do think I'll be doing the on and off pretty frequently, the dealer showed us the BH65 and it looked pretty easy.

most of our trees are not large, there's just a lot of them. probably 90% of them are balsams that are maybe 6-8 inches at the base of the trunk -- they basically look like 75 foot flagpoles with christmas trees on top. there are a few birch & basswood that are probably 18in at the trunk, and a few nice big old maples I'll probably just leave up because I like them.

will I at least be able to dig out these 6-8in balsam stumps fairly easily with the small B? I guess I can leave the big stumps till I have a large area mostly cleared, and then rent a big machine for a day and take care of them all at once.

how many times can I rent a big backhoe/dozer/whatever for the $5k difference between a small B and an L?

 

[radioman]

cab isn't going to happen, becuase of the garage and the cost. i've been plastered with snow from my little snapper walk behind for 15 years, I'll survive. money is enough of an issue that I don't want to drop 5k on a comfort feature I'll only use for half the year, even if it did fit in the garage.

Are you sure about that? getting a cabbed tractor could mean you would be able to leave it outside and no worry about getting it in the garage. Beleive me, garage tends to fiull up fast with other things.

so, you guys are saying the L will be more stable on hills because of the weight/width? it seemed so much taller when we were at the dealer that I didn't feel confident about it...seemed like it would be tippy...but that's just my subjective feeling with no tractor experience at all. maybe we're just intimidated by the L because it seems so huge to us city folk

Well- the L has larger tires meaning you can add more liquid ballast. any tractor that has loaded tires will have lower COG and the more the better.

another dumb newbie question: the backhoe runs on the tractor hydraulics, right? does that mean the backhoe comes with rear hydraulic hookups? can they be used for something else (e.g. log splitter) while the hoe is off?

My BX came with BH so it does run off tractor hydraulics. Once I get it off, and if I wanted to add a 3 pt splitter, I will need a power beyond joystick.
A B or L BH would be same way , but I havent seen one to confirm this.

how many times can I rent a big backhoe/dozer/whatever for the $5k difference between a small B and an L?

Your answer will depend on your local rental prices.

 

[crazyal]

will the L with folding rops for sure fit in a 7' garage? I didn't think to measure it while we were there.

My 4240 will fit through a 8' door without folding the ROPS and I think it's a little taller than the 3x40s so I'm sure with it folded it would fit. The real question is can you remember to fold it everytime? )

 

[RadarTech]

My 4240 will fit through a 8' door without folding the ROPS and I think it's a little taller than the 3x40s so I'm sure with it folded it would fit. The real question is can you remember to fold it everytime? )

I have an L3400.. With a 7 foot door and the ROPS up , clearance is within 1/2 inch of the door opening..
For the tractor cave, I made the door 7 foot 6 inches..

If I folded the ROPS.. 5 foot 9 or so..
J

 

[JOHNTHOMAS]

thanks for the replies, everyone


so, you guys are saying the L will be more stable on hills because of the weight/width? it seemed so much taller when we were at the dealer that I didn't feel confident about it...seemed like it would be tippy...but that's just my subjective feeling with no tractor experience at all. maybe we're just intimidated by the L because it seems so huge to us city folk

I've had B's, BX's and an L. I have hillside property. Feeling stable may be different than being stable. The BX feels the most stable and I believe it is but the BX isn't up to some of the jobs the B's can do. The B feels more stable than the L but is it, I don't know but I got rid of my L3240 with under 40 hours on it because it was to big for my residential 5 acres hillside property and I always felt a bit skittish sitting that high up off the ground on hillside. Plus going over a limb, rock or in a dip scared me pretty bad with the L. Is the L more stable than a B, I don't know but having owned a B7800 and a B3200 and an L3240 I felt more stable on the B's.

I also pay for a man to bring his big track loader to do some work for me. He can do jobs in an hour that would take me days with my equipment. His $90 per hour track loader is at my neighbors now and when he leaves there I'll have him do some clearing on a steep hill side that I won't tackle. I'll be glad to have him do it for me and me keep the Kubotas that I need 99% of the time and pay for those 1% jobs.

Don't start out with the cost of a machine first. Start out with your needs first and then what machine will do most of your jobs and then see what you can get for the money you have or can get. If you start out hunting for what you can get for $20,000 then some times you can lose focus of your needs and try to match needs to the machine instead of the machine to your needs.
Acreage is also not a big factor to determine your needs unless it's to get a bigger tractor to handle bigger implements.

 

[TripleR]

thanks for the replies, everyone

So, you guys are saying the L will be more stable on hills because of the weight/width? it seemed so much taller when we were at the dealer that I didn't feel confident about it...seemed like it would be tippy...but that's just my subjective feeling with no tractor experience at all. maybe we're just intimidated by the L because it seems so huge to us city folk

how many times can I rent a big backhoe/dozer/whatever for the $5k difference between a small B and an L?

The taller the tractor, the more unstable/tippy it "seems" due to the height from the ground. I own an L and M and I never feel really comfortable on slopes and didn't with my Case CX80. You can see from the trad width that they are very stable and are used to mow some pretty steep stuff. The margin between "just enough" and "not enough" tractor is razor thin and thus my choice would be an L with the tread out and tires loaded.

Dozer cost is going to vary as my son caught a guy working close to his home and since he didn't have far to go got his work done in one day for well under $1000. We have bartered for a dozer as soon as my sons catch up enough for the guy to come out.