newbie looking for some guidance

[TripleR]

Forgot the pictures.

 

[yamhat]

well, I think I've decided we need to go back out there and spend a little more time playing with the L to see if we could get comfortable with it. Thanks everyone. I'll update when we decide something

 

[yamhat]

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 hope so, it's a tuckunder garage, if I forget and knock out the sill the dining room is going to fall in my lap =P

part of the reason I want to keep it in there is it's semi-heated (stays about 45 in the deepest of winter) and i'm worried about it being hard to start in the -20F in january

 

[crazyal]

I hope so, it's a tuckunder garage, if I forget and knock out the sill the dining room is going to fall in my lap =P

part of the reason I want to keep it in there is it's semi-heated (stays about 45 in the deepest of winter) and i'm worried about it being hard to start in the -20F in january

I ended up adding a block heater 'just in case'. You never know when for one reason or another you have to leave it outside for a few hours that turns into over night. It's not too often but we can get as low as -40 here, it's usually clear nights though.

 

[architect]

went from a B series to a L, and the feeling of stability is not there, the bigger tractor on uneven ground feels like you are tipping over, biggest reason we sold the L, and are looking for a new B2920. My wife grew up with farm JD tractors, on a farm (flat) and would NOT drive the L on slight slopes, because of feel.

 

[TripleR]

went from a B series to a L, and the feeling of stability is not there, the bigger tractor on uneven ground feels like you are tipping over, biggest reason we sold the L, and are looking for a new B2920. My wife grew up with farm JD tractors, on a farm (flat) and would NOT drive the L on slight slopes, because of feel.

As mentioned in my previous posts, from personal experience, "feel" is not a good indicator of true stability. My CX80 was/is one of the most stable tractors we have ever owned, but it always "felt" tippy.

I can sure empathize with your wife as I grew up in the flatland, but now also have a couple of hill farms and have worked on them since 1986 and I don't think I will ever feel truly comfortable on these slopes. My sons grew up working on our hill farms and are very comfortable doing stuff I won't even try.

 

[RadarTech]

As mentioned in my previous posts, from personal experience, "feel" is not a good indicator of true stability. My CX80 was/is one of the most stable tractors we have ever owned, but it always "felt" tippy.

I can sure empathize with your wife as I grew up in the flatland, but now also have a couple of hill farms and have worked on them since 1986 and I don't think I will ever feel truly comfortable on these slopes. My sons grew up working on our hill farms and are very comfortable doing stuff I won't even try.

I live on the side of a small mole hill compared to some of you..
and there are things I won't do.. And there are things I would not do 2 years ago that I do now...

Just have to learn what the real tipping point is!


J

 

[TripleR]

I live on the side of a small mole hill compared to some of you..
and there are things I won't do.. And there are things I would not do 2 years ago that I do now...

Just have to learn what the real tipping point is!


J

Yeah, I do stuff now that I would not have attempted years ago and whenever I get a new tractor it take a while for me to get use to it. I am still acclimating to my M8540 and am getting inclinometers for it and my L5030. The M8540 is very stable, but it is so tall it doesn't feel that way, just like my old CX80. On the CX80. I mowed stuff on which I had to hold onto the uphill side grab rails to stay in the seat. We bought it new in 98 and it never lifted a wheel, but it scared the heck out of me quite a few times.

My only point is that feel is often subjective and often not a true indicator of true stability/instability.

 

[DiezNutz]

My only point is that feel is often subjective and often not a true indicator of true stability/instability.

X2. To that I'll also add (for benefit of new owners), it changes depending on what your tractor is 'wearing' that day. Mine is a completely different animal with FEL & BH on than it is with them off, and MMM on instead. It's not a fixed quantity unless your setup stays constant.

I ended up adding a block heater 'just in case'. You never know when for one reason or another you have to leave it outside for a few hours that turns into over night.

My thinking, also. Plus, I liked having one on my old truck, and they're not that expensive.
I must admit, yours makes more sense in VT than mine does in MD.

 

[TripleR]

X2. To that I'll also add (for benefit of new owners), it changes depending on what your tractor is 'wearing' that day. Mine is a completely different animal with FEL & BH on than it is with them off, and MMM on instead. It's not a fixed quantity unless your setup stays constant.

It sure does. Our tractors feel much better with a pull type 10' bush hog than a 10' 3-point. Taking the FEL off my L5030 completely changes the feel and handling; haven't taken one off my M8540 yet.

The same can be said of my BX as it is solid as a rock on hills until you take the MMM off and put a FEL on and then it scares the heck out of me. I was going to replace my BX2200 with a B2920 until I tried one out and then I bought another BX. I still like the B Series, but doubt I will ever own one.

 

[yamhat]

well I've been thinking and looking around a bit...the *only* thing it sounds like I really need something big for is the land clearing part..and a couple of people said even the L is borderline for that. I poked around on craigslist and it looks like I can get an older, working dozer or small excavator for well under 10k... so now I'm thinking this: buy b2920, do as much as I reasonably can with it, meanwhile watching for a decent older machine like this and use it for what the B can't do. then when I've got the clearing done I can just re-sell it...I"m thinking an old machine like that won't take much of a hit from depreciation over the year or two I might have it. any thoughts?

 

[TripleR]

If you can find a good, dependable one then it can be done. My son has a friend in construction who does this. He just got a good used dozer for about 10k and will get that back when he finishes a few jobs. The trick is in finding one that is:
1.good
2.used
3 reasonably priced

We usually barter for or rent things like that and it works for us.

 

[yamhat]

So I got email quotes for a 2920 from the dealer over in WI (second one we went to) and Barlow's and they're pretty competetive -- Barlow was a little cheaper but ~700 delivery evens it out. I think we're going to head back thursday when we're both off work and give the B3200 and L3700 a second look and make our decision. *crosses fingers*

 

[TripleR]

Good luck.

 

[montelatici]

well I've been thinking and looking around a bit...the *only* thing it sounds like I really need something big for is the land clearing part..and a couple of people said even the L is borderline for that. I poked around on craigslist and it looks like I can get an older, working dozer or small excavator for well under 10k... so now I'm thinking this: buy b2920, do as much as I reasonably can with it, meanwhile watching for a decent older machine like this and use it for what the B can't do. then when I've got the clearing done I can just re-sell it...I"m thinking an old machine like that won't take much of a hit from depreciation over the year or two I might have it. any thoughts?

I think that any excavator, bulldozer or track loader that you can buy under 10K is an accident about to happen. Annew L Kubota with a warranty and with an FEL will do the job at around 21K, zero interest.

Make sure you have them mount a tooth bar.

 

[RadarTech]

yea-- not sure a low $ used excavator/dozer is worth the $$....

Just know what you get yourself into.....

J

 

[k0ua]

Interesting, my L3400 feels more stable on the severe hills we have than my old B7500, on sidehilling. But then I have fluid in my tires now I did not have on the B. Also as to wife comment, my wife will drive the L, because it "feels more stable" and would not drive the B.. but part of this I think is psycological, as in you sit more down in an L and you sit more On a B. It is interesting how different people react to the same situation. Or maybe the situation is not the same, We have some really rotten hills
James K0UA

 

[crazyal]

I bought 42 acres in the hills (some could call mountains) to build a house on. I bought a Case 580k backhoe to start with. I got it at a local auction for a good price but I did buy it kind of blind since the 580e next to it I thought would sell cheaper. The land had large trees that needed removing, stumps and all. I thought about a trackhoe but because of how far I was moving things I also needed the loader and wheels. By itself it did good. It has great digging power and when digging side by side with one of Kubota's larger trackhoes it easily out digs it.

But because of the hills and the fact I needed to make a road I found I needed a small dozer as well. I found an older case 450 dozer at a dealer they just wanted to unload. The tracks were in good shape but a number of other things were very worn. Over the years I've had to replace some parts here and there but over all it's been good to me. I would never use it to make money though.

My plan was to buy a tractor with a backhoe on it so after the house was built I would still have the tractor. But for the amount of work I needed to do it would have really worked the tractor hard. I've thought about selling the 580k but it runs well and is paid for. I'm always needing it for one thing or another. Now I have the 4240 I'll see if it still holds true.

The 580k feels real tippy. I'm always feeling like the slightest lean it will roll. When I was using it daily to build the house and was more comfortable and that feeling went away but now I don't use it very often it's back and I'm very cautious even though I know by experience that I don't need to worry. But that cautiousness is a good thing. If you feel too comfortable you are more likely to make a mistake.

You have to remember the larger the tractor the higher you sit. The higher you sit the more you feel tippy. But you need to remember you are a couple of hundred pounds at most sitting on a 3000lb+ hunk of steel. it's center of gravity will not be altered much by your weight and is much lower than you are. Even if you sat on the top of the ROPS you are not going to change it's balance much. But sitting up there you will feel like even the smallest stone would be enough to flip you.

 

[doall]

Just my opinion but buy bigger than you think you will need; you'll use it and want more. And if one big thing goes wrong on your sub 10K trackhoe or dozer, it could cost you several more K.

 

[Gary T.]

I think it's safe to say that if everyone on this board was given the chance to trade tractors, most would trade up, not down. I think when buying a tractor it is fairly easy to tell if a tractor is too big to work around your property. I don't think it is as easy to figure out if a tractor is to small to do the things you want to do. I think for most people that have never owned a tractor it would be very difficult to figure out what a specific tractor will do untill you use it for a while on you property. Once you use it and become comfertable with it, you will start to find it's limits. I owned my L3130 for 5 years. When I first purchased it I thought it was more than enough for what I wanted to do. After the first year or so I started wishing it had a little more horsepower, and it would lift a little more. Don't get me wrong, I was very happy with my 3130 for the 5 years I owned it. I learned to work within it's limits (barely). Now with my L45 I am very happy with it's power and size. It's not any bigger than my 3130 was, but has quite a bit more power. I think the L45 is it for me, we'll have to see in a couple of years.

The good thing about tractors is they hold their value pretty well. If you find you made a mistake and bought too small, or too big, you shouldn't take to big of a hit trading up or down.

Gary T.