Buying Advice Kubota GL4240HST or L4400HST?

[phiferpharm]

I am starting down the road to purchasing a new tractor to replace my FarmTrac 535. I have quite a bit of undergrowth and clearing work to do on about ten acres of my property and think it will be easier with a HST versus my manual transmission. I pull a Bush Hog SQ172 and use the FEL now, but think a grapple will get er done faster and easier. Not to mention, shifting is not the thrill it was in my Mustang or S2000 Sports car in my first mid-life transition (now I am starting the second mature later life transition now-Pickup trucks and rebuilding a 1965 El Camino for grins and giggles with my son )

I am leaning towards the Kubota L series, but am a little confused what the difference is between the Grand L4240HST and the L4400HST. It would appear it is mainly items like an upgraded instrument panel and upgrades to the seating, lights, steering wheel,etc. That translates to about 4K in the list price.

Is it worth the difference and am I missing something that would make it worth the difference? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[dex3361]

I have a L4400HST and it is a great tractor and I chose it for the simplicity and lack of electronics. This comes with a trade of in the in a few areas. The 4240 has extendable 3ph arms, beefier 3ph lift on the rear and most notably is the loader with better rollback angle and higher lift rating. Both good machines. If I were looking today I would look at the MX5100HST for the money it is a beast.

 

[Johnbro]

I think if you go wtih the Grand L you won't regret it. the 2 speed HST is a huge productivity improver--I've spent a lot of time on my buddy's 5240 and switching that lever from turtle to rabbit is really helpful. Also, the telescoping arms on the 3PH make it really quick to hook up implements.

 

[crazyal]

I've never used the L4400 but I can tell you that things like stall guard, auto throttle, the high/low on the fly select lever, the position control for the 3pt, the extra weight and extra capacities, etc. You really need to sit on each and try them out.

I can tell you that the auto throttle isn't adjusted correctly from the factory. It'll rev the motor up more than needed until you make an easy adjustment to the cable. Once it's adjusted it'll make the tractor drive like a GST when turned on.

Also being able to drop down to a lower gear without letting off the throttle is great when doing loader work. I find myself using this all the time.

 

[phiferpharm]

Thanks Randall, I will, but I actually think the slightly smaller size of the L series appeals to me. Both the L series and the MX look like they are smaller than my FarmTrac, which is fairly large a little underpowered, and only 2WD. I've did a quick stop at the dealer near my home in Miami and he was really helpful and said come drive what I want, so it won't hurt to saddle up on both.

 

[phiferpharm]

I've never used the L4400 but I can tell you that things like stall guard, auto throttle, the high/low on the fly select lever, the position control for the 3pt, the extra weight and extra capacities, etc. You really need to sit on each and try them out.

I can tell you that the auto throttle isn't adjusted correctly from the factory. It'll rev the motor up more than needed until you make an easy adjustment to the cable. Once it's adjusted it'll make the tractor drive like a GST when turned on.

Also being able to drop down to a lower gear without letting off the throttle is great when doing loader work. I find myself using this all the time.

Thanks. I'm going up to my North Florida property next weekend and hope to get time to visit the local dealer this weekend. My wife is already living up there full time ( she beat me to retirement!), so she has learned that you DO NOT cover the snake making the funny noise with a bowl, then ask the neighbor to take care of it. There is a reason the Snaketamer shotgun is there!.

 

[nebraskasparks]

I am starting down the road to purchasing a new tractor to replace my FarmTrac 535. I have quite a bit of undergrowth and clearing work to do on about ten acres of my property and think it will be easier with a HST versus my manual transmission. I pull a Bush Hog SQ172 and use the FEL now, but think a grapple will get er done faster and easier. Not to mention, shifting is not the thrill it was in my Mustang or S2000 Sports car in my first mid-life transition (now I am starting the second mature later life transition now-Pickup trucks and rebuilding a 1965 El Camino for grins and giggles with my son )

I am leaning towards the Kubota L series, but am a little confused what the difference is between the Grand L4240HST and the L4400HST. It would appear it is mainly items like an upgraded instrument panel and upgrades to the seating, lights, steering wheel,etc. That translates to about 4K in the list price.

Is it worth the difference and am I missing something that would make it worth the difference? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

You said it all....mid-life transition.
The L series was well planned and lives up to its performance. Your intuition into the grapple ....no one will talk you out of it...combine the two - HST and a grapple and you'll get more done in three hours than you can believe.

Whatever you purchase...have the tires foamed or filled to get your weight and balance correct. That will save you another trip.
Enjoy the ride!

 

[TripleR]

I went with the Grand L for the ergonomics as well as the others mentioned such as three point arms. The GL has a flat deck and more room getting on/off as well as the tilt steering wheel and. I don't have the newer model, so I don't know about the stall guard and such.

The L is a good strong tractor that will do everything a GL will do, so it will be your call on how important the comfort features are. At my age, there really was no question.

I wish you guys would stop with the grapples, I don't know how much I can stand. :laughing:

 

[medicshawn]

The L4400 is the stripped down work truck special manual windows vinyl floor mat. The Grand models are your leather seats cruise control etc. You get more bang for your buck with the 4400 but you get alot of nice features with the Grand. You think you don't want oor need all those extra features but they're pretty nice to have.

 

[ovrszd]

I've owned my L4400DT for 18 months. My Brother recently purchased an L3240. Both tractors have loaders.

So, my comparisons relate first to the difference in gear drive and HST. Both have their good points. Since you have already decided to go HST I won't waste your time talking about those.

My second comparisons are more related to your question. The Grand model has rubber floor mat, tilt steering wheel, wayyyyy better suspension seat and extendable 3pt arms. The comfort items, especially the tilt wheel are important. The extendable arms are almost a necessity if you use your 3pt a lot.

The chassis size of his 3240 and my 4400 are almost identical. The primary difference being different rear tire size. The 4240 might be a slightly longer wheelbase but the difference won't be much. lift capacities will be almost the same.

I'm not familiar with a 4400HST so can't answer questions about the HST+ features. What I mean is I'm not sure those + features are available in the 4400 model??

HST+ is quite an animal. It allows a multitude of selections concerning the HST. Some you will love. Some you'll rarely use. Me being accustomed to running my L4400, I turn off things such as "stall guard", "auto throttle", "auto shift" when I run the 3240. I prefer to be in charge of what happens when I push the HST treddle. If you have all these options turned on the computer completely takes over. You can be sitting still with the engine idling and the range selector in "high" and mash the treddle to the maximum speed and the engine will rev with the tractor crawling off and increasing speed until it can't pull the load any faster. A monkey could drive the tractor in that mode. But I'm not a Monkey, I want to know what's going on. All these options make it hard to determine what's happening?? Are my wheels spinning?? Why can't I go any faster?? Why does the HST feel spungy and soft?? In certain work situations these options are great. In certain work situations they are a hinderance. Again,,,,, just my opinion,,, based on comparing my gear drive tractor,,, I turn off most of the HST+ features after a few minutes of operating the tractor.

I've attached some pictures of our two tractors together for size comparisons.

Keep in mind with this last statement that I'm comparing a L4400DT to a L3240HST+. My Brother's 3240 is like working with a Super Duty 5.4L V8, Auto Trans. My L4400DT is like working with a Super Duty Powerstroke, manual trans. The HST feature takes horsepower to operate, a lot of horsepower. The 32 series struggles with that load

Okay, I admit it,,, I'm a power junkie. If I bought a 40 series it would have to be the 4240. Is the price difference between the 40 series and 00 series worth it?? Only you can answer that. :thumbsup: