Questions about purchasing first tractor
- Thread starter josiahgarber
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nybirdman
Super Member
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josiahgarber
Bronze Member
I hear a lot about the 3940 being underpowered. Is this because of the weight of the tractor to horsepower ratio? I don't hear much about the L3800 being underpowered despite it being less HP.
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Fallon
Super Member
My L3200 is 6hp less than a L3800. As fas as I'm aware the HP & engine is the only differences between the 2. Mine has R4 industrial tires on it. 2,600lbs + 1,000 lbs for the loader & bucket. My tractor was traction limited until I got the tires loaded. Now its iffy depending on what I'm doing if I run out of traction or power.
PTO work taxes things a bit more. Running a tiller is slow & would benefit from more HP. Maybe 15% of the time I'm running my 5' rotary cutter it bogs & could use more power. Most of the time my not rugged pasture is not smooth enough to go faster.
I don't consider 32hp to be underpowered at all for my around 4,000lbs of ballasted tractor. A cab & A/C would quite probably over tax though.
I have a HST, so that is also piling on a 15% or so performance penalty compared to a gear transmission too.
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josiahgarber
Bronze Member
aeblank
Veteran Member
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josiahgarber
Bronze Member
Good to know. I figured for my purposes it will probably be fine.
TSO
Elite Member
What other dealers/brands are near you?
Personally, I would recommend more tractor. I think that the size tractor you're looking at is "just enough" for your land size, but doesn't leave wiggle room if/when you need more HP, lift capacity, or tractor weight.
Are you wanting to stay with HST transmission?
Personally, I would recommend more tractor. I think that the size tractor you're looking at is "just enough" for your land size, but doesn't leave wiggle room if/when you need more HP, lift capacity, or tractor weight.
Are you wanting to stay with HST transmission?
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josiahgarber
Bronze Member
Yanmar and New Holland are fairly close by. Curious which activities on the land you think would warrant a larger tractor. Thanks.
TSO
Elite Member
I think you can "get by" with that size. However, if you're discing large areas, with HST, you'll want more power. I only disc 1-2 acres with mine. Like was already mentioned by another user, discing requires some speed. There are times when discing my ground, where the ground gets most or thick, my 48 HP HST has trouble keeping speed pulling my disc.
Tilling: my buddy tills with his L3540 (35HP) and uses a 5' tiller. His tractor handles that just fine. But if you're tilling larger areas for vegetable production, you'll probably want to use a larger tiller. My tractor has 36.5 PTO HP, and even using his 5' tiller, in deep most clay/soil, it can bog down the tractor.
Loader: There are two factors when considering a loader. First, any amount of loose material cam be moved by a smaller or larger tractor, the difference will be time. So, the next size up tractor will save you time when moving loose material, even though they can both accomplish it.
But, when considering objects, a smaller tractor simply can't muscle around the same size stuff. Moving pallets. Boulders. Bigger logs, trees, whatever... Of course, there's always limitations to every size loader, so this argument can always be made for yet the next size up.
I'm on my fourth tractor as I work all these things out myself. You might always have "just enough" tractor for your operation and may never need more. Many people get by with that size.
But while you're doing the research and making the initial purchase, take the time to consider the "next size up" since its only a couple grand more while you're buying.
