Gonna get a new Kubota

[VT steel]

I appreciate the comments. The strong divide on the backhoe is interesting. Some love having one and some think it's a waste of $, but not much middle ground. Sounds kind of like our country right now, huh. The TLB's are awesome, but I don't think I'm ready to make that jump now. My thoughts are similar to Steve1300's and others, in that I'd use one if I had it. Honestly, most of the time I'd be using the 3 point for grading, tilling garden and food plots, mowing, etc. But for the dirt work, sounds like the 3901 might be light, so maybe the 4701.

With the financing, I'm trying to get the tractor and implements I'll use right away in a package deal. I liked the bucket spade. I run a fab/machine shop, so I hoping to build some attachments like that and a a ratchet rake.

It's a real significant purchase and it's hard to know where to reach and when to stop. Got things to think about.

 

[Steve1300]

I appreciate the comments. The strong divide on the backhoe is interesting. Some love having one and some think it's a waste of $, but not much middle ground. Sounds kind of like our country right now, huh. The TLB's are awesome, but I don't think I'm ready to make that jump now. My thoughts are similar to Steve1300's and others, in that I'd use one if I had it. Honestly, most of the time I'd be using the 3 point for grading, tilling garden and food plots, mowing, etc. But for the dirt work, sounds like the 3901 might be light, so maybe the 4701.

With the financing, I'm trying to get the tractor and implements I'll use right away in a package deal. I liked the bucket spade. I run a fab/machine shop, so I hoping to build some attachments like that and a a ratchet rake.

It's a real significant purchase and it's hard to know where to reach and when to stop. Got things to think about.

It gets expensive when the implements are included in the package, but then; the dealer sure takes care of problems that may occur afterwards. I had a bunch of 3-point implements when I bought my current tractor and went for the Land Pride QA. That was a waste since most of my implements were not compatible.

All in all, at my age; power tools are very valuable to me. Back when I was still "superman," it wasn't that big of a deal.

 

[85 Sovereign]

Well, I got my 4701 and included a box blade on the deal since there was an additional incentive if getting 2 implements (FEL counted as one). The first other thing I got was a ratchet rake. I was able to get one at a local Tractor Supply Co store so there was no shipping and the price was the same as online from the manufacturer. The ratchet rake is awesome! I've only worked with it a little bit so far, but it is very handy. I'm also seeing a lot of uses for a backhoe, and strongly considering the Titan 3Pt backhoe with hydraulic thumb. At half the price of the Kubota backhoe, and considering it wouldn't see commercial type use, its probably the best route for me. I'll be doing some more research before I pull the trigger. Next on the list is a used rotary cutter and a post hole auger.

The weight and added strength of the 4701 are pretty noticeable. I had the rear tires filled to add some additional ballast and ground traction and I highly recommend it. My dad has an older Kubota L3600 without loaded tires. The tractors aren't too far apart in size and weight, but his tires are just air filled and I've noticed a big difference between the two. Just something else to think about!

 

[gwstang]

"All in all, at my age; power tools are very valuable to me. Back when I was still "superman," it wasn't that big of a deal. "

Amen to that. I think I went to sleep at about 30 and woke up at 61. Like WTH...I spent about 2 hours fighting with putting a new front tire on the old riding mower...I finally won but at a great price. I don't need the old mower anymore...but the oldest son across the road does, so I keep it up. It takes 2 hours because I have to stop and take a nap....

 

[gwstang]

You sure picked a good tractor. I need to get one of those ratchet rakes to try with mine. :thumbsup:

 

[David_Kb7uns]

A Grand L series having the extra features would be a good choice to look at, in between the MX and L and slightly more versatile then the TLB.

David

 

[newbury]

Hi all. So after my wife gave me a little matchbox tractor for Christmas and told me to go get a real one <snip>

Did you set a budget?

We have 15 acres in hilly Vermont with a small pond (hoping to make into a bigger one), long driveway, a nice little sugar bush for syrup, firewood, and lumber, a fair amount of field, and a lot of granite. With work and kids, I don't get as much time as I would like to play/work, but hit it pretty hard when I can.

I've a small piece of 73 acres near Bakersfield, Vt. And about 400 acres in northeast Mississippi. So I know granite and trees.
If you are going to be dealing with granite and making LUMBER you need to be able to lift a ton. A 2' diameter 10' long chunk of sugar maple weighs a ton. My M4700 with an LA 1001 lifts a ton. Since the L4701 has a LA765 it might not do what you want.

I am flipping between the L3901 and the L4701 to compliment the little JD GX335 we have. I'm planning on getting a loader, backhoe, tiller, box scraper, brush hog, and back blade. It's about $40k for the L3901 and $50k for the L4701.

If $50K is the top of your budget and you are not doing it full time as a business you might want to look used. I went used and probably have about $60K to $65K invested in everything in my sig, including the sawmill.

I'm usually pretty decisive, but this tractor has tied me up in knots a little. I'm past the brand decision, and relatively comfortable with the attachment variety (but will want more... always more). I'm leaning towards the L3901 because I think it will do what I need it to do and have room to do what I don't even know I need it to do yet. L4701 is a bigger beast (to me, but a little CUT to some of you), but that's a big additional chunk of change. I'm pretty aware this is just for me to get my property in the shape I want and not for my livelihood.

I'm amazed at all the different levels and option. It's kind of like climbing a ladder - you can go up or down, but you have to know what rung to stop on. So L3901 with the above attachments, spaced out R4 (but maybe R1's). I'm feeling good about it, but still deciding. Anyway, any last words of wisdom before I pull the trigger on this?

If you are seriously looking at a new L3901 consider the L2501. SAME loader, just slightly less 3pt, about $5K less. If serious about the L4701 take a long look at the MX4800, the 4800 has a much stronger loader.

Good luck!

 

[Grandad4]

... I'm also seeing a lot of uses for a backhoe, and strongly considering the Titan 3Pt backhoe with hydraulic thumb. At half the price of the Kubota backhoe, and considering it wouldn't see commercial type use, its probably the best route for me. I'll be doing some more research before I pull the trigger.

Research this decision thoughtfully. Have never been a fan of the 3 point mounted backhoes for a couple of reasons:
1. The 3 point on a tractor is meant for lifting an implement and pulling in a straight line off the back of the tractor. A 3 pt backhoe can put severe forces on the tractor's 3 point mounting points in all directions... pushing, pulling, at an angle, up, down and even twisting. For even non-commercial use, that can be really hard on the tractor.
2. If something lets loose due to the beyond-design parameter nature of the 3 pt BH, the tractor can incur severe damage and the operator is at great risk.
There is probably a pretty good, though unstated reason why Kub no longer offers a 3 point mounted hoe.

 

[WVH1977]

$ 50,000 is a lot of money. At least to me it is. That is equal to $ 595 a month for 7 years at 0 % without adding taxes into the equation. I do not know you financial situation so it might not be a problem for you. If you have money to put down that will help a lot. $ 40,000 will be $ 476 a month for 7 years at 0% without adding tax. If you buy used and don't pay cash you will definitely have a higher interest rate vs buying new. If you can live with that then get the heaviest, biggest, strongest tractor that that money will buy. I have a 40hp tractor and when I bought it I thought that thing was a monster. Once I started using it on my property I quickly learned the limitations of it. Don't get me wrong I love my tractor and use it all the time, but some jobs are just too much for the tractor to handle.

If you decide to spend $ 50,000 on a tractor with a back hoe, think about this. It will probably cost you around $ 2,700 to rent a mini-ex (18,000 lbs. machine) for a week. That includes delivery and fuel added in. I just did this recently on my property. One week is 56 hours of operation on the machine. If you rent one once a year over a three year period for a week each time that equals out to $ 8,100. That is 168 hours of machine time (a lot of work can be done with a mini-ex in that time as long as you are capable of operating it). I did some major digging, knocking trees down, and rough grading with the dozer blade on front. It was worth it to me. And you don't have to store it or worry about maintenance on it. That would leave you with $ 41,900 for a tractor. This is just an opinion and something to think about.

Like others have posted, this is a big, long term investment. Take your TIME researching and thinking about the best route for YOU to take. I always like to write down the money aspect on paper with a pencil and compare to what I make yearly including existing payments, savings, etc. when purchasing something as significant as this. It really puts things into perspective.

 

[oldafretired]

I got the BH77 when I bought my L3901. I used it a lot for digging stumps and it worked fine. I wasn't using the three point initially but ended up buying 3 point implements and then I found out it was kind of a pain to remove and reinstall the backhoe. The backhoe takes up a lot of space in storage too. If you're going to use the 3 point a lot, it might be better to just rent a mini ex when needed as some others have mentioned.

I decided to just get a mini ex so I can use it whenever I want. It makes a nice addition to my MX.