Tell me if I'm on the right track (newbie)

[jeff9366]

L4060. The L3901 has the same chassis as the 3301, and I consider the L3301 underweight for it's hp. If you really need to stay narrow, L3560.

L3301/L3901 = 2,770 pounds bare tractor.

'Grand L' L3560 = 3,495 pounds bare tractor.
My L3560 is 62" wide with factory R4/industrial tires.
Kubota Web Site: https://www.kubotausa.com/docs/default-source/brochure-sheets/l60.pdf?sfvrsn=bad1e991_6


'Grand L' L4060/L4760 = 3,570 pounds bare tractor.

The fundamental importance of TRACTOR WEIGHT eludes many tractor shoppers.

The built in adjustable widths for all rear wheels/tires on the Grand Ls may be a very important feature for you. Spreading rear wheels for a wider tractor stance is the first step in improving tractor stability on slopes.

L3301/L3901 increase rear wheel width with R4/industrial tires only with aftermarket wheel spacers.

My land being steep and wooded I have limited places to operate and often in tight quarters. I took advice from this board to go around my land with a piece of 1-1/4" PVC pipe cut to the width of the potential tractor plus a bit to see if it'd fit (keeping in mind that the front tires take wider path on turns).

What is the altitude on your property? If your property is over 4,000 feet you may wish to consider a turbocharged engine. If your property is 5,000 feet or higher you should seriously contemplate a model with a turbocharged engine.

When considering a tractor purchase, bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second and (narrowly) rear ballast third.


In your situation, probably as many tractor owners upgrade for additional Loader lift capacity as upgrade for additional tractor weight. Consider optional Kubota L2296 heavy duty loader bucket for your tough conditions. Indestructible.

Your property sounds divine. My congratulations.

Your opening post is extremely well thought out. How nice.

Well worth shopping Kioti and Branson in addition to Kubota.
Shop your weight range within tractor brands. Collect a dealer brochure for each tractor model in your weight range. I spreadsheet tractor and implement specs, often a revealing exercise. I have a column for cost per pound.



VIDEOS: Kubota Standard L Series VS. Grand L Series - YouTube

Kubota HST Plus Transmission Features - YouTube

 

[houska]

Thanks for the continuing feedback. Many things to mull and explore, in particularly weight+width/stability vs maneuverability in tight spaces.

Answering a few of the questions raised by those replying:

• Altitude is minimal, ~600' (580 at main road entry, 750 at highest point - thank you Canadian govt online GIS data!)
• Storage: Yes, the crystal ball has already sighted a pole barn in our future. But there's permitting issues. (Permanent structures > 108 sq ft need a permit, and "accessory buildings" can be permitted only after primary use established. There are zoning workarounds but they have consequences, some good some bad.) So for the first year while we figure that out, we'll put up a ShelterLogic roundtop "tent garage", pray it lasts (they have issues in wind and heavy snow...) and next year hopefully be set to build more permanent storage.
• Roadwork: we don't need to rebuild the 4kms of road. It needs maintenance - 1 of the 17 (carefully marked by previous owner) culverts clearly needs replacing; 2 short sections of road and one longer one need flattening; in a few places ditches need clearing and/or widening, and I'm sure more will emerge with time. But we will want to (re)clear overgrown abandoned ATV trails. There's a 800m new road section we'd like to build some day, but that won't be us, that will be the guy with the dozer and excavator. But I'm listening to the advice being given that a backhoe may be expensive for what benefit it will bring us.

 

[LukeDuke30]

Get the heavier tractor. If you can afford it, remote hydraulics, suspension seat and filled tires go a very long way. If I could do it over again, I would have spent another $5000 and purchased the Massey 1742. Much heavier, and completely loaded versus my Economy series 1734. Whatever you pick, the heavier the better. My 1734 never runs out of power; it runs out of traction from lack of weight. Even with the loader, and loaded tires, it weighs about 3800 lbs.

 

[Avondale]

I have a BH and now can not imagine not having one. Stones and stumps are two more good reasons to have one. I live in SD&G, always have stones popping up every spring. Good symbiotic relationship, take the stones off my fields and use them to fill in ruts on my wood trails. Stump removal for food plot development is another great time/work saver. Bob
.

 

[Egon]

Canadian Shield wilderness: Can we presume that means rock, lots of pine & spruce trees, wet areas and some areas that are soft and can turn to mud. Also include isolation and distances from facilities/services.

If those factors are present be aware of what needs to be done to get the tractor out of stuck/broken situations with gear you can carry. This may be the most important part tractor buying decision. As you haVe to keep it mobile under its own power.

From your description of required work it would seem it could all be done with the bucket, toothed cutting edge and perhaps grapple. A backhoe would add another dimension when it comes to doing the jobs. Brush, stumps and rock debri can be handled which is probably the major job in reclaiming and making new trails. It is very versatile for scraping dirt off of rock shelf. Buckets have a hard time of it doing that.

The backhoe combined with bucket is very versatile at getting out of bad situations.

All items to consider.

 

[ericm979]

It often costs less to get the BH with the tractor than to buy it later. At least check out the price both ways. With the amount of land you have plus building structures you'll probably want a BH at times.

I didn't even consider a BH when I bought the tractor. I was trying to keep the price down, in part because my wife thought it was mostly a going to be a toy. Now I have a list of projects that could use a BH. Turns out the tractor's been far more useful then she (or I) expected, and we could have justified a BH or a more expensive tractor.

 

[sdquick]

I will share a little of the strong, basic messages I heard when selecting a tractor.
I was told many, many times that tractor weight is the most important part of getting the right tractor. So I second the comments about getting the right (heaver) weight.
I have never heard anyone regret buying too much tractor, but have heard many sell and upgrade. when deciding between two levels I would always go bigger. I chose the L (L2501) over the B and have been very happy.
The other controversial topic that you bring up is the backhoe. I did a lot of research on this and the information (opinions) I got can be summed up this way:
People that have them love them. BUT, They are very expensive and give wear and tear to the tractor. They are not as capable as a rented small backhoe and not nearly as capable or efficient as an experienced operator that is hired with his equipment. If you have a few specific jobs in mind you should add up the cost to hire someone or rent equipment compared to the purchase cost (and tractor wear and tear). For me I found it was hard to justify the expense. For those that have constant needs and especially emergency needs (flooding, etc) that requires the equipment to be available when needed I think it is well worth it.
Good luck on your new adventure!!

 

[fried1765]

Thanks for the continuing feedback. Many things to mull and explore, in particularly weight+width/stability vs maneuverability in tight spaces.

Answering a few of the questions raised by those replying:

• Altitude is minimal, ~600' (580 at main road entry, 750 at highest point - thank you Canadian govt online GIS data!)
• Storage: Yes, the crystal ball has already sighted a pole barn in our future. But there's permitting issues. (Permanent structures > 108 sq ft need a permit, and "accessory buildings" can be permitted only after primary use established. There are zoning workarounds but they have consequences, some good some bad.) So for the first year while we figure that out, we'll put up a ShelterLogic roundtop "tent garage", pray it lasts (they have issues in wind and heavy snow...) and next year hopefully be set to build more permanent storage.
• Roadwork: we don't need to rebuild the 4kms of road. It needs maintenance - 1 of the 17 (carefully marked by previous owner) culverts clearly needs replacing; 2 short sections of road and one longer one need flattening; in a few places ditches need clearing and/or widening, and I'm sure more will emerge with time. But we will want to (re)clear overgrown abandoned ATV trails. There's a 800m new road section we'd like to build some day, but that won't be us, that will be the guy with the dozer and excavator. But I'm listening to the advice being given that a backhoe may be expensive for what benefit it will bring us.

Backhoes for under 50HP farm type tractors are fun to play with, but for real work they are a waste of money.
If you really want a backhoe, go find a good used, full size, dedicated TLB.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Backhoes for under 50HP farm type tractors are fun to play with, but for real work they are a waste of money.
If you really want a backhoe, go find a good used, full size, dedicated TLB.

Assume that was a joke.

 

[4570Man]

Assume that was a joke.

Not as far as I’m concerned. Tractor backhoes suck compared to real TLBs. Excavators are even better but at the expense of versatility.