Well that may have made my choice easier as I have all 84 inch garage headers! How far off are the grand L from going under the 84 inch header? I definitely need something that will fit in one of the garages.
Buying Advice Looking to get first tractor
- Thread starter leningrad
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TheMadOne
Platinum Member
No tractor you've listed is going to fit under 84". You'll have to lower the ROPS on whatever model you end up with, and won't be able to have a cab. That means that any standard L or open station grand L will have the same amount of hassle.
Top of ROPS:
Standard L(all models) 91.7"
Grand L(all models) 97.6"
You have to drop all the way down to a BX to find a model that would fit under 84" without lowering the ROPS.
Fallon
Super Member
I had a L3200 (L3301 now, same as a L3901 minus a few HP) & upgraded to L4060HSTC. I upgraded for the cab & bells/whistles.
The Grand has a noticably WORSE power to weight ratio (8 more hp but double the weight). But as weight does the work it will pull a box blade or push a snow plow circles around the old machine. Stability due to a 72" wide machine (adjustable) over a 60" machine (only adjustable if you have R1 tires, fixed for R4s) is way better. The loader is only a bit better, but the machine is very stable with improperly light or no 3pt ballast. The L3200 is sketchy at max lift with heavy 3pt ballast.
I got a 3pt blower for the L3200 as heavy wet snow or packed drifts stopped it with the smaller SSQA plow on numerous occasions. The 8' SSQA plow on the Grand pushes me around a bit & gets fiddly. It's so problematic I've thought about putting front chains on. I've even tossed the chains in the cab this year. Still have yet to put them on in 3 years other than a test fit in the barn though.
Drive a machine with HST & shift it between ranges a dozen times then drive a HST+ Grand. Shifting ranges is craptastic on both (as is every other HST CUT on the market). When you realize you can just stay in medium 90% of the time & toggle high or low on the fly you see the value of HST+.
The economy machine was a good machine. It was a hair more maneuverable & useful morning stuff in my low shop with the ROPS down. My cabbed machine wont fit & I miss getting a loader in there moving hundred or 1,000lbs tools around on occasion. My wife hates climbing into the cab on the Grand but was only annoyed climbing onto the old open station. I dont deal with lots of trees, but have smacked the glas with branches a bit. No broken glass yet, but also no desire to face the heat, cold, snow or dust either. Different equation for others on that front.
The Grand has a noticably WORSE power to weight ratio (8 more hp but double the weight). But as weight does the work it will pull a box blade or push a snow plow circles around the old machine. Stability due to a 72" wide machine (adjustable) over a 60" machine (only adjustable if you have R1 tires, fixed for R4s) is way better. The loader is only a bit better, but the machine is very stable with improperly light or no 3pt ballast. The L3200 is sketchy at max lift with heavy 3pt ballast.
I got a 3pt blower for the L3200 as heavy wet snow or packed drifts stopped it with the smaller SSQA plow on numerous occasions. The 8' SSQA plow on the Grand pushes me around a bit & gets fiddly. It's so problematic I've thought about putting front chains on. I've even tossed the chains in the cab this year. Still have yet to put them on in 3 years other than a test fit in the barn though.
Drive a machine with HST & shift it between ranges a dozen times then drive a HST+ Grand. Shifting ranges is craptastic on both (as is every other HST CUT on the market). When you realize you can just stay in medium 90% of the time & toggle high or low on the fly you see the value of HST+.
The economy machine was a good machine. It was a hair more maneuverable & useful morning stuff in my low shop with the ROPS down. My cabbed machine wont fit & I miss getting a loader in there moving hundred or 1,000lbs tools around on occasion. My wife hates climbing into the cab on the Grand but was only annoyed climbing onto the old open station. I dont deal with lots of trees, but have smacked the glas with branches a bit. No broken glass yet, but also no desire to face the heat, cold, snow or dust either. Different equation for others on that front.
Got that for sure, but in another reply someone said that even a folded ROPS would not clear a 84 inch door? Maybe I misunderstood his post....
^ this is what I was referring to..
jeff9366
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
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- 12,777
- Tractor
- Kubota Tractor Loader L3560 HST+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3,700 pounds bare tractor, 5,400 pounds operating weight, 37 horsepower
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About 4" in my case. I had 4" sectioned out of the ROPS by my local welding shop.
Rural Florida cost in 2013: $200.
When I bought my early L3560 in January 2013 Kubota had not updated the ROPS height in specs and folded ROPS height was a big surprise to the Kubota dealer and me. You need to measure your header height and whether or not your garage door impinges on the 84" height. Mine does. My electric garage door anchors 2" higher with a manual assist. (Tire selection affects ROPS height.)
Fueling at ground level is a plus for me at age 71 but ground fueling convenience increases tractor height.
Fueling from five gallon cans while standing in the operator's station is OK for younger people but requires more strength and balance than I have during a hot Florida day.
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jeff9366
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Messages
- 12,777
- Tractor
- Kubota Tractor Loader L3560 HST+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3,700 pounds bare tractor, 5,400 pounds operating weight, 37 horsepower
Standard L, L4701 and MX series will clear 84" header with ROPS FOLDED.
LINKS (2): https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...bota-l4701-folded-rops-height.html?highlight=
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/409678-kubota-mx-4800-5200-5800-a.html
Unmodified L3560 with R4/industrial tires will NOT clear 84" header even with ROPS FOLDED.
Trust me, I put modified L3560 ROPS up and take ROPS down each working day, including today.
As tractor market has evolved to satisfy customer demand for Backhoes, both at time of tractor purchase and as later additions, ROPS have become higher.
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"The L4701 is a bit of an orphan in Kubota's lineup. Consider the three-model MX series too, if you want a heavy basic machine with an assured future" Leningrad
absolutely
sounds as if you're getting good advice here for the difficult (& expensive) decision. personally, i would be selecting a model based on your future needs & tasks. purchasing a tractor based on it's storage capacity to me is a backwards approach. lots of affordable options of storing elsewhere
get the biggest one possible then step up a size
no really, don't limit yourself w/garage door height. it's too important a decision
best regards on your decision
absolutely
sounds as if you're getting good advice here for the difficult (& expensive) decision. personally, i would be selecting a model based on your future needs & tasks. purchasing a tractor based on it's storage capacity to me is a backwards approach. lots of affordable options of storing elsewhere
get the biggest one possible then step up a size
no really, don't limit yourself w/garage door height. it's too important a decisionbest regards on your decision
