Kubota L3901, L4701 or MX4800 for Sloped 10 Acre Parcel and Home Build

[LD1]

Another vote for MX. Owned and L3400, now a MX5100. And for what you want, the MX will be twice as productive.

I'd go R1's too. R4's IMO will be too slippery on hills, especially if any moisture is present. R1's can be set as wide as you can with R4's. And the added traction is gonna be huge for the hills.

 

[RickB]

Another vote for MX. Owned and L3400, now a MX5100. And for what you want, the MX will be twice as productive.

I'd go R1's too. R4's IMO will be too slippery on hills, especially if any moisture is present. R1's can be set as wide as you can with R4's. And the added traction is gonna be huge for the hills.

I agree.

 

[ericm979]

I had R1s on the old tractor and got R4s on the new one. The R4s on this tractor are significantly wider than R1s would be. Obviously this is tractor dependent. We get a lot of rain (60 inches this winter, 100 inches two winters ago). I have not noticed the R4s being slippery. Maybe they would be on clay but we don't have that. Or if I was plowing fields but I'm not, and it sounds like Montandave isn't either. If I bought another tractor it'd have R4s.

While Kubotas are fine machines there are other companies that make good tractors, sometimes they cost significantly less. But with hundreds of acres you're going to have a lot of work to do. The tractor and attachments will pay for themselves eventually.

You should always be aware of where your loader is. I adjust mine often to keep it low.

 

[big bubba]

Dr G
you have a choice location, love the central coast, lived north & south of PR for many yrs in my youth
definitely would go the MX series, get the largest model that you can afford as Triple R suggests.
what sort of fire hazard prevention plan will you have for your land/residence, & what kind of tractor work will that involve. the land looks very dry in the photos, know there is seasonal dry/wet times of yr. best regards

 

[LD1]

I had R1s on the old tractor and got R4s on the new one. The R4s on this tractor are significantly wider than R1s would be. Obviously this is tractor dependent. We get a lot of rain (60 inches this winter, 100 inches two winters ago). I have not noticed the R4s being slippery. Maybe they would be on clay but we don't have that. Or if I was plowing fields but I'm not, and it sounds like Montandave isn't either. If I bought another tractor it'd have R4s.

While Kubotas are fine machines there are other companies that make good tractors, sometimes they cost significantly less. But with hundreds of acres you're going to have a lot of work to do. The tractor and attachments will pay for themselves eventually.

You should always be aware of where your loader is. I adjust mine often to keep it low.

R1's usually are NOT adjusted to the widest setting from the factory. And many don't even know they can be set wider.

The tires themselves are wider for r4's.....but outside to outside......I don't think there are many tractors that r1's cannot be adjusted at least as wide. And many will probably surpass the r4's.


Flat ground +wet isn't slippery with r4's.

It's hills + wet + anything other than straight up and down. The lugs aren't as deep, and 3x as wide....with a good portion going straight perpendicular to the sides. Meaning they slide sideways MUCH easier

 

[Dr G]

Dr G
you have a choice location, love the central coast, lived north & south of PR for many yrs in my youth
what sort of fire hazard prevention plan will you have for your land/residence, & what kind of tractor work will that involve. the land looks very dry in the photos, know there is seasonal dry/wet times of yr. best regards

Big Bubba - in the winter the grass is so green you'd think you were in Ireland. But in summer it is dry as a bone. I see folks in the area either simply cut the grass, or turn the soil over to expose dirt. A certain radius around the house has to be cleared by fire code. Also the first 5 ft or land next to a road. But many folks clear more than that. One saving grace of this area as it pertains to fires is that we do not get the massive off-shore winds (Santa Ana's) that they get in the LA area. We also do not have dense brush or trees, at least on the East side of the 101 Hwy. Just grassland sprinkled with Oak trees. And a ton of vineyards.

Here is a pic from the top of our property in Autumn. You can see the leaves on all the vineyards turning colors.

 

[Code54]

Great view!!
Im with the crowd that sys get R1's. I have an MX with R4's and work a lot on the hills here in WV and they do slip a good deal when wet. Most of my work can wait until it drys out so it is not a huge issue for me. I run the tractor on gravel and the roads a fair amount and the R4s are excellent for loader work on both of those surfaces.

 

[Dr G]

Thank you all for the additional input.

At this point I have settled on an MX 5200.

I've had all the same thoughts about tires. The only time I will need to be imitating a mountain goat with the tractor is in the summer, to cut the grass. At this time it is dry. I don't anticipate needing to maneuver around on steep slopes with wet grass. I will need to drive on a paved road quite a bit, as well as our gravel driveway. I'm not sure there is a clear cut best choice. I realize that although the R4's are a wider tire, that the overall track width to the outside of the tires could be made the same with R1's. And what I need is a wide track with a low center of gravity.

Btw, do R1 tires require different wheels than R4's? For a car a wider tire would require a wider wheel. Not sure if it is the same for a tractor?

Another question. When driving a tractor directly up and/or down a slope (as opposed to driving across it), is it better to have the nose pointed downhill or uphill? Which is more stable?

Also, do any of the grass cutting implements work when going in reverse? Or only when moving in the forward direction?

Thank you - Gustave

 

[Dr G]

I think I answered my own question on wheel sizes. To some extent anyway. In the process of building an MX 5200 online there are 3 tire choices. Two for R1's and one for R4's. Each choice for the rear tires uses a different rim diameter. It would be nice to know the outside diameter of the tires. Maybe I can find that somewhere online. Here is a comparison of the lug pattern of the R1 vs. the R4, in the brand and size offered by Kubota for the MX 5200:

Indeed the R1 lug pattern would appear to be better at resisting sideways forces than the R4.

 

[RickB]

Most, if not all tire manufacturers have extensive dimensional data online for all current offerings.