Which would you buy? (Help me spend my money)

[jjp8182]

So just my observation, but when it comes to loaders I'd say the size/width/capacity of the manufacturer's standard bucket (as sold with the FEL) speaks volumes about the practical lifting capacity of the tractor/loader combination. From my own experience the (ROPS version) L3560 equipped with a L805 loader, the standard square back 72" bucket, and a 600-700lb box blade on the back for ballast will handle heaped buckets of crusher run without a problem. A cabbed version should do even better given the additional weight provided by the cab.

As far as power concerns, it's probably going to come down to the PTO usage as I've usually run out of traction before running out of power when pushing/pulling on things (the few times that wasn't the situation was due to operator error). So depending where you are in NY and what type of snow you're dealing with (as far as moisture content) the PTO output *might* be a concern (haven't used my L3560 for snow removal). Of course, I'm also of the opinion that if snow gets wet enough, and deep enough then snowblowers become inefficient and utterly useless anyway -- so at that point loader lift height, and reach become more of an asset. (just as a quick aside: while I now live in Alabama, I grew up in rural central Minnesota so I'm more than a little familiar with snow removal, and dealing with with everything from light powdery snow to near-slush falling from the sky.)

Having said all that, I'd also concur with the comments that the parts and service quality should be a serious consideration as all complex machines break down sooner or later (no matter what color they were originally painted).

 

[WoodChuckDad]

One more thing, The only regret I have about buying my tractor is not getting rear wiper. If I had it to do over I would definitely get a rear wiper.

 

[RSR]

I read thru the first six pages of this thread. I saw one or two others start to hit on the same line of thought that I had. Go bigger. If you were gonna spend 36k on the Kubota but the LS feels good and it sounds like you liked that the best, get a bigger LS. How big of an LS can you get for that 36K? I would test drive that one. If the frame size is bigger, you may have to spend more for larger implements. That pinches when you purchase them but it's usually nice when you are using them. The best advice I received was to buy the biggest tractor that I could afford. Not one time in the last 4 years have I thought that it would be nice to have a smaller tractor. I have thought it would be nice to have a second tractor, but not a smaller tractor. I went Kioti over Kubota for comfort. And then price. I would have had a smaller tractor if I bought Kubota but I didn't like how I felt I had to lean forward to get my hands on the steering wheel. The Kioti had an adjustable steering wheel that fits me perfectly. I have never heard my wife complain about it either.
I think you are wise to stay away from Kioti if your local dealer is as twisted up as you say. And you mentioned that the tym felt cheap. as someone else mentioned 500 hours in a tractor you don't like is a long time to be annoyed.


I just edited this because I thought it said 39 and it said 36K in the OP. But the same logic applies. how much more tractor could you get if you spent that much on an LS?

I appreciate the advice and am definitely leaning in this direction. It seems a little ridiculous to have such a large tractor on 5 acres, but buying enough tractor is a sentiment I see expressed over and over on this forum.

While initially I was leaning towards a frame size closer to the XR3140, the more I consider the advice here (go bigger) the more I think the XR4100/L4060 is a better option.

In addition, as jjp8622 just mentioned, PTO horsepower is good to have for a blower, which is my primary usage. It's relatively cheap to step up to a XR4145 for an extra ~$1500, which gives me 36 HP at the PTO. An L4060 is a close 34 HP. However going from a 3560 special edition to a 4060 is going to be about $5k in price, pushing the Kubota to an amount I'm not comfortable spending.

Our snowfalls are usually very dry, 6-8 inches at a time, but each fall and early spring we also get at least one good NorEaster that dumps 15+ inches of wet heavy snow. For pure snow removal, a blade would probably be more practical, but the road and driveway configuration is such with trees so close by that there is just no place to put it, so a blower is imperative.

I agree, the rear wiper is a must on any tractor (how I priced them out) and ideally a rear defrost as well (not all have that as an option).

 

[chim]

.......................It seems a little ridiculous to have such a large tractor on 5 acres, but buying enough tractor is a sentiment I see expressed over and over on this forum..........................

I commented "Buy your 5th tractor first" in another thread. Last December I bought the 5th tractor since building here in 1989. It is the largest so far. With the 90" RFM is the best lawn mower I've had. With the 8' blade it is great for snow removal.. It's comfortable regardless of weather and contrary to perceptions, it leaves less marking on the yard than any of the previous tractors.

 

[jjp8182]

One other thing to consider on the PTO power is the width of implement required to cover the tractor's width.

For example, the way my L3560 is set up 6ft implements cover the width of the tractor (with about an inch to spare on either side) which means I have roughly 28hp to cover 70"-72" of needed working width (which equates to 4.67HP/ft available from the PTO..or ~2.5 inches for every 1 PTO horsepower). A larger/wider tractor many have more raw horsepower, but it could also require a wider implement to cover the width and as a result the tractor actually ends up with less hp/foot available for PTO implements.

On the other hand draft-style implements are more dependent on tractor weight as all the HP in the world doesn't mean much if the tractor doesn't have the weight/traction to effectively transmit the power to the ground -- and while it's ideal to have both power and weight it often seems like utility tractors (to include compact, and sub-compact ones) are optimized for one or the other in order to keep the overall prices down.

So personally I'm of the opinion that selecting a tractor comes down to understanding the tasks that need to be performed (along with the associated implement/application requirements and their various tradeoffs), the speed/ease at which those tasks want/need to be performed, the price and the logistic/parts/service considerations (with those factors being in no set order).

 

[coobie]

I'd rather buy a tractor made in Japan, than India, South Korea, or China, that's for sure!.. also, no Cast Steel frame!. formed Steel all the way!..

Again you have NO CLUE.You rattle off the dumbest comments on this board with no experience BAR NONE..

 

[lilranch2001]

He is an American, he can say silly things any time he wants with little to no knowledge.....

 

[MechanicalGuy]

He is an American, he can say silly things any time he wants with little to no knowledge.....

No need to insult the greatest Freedom Fighters this world has ever known.

 

[coobie]

No need to insult the greatest Freedom Fighters this world has ever known.

LOL...

 

[MechanicalGuy]

LOL...

You aren't speaking German or Japanese are you?