Another new guy - L4400DT or L3540GST?

[sixdogs]

Sixdogs,
Thanks for the reply.

You think the HST is worth having even if you are not doing a lot of "running around" with the tractor? I must admit I thought is was a nice feature; but didn't want to pay for it if I really wasn't going to use it. Plus it seems heavily electronic, which made me wonder about it's longevity.

I was planning on a block heater, (in Alaska EVERYTHING has a block heater! )

Not much clay around here, few inches of top soil, old forest decay and a lot of dirt / glacier silt / rocks. Which is why I'm worried about the backhoe. To dig through that kind of rocky soil I was told I needed one of the stronger backhoes.

reply

Maine was all glacial till--rocks--and I had a Woods 750 backhoe on a Ford 2wd 1900 that I beat the dickens out of it exclusively digging rocks. Big rocks. It was nothing for me to horse a 1000 pounder out to the side of a hole to later pick up with a loader. I operated wisely but never bent anything.
Now in Ohio I have a JD 790 with a #7 backhoe and it is every bit as rugged. No rocks here but clay and I have to use a 16 inch bucket.
Regrding the HST trans--my L4300 is a gear drive and it is fine for field work. I swore I would NEVER get an HST in my life but wound up with a B7800 with a six ft belly mower in HST and I love it.
The advantage is running a constant RPM and this works well with sprayers or mowers. My gear trans is really OK but if I had to do it again I would get an HST. It's just "easier."
Forget breaking. I saw Kubotas abused at 30 below and 90 above. Morons that never changed any fluid and pulled twice the suggested loads. They kept on ticking years after I figured they would quit. In fact, I never saw one quit or a hydro break. Maybe someone else did but not me.
The L4400 would certainly handle a 9 ft hoe but the 7 1/2 ft is so much more versatile around obstacles. It is "handier." My brother-in-law has a tractor a L3940? with a 9 ft hoe and loves it.
Personally I like the L4300/L4400 and would choose it over a TLB. The TLB somewhat limits one to that specific use while the L4400 is more versatile. But that's just me.
Who knows, you might want to grow some of those huge Alaska cabbage I read so much about. Or onions or whatever. Might do the truck farm thing if you could shake that "First Dude" moniker..

 

[WildAK]

kelvin.
I don't know, the more I look at that paw print, the more I think you're going to need a kubota L4240. You're going to need the LA854 loader to lift that bear if you have to shoot it.
Great looking place you have there. Thanks for the pictures.

So far he's not been a problem, he knows he's the big dog in the junk yard but he has his side of the river and we have ours. It will be a seriously sad day for me if I ever have to shoot him. Living in bear country mainly means keeping the bear attractants, (i.e. accessible food) to a minimum. No bird feeders, dog gets feed indoors, trash gets burnt, etc. Besides my wife has a Chinese Pug dog that's so annoying he keeps all the bears at bay!

 

[dex3361]

I have the L4400 HST with the SS quick detach, Block heater, Rear work light, 3+3 rear remotes with center float detent, Top and Tilt kit, Heavy duty loader bucket with cutting edge. I work the tractor on hillsides and steep slopes and the HST is great on this area as well as doing loader work. I rarely hit the brakes when changing from forward to reverse and back. I have looked in the manual and parts book and I dont see any electronics involved in the HST(though I could have have missed it). The T and T is great because of the adjustments without leaving the seat to the rear implements. I do plan on adding a grapple for the front bucket and I will run hoses from the rear to the front to operate the grapple. I do not have the backhoe attachment so I cant speak for that part of it. you would not go wrong with either machine but my thinking was the same as yours the simpler the better.

 

[WildAK]

Dex! Buddy! You sound like just the guy I was wanting to talk to. I think I was getting the L4400 HST confused with the L3540 HST. The L3540 has all those push buttons for modes, ect. Anyway, I'm 90% sold on the L4400 HST with heavy duty FEL, cutting edge and BH.

With the BH I can only add two remotes. I'm on the steep edge of the learning curve and have been reading a lot about remotes and tipping tractors over. Why would I need two remotes or a top and tilt kit? The center float detent is to allow a three point hitch implement to "float" over the terrain? When would I need that?

The trail I plan on using to get the tractor to my place is fairly decent, (at least by my standards) but it does have some steep up's and downs. At what grade should I start to get concerned? Back up the hills and forward down them? Does the FEL and BH make the tractor less or more liable to flip? Is the center of gravity and flipping a tractor covered in the manual?

Sorry to pepper you with all those questions. I had originally thought all I had to worry about was ground clearance. That with Ag tires and 45 horses I could go anywhere I could take a 4-wheeler. But now that I have started reading all the threads about people flipping their tractor I am concerned that belief was in error and could have cost me greatly.

 

[Bob_Young]

Hi WildAK,
Like Sixdogs, I've got the earlier L4300. Instead of the Kubota BH-90, I've got a Woods BH90X powered by a PTO hydraulic pump.

I chose the independent pump primarily because I thought the 4300's hydraulic flow rate was a little skimpy for the hoe. The PTO pump gives me all the flow I need and I don't need to use the remotes on the tractor or to run the tractor at some wild RPM. Most of the time 1700RPM at the tractor provides all the flow the hoe needs.

Secondly, the hoe runs on its own independent hydraulic reservoir. If a hose bursts or a bad leak develops, I won't be pumping tractor fluid on the ground and disabling the tractor. Maybe in your wilderness situation, keeping the two independent would avoid some trouble.

I chose the Woods 9 footer over the Kubota partly because, at the time, there was a spate of bent BH-90 dipperstick hydraulic cylinder rods being reported here on TBN. The L4300 takes a different Kubota BH, but my dealer recommended the Woods 90X over the Kubota model. Plus, you could get a hydraulic thumb as an option on the 90X. I dunno if the bent dipperstick rod problem is still around, haven't heard anything lately. But you sure don't want to take something into your location that's going to destroy itself.

Only issue I have with the combo is that the L4300 is a little light and gets shoved around by the hoe a bit; that and the 90X sticks out a ways behind the tractor. The Kubota BH would be more compact.

I think you'll like HST. Nothing to be afraid of there.
Bob

 

[dex3361]

I cant speak for the times when using a BH but I can for a FEL and you can take a L4400 on some extreme areas. I have 4 wheelers and at times I will feel more comfortable on the tractor than the 4 wheeler. Heed the warnings and procede with caution. Wear your seatbelt, Keep the FEL bucket low because raising it will change your center of gravity. I am sure that a BH will do the same. Load the rear tires with fluid for weight. Keep it in 4WD when are on the slopes for control. I would recomend the tilt meter for assurance. The possibility of tipping over is real but these tractors will go places that you will need to be belted in to stay in the seat. Simply put if my tractor will fit on the 4 wheeler trail I can go. I do not go on any hillsides or banks when the are wet or have ice and snow. In that case you would need chains if it was a must. The Top and tilt are for replacing the top link and right lift arm on the rear with hydraulic cylinders that can be operated from the seat. The right lift arm is a normal up/down valve. The top link valve is a up/down/float valve, the float allows the cylinder to freely move in or out. This would used for box scraping so the scraper would not move up and down with the tractor and allow for a smoother grade. I also use it when I am using the rotary cutter then it allows it to float on the back wheel much like a flexable top link. I do not think the remotes for your BH are the same as Rear Remotes for operating the top and tilt generally stated as 3x3 (for 3 cylinders)or 2x2(2 cylinders) or 1x1(1cylinder) meaning 3 pressure by 3 return and would have 6 connections(3in and 3 out).

 

[dex3361]

I dont remember the owners manual covering much on how steep is safe. the general rule is up or down is safer than traversing the slope.

 

[WildAK]

Dex,
Thanks for the info. I got a little spooked after reading some of those "tipping" posts. Was afraid the CG was such that PLOP you were on your side before you knew you were pushing it. Not a lot of side hills but a few ups and downs. Because I plan on getting there when the ground is frozen I was going to leave it in 4x4 and use chains.

Thanks to everyone for all the input. Haven't signed the fine print yet, still working on some details, (remotes, top & tilt, etc.) but I'm going with the L4400 FEL, BH90A, Ag tires, and a few more goodies. When I finally get it back to the place I will post a few pics.

Thanks again,
Kelvin

 

[Oldchuck]

I have a 4400 HST with a (Woods) BH80 hoe. It's a nice machine. I use it for a variety of tasks, mostly forest related. Regarding your very long and deep trench task, I find that the hoe's limitation is not so much engine HP but hydraulic pump capacity. I suppose it's sized properly for tractor's capabilities but the hoe reaches it's maximum strength long before you run out of HP. In any kind of dirt it's fine but big rocks, stumps and woody forest debris take time and sometimes prove impossible.

 

[WildAK]

Chuck,
Thanks for the reply.

I've decided to go with the L4400 HST, AG tires, BH90A, & LA703A plus a few little odds and ends.

As with most things the more experience I gain, the more I am hoping I can do with it.