Compact recommendation

[HCROW]

I'm hoping that those of you with much more tractor knowledge than me can steer me in the right direction.

I currently have an older Kubota L4310HST that recently had a catastrophic failure (see pics and http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/353439-l4310hst-air-cooled-transmission.html).



So, I am undecided on what to do.

1. Buy a new top plate and have the bottom piece welded.
2. Buy all new parts and have a dealer replace them.
3. Trade it in as-is and buy a new tractor.

I'm leaning towards option 3 mainly due to it being the option that will make my life easiest.

If I should go that route, I'd like some opinions on which tractors I should consider given my normal use.

-transport round bales to feed our 4 horses (need the option of being able to handle bales on the front or the rear)
-extremely hilly terrain
-snow removal on about 1000' drive way and the lane leading to the horse barn
-general duties (cleaning up pasture, moving trailers around, landscaping, etc...)
-Can I mow with a tractor this big?
-Implements I plan on using bale spear, blower (rear), back blade, forks, york rake, box blade, trailer hitch, carry-all, grapple, bush hog, mower??...

Definitely want 4x4, HST, Quick Attach Loader with aux hyd for a grapple in the future.

No idea on rear remotes (which type, how many?)

Which type of tires?

I think I prefer the dual pedal HST setup over the treadle style, but not a deal breaker.

I don't think I need anything as big as my 4310, but...

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

as a dealer, your best to repair the tractor and then go trade it. You'll get a much better price than trading as-is.

 

[HCROW]

as a dealer, your best to repair the tractor and then go trade it. You'll get a much better price than trading as-is.

Any idea on how many hours a dealer would charge to do this repair?

 

[davesl708]

Any idea on how many hours a dealer would charge to do this repair?

Bummer.
I would guess around 24 man-hours to repair plus expensive parts. Might want to consider parting it out and apply that to a new or used replacement.
As Messicks stated not worth much if anything as a trade-in.

Repair it yourself would be cost effective and take a weekend of work if you have a service manual.
Could try and locate a wrecked one and get the trans from there.

 

[paulfun9]

If it was me I would first find out the cost of repair even with used salvage parts if possible. I could not make a decision one way or the other without knowing at least what it would be worth to trade if fixed and the cost of the repair.

 

[Trials]

There is no doubt in my mind that my father-in-law could weld that up for you, unfortunately he's dead. You need to find a crazy old mechanic/welder who works cheap and fixes up incredibly broken machinery really well.

I think part of the key to making the welded parts strong enough not to break again, will be to reinforce the welded seams with steel plates and some form of structure that will reduce stress on the welds and transfer that stress to something that is still solid on the tractor. That is what I did with a broken bell housing on my tractor, the only reason it hasn't broken again in the same place is because of the steel plates and threaded rods that I installed on it to hold the whole thing together better than original.

You have at least 2 separate castings broken there, you are going to need to separate those castings and facilitate the welding repairs to each casting independent of the other. On the up side, you can weld the smaller easier to remove part first and then examine your welding results to determine if it is going to work or fail when you do the larger one. Try some Nickel rod, that is the only thing that worked on mine.

Best luck to you on the repairs

 

[GManBart]

For round bales I wouldn't want anything smaller than your 4310...especially given your very hilly terrain.

 

[tractorshopper]

Am I the only one that is curious to know "HOW" did that happen?

 

[HCROW]

Am I the only one that is curious to know "HOW" did that happen?

No, you're not. That's part of the reason I'm considering parting ways with this tractor.

I can find the upper piece used for about $300, new is just over $700. The lower piece I can only find used for $1237. The issue for me is that I don't have the time to replace these parts and the labor to have someone else do it will be at least as much as the cost of the parts. I thought about trying to get just the lower part welded since it doesn't really see any load (I don't think?) and replace the upper part with the used piece, but...I still don't know what caused it and therefore can't say it won't happen again.

 

[HCROW]

For round bales I wouldn't want anything smaller than your 4310...especially given your very hilly terrain.

I was comparing specs on the 4310 to an LS3135 and the only areas where the LS is less than the 4310 in 2.5 inches more narrow and 5 inches less wheel base. With regards to weight and loader lift capacity, the LS is better.

 

[TSO]

Wow that's a crazy break! How many hours on this machine? What were you doing when it broke?

I think the narrower and shorter wheelbase of the 3135 would be a detriment to both loader stability and slope stability. I agree that you should look at the next size up, the 4140 I believe.

What other dealers do you have around you?

 

[HCROW]

The tractor has 2100ish hours, of which I have put on around 50. I was backing up a hill at the time it broke. The back blade was on the 3pt, but it was in the up position.

Is the 2.5" width difference and 5" wheelbase difference enough to notice?

I have New Holland, Kubota, John Deere, Case, Mahindra, Massey Furgeson and LS dealers all fairly close to me. The Kioti dealer is the furthest away at 75 miles.

 

[TSO]

Oh no! I wonder if the problem had already existed without you knowing ?! Did you say anything to the person you bought it from?

 

[TSO]

And I think you will definitely notice a difference in stability.

Also, are you wanting "premium options" or just basic Hydrostat? Do you have a budget you're trying to stick to?

 

[HCROW]

And I think you will definitely notice a difference in stability. Also, are you wanting "premium options" or just basic Hydrostat? Do you have a budget you're trying to stick to?

I don't have the contact info for the guy I bought it from anymore. I don't think I need any premium options, just the basics, unless I don't know what premium options are. Are basic maintenance costs (fluids & filters) pretty comparable across the brands?

 

[varmint]

I can see how you'd want to be rid of it, but won't making it serviceable again, assuming that the rest of the tractor was working fine before the "incident", be pretty much a no-brainer? Assuming it has a loader, it's gotta be worth something as a functioning used machine- maybe $10,000? As a parts tractor, it won't be worth all that much. 2100 hours isn't worn out, so I would be searching for a skilled welder/machinist to check it out. Those guys are out there, especially in Michigan, home of our auto industry, with all the small shops that support it- they didn't all close up in the 70's.

In any event, bummer! Just the sort of thing that ruins you day.

 

[PHPaul]

I'd never trust that housing again, I don't care WHO welded it. It looks like it broke around the rockshaft for the 3PH, and I SURE wouldn't trust it with a bale spear on the 3 point.

I'd be tempted to do one of the following:

1. Find another tractor with a good rear/trans and either swap engines or swap the entire rear assembly from the engine bellhousing back.

2. Find a good used housing and swap all the internals. More work, but probably cheaper on parts.

3. Part it out. The engine, front axle, sheet metal, tires and wheels would be worth more than any dealer would ever give you on trade in, if they'd even consider a trade at all. More hassle dealing with tire kickers, and who knows how long it would take to get rid of it all.

Options 1 and 2 aren't really cost effective if you have to pay full shop rates to a dealer mechanic to do it.

I'm enough of a shade-tree mechanic that I'd attempt #1 myself.

#2 requires more knowledge and experience than I can muster what with setting up gear lash and bearing pre-loads and such.

 

[TSO]

Check with Paul at "Paul's Tractor" in Clio. (About 30 mins North of Flint). 810-686-4777. He is an LS dealer but also a full service repair guy. Builds custom "tractor pull" machines. See if he can give you a price on the repair.