Contemplating B3300SU as First Tractor - Have a few Questions...

[Regaj]

Trying to learn about tractors and so have been lurking a bit. Very impressed with the wisdom and quality of the information shared here. My thanks in advance for tolerating a rookie!

I'm looking to buy my first tractor. No real farm work (only five acres). But I've got a 1/4 mile-long, not entirely flat, gravel driveway that needs periodic attention - scraping, dressing, filling in thunderstorm-induced ruts, redistributing gravel as it washes downhill, etc. In the winter I need to either blade or blow the periodic snow we get.

I've also got a couple of drainage ditches under the driveway that tend to become obstructed on either side. Very laborious to try and clear with a shovel. And frankly not very effective.

I've got probably an acre and a half of scrub brush, saplings, and smallish trees I'd like to clear. Similarly, the entire circumference of the cleared part of the property is rough (overgrown with encroaching brush) and would greatly benefit from being pushed back 6-12 feet.

I burn wood as my primary heat and it would be very helpful to have something to efficiently move logs to where they can be bucked. I've got a dedicated log splitter so no need for help there.

I want to put another shed on the property. Alas, the place upon which I'd like to site it is on a fairly good grade, so a good bit of excavating would be needed.

No mowing (bought the wife a really nice Cub Cadet Zero Turn for that ;-).

All of which has led me to consider a tractor. I've contemplated several models, including the B2620, the B3200, and the smaller L-series units (really, too large - and expensive - for my needs it seems). Ultimately, I've closed in on the B3300SU. It seems like it might be a good candidate. Decent size and the lack of a mid PTO isn't an issue because I'm certain I'll never use a MMM. Thoughts?

I'm mildly bemused at the lack of a (stock) drawbar on the 3-pt hitch. It's only $51 on the Kubota builder, so it's not a big deal to add, I'm just curious why what seems to be such a basic part of a tractor wouldn't be included. Am I missing something regarding the B3300SU 3-pt hitch? I hope it's not proprietary...

More important, it seems, is the 1/4 inching valve rather than having position control. I'm guessing I'll get used to that (and, in any case, I thought I read somewhere that nearly all the B-series tractors have the 1/4 inch setup, and so you really need to move up to the L-series before you get position control as a standard feature). I'm inclined to shrug and move on. Any thoughts that I should potentially consider it a deal killer?

The three implements I can most envision using, in probable order of use, are a box blade, a bush hog, and back hoe. I'm torn on the back hoe. Getting the BH (with the subframe assembly, bucket, and thumb) really jumps the cost of the package. And, obviously, to use the box blade or bush hog (or any other 3-pt hitch attachment) first requires you to remove the BH. How hard is it to remove and attach the BH? How long does it take? The flip side is.... I really, really would like a BH. They're just so cool.

I'd like to avoid buying a snowblower if at all possible - we don't get that much snow here in Virginia. That said, I wouldn't want to depend solely upon the FEL to move the occasional 2-3 foot snow. Would a box blade be effective in that role?

If I did end up going with a rear-mount snowblower at some point - okay, really dumb question here - do you back the tractor into the snow? Or do you drive forward normally?

Last question. The "Rear Remote Valves" is a very expensive option. My hazy understanding of those valves is that they would be used to attach hydraulics to a rear-mounted implement. I'm assuming the 3-pt hitch is already attached to hydraulics. So unless I'm mistaken in that, what kind of attachment(s) would make use of the Rear Remote Valve(s)?

Thanks for your forbearance on this long first post. And thanks in advance for your advice and counsel...

Jeff

 

[vrmnthntr]

I haven't spent much time looking at the B series but from what I have read the 3300 SU is a nice tractor. Especially if you do not need the mid pto.

When I had my B7800, it was my first tractor and I did not know any better about the control for the 3 pt hitch (position vs 1/4 inch). I used the 1/4 inching valve for 5 years without a problem. Now that I have position control in the Grand L it is nice. But would have no problem having a 1/4 inching such as on my BX.

I personally think a backhoe is a lot of money to fork out for something rarely used. I am fortunate to have a friend with a mini excavator I can borrow. Renting one would still be cheaper if it is used occasionally. A lot of work can be accomplished in a short time with a mini excavator.

I live in MD and we do not get a lot of snow either. Few years ago when we got a few blizzards back to back I made out fine without a snow blower. I used a rear blade and loader. When it got so high I had to use just the loader as the blade wouldn't push it. Didn't take as long as I thought and ended up doing many of the neighbors driveways.

Depending on your uses and prices. I would look to a L series just for the added weight if you are using it for firewood. But, I also like a B series around the house and tight quarters. It is pretty nimble.

 

[jeff9366]

I've got a 1/4 mile-long, not entirely flat, gravel driveway that needs periodic attention - scraping, dressing, filling in thunderstorm-induced ruts, redistributing gravel as it washes downhill, etc.

I've also got a couple of drainage ditches under the driveway that tend to become obstructed on either side. Very laborious to try and clear with a shovel. And frankly not very effective.

I've got probably an acre and a half of scrub brush, saplings, and smallish trees I'd like to clear. Similarly, the entire circumference of the cleared part of the property is rough (overgrown with encroaching brush) and would greatly benefit from being pushed back 6-12 feet.

I burn wood as my primary heat and it would be very helpful to have something to efficiently move logs to where they can be bucked.

I've closed in on the B3300SU. It seems like it might be a good candidate. Decent size and the lack of a mid PTO isn't an issue because I'm certain I'll never use a MMM. Thoughts?

I'm mildly bemused at the lack of a (stock) drawbar on the 3-pt hitch. It's only $51 on the Kubota builder, so it's not a big deal to add, I'm just curious why what seems to be such a basic part of a tractor wouldn't be included. Am I missing something regarding the B3300SU 3-pt hitch? I hope it's not proprietary...

More important, it seems, is the 1/4 inching valve rather than having position control. I'm guessing I'll get used to that (and, in any case, I thought I read somewhere that nearly all the B-series tractors have the 1/4 inch setup, and so you really need to move up to the L-series before you get position control as a standard feature). I'm inclined to shrug and move on. Any thoughts that I should potentially consider it a deal killer?

The three implements I can most envision using, in probable order of use, are a box blade, a bush hog, and back hoe. I'm torn on the back hoe. Getting the BH (with the subframe assembly, bucket, and thumb) really jumps the cost of the package. And, obviously, to use the box blade or bush hog (or any other 3-pt hitch attachment) first requires you to remove the BH. How hard is it to remove and attach the BH? How long does it take? The flip side is.... I really, really would like a BH. They're just so cool.

Last question. The "Rear Remote Valves" is a very expensive option. My hazy understanding of those valves is that they would be used to attach hydraulics to a rear-mounted implement. I'm assuming the 3-pt hitch is already attached to hydraulics. So unless I'm mistaken in that, what kind of attachment(s) would make use of the Rear Remote Valve(s)?

I took delivery on new B3300SU February 12, 2011. I have 330 satisfactory hours on it. Mine has R4 Industrial Tires, the default choice with FEL, and one hydraulic remote at the rear which I have never used. This is my second tractor. My first tractor was a loaned JD/Yanmar 750/20-hp that I had the use of for a year. During that time I determined 2,000 pounds was about the weight I wanted, but 20-hp was not enough power for my needs; hence the B3300SU. I work mostly in woods. The weight, 14" ground clearance and maneuverability of the B3300SU were factors in my decision to buy. I was attracted to the B3300SU PACKAGE, factory equipped by Kubota with about everything the first time tractor buyer needs at a good price.

(Plan on adding 5/16" bucket chain grab hooks and I recommend Stabilworks pin-adjustable rigid 3-Pt. stabilizers to replace factory turnbuckle check chains.)

Center mount drawbars are obsolescent. It has only been 50 years since Harry Ferguson's comprehensive patents on the 3-Pt. hitch expired and FERGUSON 3-Pt. became the standard for tractors world wide. Before Ferguson's patents expired a lot of non-Ford, non-Ferguson equipment pinned onto the center drawbar. Today only a very few implements pin, such as TOWED (as opposed to MOUNTED) Cultipackers and TOWED Disc Harrows. So you probably will have no use for a center drawbar on a B3300SU.

Cross-drawbars, which mount through the lower link "eyes" of the 3-Pt. hitch, are much more common; C-D has pinning holes equally spaced along entire length. I use my cross-drawbar, with accoutrements, primarily for skidding logs.

See if you can restrain your backhoe hallucination. Taking a backhoe on/off is difficult and awkward. After a few cycles most owners either leave them on all the time, tying up the three-point hitch, or take them off and leave them in the garage. If 85+% of T-B-N writers have FELs, perhaps 10% have backhoes and half of the 10% with backhoes wish they had allocated the backhoe $$$$ toward four $ implements.

The 3-Pt. Hitch is hydraulically operated. It lifts implements. Gravity, not hydraulics, drops implements down. The 3-Pt. Hitch has a Power Take Off (PTO), which powers some implements, such as the Bush Hog's rotating blade.

The Ferguson three point hitch is what makes tractors so versatile. Consider a bucket toothbar or a bucket spade prior to a backhoe, for occasional digging.

I am not aware of any tractor brand that offers Position Control, another Ferguson innovation, on a tractor of less than 2,800 pounds weight. I believe that is because light tractors are usually sold with mid-mount-mowers rather than Rotary Cutters/Bush Hogs. Position Control is first needed to hold a Rotary Cutter. On a B3300SU you mount a set of $30 Zerco Check Chains from the ROPS to the front of the cutter to give simple, functional Position Control. Zercos have been sold for this use since introduction of the Ford 9N in 1939.

The 1/4" valve is marginally useful when using a rear blade or landscape rake, where making fine adjustments up/down on the move can be useful. I have the impression that few Kubota owners ever explore this feature. I do not use 1/4"-ing when mounting implements. Cussing seems to work better for me.

The single most useful tractor option is a front end loader. (FEL) With Ken's bolt-on-grab-hooks, you can carry one tree trunk at a time cleanly, off the ground. Debris Forks make FEL trunk transport easier. FEL bucket is ideal for moving firewood billets. It will also scoop and move dirt!

The last photo shows the tools I keep in limited space within under-seat tool box on the tractor: L-shape socket/3/8" handle + 10mm, 14mm, 19mm sockets and 7/8" + 3/4" ratcheting box end wrench.

I can't help you much with SNOW, that awful 4-letter word. I am a great fan of the Ratchet Rake. You might check out RR's Snow Edge at following link:

Ratchet Rake, LLC - Rip and Dig, All Terrain Rake, Snow Edge, Tractor attachment, Bucket attachment, Loader, Skid loader, Kubota, Skid steer, Landscape rake, Brush remover, York Rake, Harley Rake, Rock Rake, Tractor rake attachment, Construction atta

Try a T-B-N SEARCH using the Keyword B3300SU, changing default selection to SEARCH TITLES ONLY.

You will find fifty-seven threads.

 

[jim_wilson]

I have a B3200 with the BH77 backhoe. It's basically the same tractor as the B3300SU - and I looked long and hard at the B3300 when I was looking at tractors. I also looked at the L3200 and the L3800. If the L's had as good of an operator station as the B3200/B3300 - I might have gone with the L3200, theyr're not that much larger in size and you do gain som additional capacity on the FEL, plus they're just a larger more robust tractor. But - I went with the B3200 because I thought I might want to use something on the mid-PTO eventually (over the B3300) and because on the L I thought the operator station just would not work for me. I need to be able to get off and on from both sides (the FEL controls on the L are REALLY in the way for getting off on that side). Also the L3200 uses the BH77 (same as the B3200/B300) - but it uses a separate seat - which pushes the backhoe unit out just that much further from the rear of the tractor. I like the compact way the the BH77 mounts on the B3200/B3300.

I got the B3200 with the R4 tires. After using them for a while - I think ag tires have more grip on the ground ( I can spin the R4's doing some of the work I do) - but they also stand up to abuse better than the ag tires would have. For me the backhoe was a "must have" It's not a question of whether or not I really "need" it - I do. There are things I need to do with the tractor that I simply could not do without a backhoe or an excavator. In the end - the backhoe is the cheaper option. I could rent - but I have already ruled that out as an option because of the continual annoyance/inconvenience factor associated with constantly have to rent stuff. For the $7500 or whatever the backhoe costs - I could have put the money aside as 50% of what a used excavator costs - but that would have entailed spending another $7500 (that's also a lot of implements as jeff9366 pointed out) - plus it's another explanation I need to make to the wife. So for me anyway - the backhoe was the best compromise option between all of those available.

My opinion on the BH77 install/uninstall? It could be better. I used to have a BX23 - and I think the mounting system they used on those tractors was a lot easier to deal with as far as getting the backhoe on and off than the simple upper pin-on arrangement that the BH77 has. The problem is that you need to get the upper retaining pins for the BH77 *just* right in order to slide them thru fully. It's a PITA most times. Every now and then I get it just right - but that's exception rather than the rule. Those upper pins take what could be 5 minute job - and make them into a 15 minute job with some curse words liberally applied. Be that as it may - I still leave the backhoe on the tractor most of the time - and swap it off when I need to use a 3pt implement. Right now the only 3pt thing I have is a rear finish mower. So I swap the backhoe off to mount the mower - my lawn is small so it literally only takes me like 15 minutes to mow the lawn now with this mower (took me an hour and a half with a push mower) - then I take the mower off and remount the backoe. When it's all said and done the backhoe mounting/unmounting is the most time consuming part of the whole exercise - but it still takes me less time to mow the lawn that way than it did with a push mower.

One thing to keep in mind vis a vis the backhoe is this: you could always add it later. The BH77 backhoe comes in a kit - with the correct mounting subframe for your tractor and some hydraulic tubing etc. If you don't feel mechanical enough to install the hydraulics yourself - you could always ask them to install the BH77 piping for the hydraulics - which would also give you a hydraulic port at the back of the tractor you might find some use for (you would have to add controls inline to actually use it) - and then if/when you decide you REALLY want the hoe - you could buy the BH77 and install it yourself (bolting the subframe on isn't that hard) - or have the dealer do it.

Unlike the BX series - where the hoe really is integrated in and is not available from Kubota separately for those sized tractors (you need to go aftermarket to add a hoe later on a subcompact) - the B series hoe's truly are a just an add-on part. They can be bought with the tractor - or you can add it later, in the end you get the same thing.

I wouldn't worry about the drawbar - if you REALLY need it - just buy one. I've had a tractor for 10 years now - and never had a situation where I needed a drawbar.

I don't think a box blade would work real well to move snow. I just use the FEL. On my BX23 I used to use the FEL and a rear blade. A rear blade with shoes would work well for cleanup after you've moved the bulk of the snow away with the FEL. In your location I can see you easily getting away without a snowblower. I live in MA - where we've had some storms that leave snow piled so high along the sides of the driveway after I clear - that I literally can't pile it any higher with the tractor. I've gotten away with this for ten years.

All that being said - I'm hoping to get a snowblower (rear mount , front mounts are too much $$ and I want to keep the use of the FEL) before this winter.

As I mentioned above - if you get the backhoe - or if you're thinking of getting the backhoe - you'll have the need for the hydraulic ports at the rear of the tractor to feed the hoe. If you don't get the hoe - get the ports installed (the dealer should be able to order the parts and install them for you) - then, if you find you need rear remotes - you can just buy whatever controls you need - rig up some sort of mount for them - and feed them thru those ports the dealer installed. That's basically what I intend on doing to rig up rear hydraulic functionality instead of adding dedicated "rear remotes". If you look thru the pages of TBN - you'll see a lot of rear remote setups - where there's handles and so forth bolted onto the rollbar - on the fender - etc. Using the hoe hydraulic feed - and then rigging up something removeable to mount the controls you need for whatever attachment you're using - means you don't need to have those controls hanging off the tractor all the time (potentially in your way) - unless you need them.

I don't remember in your description if you mentioned how much total land you have - but if it was me , I would think long and hard about what size tractor you go for. Look at the capacities of the B3300 vs the L3200 and even the L3800. There are times when I really do wish I had more FEL capacity. I live in MA - and have a decent amount of LARGE rocks to move -and trees that I've dug out. Bear in mind that I live on a half acre - and just that land has taxed the capabilities of the B3200 / BH77 a few times. Larger land, larger trees, larger rocks? More of them? You might find yourself wishing for a bigger tractor at some point.

Think about it long and hard.

 

[Regaj]

Thanks for the thoughtful, detailed replies, guys. They have been very helpful.

I did end up going with the B3300SU, albeit without the back hoe. The price point with the BH was just getting to be too much. I figured, as you suggested, Jim, that I can always add it later.

Jeff, can I ask where you got your cross drawbar? Skidding logs is something I'll need to do a fair bit of. Also, the bolt-on debris forks in your pictures (thanks for those...) look very effective. What kind are they?

Anyway, thanks again guys. The new B3300SU with loader, loaded R4's, and a Land Pride GS60 grading scraper is being delivered tomorrow...

 

[jim_wilson]

Start doing some searching on the net and here on TBN. You'll find a bunch of different solutions for skidding logs.

Agri-Supply has drawbars:

Drawbar /Cat 3

 

[jeff9366]

Cross-Drawbars are widely available. Your Kabota dealer will have them. Mine came from Tractor Supply Company. They are heavy, so it is practical to buy locally. You will also need some form of lock, to keep the C-D from spinning; available in numerous variations.

For skidding logs I would consider a Log Hog from Northern Tool.
Ignore the dangerous chain being dragged in the Log Hog video.......

My aluminum clamp-on Debris Forks came from Payne's Forks.

I am also providing a link to Ken's Bolt On Hooks.

Congratulations on your B3300SU purchase.

Norwood Log Hog Log Skidder Tractor Attachment, Model# 41255 Log Hog | Log Skidding| Northern Tool + Equipment

http://www.paynesforks.com/debris-forks/aldf-52.html

Ken's Bolt on Grab Hooks <<Home>>