Anonymous Poster
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- Sep 27, 2005
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Well I have finally had a chance to put a few hours on the new L35 and it is really a mixed bag.
I don't know that I'd be willing to give up that 4-bar 45 degree rollback loader. The backhoe is so much more than my "typical" one on my Ford 1710 (Ford 758 hoe same as JD "8" I think) I'd never want to go back to a low gpm hydraulic system either, which makes the steering, hoe and bucket work unbelievably fine. The engine is one torquey sob. No complaints there.
But I'm surprised that I'm not hearing about people getting KILLED on these things. Kubota, for whatever reason (factory people never have given me an answer) does not put an HST trans in these, instead going with their GST trans which for you old Kubota folks or JD/NH etc is a trans that has a straight line shifter, 1-8, no clutch ever needed, and a steering column mounted Forward-Reverse lever, again, no clutch needed.
Great idea huh? Well if you are on flat ground I find it an acceptable tractor. Now that I've been buzzing around on our BX2200 I am beginning to see the benefits of HST though.
I feel this tractor should have a declaration on the cover of the brochure...NOT FOR USE ON ANY SLOPES, no matter how slight!
I had the tractor on a slope, nothing like the maximum I've ever been on, in fact I would call it minor compared to a lot of driveways I've seen. No load in the bucket. Hand throttle at idle. Went to downshift and the g**d***ed thing almost got away from me. Shifting up you're never in a situation where you don't want to go faster, but shifting down you normally want to go SLOWER! The thing went into limbo for what seemed like an internity and FREEWHEELED. If I hadn't had a lot of room I would have gone off a cliff, killed someone, who knows. The GST is touted as a clutchless system (i.e.simple) yes it is, but you better have your foot shoving on the stop pedal if you use that shifter on any downward slope.
What do I do?...STAND ON THE BRAKES. Fortunately I had left them locked together. The tractor SLOWED down, not anything like the panic stop I can do in my Ford 1710, and when I got it stopped, or almost stopped I realized I couldn't hold it with the brake pedal no matter how hard I pushed on the pedal. (I'm 240lbs so I've got plenty of belly-ballast!/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif)
I have tried this on other slopes even less, and it takes a TREMENDOUS effort to get this sob to hold still. I think this must be the situation with all new Kubotas because this is just a glorified L3410 with a super hydraulic pump and bellypan to tie the loader and hoe together.
The owners manual does state that the transmission will not hold the tractor with the engine off, and this happens with the HST as well, but not as fast. With my BX if I put it in gear and turn the engine off it will roll down a hill like a normal stick shift car put in 4th gear. The L35 will wait a second or two and then LET GO and freewheel.
The big problem with this? The manual says use the parking brake. WHAT A friggin' joke! The first day I had this I moved it a few feet and noticed a red light on the dash was on. Oops, parking brake. I just assumed it was the high torque engine overpowering the brakes. Well it was but not due to extra good engine! Later when I need to use the brakes to turn the tractor it didn't seem to make any difference if I was doing it or not.
On my "antiquated" Ford 1710, 1300 hours, when I am using the turning brakes, I usually pump them off on off on, everytime I hit them, with LITTLE FOOT PRESSURE, I can visually see the loader bucket jerk over an inch or two. I feel the turnbrake benefit on this L35 is completely ABSENT!
So what this tractor is is a flatlander's special. Utility companies seem to love them but they must not go down any slopes with them.
At least with the HST the engine at idle would allow the tractor to stop. If this had brakes it would be OK but this scared the you know what out of me. If I was on a slope and for some reason had to get off the tractor how would I do it? If I can't hold the tractor by standing on the brake pedal I guess I could set the parking brake and step off while it is creeping down the hill.
If you're on the tractor there is no way I can see other than digging in the ground with the bucket as a brake. Or maybe I should put spikes downward out of the outriggers on the hoe!
I really wanted to stay with a manufacturers designed product i.e. hoe and loader, but I don't know if the risk is worth it. There are lot of places on one of my pieces of property I'd NEVER take this. Maybe I'll have to hang onto the old Ford after all.
Or maybe I could rent a JD or NH? I haven't checked their brakes. I used one of these on flat land before purchase, never in my wildest dreams did I expect this to have such piss-poor brakes and a transmission that also can't be used to hold the tractor. To hell with worrying about the North Koreans launching a missle at us, I'd be more fearful if I looked up and saw a Kubota sitting on a slope above me.
Maybe Kubota will put the HST in the L35 and I can have my cake and eat it too. I could live with the crappy brakes if I had the HST. Or maybe I'll have to bail and go the L4610 and Bradco route or JD 4600 or the NH equivalent.
Love the Loader, Love the Backhoe, Love the Engine, Love the Hydraulics.
Everything else is about as useful as a soup sandwiche.
Brakeless in Seattle.
del
[email]oldcarparts@mygarage.com [/email]
I don't know that I'd be willing to give up that 4-bar 45 degree rollback loader. The backhoe is so much more than my "typical" one on my Ford 1710 (Ford 758 hoe same as JD "8" I think) I'd never want to go back to a low gpm hydraulic system either, which makes the steering, hoe and bucket work unbelievably fine. The engine is one torquey sob. No complaints there.
But I'm surprised that I'm not hearing about people getting KILLED on these things. Kubota, for whatever reason (factory people never have given me an answer) does not put an HST trans in these, instead going with their GST trans which for you old Kubota folks or JD/NH etc is a trans that has a straight line shifter, 1-8, no clutch ever needed, and a steering column mounted Forward-Reverse lever, again, no clutch needed.
Great idea huh? Well if you are on flat ground I find it an acceptable tractor. Now that I've been buzzing around on our BX2200 I am beginning to see the benefits of HST though.
I feel this tractor should have a declaration on the cover of the brochure...NOT FOR USE ON ANY SLOPES, no matter how slight!
I had the tractor on a slope, nothing like the maximum I've ever been on, in fact I would call it minor compared to a lot of driveways I've seen. No load in the bucket. Hand throttle at idle. Went to downshift and the g**d***ed thing almost got away from me. Shifting up you're never in a situation where you don't want to go faster, but shifting down you normally want to go SLOWER! The thing went into limbo for what seemed like an internity and FREEWHEELED. If I hadn't had a lot of room I would have gone off a cliff, killed someone, who knows. The GST is touted as a clutchless system (i.e.simple) yes it is, but you better have your foot shoving on the stop pedal if you use that shifter on any downward slope.
What do I do?...STAND ON THE BRAKES. Fortunately I had left them locked together. The tractor SLOWED down, not anything like the panic stop I can do in my Ford 1710, and when I got it stopped, or almost stopped I realized I couldn't hold it with the brake pedal no matter how hard I pushed on the pedal. (I'm 240lbs so I've got plenty of belly-ballast!/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif)
I have tried this on other slopes even less, and it takes a TREMENDOUS effort to get this sob to hold still. I think this must be the situation with all new Kubotas because this is just a glorified L3410 with a super hydraulic pump and bellypan to tie the loader and hoe together.
The owners manual does state that the transmission will not hold the tractor with the engine off, and this happens with the HST as well, but not as fast. With my BX if I put it in gear and turn the engine off it will roll down a hill like a normal stick shift car put in 4th gear. The L35 will wait a second or two and then LET GO and freewheel.
The big problem with this? The manual says use the parking brake. WHAT A friggin' joke! The first day I had this I moved it a few feet and noticed a red light on the dash was on. Oops, parking brake. I just assumed it was the high torque engine overpowering the brakes. Well it was but not due to extra good engine! Later when I need to use the brakes to turn the tractor it didn't seem to make any difference if I was doing it or not.
On my "antiquated" Ford 1710, 1300 hours, when I am using the turning brakes, I usually pump them off on off on, everytime I hit them, with LITTLE FOOT PRESSURE, I can visually see the loader bucket jerk over an inch or two. I feel the turnbrake benefit on this L35 is completely ABSENT!
So what this tractor is is a flatlander's special. Utility companies seem to love them but they must not go down any slopes with them.
At least with the HST the engine at idle would allow the tractor to stop. If this had brakes it would be OK but this scared the you know what out of me. If I was on a slope and for some reason had to get off the tractor how would I do it? If I can't hold the tractor by standing on the brake pedal I guess I could set the parking brake and step off while it is creeping down the hill.
If you're on the tractor there is no way I can see other than digging in the ground with the bucket as a brake. Or maybe I should put spikes downward out of the outriggers on the hoe!
I really wanted to stay with a manufacturers designed product i.e. hoe and loader, but I don't know if the risk is worth it. There are lot of places on one of my pieces of property I'd NEVER take this. Maybe I'll have to hang onto the old Ford after all.
Or maybe I could rent a JD or NH? I haven't checked their brakes. I used one of these on flat land before purchase, never in my wildest dreams did I expect this to have such piss-poor brakes and a transmission that also can't be used to hold the tractor. To hell with worrying about the North Koreans launching a missle at us, I'd be more fearful if I looked up and saw a Kubota sitting on a slope above me.
Maybe Kubota will put the HST in the L35 and I can have my cake and eat it too. I could live with the crappy brakes if I had the HST. Or maybe I'll have to bail and go the L4610 and Bradco route or JD 4600 or the NH equivalent.
Love the Loader, Love the Backhoe, Love the Engine, Love the Hydraulics.
Everything else is about as useful as a soup sandwiche.
Brakeless in Seattle.
del
[email]oldcarparts@mygarage.com [/email]
