Decision on 3130 or 3830

[Anonymous Poster]

I'm close to making my final decision on a tractor purchase. I've always been partial to the Kubota and now must decide on which tractor is the best considering the work I want to do and my spending budget. I have 10 acres steeply sloped (about 45 degrees I guess) that I want to clear, landscape and maintain which includes installing drain piping, rock walkways and ultimately some type of grass. I also have a steep 300 foot gravel driveway and about the same amout of gravel frontage road to keep in shape. Folks in our area familiar with my property and somewhat knowledgeable about tractors have given me the following advice - "at least 30 hp, 4 wd, built low and wide". Accordingly, I've been looking at the Kubota 3130 and 3830. Whichever I purchase, I plan on getting one with a loader (LA 723) and hydrostat transmission.

Now some points I've considered. Comparing the two there's a difference of about 7 hp, 35 lbs in overall weight, and 7 inches in overall width. The height is nearly the same. The big catcher is the price difference which is in the neighborhood of about $2,500.

I've established my budget at $20K which is more than sufficient for the 3130. Heck- I'd probably be able to even get an implement or two because I do need at least a bush hog and box blade. If I go with the 3830, well the prices I'm getting from local dealers would exceed my $20K budget.

Obviously from a monetary standpoint purchasing a 3130 is more attractive. I keep asking myself, is the difference in horsepower, overall weight and width worth the $2,500 price difference? More specifically and considering the work on plan on doing, I continually wonder if I really need the larger/wider 3830?

Any thoughts on the part of you Kubota "drivers" would be most appreciated!

 

[frank_f15]

right off the top of my head i would suggest the 3130, the 3830 gives u a few more inches of width(more stability) and a few more hp(which in your case i don;t think u need).maybe some of the other guys can come up with some different opions,

 

[icat]

Looks like your budget will be the deciding factor. However, with R4 tires the width of the L3130 would be nearly the same as an L3830 with R1's (maybe more). The ground clearance is slightly lower with the L3130 (14.2 inches vs. 14.8 inches), but so is it's center of gravity - and that may be important considering the steepness of your land. Weight difference is not much, and you could eliminate that with wheel weights or loaded tires. There is a HP difference though. Not much you can do about that. I went with the L3130, but I didn't have any major slopes on my property.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Mike, I just purchased the L3830 HST and LA 723 loader w/HD bucket, R4's and TnT with a spool valve. You mention your lot is very steep, up to 45 deg (almost unwalkable) which for most tractor uses is going to be to much other then coming straight down and in 4WD. Thats a very steep slope and one that most any tractor cannot traverse.

As far as the 3130 vs L3830 goes, other then sacraficing a little speed with tasks like uphill mowing or hauling bucket loads of material uphills, you should be just fine with a L3130 HST. The L3130 has smaller diameter rear tires which could be advantageous for you. The other minor differences in the L3830 are about 20 cu in displacement which is about 12 ft lbs more torque, a rear end that is the same as the L4630 including a little more 3 pt hitch lift ability. I think all things that you could easily do without. For the most part, its just the power that is the biggest difference and not having the L3130 to experiment with but listening to other folks comments, they all mention being able to operate PTO implements similar to mine and having to slow the speed down on uphill work. The same applies to me. When mowing, I too must slow down on the hydro pedal to allow for the added load of climbing my hilly terrain. If I'm in low range, this does not apply. Oddly, my L3830 actually does better at hills in high range then my considerably more powerful L48. If you have not become familiar with HST use, it will take a few hours to become very proficient with it. Just yesterday I was mowing with my finish mower backing down into the pond I have, mowing the edge weeds and grass. The HST works wonderful for that application. Mowing by going backwards into my tree areas with my rear mower is also very quick. My neighbor was watching me do this as he drove around on a non hydro tractor. I could tell he was quite impressed by how quickly this is accomplished. Going on 3 weeks today of having the L3830 has really made me appreciate all that has gone into the L30's. The digital display has several very useful features. A trip meter that gives you the ability to check how long you have been doing something. I use it at each fillup and check my fuel usage. Other things are PTO speed, displayed digitally to the nearest revolution. The fuel warning light also works great, giving you not only a red light indicating 1 gallon left but also digitally giving you a message. The whole display is double protected from the elements. Sealed behind to layers of glass. The last 2 things that I wanted to mention was how slick the tilt steering wheel works. By using your foot, you can very quickly pop the entire console out of the way making getting on and off very easy. Poping again with your left foot allows you to easily position it where you want it. The new seat is also very well designed and comfortable with a shock absorber built in. Rat...

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I just ordered an L4330. However, it was because of the peak torque, rather than the peak HP. I liked the pulling power of the torque produced by the extra cynder. Here's a table of torque for the different models. I believe that RaT originally posted the torque numbers.

Model (all HST) 3130 3430 3830 4330 4630 5030
Cylinders 3 3 3 4 4 4
Max Torque (ft pds) 75.9 79.9 89.0 107.8 107.8 119.8
List Price ($K) $15.8 $17.5 $19.1 $21.0 $23.0 $24.6

In my area, discounts are running about 20% off list, and my dealer indicated that Kubota is running a factory to dealer rebate. I don't know how much, but when my dealer indicated what list price was, it was $1,500 lower than the rest of the dealers I talked to, so I am surmising that he used the rebate to reduce list. (The 20% discount is off regular list before rebate.)

I was sold on the Kubota Grand L series tractor when I borrowed my neighbor's L 3130 last winter to do some snow removal. It was terrific and my first experience with a hydro transmission on a tractor. However, I felt that for my purposes, it was a little under powered, so I opted for the 4330 and was looking at the 5030 until reality set in. Also, if you go with the 4330, you move to a larger, stronger FEL with higher lift. (It is also more expensive...) Good luck in your search and be safe.

Randall Smith

 

[JATO_RaT]

I agree, HP is more or less an index to compare one tractor to another. Funny thing is, although the more torque the better, I don't know where that threshold of under torqued is for a given size, weight, gear ratio etc. My L3830 really has what I would consider very much an appropriate amount of torque for its size, weight etc. The L3130 and the L4330 are probably the two ideal sizes when you consider the loader each has LA 723 and LA 853 respectively as well as the cost for each. I think you will be quite happy with the L4330's abilities. Rat...

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hey guys - thanks for taking the time to post your inputs. You've brought to light some good info and certainly some things I never thought about.

A friend of my neighbor was over today. I just met him and he informed me that he has a NH TC 29 with a loader. Aftering seeing my place, he said he wouldn't be afraid to take it on with his tractor although he admitted he would be concerned about stability when working with his loader. Said he would have to manipulate his weights for good balance.

After sleeping on it one more night, and reading the info you all provided, I think I'm going to go with the 3130. Bigger would be nice but I just have too many other expenses to worry about getting this place in shape. I'm pretty confident if I'm patient, the 3130 will do just fine for me.

As a matter of fact, I received my third quote from a dealer today. The quotes I've received so far for a 3130 HST with a 723 loader, foldable ROPS and R-4 tires (excluding tax) are:

$19,180
$18,736
$18,549

Ironically, the dealer with the lowest price is the one I like the best and is also the closest. Now keep in mind, we haven't done any serious negotiations yet but will be doing so soon. Hopefully I will be able to get him to knock off another $300 or $400 or maybe throw in something extra for no additional cost like a detachable toothbar for my loader bucket, box blade or ???? I'll be meeting with the salesman this Saturday.

Once again, thanks for all the good info. Please don't hesitate to post again if you think of something else!!

 

[icat]

Time for the dealer to get out his pencil sharpener...

L3130 HST 4wd
Foldable ROPS
R4 Tires
LA723 FEL
Bush Hog SQ600 Rotary Cutter
Bush Hog SBX720 Box Blade
Full Tank of Gas
Delivered 75 Miles (one way)
$19,200 (Ag exempt - no tax) /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

The price without the Bush Hog Cutter and Box Blade was $17,825.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Thanks icat. I'll make sure I take a pencil sharpener with me in case the dealer can't find his!

 

[icat]

Probably should have mentioned that those prices are recent too - like last Thursday when I signed the papers! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I had two other bids as well that were pretty good (within $500), and one that was actually lower - but I didn't like the salesman.

Whoops! Almost forgot. Dealer threw in a Kubota Hat, a Bush Hog hat, and three dealer gimmie hats!