Difficulty in deciding which machine to get

[crazyal]

Not to make your choice any harder but have you looked at the grand L? I'm sure it's a little more money and I think you have to upgrade to the bh90. It does weigh more than the L3400 and as far as I've read the 2800/3400 issues were not seen on the grand L's. So far I haven't found a new L3130 but if you could find one you might be able to get a good deal on it since it's been replaced by the L3240. Without looking into the specs I would say the heavy duty FEL (723 I think) will out perform all three of the models you listed and the bh90 should be an equal to the b26 backhoe. Just a thought.

 

[The Gardener]

We should average around 175-225 inches of snow during the winters, with many storms dumping 12-18" at a time (though the 24-30" storms also happen with some good frequency). I realize a snowblower would probably be a better bet...

Personally, I would make your tractor choice based entirely on which tractor offers the best option(s) for a front end snow blower given your snow accumulation. I'd certainly want a heated cab as well.

That rules out the L3400. It does not have a cab, and it does not have a mid PTO to run a front snow blower.

The B3030 has a heated cab and a mid PTO. It offers a 63" front snow blower.

The Grand L series have a heated cab, and they offer a 72" front snow blower.

Either of these two choices will be awesome. Given your willingness to rent larger equipment when needed, I think the B3030HSDC [cab] would be the perfect size tractor for your acreage and your needs.

The Gardener

 

[bandit67]

I've been giving the cab a lot of thought. It would certainly be a nice $6k option to have during our winters. But there are a few issues that don't have me convinced I should get a cab;
1. most of the folks I know in my area that use tractors for snow removal do not have cabs, and might think I'm a bit of a pansy for using one.
2. last winter, I was out regularly on training runs standing on my sled with the dogs pulling me in -5 to -15* temps, and it really didn't bother me - as a matter of fact, when it got up to -5, it felt a bit warm. So I might see myself as a bit of a pansy for having a cab on my tractor.
3. I haven't looked closely enough at the B3030 cab to see if the doors can easily be removed, because our summers are too nice to be cooped up in a cab, and I love fresh mountain air.

So there lies my dilemma.

Of course, once all the neighbors see my cab, they may decide to just pay me to clear their driveways, and I'd much rather play in the snow with my tractor than go in to my office job.

 

[bx24d]

I too am interested in hearing if the doors on the B3030HSTC can be easily removed. The pop open rear and rear-side windows wouldn'g cut it on a nice Spring/Fall day. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[number two]

I traded my trusty B1750 for the B3030HSDC w/63" front snowblower after last winter. The cab was the deciding factor as snow removal is the primary duty,although I have the FEL and other implements. I had the B1750 with 60" front blower for just one season and loved blowing snow after decades of plowing with a 4WD pickup. A fraction of the fuel and a superior job. I toughed it out without a cab all winter,with the old plow truck on standby. Without the cab,I'd find myself getting lost at night and tried to avoid blowing when windy. Much to my surprise,the time to clear our 1200' drive and parking areas was the same as plowing,about one hour. We have a similar snowfall amount,140-240". Snows real heavy in early winter(lake effect)and then the snow's there to stay. Huge snowbanks early on when plowing,there for the duration. I always wanted to try blowing,but was always told blowing takes a huge amount of power. Since it was time to replace another rusty old plow truck,I tried a blower tractor. The B1750 with 15.5 PTO HP and the 60" blower is taking it to the limit,but unless the snow was really deep,I could run flat out in low range,about 3 MPH according to the owners manual. HST really shines here.
So the next level was the B3030HSDC with 23 PTO HP.Love it and haven't even blown snow with it. Love the cab with AC-no dust,no bugs. The doors are not easily removable,however,which may be a turnoff for some. A Curtis or Sims cab with hard sides and heat would easily run $3500 not installed. The Kubota cab was maybe $4500 extra and includes AC. Took me awhile to
get over the price,but I finally realized it was the right equipment for our needs,and have no regrets. Good Luck.

 

[DiezNutz]

... most of the folks I know in my area that use tractors for snow removal do not have cabs, and might think I'm a bit of a pansy for using one...

You never know, maybe they already think you're a pansy and then you're just depriving yourself for no reason (j/k) Either way, pansy with cab trumps pansy w/o cab any day... they'd just be jealous.

 

[Adiredneck]

Can I chime in the rugged/hilly terrain? I have 135 acres in upstate NY. The 1st 15% of the "mountain" is kinda radical. I rented a JD650 dozer this spring to get my main base road cut. With loaded rear AG tires, my L3400 tractor will climb nearly any hill I ask it to if you hit it straight on. Sorry if I missed it somewhere in the post, but what tires are you considering?

 

[bandit67]

You never know, maybe they already think you're a pansy and then you're just depriving yourself for no reason (j/k) Either way, pansy with cab trumps pansy w/o cab any day... they'd just be jealous.

LOL

Adiredneck,
I figure I'll go with the R4 Industrials because I need it for both summer dirt work and winter snow work. I understand R1's aren't so good in the snow, and I have no need for turfs. I can always get a set of chains if need be for snow, or when I can't stay off the machine in the springtime mud (but I've got a trail bike and an ATV to get my mud fix).

And yeah, the cab machine with a front mount snowblower is really appealing. Figure the snowblower would run about the same as the mid mount mower that I won't be getting. Not interested in the 3pt snowblower, as using the rear blade in reverse was enough of a 'pain in the neck', and most of my plowing was driving over the snow and pulling the blade. That actually worked pretty well, up to 12" of fluffy snow or 8" of heavy wet spring snow with my subcompact, so if I need to go that route for the first couple of years, a larger compact size should handle 12-18" of fluffy snow without a problem.

 

[hazmat]

The snowblower will run you more than the MMM.

So - digging is the primary use? Go with a heavier machine.

I had a TC18 (small compact not sub) ~1,400#

Now I've got a B3030 w/ BH80X ~1,800#

Dad has as TC40DA ~3,500#

I'm really amazed how much better the B3030 is than the TC18 - for a little extra weight (and a whole lot more $$), it is a much more capable machine. Dad's TC40DA is even stronger.

The price upper to go from a mid sized compact (~30HP) to a larger one (40HP+) isn't all that much. If you don't have any finish mowing, I'd go big.

Finish mowing being the primary use of my tractor, I stayed lighter.

 

[crazyal]

I know lots say how nice a cab is, heat in the winter, ac in the summer but I really find the doors are a pain. It always seams like when I'm working I'm getting in and out all the time. I perfer the fresh air to AC most of the time and when I'm digging with the backhoe I always have the windows down. As for blowing snow it's very wooded here so wind is not an issue. I'm sure if you have plans of doing a lot of seat time on it where you will not be getting on and off (like mowing) and/ or you have limited places to blow snow so there is a likelyhood that you will be blowing snow upwind and back onto yourself a cab would be nice, just not for me. I think the prices I was getting for a front mount blower from Kubota was in the $4500 range, it's hard to break out each option on the quote in front of me.