Difficulty in deciding which machine to get

[Northland]

If I was you I would buy the L3400

I live in the mountains (not the Rockies-but still hilly) off the north shore of Lake Superior and I own a B7800 that has served me well.

I bought it because I wanted the most ground clearance possible (15"), good width and a mid-PTO. I thought I would add a front snow blower at some point but my front bucket and rear blade work great for snow plowing so I doubt I will even buy a rear blower.

So, if I had to do it again, I would have bought a L3400 (because of the extra weight) assuming I got one that had the PTO/3 pt issues fixed. Also, I assume it has a locking rear differential-I use that all the time on my B7800. I recall someone suggesting that the B26 doesn't have that feature

Even better would be to find a used Grand L3130-that's what I really want

 

[bandit67]

I've decided against the L3400 because of the numerous PTO issues that I've read about. I need a pto that will function for years with any pto driven implement I may decide to run. I don't ever want to say to myself "why did you buy this thing after knowing it had problems?"

Fortunately, I wasn't ready to buy a new machine as soon as we moved - fortunate because it gave me the opportunity to rent 3 very different machines and get a feel for how they worked on my new property. The current property is very different from our previous properties, and brings with it a whole different set of parameters that must be considered.

I honestly enjoyed working the little B7800 the most of all 3 machines, and found that it was the most nimble getting around on my moderately tree'd and sloping property. The B7800 also felt more stable on the slopes - something that ended up being the opposite of what I was expecting. Overall, I was surprisingly impressed with its capabilities.

So I have narrowed my choices down to the B3030, B7800, and the new B2920 (once I see it and it's specs). I will probably fill the tires, but the ground clearance, size, and power of those machines should be exactly what I want for this property. I will get a backhoe for whichever machine I go with, but it will either be the Kubota hoe or the smaller Woods BH70X, and not the larger 80 because of the terrain. If I really need a bigger hoe, I will rent the bigger one and beat the crud out of the rental, instead of my hoe, but for 95% of my planned hoe projects, the small hoe will do just fine. I've spent a bit of time on hoes of varying size/power - BX22, L35, NH B95 full size, & JD 110, so that's helped me to decide what size/power hoe that I should be able to live with for the long term.

 

[mike69440]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys.

I won't go for a used L35 because I prefer HST for a day's worth of dirt work, and the gears/clutch/braking of the L35 really slowed down my overall production because of the sloped terrain. A local dealer has a used L39 supposedly for around the price of the new B26, but I wasn't able to check the hours, and I think it may be just a bit large for a 3 acre property in the long run. I also think the L3400 is about as big as I should go on that size property - I agree that the Grand L's are a nicer machine, but they seem even bigger than the standard L's. That's why I like the B series - their size is perfect.

Hill, the B26 weighs in about 500 lbs more than the B3030.

Art, as far as I can tell, only a couple of B26's have sold in a 100 mile radius, and none were to rental yards. I've never even found a B21 at a rental yard out here. L35's are apparently the rental machine of choice, and the only one I've actually found is at the place just down the road from my new property.

Problem with all of this is that every day, I change my number 1 choice. Maybe I should just relax and go with the B3030 - so what if I have to replace loader pins every few years due to wear. Heck, I'm so hung up on the capacities of the different machines, but ANY of the machines I'm looking at are a huge improvement over my last subcompact. It may not really matter in the end, because in a few weeks, I'm going to rent a fullsize New Holland 95 series TLB, and anything, including the L39, won't be able to stack up to that machine. Realizing that, I should be able to just suck it up and accept the fact that a fullsize TLB purchase is completely unrealistic, and whichever compact I choose is a WAY better option than the alternative - the old shovel and wheelbarrow.

I have put a few hows on my neighbors L3400 and hope you choose something heavier. My L39 is a toy compared to a full size TLB but at least twice the machine dirt moving wise than the L3400. It is nice to have 3 tractors avaiable and an excavator, but this is still only good for HD landscaping, not real eartmoving jobs. Get the biggest machine you can.

Tractors shrink once you own them.

 

[Northland]

sounds like you have it figured out bandit67. Renting or contracting out makes sense to me as well since I am on the Cambrian Shield and have a lot of rock much of the work I need to get done will require a full size TLB, excavator and mid-size dozer

 

[teg]

Can I chime in the rugged/hilly terrain? ....my L3400 tractor will climb nearly any hill...

You have a DT; Gear model, which is much better then HST on going up hill...

I have a backhoe but it will *never* be on my L2800... I have a tiller that will *never* be hooked up either... I'll wait until I can get a real tractor that can handle them both.