Does the L3200HST make enough power for driving with loader and hoe mounted?

[familyman]

This is rephrasing the question from my other thread: Regarding L3200 HST power and loader work....

L3200HST OWNERS: how much weight do you carry and do you find yourself wanting more power?

I'll be mounting a Woods BH80-X backhoe onto either an L3200 or L3800 for doing clearing/dirt work. With a loader, of course. This equipment adds a fair bit of weight to a machine, to say the least.

I'm new to HST; will the L3200HST get around ok with this much iron hanging off it or will I be better off with an L3800? Bear in mind that the weight will go up even more when transporting a load of dirt or stone in the bucket.

I drove an L3800HST today for the first time. I experienced firsthand that HST needs the engine spinning 2-2500 rpm to work well. However, even at those RPM's I could hear the engine working and rpms going down when I went up a slight incline, in medium range. This was on a tractor with no other equipment mounted. This got me a little concerned about how well the less powerful L3200HSTwould perform with a loader and hoe mounted.

There would not be many occasions for driving the machine on a road in high range, but medium range would be needed to cover distance.

I'd like to do this with no regrets... no regrets about spending the extra money (L3800), or no regrets about NOT spending the money (L3200).

(Bluegill, I already know your answer! )

 

[Monster5601]

You're kidding...

The machine you were testing had to have the brake set or the hydraulic line for the backhoe wasn't connected to complete the hydraulic loop.

I have the smaller 30 HP B series and I do most of my work at 1200 to 1500 rpms without as much as the engine loading. See my signature for the options.

 

[familyman]

You're kidding...

The machine you were testing had to have the brake set or the hydraulic line for the backhoe wasn't connected to complete the hydraulic loop.

I have the smaller 30 HP B series and I do most of my work at 1200 to 1500 rpms without as much as the engine loading. See my signature for the options.

It's also true that you're running at least 800lbs lighter, just in tractor weight. Your hoe and loader are lighter too, so your easily 1,000lbs. below where I will be in operating weight; and the L3200 has only 2 more HP than yours.

Maybe I'm making too much of this. This machine will serve double-duty as a finish mower, but most of the time it will be wearing the loader and hoe. I'm looking for someone to confirm that it's not underpowered in that configuration.

 

[indianaEPH]

Are you operating on large Hills? If not there will be no problem for a 32 HP machine to move that Tractor around, even when loaded.

HST has a different feel to it. Initial is is hard to get use to it. When you start pushing the pedal you are loading the engine so you will get a initial lug in the engine (like engaging the clutch). There is a natural tendency to push the pedal even further when the engine lugs (as if it is a throttle) but this puts further load on the engine because it is essentially going into a higher range. I've done this on large hills. When you first hit the hill and start to slow down slightly there is a tendency to want to push the pedal down even more, which just puts the trans in an even higher effective range and will result in more lugging. Once you train your foot to understand that the HST pedal is not a throttle then you get a new perspective on the HST.

THe HST will take a little more power to operate. To determine if this is a problem for your application look at the rated PTO power. If it has sufficient PTO power operate your implements then you will be good to go. I don't have the machine that you are looking at but I will say that for the type of work that I do (loader, backhoe) I would not want anything else.

 

[Egon]

New to HST?

Do you use the forward reverse pedal like an accelerator petal on a car and expect the same results?

 

[reggiejr]

If hp is a serious concern on the l3200 why not just get the l3800.
For me the small price increase of the two the 3800 was a no brainer for me.
I'm very happy with the hp that my l3800 hst has.
I definitely wouldn't ever find myself wishing i bought the smaller engine.
For light /med loader work you wont need it wound right up if you select the proper range.

 

[familyman]

I do understand what you fellows are saying about pedal use and the application of power. I'm not looking to hot-rod around; I just don't want to add 3,000lbs to the machine (loader, loaded bucket and hoe) and discover that it's a bit over-challenged.

Right now I have the opportunity to make a decision that may effect how satisfied I am with the performance of a machine I will be partnered with for a long time. I'm hoping for input from someone who has one and operates it heavily loaded.

 

[Bluegill2]

(Bluegill, I already know your answer! )

If hp is a serious concern on the l3200 why not just get the l3800.
For me the small price increase of the two the 3800 was a no brainer for me.
I'm very happy with the hp that my l3800 hst has.
I definitely wouldn't ever find myself wishing i bought the smaller engine.
For light /med loader work you wont need it wound right up if you select the proper range.

I didn't need to type a word. :thumbsup:

 

[kuboman]

You will be very short of power with the L3200. I would without question get the l38 and if you can swing it go to the next size up. Your power to weight ratio will be quite low with either. Just do the math with your gross weight against the HP rating. Once you get upwards of 150#/hp you get very slow going uphill.

 

[ddb123]

How much will this thing weigh fully outfitted? The basic L series is a pretty light tractor to begin with. Are the tires going to be loaded? I assume you are getting R4s.

I had the same worries as you, as I went from a lightweight 45 hp to a 37 hp at almost 2,000 lbs heavier. I found out that in Med range my tractor will accelerate uphill faster than I feel comfortable. It's all a matter of using the HST pedal correctly, which I needed time to learn.

There is a fellow on here who has an L3240 with loaded R4s and a backhoe. He says sometimes on hills it can be a little sluggish. To me that doesn't sound like a problem. SOMETIMES on HILLS it can be a LITTLE sluggish. That's with 34 hp and at least 7,000 lbs.

The nice thing about the extra weight is that you get the hp to the ground that way. My L4300 would spin if you drove into a headwind. Lots of people load their tires and then add wheel weights because they want more weight to put down hp.

The L3200/3800 weigh about 2600 lbs without loader. The loader adds about 1200 lbs. Loaded tires add about 800 lbs. I'm not sure how much the backhoe adds, but I'm guessing about 1,000 lbs for that size. That's 5,600 lbs with 32 hp. That's about the same ratio I have and I never notice the weight. With my 700-800 lb brush hog on back, I'm about 6,600 lbs and never notice with 37 hp.

You could always work in Low. Most of the time with loader work you'll probably need Low anyway. I think you would be happy with the L3200.

That said, if it were me I'd go for the L3800 The price isn't that different, it'll run a 6' brush hog with ease, and you'd never, ever second guess your choice.

Last thing to consider is that running the RPMS about 3/4 wide open isn't bad for a tractor. I used to have a gear and loved that the RPMS were kept down a lot until I started doing some reading on diesel engines. Keep the throttle open.