Farmagain
Member
Hi everyone and thanks for such awesome feedback and experience. I sold my 69 model IH 444 Monday and I'm ready to buy another tractor but my plans keep falling apart. I had planned to buy a reconditioned Yanmar 38-50 HP 4wd right away from Best-Used-Tractors-LLC but it turns out they won't sell them without a loader. So, for example, the advertised price of the 45HP 3810D jumps from $8825 to $12,520 with FEL. Just can't find an available Yanmar anywhere in larger HP without a loader. I have a backhoe when I need a loader. Being so close to the price of a new Kobota L3800 ($13,900 Beshears Tractor, Oxford) I turned my sights to shopping for the L3800. I would love to find a used one with 1000 hours or less, but can't find a single one within 150 miles unless they have FEL's and cost more than a new one. The power of the 444 was adequate. My 6' Andy rotary cutter would choke down a little in really tall, thick fescue but I just slowed down and kept going. I'm not even sure that the Kubota L3800 will do what I want.
Let me explain my needs. I have 76 acres with mixed grassland, hardwoods (for firewood) and pines (for retirement). I have a 3 acre pond and springs in some of the grounds, which makes it soft. I am constantly changing the landscape to improve wildlife habitat and to grow fruit trees and blueberries for us. The biggest demand I made on my other tractor was bush hogging saplings. Sweet gums grow like weeds around here and sometimes get to 2" overnight it seems, so I have to mow them like grass. I had a LMC Andy 6' rotary mower which I sold last week at an auction because it was too light. I felt I would surely tear it up on the sweet gums. Now that I am shopping for a new mower I'm finding that dealers call the model I had a medium duty mower. I called it feather weight duty myself. The main bearing had begun to leak and it really looked used with probably no more than 40 hours of use on a 40 HP tractor. If I get a heavier cutter, I am concerned that the L3800 might be a little light to pick it up safely. I have my eye on a used 5' bush hog brand mower, but I bet it weighs 800 pounds or more. I want to buy a 5.5'-6' disk harrow which the L3800 will handle fine. My property is hilly, with mud, water, stumps, rocks, and springs so I really want 4wd for added safety, flotation and traction. I'm done with steering with the brakes. Chemotherapy has left me with less strength and slower reflexes, making the old 444 a bit dangerous. Dependability is important from this point on.
I looked at other brands, some referred to as less expensive than Kubota in these forums, including Mahindra, LS, Mitsubishi, Montana, Nortrac, Agco, Joe Smo..... Ahhh! I haven't found any of those in the 38-40 HP that aren't more than a Kubota. I'm not picky on brands. I'd settle for any of the American made tractors used or new, or the imports that have a good track record, as long as they are in my budget. I like the dependability of a gear tranny, which is the cheapest anyway. I just need the following:
[*]38HP minimum, 50 max. (And I need advice on the weight issue of a 38 HP)
[*]4 wheel drive
[*]diesel of course
[*]1000 hours or less, new or remanufactured
[*]Rear remote hydraulics to run a log splitter and occasionally a seed drill
[*]Power steering
[*]Rear PTO
My initial budget was to keep the tractor under $10k so I can afford the bush hog and disk. Is that possible? I'd consider paying $13,900 for a new L3800. I'd have to wait till next year to buy my disk and settle on a used cheap mower. Is there another brand tractor with the same performance as the L3800 for less? Where can I find used tractors in this range near Ashland, AL? Suggestions on dealers and tractors would be very helpful. Sorry to write a novel here, but I've spent many many hours researching and have begun to realize that all the experience on this site can save me a lot of time and possibly regret. So thanks in advance everyone for your help. Ahhh, sweet gums have grown 1/4" while I'm typing.
Let me explain my needs. I have 76 acres with mixed grassland, hardwoods (for firewood) and pines (for retirement). I have a 3 acre pond and springs in some of the grounds, which makes it soft. I am constantly changing the landscape to improve wildlife habitat and to grow fruit trees and blueberries for us. The biggest demand I made on my other tractor was bush hogging saplings. Sweet gums grow like weeds around here and sometimes get to 2" overnight it seems, so I have to mow them like grass. I had a LMC Andy 6' rotary mower which I sold last week at an auction because it was too light. I felt I would surely tear it up on the sweet gums. Now that I am shopping for a new mower I'm finding that dealers call the model I had a medium duty mower. I called it feather weight duty myself. The main bearing had begun to leak and it really looked used with probably no more than 40 hours of use on a 40 HP tractor. If I get a heavier cutter, I am concerned that the L3800 might be a little light to pick it up safely. I have my eye on a used 5' bush hog brand mower, but I bet it weighs 800 pounds or more. I want to buy a 5.5'-6' disk harrow which the L3800 will handle fine. My property is hilly, with mud, water, stumps, rocks, and springs so I really want 4wd for added safety, flotation and traction. I'm done with steering with the brakes. Chemotherapy has left me with less strength and slower reflexes, making the old 444 a bit dangerous. Dependability is important from this point on.
I looked at other brands, some referred to as less expensive than Kubota in these forums, including Mahindra, LS, Mitsubishi, Montana, Nortrac, Agco, Joe Smo..... Ahhh! I haven't found any of those in the 38-40 HP that aren't more than a Kubota. I'm not picky on brands. I'd settle for any of the American made tractors used or new, or the imports that have a good track record, as long as they are in my budget. I like the dependability of a gear tranny, which is the cheapest anyway. I just need the following:
[*]38HP minimum, 50 max. (And I need advice on the weight issue of a 38 HP)
[*]4 wheel drive
[*]diesel of course
[*]1000 hours or less, new or remanufactured
[*]Rear remote hydraulics to run a log splitter and occasionally a seed drill
[*]Power steering
[*]Rear PTO
My initial budget was to keep the tractor under $10k so I can afford the bush hog and disk. Is that possible? I'd consider paying $13,900 for a new L3800. I'd have to wait till next year to buy my disk and settle on a used cheap mower. Is there another brand tractor with the same performance as the L3800 for less? Where can I find used tractors in this range near Ashland, AL? Suggestions on dealers and tractors would be very helpful. Sorry to write a novel here, but I've spent many many hours researching and have begun to realize that all the experience on this site can save me a lot of time and possibly regret. So thanks in advance everyone for your help. Ahhh, sweet gums have grown 1/4" while I'm typing.
