HST L3130 V GST L3430

[RickND]

Hello folks,

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on the following ...

Dealer has a HST L3130 on the lot I could purchase right now.

Or I could order a GST L3430 which may take a while to get.

My thought is if I order I'll get the increased HP the L3430 has to offer with the GST ... the GST keeps the unit in my price range.

My question is ... is the increased HP the L3430 has to offer worth the wait?
IE Does the increased HP translate into a large, medium or small amount of capability difference?

Thanks again for any thoughts

GB

Rick

 

[cheesehead]

Rick,
I just completed 110 hours on my GL-3130-HST-F. In buying a tractor in October the Grand-L became THE choice due to lift capacity as construction and clearing tasks were clearly at the top of my list. Had bush-hogging been at the top I may have made a different choice. The point is, tractor horsepower needs are contingent on what you're doing with it. I have never run out of horsepower on this tractor to operate the loader, box-blade or MM I own. Lift has run out on numerous occasions but it was probably good for my safety that I couldn't get that material off the ground (concrete, huge tree trunks, etc).

When confronted with the same situation you has, I felt that $1000 for 3 horsepower was not worth the money (or $30 per month for 36 months). IMHO if you really want to spend the $1000 buy an implement, you will never question the value. If more horsepower is needed it will be more than the 3 an L3430 provides.

 

[Fleagle]

Rick,

I have the L3130 HST and have been happy with the power so far, although extra power is always nice to have.

It seems to me that your bigger question is the transmission. After driving both the HST and GST, for me the HST was a given - especially for FEL work. I love the HST, but that's personal preference.

Make sure you drive both transmission types before you make a decision. For my use, I went with the L3130HST. I wanted the HST, but didn't want to spend $1000+ for the extra HP.

Good luck,

Fleagle