First from a
B3200 to a different size tractor such as a
L3130 is not an upgrade. It is a size up but not an upgrade. I had a
B7800 FEL 6' Landpride RFM for 3 years. The
B7800 handled powering and pulling the RFM fine even pulling to the top of my steepest hill. The RFM would sort of turn the B at the bottom of the hill when I turned to go back up but it wasn't a problem since I knew it would do it.
Traded the
B7800 to a Grand L3240HST FEL and kept the Landpride 6' RFM. The L handled the RFM like it wasn't there except.........when getting near the crest of the steepest hill the L started slowing down with pulling speed and slowed in powering the RFM.
Weight makes a difference especially 1000lbs. Most of the time the extra weight is a good thing for a tractor but pulling an extra 1000lbs up a steep hill is one instance that the extra weight is not a good thing. Flat land then 32HP was enough.
I did trade the L3240HST to a new
B3200 after a few months. It wasn't a down grade it was just a trade to a smaller, lower to the ground and less heavy tractor. Honestly I traded because I didn't feel as secure on the hillside on the L as I did on the B's and getting the L out to do a small job was not as attractive as jumping on the B and getting to the small jobs.
In my opinion, if your going from a 32HP B to a thousand pounds heavier L you may want to increase the HP from 31/32 to more than that. If your just working on flat land then it may not be an issue as it was for me on going up steep hillsides.
I've always had small Sports cars and preferred them to big cars most of the time for fun local driving. Long trip, a different story. Same for me with tractors. I guess I prefer the smaller ones but do like and appreciate the "big uns" for a big excavation dirt moving project on flat land or moving bigger rocks.
