Kubota L3010 w/HST

Anonymous Poster · Apr 6, 2002

Kubota L3010 w/HST

This is a very good discussion board.
I did tremendous research and decided to purchase a Kubota L3010, w/HST. The only difficult application is mowing on a steep grade. I have chosen a set of R-4 tires for stability and riding on the gravel pavement with all the kids in the neighborhood (25% of the actual use I have no doubt!) I have also decided on a heavy-duty bucket, Land Pride deck with folding ROPS.
I have been assured this has all the power I will ever need, even for my steep grade-has anyone experienced a need for power on this machine. Restated, is this tractor underpowered for most applications? All I will be doing on the steep part is mowing. Tilling etc will be on more level soil.
I only have 3 acres of pear orchard but I never plane on heavy manual shoveling again and I think I got a great deal at about $17.5 for the whole package.
This is basically an expensive toy for a Mid-life crisis. Some people get new wives and some get new cars. I plan to buy a Kubota instead!

Any thoughts?

kevincook · Apr 6, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

I own an L3010 and for a small yard like yours I would think the L3010 would have as much HP as you would ever need.

Just a couple of comments. "riding with the kids" can be very dangerous. I will occassionally allow my kids to drive the tractor by themselves with me watching under very controlled circumstances i.e. slow speeds, no hills, nobody else around, etc. I think of it as teaching them how to operate the machine properly. I would never let anyone else's kids near my tractor because I wouldn't trust them to do exactly as instructed. My kids know they aren't allowed within 100yards of me and the tractor when I am actually doing work. Please be safe.

The only other comment I have is from personal experience. When you are on any of those steep areas ALWAYS be in 4WD. Even if you don't need it for traction. Tractors only have brakes on the rear wheels and if you are going down hill especially with the loader on there won't be enough weight on the rear tires to stop. You could ride down the hill like you are on a big sled.

Have fun with your new toy!!

Anonymous Poster · Apr 6, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Thank you for your earlier reply!
I mis-spoke (typed). I have a trailer that I pull the kids around in. Right now I use a JD318 but that does not seem to have the aura of the bigger toy.
Your point is very well taken though. Tractors are toys for big kids who know how to always take safety first!
How old do you think my son should be before he can drive a machine like this by himself? He is 10 years old now and I let him drive the 318 on flat parts of my land or on the pavement when I am in the trailer being towed behind him(bumpy ride to say the least!)
I look forward to your response!

billfires · Apr 6, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Buster3, Please, please, these are "tools" with which we do "work". If my wife ever heard me refer to my NH 1920 as a toy I would definitely get less seat time. As far as when your son is ready to operate your tractor only you can decide if he has the maturity and discipline to handle it solo. Have fun and good luck.

Bill C

Boondox · Apr 6, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Buster3: I have the same setup (L3010HSD), her name is Clementine. My land is also much the same as what you spoke of. Though I have 155 acres, most of it is hardwood forest, and the tractor is mostly used on my 7 acre meadow. The meadow is pretty steep, though, and I've really had to ease off the speed (like to a crawl) when operating implements or plowing snow/dirt uphill. If you don't need the mass of a Grande-L, the B2910 has almost the same hp and a much better power to weight ratio. If you really want the L series like I did, is there any chance your dealer would let you try them out on your land? Just from my personal experience on my land, I think the L3410 would have been a much better fit.

Don't get me wrong, Clementine is a beast! It's just that living on a hillside I wish she was a faster climber.

Pete

Anonymous Poster · Apr 6, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

I have too many toys! I work in the electronics industry and I refer to all my own projects/programs as "Toys".
My direct V-P may faint, but he knows how I discuss my/our work.
I am not implying that tractors are any less a working tool then the computer I am typing on right now, however, I think they both, if used and designed correctly, can be “toys!”
Work and fun can both have the same definition!
Serious farmers use tractors. I obviously do not fit in that category, nor do I wish to insult in any way their hard work. I simply enjoy working with the wonderful equipment they use for livelihood-and our food supply!
Actually, I consider farmers to be –in most cases-better business people then I encounter at the large IC manufacturer that I work for! (The one that we all use!)
I will attempt to call tractors “serious pieces of mechanical engineering”, but then, I still call PCs “toys!”

Buster

paccorti · Apr 6, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Hills can make many tractors seem slower/underpowered particularly if you have a loader and ballasted tires. With my loader attached (1100lbs) and ballasted tires (1200lbs) I'm lugging a bit more than an extra ton around! Not sure how you can avoid this if you are using the loader on hills (unballasted tires are probably unsafe). If you are strictly mowing perhaps it is worth removing the loader...

Peter

Anonymous Poster · Apr 7, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Please expand on your thoughts. I am very interested in your ideas relating to load and incline. My primary concern is an application mowing on a steep grade.
Typically I simply try to maintain a right angle and go from there?
I am not afraid to admit I do not know what you mean when you discuss” ballasted tires". Please explain.
The bottom line is that I may have no problem at all because I have never run the machine on this terrine before and it may (probably) perform perfectly.
As Mainsteinn(sp) stated” The best plans have never faced an enemy!”
I look forward to all your insight. I also can't wait to see how my new "Mechanical Machine" will interpret the hill that will pose the challenge!

Thank you,

Buster

Boondox · Apr 7, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Buster -- Okay, I'll admit it. Playing/working on Clementine is loads of fun! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif When justifying the purchase to my wife none of the more logical uses would sway her. It wasn't till I started calling the tractor my "land yacht" that she understood and approved the purchase. With all the neat things we've been able to do with it, however, she now sees the light!

Basically, on slopes you want as much weight low to the ground as you can get, and that weight distributed as widely as possible. Loading the tires with some sort of liquid (CaCl is common, but I prefer either windshield washer fluid or the ethanol-based "safe" antifreeze since I don't want my crops or dogs poisoned in the event of a leak) is perhaps the most common way of adding weight low down.

Three acres isn't a lot of land, especially for the sort of tasks you mentioned. Again, check out the 2910. Advantages are less weight (less compaction across your tree roots), very stable on slopes, smaller and more maneuverable (much easier mowing around things like trees), and less money (so you can afford more implements). I haul logs out of the forest with my 3010, so for me the extra mass was critical. But that extra mass really slows me down when mowing uphill. My neighbor's 2910 with the same mowing deck is probably a third faster at the job.

Pete

Anonymous Poster · Apr 7, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

I mow 7 acres with a 7' wide land pride 3pt rear discharge mower. My L3010 has a FEL and loaded R4 tires and makes short work of the 7 acres(2 to 2 1/2 hrs.). The land I use it on has only a gentle grades, however.

blurrybill · Apr 7, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Hey, Pete,

How do you move the logs? I've investigated grapple buckets, but can't figure a good way to move brush and 10-12" Eastern Red Cedar logs that I'll need to handle. BTW, see my post in JD buying - just ordered the 4310 -- if the Kubota L3010 could have handled R4s and a midmount mower, I might have a Clementine. Oh, well....

Bill

Boondox · Apr 7, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Bill -- I have a Farmi winch for the heavy logs. Can winch in four at a time, cinch them up to the plate, raise the 3ph along with the logs, and off I go. When I come to a tricky spot where I'm worried about tipping, I drop the logs and let the cable freewheel out as I drive ahead, then winch them back to me. When it's muddy I'll use the hood of an old VW to act as a sled and keep the logs from digging in.

For single logs or to cut them into stovelength without having to bend over, I'll use the bucket hooks with 5/16 chain. Not as safe to haul them this way, and when I do it involves a lot of backing downhill. The FEL can easily lift a 15" diameter maple log up to 15' long. I just have to remember to cut firewood evenly off both ends when it's up in the air! /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif

Have fun with that JD. If my local Deere dealer was better I would have been driving green.

Pete

Anonymous Poster · Apr 8, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

I am on my tractor more for the suntan then the clock so you may still have kept me in the L3010 camp! I am so careful of my slope if it does take some extra time (back to the sun tan...) I really do not care.
I am impressed that the L3020 can use the 7-foot Land Pride. How do you like the land Pride product as well as any parting shots on the L3010?
I plan on purchasing the L3010 with the stipulation that I get to try it for an hour or two. I just love the loader with the heavy duty bucket!( By the way, the president of the company that I am buying this from just bought his own 2910!)
Any good dealer-and I am working with a respected business-will have no problem with that caveat.
I look forward to hearing your response.

wantodig · Apr 8, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

I recently traded my L3010HST for a L4610HST and the main reason was the running out of power on inclines. The 3010 is a great tractor and did most anything asked, but in low range. It had a difficult time pulling medium range and high range was unusable except going down hill. The problem I found with doing loader work in low range is that it lost traction way too soon, not to mention being slow moving the load. This also caused problems in mud. I never got stuck, but came close several times. With the 4610 I hardly ever take it out of medium except to go to high to clean the tires. Low range just causes too much wheel spin.

Steve

Boondox · Apr 8, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

LandPride -- now there's a quality company! Well, except for their 15 series in some cases. I have their 3572 rear blade and their 2572FDR finishing mower. Both are bomb-proof and indestructible!

Pete

wantodig · Apr 8, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

One more thing I forgot to mention is the L4610 is much more stable on sidehills, running over logs, rocks, etc. than the L3010. The little bit extra width and length of the bigger Grand L's make a huge difference. I would have spent the extra $ the first time around and went to the L3710 if for nothing else than the extra stability.

sugarmaker · Apr 8, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

<font color=blue>...the large IC manufacturer that I work for...</font color=blue>

Any chance that's the same place that I've Been Married to for the last 20 years? Or are you at the other Big I?

Anonymous Poster · Apr 8, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Is there a difference?

Anonymous Poster · Apr 10, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Buster,
The L3010HST (loaded tires, FEL) can use the LandPride 84" 3 pt. mower. I have 7 acres to mow and I have only gentle slopes, however. I think the 3010 might be better suited to a 72" mower , especially, when dealing with grades. The L.P. RD8400,7200,6000 are first rate 3 pt. mowers that I am sure will give many years of 1st rate service. I don't see much reason to purchase any other 3pt. mower brand. Saving a few hundred on the other 3pts. available seems counterproductive to me. Why purchase the best tractor (Kubota) and then pull inferior implements?
As to power, I must admit that on slopes pulling the 7' mower causes the tractor to slow. I would say that a 4310, 3710 or 3410 would be better due to more power. Isn't more power almost always better? How large a unit do you want running around on your 3 acres? A 2410/2710/2910 would clearly be enough tractor for your lot. I'm sure a 2710 would be enough tractor for my 7 acres but I found the 3010 to be more comfortable for my body size. Yes, as a prior poster mentioned , you will most likely have to work in low range. In low range I'm mowing at 3.5 -4.0 miles an hour. This is fast enough for me to finish 2.5 to 3 acres an hr. and I am satisfied with that. If you need to run in med. range with a 7' mower you will need more power.
Lastly, just a suggestion, if you have a severely sloping lot it seems to me it might be better for you to buy a tractor outfitted with a mid- mount mower. It can be a bit narly turning a tractor and 3Pt. implement on a grade. Also, I have seen it mentioned in other posts that a MMM installed on an L3010 must use turf tires since the R4s interfere with the MMM. Your getting a trial of the 3010 to see if it is a good fit with your needs and property is a good strategy.
Good luck with your purchase!

Anonymous Poster · Apr 10, 2002

Re: Kubota L3010 w/HST

Thank you for the input! I got what I thought was a really great deal on a 5 foot Land Pride with chain guard etc. $775.
I am not in any real hurry while mowing and I think if I just take my time every thing will be fine.
While my slope is steep, it gives my JD-318 problems at times, common sense should prevail and I should have a great ridding tractor.