kubota L3901 use

[lilburr]

This is kinda long ...

I am in the market for a compact. Since the market is as it is, I have not bought yet. Not only is the pickins' slim, the price asking is not practical, and it is non-negotiable too.

So I rent for maintenance on my property (15ac) from our locally owned equip store. This is not the national type equip rental place, this is a local farmer/feed store/logger/haycutter family that opened a tool rental place.

My first usage of a 'modern' type tractor as I'm used to older iron; a Kubota L3901 with FEL, HST, and less than 200 hrs. This is two-fold as I can now judge things first hand.

First off, I always figured with my application of tractor use, HST would be not preferred and another possible expense. My use primarily is 1,000 ft drive that is on the side of a hill, going down thru a bottom, across a creek to dirt road. This maintenance has become fairly constant on the filled over culverts 'bridge' across that creek. Typical Ford3000 type and boxblade, mainly working surface while going down the hill. I do not see seriously working this grade uphill. Other uses are to clear small areas around homesite ect. No real farming.

First the HST. Wow, this is so easy, I would never have imagined. But the whine ! Learning here, I adjusted throttle slightly and the whine varied slightly. But dang, it just don't seem right for a newish $25k or $30k 'workhorse'.

Second the emission purge (or whatever it is). I received this rental with 192hrs. so @ 200hrs, the dashlights started blinking. Again, from learning here, it was no real shock; called the store, they said idle it up to top RPMs, and let it sit for 30 minutes. I did and the dashlights were gone when I mounted back up.

Now the most important discovery and flaw with this L3901; the three point hitch and 'swaybars' (as the rental guy called them) as it pertained to my 6ft boxblade. Any work in a just slightly uneven grade (like the crown on this driveway) and these extra bars hooked up to the three point connection would rub against the tires. These were not typical tractor tires, they were the 'industrial' tire low wide profiles. To the point of not really being able to work this dawg like I needed to. Again, I rented from a local guy and insurance for rental was not discussed much less used, so I can't take that kind of chance on any piece of equip, much less not my piece. So anyway, I could not really complete some of the grading like it needed.

Other than those points, it was a nice, small framed unit, I moved 40 tons sand/clay, 20 tons riprap and cleaned out my drainage chutes on driveway fairly nicely. Power steering is real nice. Easy on the fuel. 4WD is nice. Starts right up. Comfortable enough to where I could work on it til lunch, then come back out and do 2 or 3 more hours in evening (I'm 65 and not used to tractor work).

Hope this helps and I wonder if it was a L2501 or a little lesser than the 40hp, would the results be the same.

 

[repete]

If you are rubbing on your tires, how much slack do you have in your chains for your three point? How much side sway do you have when the implement is pushed left to right?

 

[sea2summit]

The HST whine mechanically can't really ever go away so it is what it is.

For all of my regen's I just idle it up and keep working, I never do parked. Mostly because I'd be too nervous it will overheat and kill itself or catch on fire if I'm not watching it.

The sway bar issue doesn't sound right. I'm assuming the implement has CATII dimensions which will be part of the problem but you should be able to tighten down the sway enough it's not slopping around into the tires. Other part is the L39xx is a pretty small frame, stepping up to the MX you'd have a lot more room and price is very comparable.

For 1,000 feet of driveway you might be able to get by with a 25HP tractor but if you're going up a grade I'd sure want more...and more weight.

 

[crashz]

My L2501 has been an absolute rockstar in everything I have put it through. I love this tractor. One thing that it does struggle with is heavy PTO loads. It will bog in very heavy grass mowing (brush cutter or finish) and I sometimes wish I bought the 3901 for the extra PTO power. In all practical purposes I think the L2501 is probably close in power to the L3301 so I don't see much benefit in jumping 8 more HP.

Of other notes:
- The gear drive L2501 has a live PTO, not independent. Meaning when you step on the clutch, the PTO stops. The gear drive L3301 and L3901 have independent PTOs.
- The HST whine is less when in lower gears and higher rpms. A member here posted about HSTs running cooler and lasting longer by ensuring they "flow" the most for any task. So lowest range possible with as much pedal as possible for the ground conditions. So if you can do a task in Low, at full HST pedal, its better for the transmission that in Medium range at half pedal. Makes sense to me and results in less whine.

The sway links when tightened up should not contact the tires unless very loose (allowing the box to move a foot or two left/right) or if the pin location on the box causes the links to be angled out towards to the tires. With Cat 1 implements, the sway links should be straight back or 90 degrees from the rear axle.

 

[Roadworthy]

My L2501 has the ag tires (I think they're called). The rims have the capability of being set for three different widths, widening the stance. Of course being 25 hp it does not regenerate. It uses the same front loader as the L3901 as I think it's the same frame, just a bit less power. If you opt for the HST you'll get the whine. It varies by which range is selected and how hard the tractor is working. It really shines in jobs requiring a lot of forward - reverse action. I like it for mowing as I can change my tractor ground speed without changing engine rpm for the PTO. If the whine is a deal breaker get the standard transmission.

 

[lilburr]

yes, far as the 3 pt and tire rubbing, I hooked it up as I have always, the extra arms were attached and pre-set in a position. I actually dropped the boxblade supplied on tractor to use mine. It was huge and I was more familiar with mine. It had some swing but not tire to tire. It was probably used and abused part of a rental unit.

The whine was not unexpected as I've heard about it here in comments. The HST was a pleasure instead of snatching gears each time I got a load. I kept it in low while using FEL because of the weight and the care I had to take while working around creekbanks and stuff. I used medium range while dragging boxblade some of the time, except when first grading, I crawled while cleaning the ditches. And these aren't a deep ditch, just establishing a gentle crown.

I never left the tractor while re-gen just got off it and sat in the truck.

never even cut the PTO on and when I own, I will only for occasional uses, no hogging, no pastures.

 

[lilburr]

... and I cannot find the first (of several) photos. I thought i transferred to my Drive program and they are not there. (dammit)

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I have an MX5400 so can't speak to some of the things you mention. On the HST whine, well, I'd wear hearing protection on any tractor, and once you're there, the whine is pretty much moot. As for the emission purge, I've only had two that I noticed in 70+ hours. I just continue working, upping the rpms into the 2000+ range, and it's done in 10 minutes or less. Not an inconvenience at all. I don't run at particularly high RPMs either when I'm doing lighter work.

 

[Jchonline]

As others mentioned, first no need to stop working during a regen. Just keep rpm high and keep on doing your thing. Basically you can ignore it completely.

Sway bars, there is some ability to tighten the chains as mentioned, but if the owner put some ridiculous wide tires on it...may not be anything you can do to fix it. HST whine you get used to. I dont even notice mine anymore.

 

[repete]

For a couple of decades I got a LOT of work done on my 75 acres and 3000' driveway with a 29 horse L2550DT. It also fits for cleaning the barn.

 

[s219]

If the tires are rubbing then you likely don't have the sway links adjusted correctly. And make sure they check the side to side sway with one of them going into tension and neither going into compression. They are not made to handle compression at all. Depending on the box blade pin/hole spacing, you can often add washers or spacers to move the arms in narrower and give more space between the tires and sway links.

If the HST whines a lot, drop a gear (lever on left fender).

 

[NCL4701]

Have a L4701 which is a frame and HP jump but not as big a frame as the MX5400. If you’re thinking that big, I’d take a hard look at the MX5400 for additional loader capacity if nothing else. Both the 4701 and 5400 have width adjustable rear wheels. I don’t believe the smaller L’s have adjustable wheels but could be wrong. Agree with others if the lift arms or sway bars will hit the tires there’s something amiss with the setup rather than a problem intrinsic to the machine.

The L2501 doesn’t have Tier4 emissions. That makes it attractive to some. Like others, the regen cycle has been a non-issue for me, but I do understand the thought that leaving off the emissions is just less stuff to potentially fail.

For pulling, the heavier the better. Weight is at least as important as HP. I’m sure a MX5400 will pull a good bit more than my L despite having only a bit more HP. When running my chipper, bush hog, or generator weight is irrelevant. Loaded rears and/or wheel weights make a big difference for stability and pulling. Don’t know if you can add wheel weights to the smaller L’s or not. You can add weights to the MX and 4701.

HST whine on mine isn’t bad at all. Can’t speak for the MX. I’ve heard the smaller L’s are louder. Still for the mowing, grading, bucket/grapple work that constitutes most of the hours on mine I wouldn’t trade the HST for anything quieter. Coming from non-shuttle gear drives it’s night/day better.

While you’re pondering, hydraulic top link and side link are quite nice for grading work. Having a rear remote with a float option is helpful in some situations such as floating the sidelink to follow the existing contour when pulling gravel from the edges of a crowned road. If you do any tree work at all, a third function and grapple is an incredible work saver.

R1’s like we have on our older machines do pull better, particularly in soft dirt or mud. The R4’s are much easier on the ground so I like them for mowing and the L with R4’s does less damage to our dirt trails than our older 2WD’s despite being heavier. On gravel or packed ground I don’t see much difference. 4WD and power steering are major advantages for loader work.

In terms of cost, you might consider implements in addition to the base machine. The bigger the base machine, the more the implements cost.

Many options out there and many configurations once you’ve picked a base machine. No need to go bigger than required but I know from experience an undersized tractor is a miserable experience.

 

[jeff9366]

I am in the market for a compact tractor. I am used to older iron.

I rent for maintenance on my fifteen (15) acre property from our locally owned equip store.

My first usage of a current model tractor was this rental Kubota L3901 with FEL, HST, and less than 200 hrs.


Probably 30% of contributors to T-B-N consider a 2,700 pound bare weight L2501/L3301/L3901 tractor adequate for 15 tractorable acres. The other 70% will recommend a 3,700 pound to 4,000 pound bare weight tractor for15 tractorable acres.

For not many more dollars you can purchase a 3,700 pound Kubota MX tractor. Both the L3901 and MX series are no frills economy tractors. (I am used to older iron.) All current model tractors through 60-horsepower are available with HST transmissions, which equip 90% of new compact tractors sold.

An 'MX' supasses an L3901 in each of these four purchase considerations:

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

 

[Torvy]

Jeff really means it this time.

Proof positive that even experienced posters have to deal with quirks.

 

[ning]

I am in the market for a compact tractor. I am used to older iron.

So I rent for maintenance on my property (15ac) from our locally owned equip store.

My first usage of a current model tractor was a rental Kubota L3901 with FEL, HST, and less than 200 hrs.


Probably 30% of contributors to T-B-N consider a 2,700 pound bare weight tractor adequate for 15 tractorable acres. The other 70% will recommend a 3,700 pound to 4,000 pound bare weight tractorable for 15 acres.

For not many more dollars you can purchase a 3,700 pound Kubota MX tractor. Both the L3901 and MX series are no frills economy tractors. (I am used to older iron.) All current model tractors through 60-horsepower are available with HST transmissions, which equip about 90% of new compact tractors sold.

An MX is superior in each of these considerations:

Jeff - the forum has an excellent quote function, and it vastly increases the readability of replies.

First, you can start by selecting a post and hit "quote" or often "reply", and the entire post will be in a quote.

If you don't want all of that quoted, you can edit the quote part and pare it down to only show the part that you're responding to (makes your response that much more useful).

If you want to respond to two separate parts of the message, you can insert in the quoted area [ / quote ] (without spaces) to stop the quote, and then add [ quote ] (also without spaces) to start the quote up again, typically deleting the parts of the quoted message that you don't want any more. Put your responses between the two quote blocks, and it'll look like this:
-----

I'd like to point out that Jeff didn't write

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry.

and I wanted to point out that

Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s

-----
I think you'll find that this will get your valuable message across in a way that people can easily see why you're writing the responses.

 

[Torvy]

If you don't want all of that quoted, you can edit the quote part and pare it down to only show the part that you're responding to (makes your response that much more useful).

Praemonitus Praemunitus

 

[Torvy]

My internet in rural Florida is extremely slow some of the time.

Sorry.....

No offense or animus, intended. We've all been there.

 

[ljjhouser]

This is kinda long ...

I am in the market for a compact. Since the market is as it is, I have not bought yet. Not only is the pickins' slim, the price asking is not practical, and it is non-negotiable too.

I will try to help, but I am sure others have already said this. First, the lower arms on the three point hitch. If they rub the tires, either one, THEY ARE NOT adjusted. The sole purpose of the pin and chain adjustment is to prevent rubbing the tires. If you look at the pin adjustment, you should see adj holes and a slider slot (use only one slider or you will have slop) - This slider allows you a little lee way in hook up. Pin pin on one side and some movement to match other. My tractor is an L4701 - one step bigger in hp and frame that the 3901. But I think the 3 point is probably the same. In the pictures below, T1 is a picture of my 3 pt. The top link is upper middle (silver color) and the lower arms are the two that are the lowes in the picture. T2 is the Left arm and stabilizer. Note that only one is in th slot adj. T3 is the right arm. T4 is a Pat's quick hitch. Lets me hookup without matching hitch pin and arm holes.
Next, the whine you mention is normal. But since these machine are best run at full rpm, I don't notice it.
Next the emission thing you mentioned. It is the tier 4 epa method of filtering out diesel particles before they enter the open air. The particles collect in a filter mounted under the hood -Diesel Particulate Filter, thereby called DPF filter. The filter needs HEAT to burn off the particulates. If you run the tractor at full rpm, it will rarely need to regenerate. If you run it a cool - low rpm - it will not burn off particulate and need to eventually do it for you.
Insurance - If you purchase new from a dealer, Kubota will offer you what is probably the best insurance in the business. It covers a lot, including theft and roll over. But you can do that ONLY as long as you carry the note with Kubota - 60 months interest free.
While you are looking, you should look at the 2501, as well as the 4701. The 2501 and 3901 only differ in the hp rating. The 4701 is a larger frame, different hydraulics and capacities. If you plan on working a lot on a gravel or dirt road, moving gravel and dirt, the 4701 may suit you better because of the difference in hydraulic capacity.
Tires. In the picture, you can see my tires. They are R4 industrial. Tires are a option when you buy a new tractor. Ag tires are the farm tires we usually see for plowing and traction. R4 industrial tires are smoother, but also have traction - probably the most popular non- farm tire. Then there are very smooth riding turf tires for landscape work. Will not tear up the yard.

Last, I would be remiss if I did not mention that there other fine tractors other than Kubota.

Long, but I hope that helped somewhat.
Best wishes, Larry

 

[bdhsfz6]

All HST Kubota tractors whine. If the noise bothers you, wear ear protection. You should anyway, to protect your hearing. That way, you can listen to music or the radio with headphones that are so equipped.

 

[lilburr]

yes, thanks for the replies and knowledges thru experiences. I think the 'sway arms' were bent just slightly so that adjustments were not easily or physically possible. I could see it but they just weren't adjustable. If it'd been mine, I would have taken off and beaten them straight(er). The insurance I mentioned was 'rental' insurance which would protect renter from mishaps or breakages. Photos are appreciated and familiar as those arms seem a little close too. As I look back at the first photo, clearances look nice and plenty.

The noise from the whine is irrelavent to my ears, just a note from reading about it here. My hearing has been shot for a while now, wish I'd a been more careful with it as a young'un.