Kubota L3901

[Fallon]

Pretty much what everybody else is saying.. You need as much hp as you need to get the job done. Why pay for more if you don't need to?
I've never regretted buying the L3400 (other than a jerky 3-point), for power reasons. It runs a 5-foot cutter just fine, will move small round bales, etc. It does what I need done as fast as I want it done. More power = less time, sure. It also means more fuel, more weight, wider roads, more money up front. Buy what you need..

Actually the L3200 vs L3800 or the new 01 equivalents are the same tractor, possibly even the same engine, only tuned for the extra 6hp (haven't ever bothered to confirm that for sure). So no extra weight or width. There might be a hair different gear ratios involved, but that's it. I'm sure it burns 6hp more fuel though.

As the R4's have less traction than R1's I expect the R1's run into power limits as opposed to traction limits faster. I'd say 60-70% of the time I'm speed limited by rough terrain (which is actually a reasonably flat & smooth). 10-15% of the time I wish I had more HP, because I'm impatient.

Also, get the rear tires loaded no matter what. Lifting something heavy & turning the wheel to have the back slide sideways rather than the front turn, even with an implement on the back isn't a good for your or your tractor's health. I'm glad I didn't have the tires loaded from the get go (dealer didn't have the equipment at the time) so I could learn the value of loading the rears for ballast & traction, but I'll never get another one without loaded tires again.

 

[Chilly807]

Actually the L3200 vs L3800 or the new 01 equivalents are the same tractor, possibly even the same engine, only tuned for the extra 6hp (haven't ever bothered to confirm that for sure). So no extra weight or width. There might be a hair different gear ratios involved, but that's it. I'm sure it burns 6hp more fuel though.

Agreed, looking for more power often leads into a bigger machine however. Or, in some cases it's cheaper or easier to buy a bigger used tractor whether you need one or not.

 

[Timberlake]

So I'm meeting the dealer this Friday to get my first tractor for my 13 acre property. Probably 2/3 of it is woods, but we're planning on clearing some of it out for a barn, paddock area for 2 horses, maybe an out building or two. The trees are pretty crowded, so except for the perimeter, a lot of the trees are about 3o feet tall and 2 inches in diameter! Any major excavation for foundations, etc. will have to be contracted out, so I'm just looking for a tractor to do the pasture cutting (two ~2 acre areas) and minor landscaping (moving piles of dirt around), hauling firewood and horse hay (bales, probably not rounds). My question for all of you since I've only been on a tractor long enough to drive from one end of the parking lot to another is, would the extra 6 hp in the L3901 be worth the extra $2500? Or, in other words, would it I even notice a difference? There is really no other difference between the two models (L3901 and L3301). I'm thinking it really comes down to the PTO hp since it sounds like the push/pull hp of a tractor really relates to how fast you can get the job done. I have no problem slowing things down; I'm not on the clock! My biggest concern would be that 25 PTO hp sounds like about the minimum requirement formost rotary cutters (the L3301 is about 26 hp according to Kubota), but I wouldn't want to be pushing the tractor to the max. Would the extra 4 PTO hp (L3901 is rated at 30.6 hp) be "easier" on the engine if the same cutter was being used? I guess I'd be in the same boat if I was looking at a 30hp minimum cutter with the 3901, but I just don't want to be putting undue stress on the tractor. What are your suggestions? Other than the rotary cutter, about the only thing I can think of needing would be a post hole digger for putting up the fence and maybe a rented tiller if I can't get the pasture smoothed out well enough with a box blade and drag harrow. Most of the work will be clearing paths through brush and small trees and hauling hay and feed and manure around.

 

[k0ua]

If you get the hydro transmission you probably won't notice it.. Sure the extra horsepower may allow you to go thru thick stuff faster. But as you said, you can slow down. With the hydro, just back off of the hydro pedal and go as slow as you need to go to keep the engine RPM up. If you have a gear drive the difference MIGHT or might not require you to drop down one gear to keep your RPM's up. It is hard to say for sure..

It just depends on what you are cutting and how fast you are pushing it. The tractor costs more, but if you trade it in, it will appeal to a larger group of buyers, and you are likely to get more for it on a trade or outright sale.

It is like anything else, when you increase things in small increments, you will likely notice it, but it is not a night and day noticeable.
If you compared a 30 horse tractor to a 50 horse tractor, you are going to notice a pretty large difference, plus the 50 horse machine is likely to have a much larger frame and take larger implements. In my opinion, for the majority of your work, you are not going to notice much of a difference, especially if you are not trying to make a living with the machine.

 

[Fallon]

Weight defines what a tractor will do. HP just defines how fast it will do it. If your fine slowing it down & taking it easy, there is no reason for the extra HP.

 

[Baby Grand]

Will you be snowblowing deep snow? That job seems to eat up HP.
The 3301 should be fine running a 5 foot cutter.
If you want to run a 6', then I'd look to the 3901.

 

[horses2]

so I just purchased a new L3901 HST. the HST seems to be very loud. everything works fine and the fluid level is correct, just seems really loud. any thoughts from the experts? Also, it seems the loader is not as strong as I would have thought. the other Kubota's I have had would pick up the rear of the tractor and basically had more loader power than tractor weight. This one seems to be very low on weight capability.

 

[dchemphill1]

I bought the L3901 HST over 2 years ago. I have R1 tires filled with best juice for added weight. I have 75+hours on it and have had about 4 regens on it. It has done everything I have asked it to including moving some pretty heavy boulders and smaller round bales. I have no comparison for older Kubota tractors since my first was a 1960 Ford 641.

 

[Fallon]

so I just purchased a new L3901 HST. the HST seems to be very loud. everything works fine and the fluid level is correct, just seems really loud. any thoughts from the experts? Also, it seems the loader is not as strong as I would have thought. the other Kubota's I have had would pick up the rear of the tractor and basically had more loader power than tractor weight. This one seems to be very low on weight capability.

HSTs are generally a fair bit louder than a gear machine. Noise is a bit higher in pitch too across most all the brands I've heard. Hard to say without hearing it, I'd ask your dealer. Using Super UDT or SUDT2 hydraulic fluid really makes a difference on noise for HST machines. It should be the OEM fluid though, unless the dealer did something kind of messed up.

The L3901 should be the same frame & loader as my old L3200... With loaded R4s a 5' rotary cutter with 200lbs of crap on the back of the cutter for extra ballast I could barely keep the back end on the ground if I pushed it. I was lifting "1,200 lbs" big square hay bales for a friend. Add in 200lbs for the forks & more for the 2' or the center of gravity on the hay bales being out there a bit & it was well over the 1,200lbs rating on the loader. I could only lift them 4' high or so, depending on the bale. Back end was really close to coming off the ground in many instances. So the tractor & ballast was the weak point, not the loader. Might want to check the pressure on your relief valve to see if that is under spec causing your weakness.

 

[crashz]

My 2501 will lift a half a pallet of pellets and forks, but the back end gets really light even with a blade, weights and loaded tires. Sounds like your relief pressure might be low.

HST whine is a little concerning at first, but you get used to it to the point that you forget after a while. Some nice Worktunes helps a lot with the noise.