Comparison Kubota L4240HST vs L3800HST TLB's

[pparker1213]

First CUT buying decision. Looking for a tractor to level and clear some land, build rock walls and move some dirt. Basically retiring and want to play in the yard. Maybe the occasional removal of 3 feet of snow from my driveway after a large storm. I have a John Deere X320 with a snowblower that does the majority of my snow removal but has it's hands full with large amounts especially with the driveway hill. Mainly want to take off the top of a small hill to level some land out back, meaning remove some stumps and rocks etc. I have found a 2009 L4240HST TLB with 675 hrs for $28500 and a 2012 L3800HST TLB with 201 hrs for $26000. The L3800 has Turf tires which I don't think would work well for what I want but not sure. My inclination is bigger is better but this will be my first experience with a tractor this size. Both tractors are at a dealer's.

Any thoughts appreciated on this.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[LD1]

For a few grand more I'd be leaning towards the larger grandL. There is more than just being bigger. It's a high end model, and the 3800 is just basic machine

 

[nybirdman]

I have a L4240 HSTC purchased new;it has been very good.Snow plow,ground plow,roto-till ect.The grand L features are well worth it and it is much more tractor than the L3800.I have about 1200 hours on mine.More than happy with it.

 

[Fallon]

I upgraded from a L3200 to a L4060. Basically the same tractors. The L3800 has 6hp more than the L3200, but otherwise identicle. Both grands are in the same ballpark I believe.

At the most basic the L4060 weighs double what the L3200 did & that means LOTS more traction & lift capacity. Weight is what makes a tractor work, HP just makes it work a little faster.

The only exception to that would be PTO work like mowing or running a rototiller. You need more HP than traction for those tasks.

HST+ on the grand makes life a little nicer. It's not the end all be all, but it means you can generally stay in medium range & not have to shift unless you are roading the machine or doing something really heavy, delacate or slow.

Personally old go with the grand, it's a lot more tractor. Not even for the bells & whistles (which I like... I upgraded primarily for the cab), just for the weight. Biger & heavy is less manuvervable & tears up turf, but is worth it if you don't need extreme manuvervable. I also don't have a lawn, I have a field/pasture so don't care about turf damage that much.

You keep saying TBL, but didn't mention backhoe once or what model hoe each had... TBL stands for Tractor Backhoe Loader... Even the grand will be a pretty light duty machine & hoe if you are going up against many or bigger stumps.

As much as I'm loathe to say it, you may want to also consider having a big dozer or excavator come in & do the heavy dirt & stump removal, then cleanup with a tractor. You didn't give any indication of scale of the jobs. Personally I'd always prefer seat time & doing it myself, but sometimes the job is just to big for my equipment.

 

[pparker1213]

Funny I keep thinking about buying a little smaller tractor because I don't think either of them will do the stump work or rocks I need to do. 12" plus stumps and I have no idea how big the rocks may get but I have some 3-4 foot across rocks laying around the yard from when they dug the cellar hole. I would never be able to move those. You might have a good idea there.

 

[bspeedy]

Between the two, the Grand L wins. Much more tractor. With that large of a budget, how about a tractor with loader and a small mine ex?

 

[bspeedy]

...that's MINI-EX

 

[mike69440]

Between the two, the Grand L wins. Much more tractor. With that large of a budget, how about a tractor with loader and a small mine ex?

Or be patient and look for a L45 on even the M59. Excavator and tractor would be more efficient, but your not in a hurry? The TLB seines in not a real good farm tractor, but from you description of what you ant to do TLB's are the Swiss Army knife of CUTS.

Ag type CUTs don't move dirt really well.

 

[mmancuso13]

I have a lot of seat time on the L3800. Don't forget the L3800 has a lot smaller track width than the L. I don't believe an 09 L is a grand L but in any case it will be a lot more stable moving rocks and such and certainly on any side hills. If you can get them at comparable prices go L for the wheelbase and track width advantage.

 

[LD1]

^^^^ yes that 4240 is a grand L. Just a previous model.

Grand L's have been around for a long while. Currently 60 series, but 40 was just prior. And 30's before that