L2800HST review

[MDM]

I love this tractor. There are a few things I would change-

Throttle is too stiff - It is very hard to bump up the throtte 100rpms at a time. Anyone have a fix for this?

3 pt lift - Mine has the old valve. Dealer is supposed to be filing a complaint for me to get it changed.

I am assuming the high pitched squeal/whistle/whine I hear occasionally is the HST tranny? Do these machines come with SUDT or UDT in them? I will try the SUDT at 50hrs to see if that quiets the whine down some.

The Overrunning clutch ratcheting will take some getting used to. I have found that if I push in the clutch and disengage the PTO all in the same motion, there is no ratcheting. I jumped off the tractor with the mower running, I'm not used to the tractor shutting down when the PTO is running. I think I will unplug that operator presence switch under the seat. Any harm in doing that?

That's all of my dislikes. This tractor is like a cadallac compare to the 2 cyl Yanmar I used to have. I loaded the rear tires with wiper fluid and that helped for loader operation, but I still need something on the back to traverse some of my hills. This is my first FEL, and I am beginning to see that it will be worth its weight in gold. I ditched my driveway, so now I have water running along side my drive instead of down it. Removal and attachment is a snap. 2450 rpms seems to be the sweet spot for mowing. For the first couple of hours, the engine made all kinds of chitter chatter, but now at 7 hrs, she purrs like a kitten. Any one have a cure for the stiff throttle linkage or are they all like this? I will post some pics soon.

 

[Humbleto]

MDM, I've had a L3400 HST for about 6 months now. The stiff throttle gets better with use or maybe I just got used to it. Anyway, I don't notice it anymore. The new 3 pt valve will make a difference, mine was just changed, I waited for the 50hr fluid change to get mine changed. They come with the UDT and mine still has it after the oil change. I haven't filled the tires yet, how did you put the fluid in? I keep the bb on all the time, so the ballast issue has not really been a problem.

The machine is a real work horse. I have worked it pretty hard. I have a lot of trees and forget about the rop at times. So I've broken off quite a few low branches. The head lights are useless unless the loader is down really low. I've temporarily mounted a light on the roll bar till I decide how I want to permanent fixture to look like.

 

[MDM]

I got the throttle nice and smooth now. I adjusted the jam nut on the linkage and sprayed some Blaster on it. I put the fluid in via a water to air adapter you can get a Tractor supply or Napa. You just remove the valve stems, attach the adapter, to the tire and garden hose. I used a drill pump for the pumping. The tires hold 30-35 gallons. Thats atleast 200 lbs per tire. Believe me, it will make a world of difference in stability, traction, and over smoothness of ride.

I was worried that the 2800 might be a little shy on power, but I mowed some high, damp grass with it yesterday with my 5' RFM and I couldn't tell it was back there. Mowing will be my primary use, along with whatever I can find to get into with the loader, so I think I made the right choice.

 

[ccsial]

I love this tractor. There are a few things I would change-

Throttle is too stiff - It is very hard to bump up the throtte 100rpms at a time. Anyone have a fix for this?

3 pt lift - Mine has the old valve. Dealer is supposed to be filing a complaint for me to get it changed.

I am assuming the high pitched squeal/whistle/whine I hear occasionally is the HST tranny? Do these machines come with SUDT or UDT in them? I will try the SUDT at 50hrs to see if that quiets the whine down some.

The Overrunning clutch ratcheting will take some getting used to. I have found that if I push in the clutch and disengage the PTO all in the same motion, there is no ratcheting. I jumped off the tractor with the mower running, I'm not used to the tractor shutting down when the PTO is running. I think I will unplug that operator presence switch under the seat. Any harm in doing that?

That's all of my dislikes. This tractor is like a cadallac compare to the 2 cyl Yanmar I used to have. I loaded the rear tires with wiper fluid and that helped for loader operation, but I still need something on the back to traverse some of my hills. This is my first FEL, and I am beginning to see that it will be worth its weight in gold. I ditched my driveway, so now I have water running along side my drive instead of down it. Removal and attachment is a snap. 2450 rpms seems to be the sweet spot for mowing. For the first couple of hours, the engine made all kinds of chitter chatter, but now at 7 hrs, she purrs like a kitten. Any one have a cure for the stiff throttle linkage or are they all like this? I will post some pics soon.

Look at the back of the throttle linkage. You can adjust it. I backed mine down so it is much easier but not so loose as it changes with vibration.

The new valve will be much better but not perfectly smooth.

The hydraulic "squeal" is normal. I believe the UDT / SUDT is up to the dealer. Mine had SUDT.

When you disengage the PTO press the clutch in and disengage at the same time and you won't hear much from the ratcheting over-ride clutch. I slowly reduce my RPM to about 1500 before I disengage.

NEVER engage the PTO without using the clutch. Engage the clutch slowly to spin up the implement withoug a jerk, just like driving a stick car. Then increase RPM to PTO speed.

Use a tie wrap to hold the seat switch down. I did that 10 minutes after I got it.

The L2800/3400 HST are really very nice simple rigs without too many electronic bells and whitles to go wrong. I love mine.

 

[MDM]

The loader manual says to lubricate the joints of the control lever every 10 hours. How do I do this? Do I need to remove the cover under the joystick or remove the rubber boot?

 

[Marcussen]

My tractor has a whine to it at high RPMs I believe that's the HST pump. My owners manual says the tractor was serviced with SUDT at the factory (Page 43 note below lube table). I have 38 hours on it and I will put SUDT in again at the 50 hour service.

 

[botamoose]

I HAD A L2800HST FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS SO FAR SO GOOD 38HRS ON IT.
ABOUT LOADING TIRES FOUND THAT GEMPLER'S - workwear, industrial safety, landscaping supplies and more Liquid Ballast Supplies HAVE GOT IT SPELLED OUT PRETTY GOOD.

 

[DanielTerence]

How did you ditch your driveway, I need to do mine on one side, but was hesitant to make the ditch as wide as the FEL. Did you ditch it with the tractor parallel to the driveway or just sit on the drive (perpendicularly)?

Also, someone asked below how/where to grease the FEL control linkage, I've never received a good answer on that, but it must be important to be included on the Kubota sticker.

 

[teg]

For filling the tires, use the adapter like was said above. A friend show me a trick to put Anti-freeze in the tire. Fill the garden hose up with anti-freeze, just pour it in the hose. Hold up the other side, so it doesn't run out. Then make the connections and turn on the water. You'll have to let some air out and you may have to blead some more air out before you are done. Also, most junk yards around here give away the anti-freeze from the cars on the lot, I don't think old, used anti-freeze would be a problem.

 

[brande]

I love this tractor. There are a few things I would change-

Throttle is too stiff - It is very hard to bump up the throtte 100rpms at a time. Anyone have a fix for this?

3 pt lift - Mine has the old valve. Dealer is supposed to be filing a complaint for me to get it changed.

I am assuming the high pitched squeal/whistle/whine I hear occasionally is the HST tranny? Do these machines come with SUDT or UDT in them? I will try the SUDT at 50hrs to see if that quiets the whine down some.

The Overrunning clutch ratcheting will take some getting used to. I have found that if I push in the clutch and disengage the PTO all in the same motion, there is no ratcheting. I jumped off the tractor with the mower running, I'm not used to the tractor shutting down when the PTO is running. I think I will unplug that operator presence switch under the seat. Any harm in doing that?

That's all of my dislikes. This tractor is like a cadallac compare to the 2 cyl Yanmar I used to have. I loaded the rear tires with wiper fluid and that helped for loader operation, but I still need something on the back to traverse some of my hills. This is my first FEL, and I am beginning to see that it will be worth its weight in gold. I ditched my driveway, so now I have water running along side my drive instead of down it. Removal and attachment is a snap. 2450 rpms seems to be the sweet spot for mowing. For the first couple of hours, the engine made all kinds of chitter chatter, but now at 7 hrs, she purrs like a kitten. Any one have a cure for the stiff throttle linkage or are they all like this? I will post some pics soon.

Look a the bottom of your throttle lever shaft.
There are two nuts, one for tension, one for locking.
Back this assembly off a bit and you will have the throttle control you need.

If you get a gear whine, check your fluid levels.

My dealer assures me that their is little operational difference between UDT/SUDT. UDT is much cheaper and can be obtained aftermarket.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck

brande