L3400 L3130 Bushhog and other questions.

Agentiron · Feb 10, 2006

I have been toiling over this tractor decision for longer then I...my wife cares to think about.

I want to make money bush hogging, and figure I have to drive a 5 foot deck at bare minimum, but 6 foot would be much better. I will be mowing mostly lots that are somewhat overgrown, but do not want to slow down much at all. I want to be able to take down 1" trees and thick brush on mostly flat terrian. I don't want to limit myself, but be able to take some knarly stuff. I don't need to go warp speed on the real rough stuff as I will likely be feeling my way along. So what are my realistic expectations with the L3400 and the L3130?

I also would like to know if you L3400 owners have been happy with the loader. I know it is boarder line compareable to the 513, which I believe is the small loader for the 3130. I wonder if they under rate the L3400 loader? Anyway, is it able to lift about whatever you throw at it? Does it ever leave you wanting more?

Any idea of the bucket dimensions and volume for the bucket on the loaders for each respective tractor?

Thanks so much

Diesel_Boy · Feb 10, 2006

you can check out the specs at kubota.com.

john_bud · Feb 15, 2006

Agent,

I have a Woods Brush Bull 600. It is 60 inches or 5 foot. The L3410 HST manages it with no problem. If I were to do it all over again, I would have gotten the BB720. They are MASSIVE at 1200 pounds. The stump jumpers are much larger in diameter than competitive models (at least a few years ago). If you want to knock down, 1", get one that is rated at 2". The extra durability is there. and if you are going to count on this for $$, get one that will last. You need front weight to run a cutter this large, but a loader is all that is needed. Nice thing about the weight, once it is all spinning it takes a BIG tree to slow it down. Also get the safety chains. Hogging is liability. Do everything in advance to minimize the potential for injury to others.

The loader on my tractor is great --most of the time. It would be great if it had 3-400 pounds more lift, but that wasn't an option at the time. Only let me down lifting oak logs at 200" and 28" diameter. Actually had 2 of my stout buds push up on the log to get it high enough to go on the trailer!

Liability story:

Neighbor sells blades for brush cutters. All brands. Sells to county highway departments and such. He had a batch of blades that the temper was wrong and they were all too brittle. One of the blades he sold, broke and flew out from the tractor more than 100 yards went thru a wall into a house and decapitated a person in the house. If you are going to hog for money, get a lawyer and isolate your assets! First.

jb

Dk45_Jeff · Feb 16, 2006

If you consider the BB720 you might want to try one with your size tractor before buying it. With chain guards it weighs in at 1300 pounds and when cutting dense brush it can load down on my 45 hp tractor. But like john_bud said its well built and compares well to other brand heavy duty models.

Bob_Young · Feb 17, 2006

Gotta agree with Jeff. 45HP is about the minimum with the BB720. I run mine with a 45HP Kubota L4300 and a 55HP Ford 4000. It works very well behind both, but the Ford handles it better. Both tractors need weight in the front to keep the front wheels on the ground. It's built like a tank.

When I'm just knockin' down weeds, I use the Kubota. If I'm getting into the heavy stuff, the Ford gets the nod. I think the BB720 would overwhelm an L3400.

The three-pt.-hitch geometry of the L4300 is right at its maximum when the BB720 is hooked up. To get it hooked up I have to partially disassemble one side of the hitch. It's about a 20 minute job to hook it up to the Kubota.

Bob