L3410GST or TC35

[Anonymous Poster]

Message Subject: L3410GST or TC35

Can anyone offer some much needed advice? I am from Australia and have been reading your forum and learned much though i seem to be stuck when it comes to making my mind up between the L3410 and the NH TC35 pricing doesnt matter because the price on both is pretty much the same give or take a few dollars, iam getting FEL and a HD "bush hog" or slasher as we call them in australia, i have 35 acres and have a young mango orchard of 1000 young trees. The slope on my land can be anything up to 20% so FWD is a necessity. My wife likes the styling and user friendliness of the NH, I tend to like the L34's GST transmission but also like the styling of the NH and the extra lift capacity of its FEL. The Kubota dealer has been going the "extra mile" to get my business as well. And the Kubota has the look of a more rugged machine that would handle Heavy Duty work a lot easier than the NH

any feedback/ advice anyone can give me would be much appreciated

Justin

 

[paccorti]

Justin,

I was in the same situation just 4-5 months ago. I looked very hard at the L3410 too. I ultimately choose the TC 35D because I could get a better deal for what I thought was a mostly equivalent tractor (though the FEL is stronger). In truth you'd probably be happy either way, though I'd strongly advocate the HST. Life is just so much easier. My machine has been great at 80 hrs and I feel that it is well constructed. If you have more specific questions just let me know. Try a search on TC 35D. I've made many posts about the tractor before.

Peter

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Peter- Yes from your comments and the comments of others, coming from my post on the Kubota forum, iam seriously considering HST, even though it is an extra $1000 AUD. You mention, and ive noted it myself that the TC35's FEL (817kg's) is much more powerful that the 3410's (480kg's) i really cant understand the substantial difference considering the similarities in both machines.
I have arranged a test of the TC next week so hopefully this will fix my indecision. I ve remarked that the Kubota actually looks like a more rugged machine, i guess this could be due to its more "industrial" styling; do you have any comments..??

thanks

Justin

 

[paccorti]

Justin,

With regards to the FEL you have to be careful that you compare the same specs. Sometimes measurements are done at the pivot pin sometimes not. I remember that NH was greater but I didn't think that it was by the margin that you mention.

I don't think styling makes a tractor rugged or not. I'll admit the NH looks cool. But I thought the Kubota had a rugged good look as well. In practical terms, it is easier to open the hood on the NH. Also, the steeply sloped hood helps with loader operation (you can see better). On the downside it seems that the NH headlights are mounted very low. It's difficult to use them (perhaps no worse than another tractor) without the bucket blocking the way.

I would sum up the evaluation this way.

NH benefits:
bigger and better located gas tank
telescoping 3 pt links
4 link bucket (better rollback and dump angles)
great seat and overall ergos
stronger FEL
brakes (on HST model) on the proper side (left)
clutchless PTO operation

Kubota benefits:
probably better fuel economy
reputation for being well engineered (a major point)
featherstep HST
others that I don't know 'cause I don't own one!

Peter