Buying Advice L3560HSTC suggestions for recommended options

[foggy1111]

I have a hydraulic top link and the PATS hitch on the back of my tractor. Pretty easy to hook up to the various implements I have......I'd do this over a "quick hitch".....which I have tried in the past. The Quick Hitch just is not compatible with all the old implements I find and use regularly. PAT's adapts to anything I have. I also have Rim Guard in my rears.....and would do that again in one heartbeat. Even with a heavy ballast box and the beet juice.....I can get the rears off the ground with a heavy load on my grapple.....such is the power of my loader. I also have dual remotes on the back and the joy stick function for the grapple. Nice stuff to have and I use the dual remotes for my stump grinder. Nice.

I have allot of implements and use them all. I own a KK tiller, 6 foot disk harrow, field cultivator, landscape rake, 2 row planter, single point ripper, post hole digger, stump grinder (3500 stumps thus far), fertilizer spreader, Herd Seeder, Grapple, High Forks (for deer stand moving), cultipacker, drag, and a few others that escape my memory. A tractor without implements is like an engine and no wheels.....IMO.

I think I can pull my 6 foot disk thru about any ground possible with this tractor. The power and weight I have seem ideal for my situation. (sandy loam soils)

 

[AllByteNoBark]

Wow, great feedback everyone, I appreciate the input. :thumbsup:

Stopped by a different dealer today and talked to them about the remotes. They kind of gave me sticker shock. They told me the remote for the grapple would be $1200 and the rear remotes would be $1100 each. All I could see was $3400 to $4500 flying away. So when I got home this evening I looked on the Kubota build tool. It shos a cost of $903 for the third function valve kit for the FEL. Also shows that if I add 2 double acting and one detent it would run $2008. That would be $2900 for the front and three rear vs the $4500 they told me. I'm guessing the salesman just got mixed up somewhere along the line. At least I hope so. I am going to check another dealer tomorrow.

Fallon - I have looked at the Fit Rite Hydraulics site and will definitely consider some of their products. The long wait is the hard part for me. That 8' flail I'm sure will put the load to it once in a while. Not sure what I will do on the radio, the dealer said they would give me a deal, we will see. Appreciate the info you provided. On your other comment, looks like you get after it. Looks like a great job on the drive!

Jeff9366 - I wondered about the weight the cab added. I will not be doing much ground engagement on a regular basis. I think what I will do is use a product everyone here in my part of Texas keeps recommending, MultiSeal. Seems everythign here will either bite you or has nasty thorns. It is supposed to solve the thorn issue and prevent flats while adding some weight. Runs about $300 and I don't like worrying about flats or dodging thorns. As far as gates all of mine are 16' minimum and will be on future fencing I have to do, so no problem there. Also flat as a table top pretty much so not to worried about stability. On your other post about the BH as counter weight. The property is pretty open and going to get more so if I buy this unit. The BH is my default 3 point implement right now so may just try running that way for a while.

TripleR - Yes, the tiller is down the road for sure. Would be nice for the garden and food plots here and possibly one other property which would require trailering. I am thinking 2 remote floats and one detent but am not sure I fully understand the advantages of each one. Need to do some more research in that area.

BRMyers - What BH is that on yours in the photo? I am considering buying a heavier unit with the tractor if I pull the trigger and selling my cheap one with the 950. I saw some other photos you posted. Very nice to see one working. The Massey I believe I saw in one of them reminded me of one of the tractors we had when I was growing up. Dad bought a 165 and we thought we had it made. The high-low range on it kind of reminds me of the high-low on the Kubota.

mikescruggs - I considered both larger and smaller but do think this would be the right size. Our ground is fairly open other than some mesquite and huisache brush. Also some big holly bushes and a few other trees. Mainly we are looking to get rid of most of the huisache don't mind the rest. Will run the R4 and if it is wet the tractor will be staying in the barn. The bottom falls out when it rains. Nothing I have to do, everything is more on the want to do list.

jjp8182 - If I pull the trigger on this I may do three rear valves. Depends partially at least on where the pricing comes in. The wife says she is good with this but there is probably a limit I would just as soon not find. As far as the hydraulics I'm not sure what I will want down the road. Not much experience with using hydraulics on the rear but have used a lot of different pto stuff. My son helped me set some post and brought along a hydraulic tamper, that thing was awesome! I have looked at the heavy hitch and it does have a place on the wish list though it may be down a ways right now.

Foggy1111 - I looked at the Pats stuff and wondered if that might not be the case. I don't expect to be swapping units all that often so it might be a good way to go. You have a nice selection of implements there. I need to add cultipacker to my list of watch for items on craigslist, be great for food plots.

Thanks to all, keep the ideas coming!

 

[BRMyers]

My rotary mower is the Land Pride 1272. It works really well, in the heavy, thick stuff I have to slow down, but most of the time I can move right along.

The MF is a MF275 which belonged to my grandpa that my dad now owns. We use them on the family farm, which is a small 80 acre farm.

 

[Fallon]

A Bush Hog makes pretty good Three Point Hitch counterbalance for max FEL loads. Because of its length behind the rear axle leverage amplify its value pound-for-pound as counterbalance. However, FEL-TRACTOR-BUSH HOG makes a long unit, limiting maneuverability in tight places.

Tillers, being short and heavy, are often used as TPH counterbalance.

Tiller and Disc Harrow are both soil mixing implements. You may need one. Few need both.

Top & Tilt is especially nice for cab equipped tractors. It is time consuming to get in and out of a cab.

You will like find plenty of use for a clevis grab hook attached to rear center drawbar. PHOTO

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/316605-kubota-l3560-rear-storage.html

I definitely agree on the rotary cutter. It being so long gives it leverage amplifying its weight impact on the front axle. I had to stack junk on the back of my rotary cutter on my L3200 for ballast. Minimal ballast needs on the Grand though for stability.

I have a plain clevis on the back of mine to put a slip hook on when I chain the machine down when hauling. That fancy chain hook clevis is cool if you only use 1 chain for both sides though.

 

[Fallon]

If you arent doing much ground engaging stuff & have proper 3pt ballast when using the loader I'd skip the loaded tires. It will save fuel, time & what not. You can always load them later.

Hydraulics are expensive but worth it. With TnT & a QH I can hitch up all my impliments without getting off the machine even if they are really crooked. Still need to get off for a PTO or hydraulics though. I get a lot of value for my TnT with my box blade or LPGS. Less so for mowing & that's really only hitching up or the toplink. I leave the toplink in float when mowing.

If you are looking at the backhoe, the Kubota one is pushing $8-10k or so. Get a frame mounted one, not a 3pt. 3pt can work but invalidates warranties & has been known to break some tractors in half. Personally I just borrow a friends TBL for the few occasional uses I have.

 

[TripleR]

Two alternatives to the third function are running it off a rear remotes or a diverter, you can source parts for the diverter or buy the kit from Kens Bolt On Ken's Bolt on Grab Hooks <<Hydraulics>>

Float RR lets your equipment follow the contour of the land.

 

[jjp8182]

I can't believe I missed it earlier, but a set of pallet forks is actually really, really handy. While I originally bought a set with the tractor for use in unloading future implement purchases I've found that it's actually started to charge the way I buy and transport other things as well.

In fact, it's gotten to the point that when I'm buying heavy, bulky or large quantities of things I'll either have the store load things by forklift (if they will), or take a spare pallet with me and just stack, and secure the stuff myself when I'm done shopping.

Either way it makes unloading much faster and easier when I get home. Lumber, fence posts, bags of mulch/soil/rock/cement, really any building or landscaping material, as well as any large tools/appliances/"furniture" (to include shelving) is a lot easier to handle when you're able to handle it in the same fashion that it's commercially transported and handled.

Then of course there's this (currently) 28 page thread on other uses for pallet forks: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/331526-what-else-do-you-do.html

Speaking of building things, if you need to do anything with fencing (or perform any small tree & bush removal) a post/tree puller can be handy.

Though if there's potential for any tractor-mounted post-hole augers I'd strongly suggest going with something that's hydraulically driven (whether loader or 3pt mounted). Growing up I had the displeasure of trying to get a pto-driven auger bit removed from a hole (5-6ft deep) after it got hung up on something at the bottom of a hole. Removing it required detaching the bit, manually turning it backwards (with soil on it), and then trying to re-attach it to the auger to see if the tractor could lift it out of the hole. It kept 4-5 of us busy for a few hours (ended up with a couple cousins & an uncle coming over to see what the three of us were doing). Now more than 20-ish years later, I don't recall whether it was tree root or a large rock that it'd gotten caught on, but I recall the effort required to remove that bit and for that reason alone even when I get around to buying a tractor-mounted auger it absolutely won't be PTO-driven (well, unless someone makes one with a PTO-driven bit reversing option).

 

[DVR]

I added a nice alpine radio with bluetooth, phone... with a ebay harness. About $110 for the radio and $10 for the harness.
Works great. Have the same radio in my 1987 toyota 4x4 so I almost know how to use it.

 

[Fallon]

I agree on the forks. I use them more than the bucket I think. And it does affect how you but, move & store things. Everything heavy or bulky around the house ends up on a pallet.

 

[AllByteNoBark]

The dealer should have one here in a week or so.

I don't need a backhoe for anything I know of yet. The pallet forks would be handy and might add them down the road. I have a fork truck so have unloading heavy stuff pretty well covered but can still see how the forks would be nice. I do have some fence that needs built but not sure, probably going to hire it done. The crew I used last time was fast good and pretty cheap, and I hate building fence. Though I would rather build fence that fix fence.

Will post here when I make a decision of some kind.