Tractor Sizing L3700SU ground engagement capabillity

[logfarmer]

Hi,
I am thinking of buying the L3700 SU to get a bigger tractor and keep the BX 22 for lawn mowing and the backhoe. The local dealer who has been real honest with me has said that the L3700 with HST will not work well for ground engagement that the HST will overheat with a lot of pull on it. He wants to sell me one but is cautioning against using it for much plowing. The plowing would be a small portion of what it would do so its not like it will be a farm tractor all the time. It would probably be discing and harrowing as what I am going to do is reseed old pastures that have got a lot of weeds in them, not really much brush although there is some brush here and there.
Has anyone used their L3700 for ground work and how did it perform?
Thanks,
Martin

 

[montelatici]

Hi,
I am thinking of buying the L3700 SU to get a bigger tractor and keep the BX 22 for lawn mowing and the backhoe. The local dealer who has been real honest with me has said that the L3700 with HST will not work well for ground engagement that the HST will overheat with a lot of pull on it. He wants to sell me one but is cautioning against using it for much plowing. The plowing would be a small portion of what it would do so its not like it will be a farm tractor all the time. It would probably be discing and harrowing as what I am going to do is reseed old pastures that have got a lot of weeds in them, not really much brush although there is some brush here and there.
Has anyone used their L3700 for ground work and how did it perform?
Thanks,
Martin

Some people believe HST drive is not appropriate for plowing, I disagree. Ask your dealer if he would recommend the L3400 with 8 speed manual transmission for the modest plowing and disc harrowing you described.

If he says yes, then he has a bias against HST for the purpose. If he says you need a bigger tractor, then he just wants to sell you a bigger tractor.

The L3700SU will be fine for what you want to do.

 

[e30racer]

My L3700 has about 29hrs on it now. I've plowed 3/4 acre with a 14" single bottom plow and it did just fine. The manual says the tractor will pull a single 16" bottom or double 12" bottom. Hope this helps.

Steven

 

[Verticaltrx]

My L3700 has about 29hrs on it now. I've plowed 3/4 acre with a 14" single bottom plow and it did just fine. The manual says the tractor will pull a single 16" bottom or double 12" bottom. Hope this helps.

Steven

That's interesting considering my B3200 is also rated to pull a 2-12" bottom plow.

As to the original question, I don't think you would have to worry at all about the hydrostatic transmission. I don't plow with my B3200 (because my NAA is better setup for plowing) but I do disk with it sometimes, and the transmission doens't get any hotter than it would with any other type of work.

 

[Code54]

Did a bunch of road work pulling a box blade with rippers through rock and clay for about 4 hrs one day. Bent the med duty box blade and the tractor never had a single issue. It was hard ground work and the HST never missed a beat

 

[CompactTractorFan]

Yeah, I never heard such a thing...It should be fine if the hp is within the plow's hp range...IMO

 

[magicheater]

I have a B7800 and use a 5.5' tiller which may be a bit wide for the PTO horsepower. The HST allows me to tailor my speed w/o changing rpm's. I do notice that when I really work it for an extended period of time (2-3 hours)the temp gauge reflects that. I monitor that and always let the tractor idle for a while before shutting off. It doesn't overheat but it does let me know that I am working it. The same happens with the Cummins in my truck. When I am pulling 10000# or more the temp reflects that. I see that as normal. When pulling a plow I would imagine that the weight of the tractor and traction might play in a bit more.

 

[logfarmer]

If the manual says that the HST transmission can pull a plow then Im not sure why my dealer is so worried about it. I would think Kubota would know what its machine is capable of better than he is.
If this machine will pull some different plow, harrow, seeder, or disc I think it will do all I need to have done. Its main use is going to be brush hogging, loading dirt and gravel, fork lifting logs, back blading for road maintainance, and ect.
Martin

 

[Code54]

If the manual says that the HST transmission can pull a plow then Im not sure why my dealer is so worried about it. I would think Kubota would know what its machine is capable of better than he is.
If this machine will pull some different plow, harrow, seeder, or disc I think it will do all I need to have done. Its main use is going to be brush hogging, loading dirt and gravel, fork lifting logs, back blading for road maintainance, and ect.
Martin

For your use I would never hesitate buying the HST, it is perfect for those uses!

 

[ChuckinNH]

My guess is that your dealer has some geared tractors he would like to move.