L3901 ?

[totouchantler]

Hi all. Wow! What a group of users here. Im new. I'm pretty active on the QDMA Forums and have been directed here. Just quickly looking the site over I can see why! Wealth of information. Im from Pompey NY (Syracuse). Go Orange! Speaking of Orange... I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the Kubota L3901. My story: I have a two acre yard, mostly wide open, few trees. My father in law and I bought 35 acres just down the rd from where I live. Its 10 acres open ag. and a mix the rest is fallow field and scrub apples. There is also a large pond on the property. Here is my question. Im a pretty avid food plotter. I realize i wont be pulling a three or probably even a two bottom plow with the L3901. Last year I had aprox 2 acres plowed by a family friend. I then used a disc and brillion seeder to plant a mix of radishes, turnips, clover, and oats. The way I rotate my food plots allows me to minimize soil compaction. I feel as though I would be able to do most of my tilling from here on out with a 6 ft / 7ft disc. I have done this in the past on other property with a slightly larger tractor (MF1643). Has anyone had any experience using a disc or plow for that matter with the L3901? I should also mention that i plan on buying a finish mower to mow my 2 acre lawn. Thanks much in advance! I'd like to make a decision on purchasing the tractor this next week.

Chris

 

[teg]

...I should also mention that i plan on buying a finish mower to mow my 2 acre lawn...

Two big questions that leads to lots of the same old talk (don't worry we love rehashing it) What tires were you planning to get? and HST or gear trans?

The first half was calling for Ag and gear but that line above changes everything. Like most you are trying to get one tractor to do two things... It doesn't do both great. You'll lose power pulling with R4 and HST but your finishing mower and Ag tires don't mix well... Let the fun begin!!

PS. I would do R4's and HST, you'll have enough power to pull a 6 footer.

 

[jeff9366]

The T-B-N archive is your friend: L3901 Kubota site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

Take time to paragraph.

An L3901 with R4 Industrial Tires, filled with air, will have no trouble pulling a two bottom, 12" plow (in good condition) through sod nor any soil type, so long as the soil is not soggy.

A Disc Harrow with 9" spacing between the pans cuts much better than a Disc Harrow with 7" spacing between the pans. For food plots 9" spacing is preferred. You need a minimum weight of forty pounds bearing on each pan in order to cut food plots fairly well. Fifty pounds bearing on each pan is better.

For preparing a plowed field for seeding, 7" or 7-1/2" pan spacing is preferred as it will leave a smoother bed behind the harrow.

VIDEO: How To Plow a Garden - Two Bottom Plow - YouTube

 

[Ivan49]

I have a L 3301 tractor which is almost the same as the one you are looking at. I just got it last Sept and I used it on one of my food plots last fall with a 6 foot pull disk after plowing it with a 2 bottom 16 inch plow. Tractor did fine no problems. I got the R 4 tires loaded but if I was to do it over I would get the R 1 tires as I have a lot of mud. One word of caution using the disk all the time. You will get soil compaction. I had a 30 hp tractor before the Kubota and I used it on a S tine chisel tooth plow I made to break up the soil. Now every 2 to 3 years I am going to plow the plots to prevent compaction in the future. I don't use my tractor in the yard so I have no idea what it would do to the grass. My ground goes from clay on 2 food plots to sandy loam on the 3 acre one and a couple is sand. Hope this helps. I also have a 6 foot tiller and have no problems using it also

 

[totouchantler]

Thanks for all replies so far. To clarify. My quote was for R4 tires and an HST.

Teg.. exactly right... I'm trying to stretch this into a machine that can handle many applications. I also should note that I burn firewood year round and would one day want to get a splitter attach. Also here in CNY its nothing for us to get 200" of snow in a year. The tractor will be used for driveway clearing as well.

I really thought I was going to stay away from the gear drive just because of the mowing and driveway clearing etc. I know I'm im sacrificing HP going with HST but just thought the ease of use would trump the loss of power. I want to be clear though that I want to be able to disc and I guess possibly plow (a user mentioned he plows with his 3901 w/ no problems). I know some of you still said to go with the HST.... is that the consensus? Or am leaving behind too many HP ? Thanks for posting the link to other L3901 owners. I'm reading now..

Chris

 

[jeff9366]

Ask your Kubota dealer what percentage of L3901s are sold with HST. I expect it is over 85%. Horsepower is one factor in buying, safe operation on sloped ground is another. Rollback with a tractor can be disastrous. HST will not rollback.

When you eventually want to sell, you will find how few people can operate a clutch in the 21st century. When unusually cheap used tractors are posted here, nearly all are clutch tractors.

There is a business near me that sells bulk garden supplies. The business has two geared Kubota BX tractor-loaders, operated by continually changing employees. Against Kubota sales advice for HST, the business owner bought 'geared' because they were cheaper. He has $1,200 clutch rebuilds about every six months.

 

[teg]

...To clarify. My quote was for R4 tires and an HST...

You'll be fine with the L3901. Just a heads up, you can not run snow chains with R4 without tire spacers (I just got a pair). Also, putting groves in R4 tires help a bunch in snow...

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/snow-removal/193438-cutting-groving-siping-r-4-a.html

 

[motownbrowne]

I would say for less than 5 acres or so per year a HST will be fine. You lose some drawbar HP and efficiency, but gain convenience in every other task.

 

[sea2summit]

Do you plan on blowing or plowing snow? Might be worth looking at the MX series, that's what I did and it worked better for what I thought I'd be doing at a fairly similar price.

 

[The Deerslayer]

I would stick with the direction you are leaning and go with the HST. Having gone from a gear drive to the HST, I would never go back. The loss in HP was worth it for me and you can add the cruise control for the times you're doing field work. See if you can get the dealer to add in a few extras to close the deal (e.g bucket hooks, right fender handle, etc..)

It is a great tractor, love mine; keep us posted on your progress and welcome to TBN!

 

[totouchantler]

I would stick with the direction you are leaning and go with the HST. Having gone from a gear drive to the HST, I would never go back. The loss in HP was worth it for me and you can add the cruise control for the times you're doing field work. See if you can get the dealer to add in a few extras to close the deal (e.g bucket hooks, right fender handle, etc..)

It is a great tractor, love mine; keep us posted on your progress and welcome to TBN!

Thanks deerslayer. Have you ever disced or plowed with yours?

 

[The Deerslayer]

Thanks deerslayer. Have you ever disced or plowed with yours?

I have not yet had the need, but I eventually plan to start some food plots when I have more time and learn a bit more about the process:confused3:. I have no doubt that it will handle the task.

Only suggestion I would make is to really consider if you need the R1's over the R4's. If your 2 acre lawn is really like a lawn vs. more of a field, probably should stick with the R4's. Otherwise, I would not give up my loaded R1's for the increased traction in mud and snow. I find the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks when cutting my 4 acre "field". I use my lawn tractor for my close to an acre lawn. By no means a deal breaker, but the R1's are a bit cheaper as well.

You can also adjust the width of the rear tires with the R1's. I did this, and it was a piece of cake. Not sure if your land has any slopes, but the increased width helps substantially.

 

[totouchantler]

I have not yet had the need, but I eventually plan to start some food plots when I have more time and learn a bit more about the process:confused3:. I have no doubt that it will handle the task.

Only suggestion I would make is to really consider if you need the R1's over the R4's. If your 2 acre lawn is really like a lawn vs. more of a field, probably should stick with the R4's. Otherwise, I would not give up my loaded R1's for the increased traction in mud and snow. I find the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks when cutting my 4 acre "field". I use my lawn tractor for my close to an acre lawn. By no means a deal breaker, but the R1's are a bit cheaper as well.

You can also adjust the width of the rear tires with the R1's. I did this, and it was a piece of cake. Not sure if your land has any slopes, but the increased width helps substantially.

Can you adjust the width with R4's?

 

[teg]

Can you adjust the width with R4's?

Not the R4 rims of the "economy" Standard L series... Grand L R4's are adjustable.

 

[The Deerslayer]

Can you adjust the width with R4's?

Negative, but the tires themselves are a bit wider and lower than R1's...thereby reducing the "tippy" factor a bit

 

[totouchantler]

Thanks Deerslayer and teg. Could you guys direct me to any resources videos and/or pics of users that have had success using a disc and / or two bottom plow with a tractor similar in weight and HP as the L3901. I'd love to discuss what they use for equipment and setup. Thanks for any help. This site is amazing!

 

[nybirdman]

Our experience are with a L3130 HST,L3000 gear and L4240 HSTC;definately get the HST,we prefer R1's for our work.Mostly used in the field,woods and snow removal.Also have the tires loaded(Rimguard) and have them add extendable end links(they are well worth it),they are standard on the Grand L's.
The L3901 should have enough power if you want to add a snow blower later(know all about central NY).

 

[kubotacres]

Thanks Deerslayer and teg. Could you guys direct me to any resources videos and/or pics of users that have had success using a disc and / or two bottom plow with a tractor similar in weight and HP as the L3901. I'd love to discuss what they use for equipment and setup. Thanks for any help. This site is amazing!

My l3200 (just sold) was capable of pulling a 5' Disk with no hesitation in 4wd. You have several more horses, so I don't think you will have any issues. I was also running loaded rear R4's which I strongly suggest and will be running the same setup on my l3560 when it arrives. One plus on the new 01 series Kubota is they have upgraded to "syncro" transmissions on the gear which was one of my reasons for selling along with the transmission driven pto which I hated. Overall I never had any issue with power on the l3200.

 

[jeff9366]

Could you guys direct me to any resources videos and/or pics of users that have had success using a disc and / or two bottom plow with a tractor similar in weight and HP as the L3901.

Your plow questions were answered in Post #3 and Post #4.

Here is information on how to select a Disc Harrow: http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/308251-disc-harrow-selection-18-45-a.html?highlight=

Every combination of implements imagineable are used for food plots. However, on T-B-N, the most used combination is a Disc Harrow with 9" spacing between the pans, with a weight of at least forty pounds bearing on each pan, then a Cultipacker. I would expect the same on the QDMA forum.

Food Plot seed mixes are cheap and strong germinators. So Disc, sow fairly thickly, and Cultipack is one good (and safe) option.

Learning to plow is more difficult and time consuming than learning to harrow. Plowing on slopes and contour plowing are advanced skills.

 

[Ivan49]

Jeff How do you like that 3 point cultipacker. I have been thinking about making mine a 3 point. I hav a 1948 Farmall cub that I can plow in clay ground with. I think the plow is a 10 inch one. The Cub only has around 8 or 9 Hp if I remember right. If your ground has a lot of stones they are hard on disk blades. I have broken several, but hay the come apart easier now