Buying Advice L3940

[toyocruiser]

Hey

I have been internet and catalog drooling over a L3940 for the last few months.
I finally stopped by a dealership today wanting to test drive a L3940 with GST transmission.
They did not have one but they did price me one out.
It came to 24,200 tractor GST and loader.
I was hoping for some tips as I have never purchased a new tractor.
Good price yes or no.(located central Alabama)
Also how happy are GST owners happy with them.

Thanks for all the help

 

[Whitnel]

When pricing a L3240 it was aroud 22 to 23k, that was a HST model. So that number sounds close. When I worked in AL last year I made alot of trips to Oxford for machine parts. There was a pretty good size dealer there, Beshers Kubota. They had alot of tractors on the lot. May give them a try and see if they have one to drive. I did not do any business with them so don't know what kind of people they are.

 

[PHILIP8N]

The L3940 is a very nice sized tractor. Reason you do not want HST+? Are you looking at quick attach on loader? Are you looking at standard buckert or HD round back bucket? I would also get 1 or 2 rear remotes. What will you be using for ballast on back? Philip.

 

[om21braz]

The price you have is good, approx. 15% off list. The L3940 GST seems to be a very good machine. A friend of mine has had one for about 3-4 years now with no hiccups at all and he is rough on equipment.

 

[NC4AB]

The price you quoted looks very good based on the pricing in my area.

I looked at and test drove a L3940 GST but wound up spending a little extra mnoney to upgrade to a L4240 which got me a heavier loader / 3 more hp.

As far as GST it depends on your use. We will be using the L4240 (when it gets here) primarily for agriculture (plowing / planting / spraying / corn picking / bush hogging). The GST just made sense for what we are going to use it for.

You might want to look at the HST for ease of use, there is not much difference in price between the 2 transmissions.

I would recommend thinking about adding at least 1 remote just in case you ever need it. I'm guessing it will be cheaper now than later.

 

[Tibbits]

I have GST on an L3430 and like it. I also have HST on a BX1500 and like it. GST benefits (my opinion): you can get more power as less is wasted than on the HST transmission, great for 'set it and forget' tasks like mowing, discing, plowing that require constant speed and direction. i also assume it is mechanically less complex than HST and may equate to less problems over the years and maybe cheaper repairs?? Using a FEL to move material is OK as no clutch work is needed (but not as easy as an HST).
HST is great for moving around (like mowing).And the larger tractors have cruise control so big jobs are OK as well. If you've never used a manual transmission, HST has a quick learning curve.
If I was buying a new tractor (which I wouldn't do), I'd do a lot of test driving between the two types since you hold the cards. I think I'd go with HST, but not sure. I haven't used HST for hard work with a tractor bigger than the BX1500, just mowing.

 

[TripleR]

The 3940/4240 are really nice size machines. I am sure GST machines have their place, but I prefer HST on this size tractor. I am constantly changing directions mowing and doing FEL work. I also do some pretty heavy digging with a box blade and the HST works well for this.

If I was going to be farming, I would consider GST, we have Hydraulic Shuttle Shift on our M8540.

 

[Agrantina]

The 3940 is an excellent tractor. I have 3240 GST and really like it.. Have about 100+ hrs on it and use it mostly for food plots and light farm work (gardens) The GST has been great and no regrets for me.. I know that some have said the HST-GST are the same price but not so with me. My dealer had a GST and flat told me that most folks walk right by it to look at the HST- Now the HST are WAY cool and easy to show wife-kids how to use, but for the $1000 diff I went with the GST. Now I do understand if you use a loader or you are in forward/rev alot-alot then I can see the need for the HST- For me- I dont have a FEL on mine right now- (maybe later) so after driving a geared tractor alot the GST was a big step up... Either way it choice as both are awesome...

AndyG

 

[Grateful11]

The HST is just so darn easy for anyone to use. Whether Bush Hogging, loading manure, moving round bales, even pulling a grain drill. In that size tractor it was a no brainer for us. Now when you get up into the over 100hp tractors it's gear drive and power shuttle for us.

 

[toyocruiser]

Thanks for all the replies and advice.
I have not ruled out the HST, but am al little more interested in the long term life of the GST. I know everyone will think I am knocking the HST but I am not.
I was raised around large farm tractors and heavy equipment most of which had a shuttle shift type transmission and have always been fond of the performance and reliability of this type of transmission.
I hear that the HST is dependable but I am not familar with the maintenance requirements of the HST.
Thanks for all the tips and advice.

 

[hizoot]

I've read,more than once,that HST is every bit as reliable if not more so than GST...and more economical with no clutch to replace. There has been a member here,that tore down a Kubota with very many hours to rebuild it....the HST was like new and didnt require any work.

 

[PHILIP8N]

I hear that the HST is dependable but I am not familar with the maintenance requirements of the HST.

Very simple. Every 200 hours, replace the spin-on HST filter. Every 400 hours, drain/refill transmission/hydraulic/axle fluid. With the exception of the 200 hour filter service, I bet HST and GST have the same oil service interval. Philip.

 

[Grateful11]

Thanks for all the replies and advice.
I have not ruled out the HST, but am al little more interested in the long term life of the GST. I know everyone will think I am knocking the HST but I am not.
I was raised around large farm tractors and heavy equipment most of which had a shuttle shift type transmission and have always been fond of the performance and reliability of this type of transmission.
I hear that the HST is dependable but I am not familar with the maintenance requirements of the HST.
Thanks for all the tips and advice.

Our largest tractor is CaseIH 5140 with Power Shuttle and Power Reverser. For field work it doesn't get much better but when comes to a utility do everything else the HST just can't hardly be beat. We would never have thought so until we got the L3940. I think owe it to yourself to try both. Our builder was here today repairing some storm damage and his son had ran his neighbors L5240 and he telling how amazingly easy it was to do loader work with it. Man if you were closer I'd say come ours for a spin.

 

[crazyal]

My Case BH is shuttle and while it works fine I can feel that something it slipping inside. It's not enough to worry about anytime soon but at some point in time I'll have to fix it. HST is simple, a hydraulic pump feeds a hydraulic motor. By changing the flow rate to the motor you speed up or slow down the motor and of course the tractor, it's that simple. No clutches or pressure plates that slip or wear out.

I would go for shuttle over HST if I felt what my plans were for the tractor would be best suited for shuttle or if I was already over my budget and just couldn't afford to spend more (but even that probably wouldn't stop be because you will be living with the tractor for a long time and it's best to get exactly what you want the first time).

 

[toyocruiser]

Thanks again for all the replies.
I will have to take acloser look at the HST.
Still curious about all the electronics involved with the HST though.
Especially if cruise control and auto throttle are added.
How easy is it to control speed without cruise control.
I am definitely interested in rear remotes just do know how many.(price will probably affect)
Is there a creeper function available for the GST ?
If so how does it work and how happy are owners with it.
I am still a couple of months away from a purchase.
Was relieved to see an extension on the financing.
Still am up in the air as whether to go with R1 or R4 tires.
Leaning towards R4's right now.
Read more on that than I care to remember !
Alot of decisions to make about the tractor.
Am still considering a L4240 as price was not that much different.

Thanks for all the tips and information.

 

[kuboman]

Thanks again for all the replies.
I will have to take acloser look at the HST.
Still curious about all the electronics involved with the HST though.
Especially if cruise control and auto throttle are added.
How easy is it to control speed without cruise control.
I am definitely interested in rear remotes just do know how many.(price will probably affect)
Is there a creeper function available for the GST ?
If so how does it work and how happy are owners with it.
I am still a couple of months away from a purchase.
Was relieved to see an extension on the financing.
Still am up in the air as whether to go with R1 or R4 tires.
Leaning towards R4's right now.
Read more on that than I care to remember !
Alot of decisions to make about the tractor.
Am still considering a L4240 as price was not that much different.

Thanks for all the tips and information.

Glad to read you are considering the l4240. It will be well spent money especially with the stronger loader. I had the l3130 and loved the size but hated how underpowered it was. My broken record refrain is buy the most power in the size package that suits you.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Thanks again for all the replies.
I will have to take acloser look at the HST.
Still curious about all the electronics involved with the HST though.
Especially if cruise control and auto throttle are added.
How easy is it to control speed without cruise control.
I am definitely interested in rear remotes just do know how many.(price will probably affect)
Is there a creeper function available for the GST ?
If so how does it work and how happy are owners with it.
I am still a couple of months away from a purchase.
Was relieved to see an extension on the financing.
Still am up in the air as whether to go with R1 or R4 tires.
Leaning towards R4's right now.
Read more on that than I care to remember !
Alot of decisions to make about the tractor.
Am still considering a L4240 as price was not that much different.

Thanks for all the tips and information.

Get as many rear remotes as they offer(probably 3) 2 get used for top and tilt hydraulics right from the get go and it is always nice to have that 3rd one for hydraulic actuated rippers on a box blade or for a hydraulic angle on a rear blade or landscape rake.

 

[toyocruiser]

I think three are available.
I am interested in getting all three.
I might wait as I think it is a dealer installed item and that will be more money I can spend on other items.
I have never used a tractor with topntilt, but it seems like a handy feature.
Kubota locates the controls kinda far rearward(or so it seems in pix)
All I have to go by is the brochure, I have not seen a tractor with remotes.
Other than a boxblade what things are topntilt used for.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Any and all grading implements that are used with the 3pt hitch are better utilized with top and tilt cylinders. If you have much of any roads or drives to maintain, you will be much happier and will get a better job done with "TnT" hydraulics. Yes you can get the remotes later on, but if you do some more reading here on TBN, just about everyone that has them wishes that they had gotten them at the time of purchase if they hadn't already.

If you can afford them now, get them now. I can almost guarantee you that if you have the dealer install the remotes, they will do it for less money now than to do it later on. Yes the cost of the remotes themselves will be the same if the price does not go up, but I would bet that they will install them for less money now than later on. You can get the "TnT" set later on if that needs to be the case.

What all are you going to be using the tractor for? Just asking so that myself and others may be able to recommend specific implements for you to use.

 

[crazyal]

The cruse control is just a switch. When you push the lever forward it makes the switch, not too much electronics involved. The auto throttle is just a cable, not electronics at all. With HST controlling the speed is very easy. You just press the peddle more and you go faster. Between the 3 ranges and each having a high and low it's real easy to find one that works great.