L47TLB vs L4701

[Taters525]

So what would be the big differences between a L47TLB and a L4701 with FEL and backhoe. Initially the TLB looks heavier but cant find weights for adding the 4701 FEL and backhoe. And the price seems pretty close once you start adding all the options to the 4701.

 

[avc8130]

Honestly, these 2 are not even comparable.

The TLB is a serious commercial machine. The L is a small general purpose tractor.

The TLB has a FULL frame. The loader is permanently attached and MUCH stronger. The backhoe is MUCH stronger.

They simply don't compare in real life.

If you will be doing loader and backhoe operations primarily the TLB will be the clear winner.

ac

 

[mike69440]

Honestly, these 2 are not even comparable.

The TLB is a serious commercial machine. The L is a small general purpose tractor.

The TLB has a FULL frame. The loader is permanently attached and MUCH stronger. The backhoe is MUCH stronger.

They simply don't compare in real life.

If you will be doing loader and backhoe operations primarily the TLB will be the clear winner.

ac

If you will be doing loader and backhoe operations primarily, consider used L39 or L45 so at least to keep price close.
A good used L39/L45> new L4701. You just have to search a bit.

 

[Taters525]

So what would be the disadvantage if any of getting the TLB if any?

 

[nybirdman]

No cab available(factory),you may have to purchase the three point equipment.More money for a heavier duty machine.

 

[disney]

So what would be the disadvantage if any of getting the TLB if any?[/QUOTE

I can not speak directly for Kubota, but with deere their discontinued 110tlb did have have any of the features of their green premium units. Think any type of 3pt hitch control (besides up and down), cruise, speed limit, etc.

 

[mike69440]

Disadvantages of a TLB

HP to weight and PT0 Power not usually as good as Ag based tractor.
Tiny tires for weight.
No Factory Cab
Loader frame not removable.
Needs huge counter weight without the BH if you plan on doing loader work.
L39 has same front axle as the Grand L's (Should have been from M series)

I'd still want a used Good L45 over a brand new L4701.
I would not trade my +2,000 hour 11 year old L39 for a new L4701 with BH plus a bunch of implements.

 

[rScotty]

So what would be the big differences between a L47TLB and a L4701 with FEL and backhoe. Initially the TLB looks heavier but cant find weights for adding the 4701 FEL and backhoe. And the price seems pretty close once you start adding all the options to the 4701.

There's just no comparison between the loader on a TLB and an add-on loader. Plus the entire TLB is balanced for the integrated loader & hoe. As soon as you get to working on a slope or with a load in the bucklet you'll appreciate the way the overall balance, steering, and traction work for you.

Just for fun, consider what happens when you are using the hoe to dig a ditch or a foundation. After at the most about a dozen stokes with the dipper and bucket it's time to move the machine forward another eight or ten feet to continue the ditch. With the TLB you just spin the seat around and move it. On the tractor you climb down, walk around, climb up....get off....go back and check on something....walk back....climb up again..... Well, you get the picture.

Not that there's anything wrong with a tractor/loader/3pt hoe combo if used intelligently. Shucks, I used that combo on my JD530 for 25 years and was glad to have it. Just please be VERY CAREFUL with a 3 pt mounted hoe on a tractor to NEVER EVER use the hoe with 3 pt draft control engaged. PLEASE!! That mistake has killed more than one person. Very Dangerous. And one day after running my 3 pt hoe on the old JD for almost 20 years I forgot to disengage the draft control myself. Stupid, stupid me. I bailed off just in time as the boom rose up & crushed the backhoe seat into the back of the tractor seat and the power of the hydraulic draft control relentlessly turned both seats into a single ruined mess. From my screw-up to bailing off was maybe 3 seconds.... Please, pay attention to that.

On a gentler note - and because I hope you are promising that you'll always remember about the draft control - I still think that with those particular implements it makes more sense to me to add a standard 3 point to the L47 than to add a less capable loader and backhoe to the L4701. I also think a big reason why doing it that way hasn't gotten more popular is that a lot of folks don't know that the 3 point kit is an option on the Kubota TLBs. As far as I know, a 3 pt kit is a rare option with other brands of TLBs.
good luck - I'm sure you'll like it whichever way you go. Good machines.
rScotty

 

[avc8130]

Spin the seat while digging a ditch? That's crazy. You just reach down and use the crawl control!

 

[rScotty]

Spin the seat while digging a ditch? That's crazy. You just reach down and use the crawl control!

Yep, you're right. The crawl control....I'd forgotten that Kubota TLBs even had one...but they do, & that's even easier unless you're using the front loader bucket for a third point support; then it's a bit of a left-handed behind-your-back kinda stretch. Doesn't the L4701 have a crawl/creeper lever? It has a HST, so I sort of assumed it would have the hand creep and crawl.

Or maybe I forgot the creeper because I've been putting in too many hours with the JD310 TLB instead of the Kubota. The JD310 doesn't have an inching control but it does have a heated cab - real nice when the temp is below zero. I remember that the OP said something about maybe needing a cab. Frankly, I would have loved to have one for the Kubota, but to my surprise a usable old JD310 w/cab at the local farm sale went for about the same as would have cost to put a new heated cab on a Kubota. Guess I just got lucky.
Still, there are times I wish the Kubota had a cab. Not in the woods though; in the woods a cab is just a problem.
Good Luck beats Good Planning,
rScotty