L48 3-pt hitch storage

DavidInNH · Apr 1, 2002

I just bought a used L48 with FEL & Backhoe. It had 348 hours on it and the backhoe had never been removed. The L48 provides mounting pins under the frame for the lower arms of the 3 point hitch and inside the FEL frame for the rest of the parts.

Well, this is all very nice for us forgetful types, but this hardware was apparently put on dry. I managed to get all but one of the lower arms off with penetrating oil and gentle hammer taps. After a week of soaking, tapping, a valiant attempt with a gear puller and finally heat from a torch, I gave up and cut the mounting tab off with a saws-all. I'll have it welded back on soon.

So, if you have an L48, you might consider greasing the storage pins before your parts get stuck...

But the good news is that we finally managed to hook up the new Salsco 826 chipper. I think my son and I still have a big grin on our face after watching it do some serious eating...

MarkV · Apr 1, 2002

David,
Congratulations on the new tractor and welcome to the forum. That is a mean machine you bought, I am surprised you were able to find one used so soon after they have been introduced. It is interesting that the 3pt parts had seized up that much. Doesn’t sound like the factory applies any lube when they first put things together. My B21 has the same storage system, but I never use it. When I mount the backhoe all of the 3pt parts stay on the last attachment I was using.

Sure hope you will share your impressions of the L48 after you get a little seat time in.

MarkV

DavidInNH · Apr 1, 2002

Thanks. I've been lurking off and on for the last year and have found the folks on this site to be very friendly and informative.

I agree - it's a real mean machine. I managed to convince myself that I need a tractor in roughly this HP range. I was looking at new machines in all the popular colors and then I found out that my neighbor wanted to sell his L48. I made him an offer and he accepted... He's a contractor that sold an L35 last year after buying this L48, then changed his mind again and sold the L48 and bought another L35. He also has a big excavator, that has been busy digging the hole for my barn.

So far, I've used the backhoe to dig a some stumps. One of them was between a 6' boulder and an 8' boulder. I was able to dig around the little one and budge it enough to dig the stump out. The 11' reach on the backhoe was real handy for reaching over the boulders. I'll be digging electrical trench in the next couple of weeks and building ski trail later.

I've been reading the forum in prepartion for the upcoming 400 hour service. It looks like the biggest issue is finding enough containers to hold the waste oil and then finding a place to recycle it. The rest is just work.

Anonymous Poster · Apr 2, 2002

How much did you give for your tractor? Also why did the guy want to go back to the L35?

DavidInNH · Apr 3, 2002

I paid $30,000 for it.

He is a young guy with a fairly young excavation businees. He has a big Hyundai excavator for digging basements and other big holes. He uses the Kubota for well lines and smaller jobs. I think the L35 is "big enough" for those jobs and he has the excavator for bigger stuff. He sold an L35 with 900 hours on it last year after buying the L48. At the time, he couldn't really explain why he had bought the L48. He was happy with the L35. I also have reason to believe that he got a VERY good price on a barely used L35 to replace the L48. I looked at the L35 last year, but I really wanted to have HST and the price/hour ratio wasn't to attractive. This year I was looking at new tractors in this HP range and the price on his L48 was just too good to resist. I worried a lot about whether I was buying too much tractor (and chipper), but after using it the last few weekends - NAHH!

RoyJackson · Apr 3, 2002

So, if you have an L48, you might consider greasing the storage pins before your parts get stuck...

Might want to try an anti-sieze compound on any threaded fitting/fasteners. This is especially important if you're putting steel fasteners into an aluminum (or other nonferrous) threaded hole.

There are different types for different usages, so read the instructions before you buy.

For us forgetful types (what was this post about..?), I attach any loose hardware (or bag 'em and attach) with cord, wire...what have you. Saves me a lot of time looking around for stuff.