Looking at Tractors

jmaine · Oct 3, 2008

Hi Guys, I'm looking to purchase a tractor. I have about 11 acres in Maine. I would be using the tractor for moving loam and gravel, hauling firewood out of our woods, digging some drainage ditches, moving timbers around, etc (won't use it for mowing).

I've rented a Kubota B7500 in the past and was surprised at how powerful it was. I do some timberframing and have the need to move around some fairly heavy timbers; the biggest might go 1000-1200 lbs. The B7500 struggled with the bigger ones somewhat but got the job done. So naturally, if I buy one I'd like something a little bigger than the B7500.

I was thinking of either a B3030 or a L3240 HST (I understand the B3030 is the replacement for the B7800). I would get a loader and a BH (BH90?). I would guess that the AG tires would be suffienct.

Should I be able to purchase something like this for around $25K (tractor with the loader and BH)? I'm leaning toward Kubota since there is a dealership a few miles from my house, it would be handy if I need to have it serviced. Also, I had a bad experience with JD. I had purchased a JD weedwacker that was absolute junk, it was useless after one summer of use. It wasn't a cheap model either (~$250). The customer service people are JD were terrible; they essentially blew me off, said I had abused the weedwacker and the warranty didn't covere abuse. I used it once every two weeks for one summer, there's no way it was abused. I told them that's fine, I just won't buy their products anymore. So, now I'm keeping my end of the deal.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Joe

PeterK · Oct 3, 2008

I changed from JD to Kubo. The Kubo seems much more stout at least in the SCUTs but also the JD sales staff seemed more like car salesman that tractor people. My $.02

Mark Buck at Union Farm is good people. If you're in central/coastal Maine, that's who and where I'd recommend you look first.

PeterK

Egon · Oct 3, 2008

You have picked out a nice tractor.

Me I'd surely be happy with a B 7800.

vic4news · Oct 3, 2008

You can get a B3030 with BH for about $25K, but I don't think you'll be able to put a BH90 on it. You can put on a BH75 or a Woods BH80-X. The loader on the B3030 is a little weak, but stronger than what was on the B7500. It is rated for about 860 lbs.

The L3240 can take a BH90 and has a stronger loader, but I'm pretty sure you will be paying over $30K for that setup.

I would go with R4 tires for the type of work you'll be doing. They are designed for loader work and are wider and have a stiffer sidewall than AGs. They are also more puncture resistant to sharp rocks and stumps than AGs.

Have you checked out the Kubota web site for pricing?

Vic

LBrown59 · Oct 3, 2008

jmaine said:
I was thinking of either a B3030 or a L3240 HST (I understand the B3030 is the replacement for the B7800). I would get a loader and a BH (BH90?). I would guess that the AG tires would be suffienct.
=====Joe-------

AG tires are the way to go.

jmaine · Oct 3, 2008

Oh, I hadn't noticed the pricing information on the Kubota website before. What do you think would be a reasonable amount to pay in relation to the MSRP? Maybe 10 to 15% below? Is this like buy a car? The dealer will start with the MSRP to see if you bite and then haggle from there?

Joe

rbargeron · Oct 3, 2008

jmaine said:
....... I do some timberframing and have the need to move around some fairly heavy timbers; the biggest might go 1000-1200 lbs.....

Hi Joe, Welcome to TBN !
Positioning a 1200 lb timber feels better if you have a loader rated for that much or more. It's about confidence and the stability of the tractor on worksite earth - the "pucker factor" when you have a load at full reach. Kubota loaders are numbered based on their load rating in Kilos. Multiply by 2.2 for pounds. Example a LA-680 loader handles 1500 lbs readily. A method that might work is to buy an older used machine based on what you already know about the B7500 and see how it fits into your situation - then trade up, down or sideways later. What ever you do, have fun. Take care, Dick B

BrierPatch · Oct 3, 2008

You might want to look at the L4400. I think it is close to what you are looking for. You can get the BH90 and a LA 703 loader. Not sure on the price. I got my B2620 for around 20% less than kubota website list price in Aug and it was the dealers first offer and said it was as low as he could go. This checked also with another dealer. Their prices were withing a couple of hundred dollars of each other. This would put the L4400 around $26k I think, if I optioned it correctly. This seems close because I talked to my dealer last year about a L3400 with FEL and BH and he quoted me a price of $21k something.

Good Luck,

easygo · Oct 5, 2008

Look at the L2800 or L4400. If you could barely do the job with the B7500 the L2800 will do it with ease and the L4400 will even laugh while working the same job. The B7800 was actually replaced by the B2920 if I'm not mistaken, but I don't know if that would be a good choice for you anyway. The L-2800 will lift more then either the 7800 or the 3030 and it is not even fair to compare those tractors to the L-4400.
Enjoy the hunt.