Looking for L4150 info.

[Darren]

A local guy sells used tractors part time. The other day there was an L4150 4wd sitting out front with an FEL. Looked like a shuttle shift. Anybody know anything about that model other than hp? How reliable were the hydros back then?

In general the tractor looked heavier than the current L's but it was still a compact tractor.

 

[rbargeron]

Darren - The L4150 is one of Kubota's best products - I've been telling everybody how great they are for a long time now. If you do a search here you'll find several threads with information about L4150's. Your observation is right on - they are much stronger and beefier than the present L models - they were available with either mechanical or hydraulic shuttle (hydraulic is nicer - no clutch to change direction).
The L4150 was made back when the model number was the pto horsepower - it has about 50 hp gross from a smooth 5 cylinder engine. An inside guy at Kubota in Columbus once told me this model (the L3 chassis) was one of the most problem-free products they had ever produced - which is saying something because they're all pretty good ! He also clued me in to a hidden orifice valve that is a climate compensator for the hydraulic shuttle oil flow - made mine shift quicker in the winter. When I sold my L4150 it had 1400 hours with no problems, no leaks, no failures. I basically bought another rig just like it - but with a backhoe too.

Tell us more about this one - hours? overall condition? asking price? any leaks? still shiny on the bottom?

Take care - Dick Bargeron

 

[JohnMiller3]

TRACTORS from KUBOTA
Model = L4150DT 4WD SHUTTLE

SPECIFICATIONS
Years Mfg: 1988-1995
Fuel: D

Engine Make: KUBOTA 5 CYL

CID: 142

Engine HP: 40.64 PTO
50-E

Cab: ROPS

No.Speeds: 8/8
SHUTTLE
SHIFT

Weight(Pounds): 3,750

List Price: $22,000

PRICING

Year Ad Price Est.Loan Value
1988 $11,440 $7,550
1989 $11,880 $7,841
1990 $12,100 $7,986
1991 $12,540 $8,276
1992 $12,760 $8,422
1993 $13,420 $8,857
1994 $14,080 $9,293
1995 $15,180 $10,019

There are currently no Auction Results listed
in our database for this model.

 

[Darren]

Thanks guys! Overall the tractor is rough. It's got about 2300 hrs. No obvious leaks. I didn't run the tractor eventhough the keys are in all the machines. The owner wasn't around and on a Sunday I wasn't going to knock on the door. Have no idea of the price. He doesn't tag the machines. This one just came from an auction a few days ago.

The FEL is run off a pump mounted on the end of the engine crank The hydraulic tank is mounted on the right side. You won't be climbing on the tractor from that direction. The FEL is easily removable but the support stands are missing. The bucket was rough with none of the original paint. The steel crossover lines behind the bucket have been hit and dented by something. The tractor has one set of remotes with the original caps.

Paint is faded and worn to metal at rub points. No PTO shield. One plastic tail light lens is broken. Part of the plastic housing at the base of the steering column is missing. Plastic sure doesn't hold up with age like metal. Seat cover was shredded. Decals worn or partial torn away. Tires are maybe 70% or so. Underside of fenders are rusted. Metal is still solid. Nothing a wire brush and some Rustoleum won't fix.

In general it looks like a dog. He's got an old Cockshut/Oliver/Fiat that's probably at least ten or fifteen years older that looks better. I suspect the Kubota still runs good. Just looks tired. I don't know which shuttle it has. The gear shift was to the right of the seat. The F-N-R lever was to the left.

Anyone know what the lift capacity of the FEL is.

 

[rbargeron]

If the shuttle is hydraulic, the F-N-R would be on the column - left side of the steering wheel. The FEL would be maybe a BF920 model - lots of grunt - maybe 2600 or 2800 lb normal lift. The front pump was optional - bigger flow - faster FEL operation than internal hydraulics.

Check the dipsticks for any signs of water getting into the gear oil or engine oil.

Listen to it run - these engines all put out some blue smoke when cold, then it clears with warmup.

The cosmetic roughness you describe could be an indicator of the kind of upkeep it's had - might be wise to check it out carefully. Listen closely for any noises in the gearboxes, check for smooth PTO running in both speeds (with a load if possible) make sure the clutch is ok. If the tires are at 70%, its likely they've been replaced at least once. Open the air filter canister and see what's in there. If it's reasonably clean in the center element that's a good sign. If either element is torn or missing, it's usually a deal breaker - especially on an auction machine whose history is unknown.


Good luck - Dick B.

 

[Darren]

According to Kubota it's an L4150HDT-1 and it does have the hydraulic shuttle. It was sold 5/9/89 to a guy in Kentucky. I have his name and location. I may try to look him up if I get serious about this. A service guy at Kubota said there had never been any warranty work required on the tractor. He also volunteered that they're solid trouble free machines.

I did notice the FEL seemed to be well greased. Wasn't done recently though. I didn't check all the fluids but the transmission fluid was clear. It may have been changed for the sale. Thanks for the info about the FEL. It's good to know it has an optional setup. I get the feeling this tractor did a lot of loader work.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Darren, I still have the brochure which describes the L4150, L4850 and the L5450. The L4150 I believe is the one without a wet clutch. It sounds like the one your looking at has been used and used hard. I am not familiar with the hydraulic tank on the side. On the L4850 I use, its all stored in the transmission. I did replace the seat last year, the price for the original was about 80 dollars. Our L4850 is a 1993 model or so. The engine is very nice indeed, strong, reasonably quiet and still starts with about 1/2 second turnover, even when it sits for many months. I would love to have it. Rat....

 

[Darren]

Rat, there seems to be something that until you get interested in an item it's not on an individual's radar screen. Now that I've started looking for info, I'm seeing L4150's other places. There were two that seemed to be in better shape in a recent issue of the Heavy Equipment Trader located in area codes 864 and 706. Both were listed for $9,500. The better deal seemed to be one with 4wd, FEL & brush hog. The other was bare with 2wd.

I'm guessing the tractor went cheap at the auction and that's why the guy bought it. I know it runs because the guy doesn't buy basket cases. How well it runs is another question. I've been thinking about price. If the guy is in the $5,000 or $6,000 range, it's a no-brainer. If he's near $9,000, I may wait and see what he wants if it's still there in December. He got stuck with three medium sized Ford/New Hollands with FEL's last year that he carried over the winter.

From looks alone his 4150 doesn't look like a $10,000 machine. I did find one auction listing of $4,000. Most of the others were right under $10,000 with a few that were around $15,000. After wrestling the mmm onto my L3710 the other day and facing the task of getting it off today and then repeating the process in a few weeks, another tractor of that size would be nice.

Of course this may all be mental masturbation. The tractor could be sold by now

 

[rbargeron]

Hi Rat - I believe the brochure you describe (which we both have) covers the 4350, 4850 and 5450. The 4350 had a 4-cylinder engine. The wet "Ever Clutch" was offered in that line.

The 4150 came a few years before and had the five cyl. and dry clutch. First produced back in the early '80s, Kubota had L4150's stored in their warehouses in the US. The tractors were not given model "years" but Kubota keeps a list of dates & owners as they were sold.

Power and weight wise the 4150 was closer to the later 4850 that you have. I also have a brochure for the 4150 but it covers only that model.

Darren - you are right about more examples becoming visible when you start noticing them - the 4150 was made when Kubota's market share was still small - so there aren't as many around as other models, but they show up used now and then. Still a great machine capable of a lot of work.

 

[knucklehead]

Rather than start another thread, I thought I'd add to this one. This L4150 on Ebay has a great set of pictures and I thought it would fit in well as an info resource here on TBN.

I have saved the pictures on my hard drive in case Ebay purges them, if anyone would like them in the future. Here's a little tickler:

 

[rbargeron]

Hey Mark - thanks for posting about this - it was fun to watch - a real bidding contest - somebody got a basically brand new tractor with all the power and reach of a new M4900 for only $16,900. The 4150 is a first-class tractor - I still think that the L3 chassis was produced during Kubota's "finest hour".

Got in 6 or 7 hours of seat time today on my L5450 with woods RM990 finisher. The cut grass smell is coming in the windows on this beautiful summer night. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Dick Bargeron - die hard L3 and hydraulic shuttle fan

 

[knucklehead]

Hi, Dick

As you can see, I'm still in full drool over the L3's. This one has a particularly nice set of detailed photos. I think it's a good price, too.


My neighbor bought an L4330 this Spring with a Woods 600 series cutter and a serious hydraulic feed chipper (Valby CH-160). He's been using a little JD 650 for years and thought it might be time to upgrade since he now has over 200 acres. I think he accomplished his goal /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

It's got maybe 20 hours on it, and I had to put a new radiator in it yesterday - an errant 1" stick put a nice hole through the dust screen & core and cracked the shroud behind it - never touched any hoses, tin, plastic, or wiring - I can't even find a place where it looks like it rubbed on anything. It's so tight under there I can't see how it happened, but you sure can play peekaboo with the old rad now. He's going to keep it as a local repair shop said it would only be a few months before he could get recoring kits for it - he said the Chinese should be up to speed on the new parts soon. I thought that was an interesting comment.

Lessee, that's 6-7 hours with the RM990 at the advertised rate of "up to 4-1/2 acres per hour".........you musta done the neighbor's plot, too!!!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[rbargeron]

Did you borrow that brand-new little jewel and put a stick through the radiator? Or are you fixing it for someone who did? Oh well, it isn't a tractor if it doesn't have a few scatches and dings - that's what they're for. Glad it wasn't any worse and glad a replacement could be found for such a new unit.

I figured somebody might ask what I accomplished in all that seat time. If the grass is a foot tall or less, the going is smooth, and there are no obstacles to trim around, it is true you could theoretically push the 990 to do 4+ acres in an hour. But this spring has been unusual to say the least - and I must admit to jumping on the motorcycle instead on the few nice days - so my grass was well above hood height and dense. There are some apple trees to trim around and under, and about 1/4 mile of sloped-bank road frontage. So the average was more like 1 acre/hr. The 990 is a great mower but if the grass is longer than the deck, some of it gets bent down below the blade shrouds and doesn't get "full attention" as they say. So even after going slow the field doesn't look too good yet - I'll do a cleanup pass on it next week at the 4 acre/hr rate.

I sent a congratulatory email to the winning bidder on the 4150 - told him we were keeping an eye on it over here at TBN. What a great deal he got. Maybe he'll become a member (if he isn't already)

Take care,
Dick Bargeron

 

[knucklehead]

Dick - missed your post as I was off - I'm reluctant to get online in this beautiful weather and too pooped at night. Had to come back to work to rest!

My neighbor has a person come over a few hours per week and work, and he was on the tractor when the stick got put through. An experienced farm boy, he was pretty bummed about it. He had removed the radiator, then had an ongoing back problem flare up while hand clearing brush last week (pushing too hard in the heat?), so I got tapped to put in the new one. Funny thing is, Dick, I was actually thinking about your slick 2-speed PTO conversion while I was working - everything so clean, lovely new parts, well engineered product. The radiator is a Kubota replacement from the dealer.

I figured those published specs for the 990 were proabably "best case", i.e. whipping through 12" grass or something. I fired up the little 5' unit I got with the Blue Holland last week and mowed a 1/2 acre. Hopped up on a couple hidden stumps and was glad I had the seatbelt on even though it make sit harder to look behind.

I assume you mentioned "our" site to Mr. 4150...can't think of a better place for him!

 

[rbargeron]

I did indeed mention "our" site to him - he has visited TBN and he seems like one of us - drawn to this tractor like a moth to a flame. He was planning to take delivery this weekend, holiday or not, and get some seat time checking it out.

Actually I'm a little jealous - a brand new L3 is a thing to behold. I was out for a motorcycle cruise yesterday and stopped at a dealer who had most of the L and M product range lined up on the lawn. I walked along looking at the rear axle housings of the various models. When I finally got to one built as massively as the L3 I looked at the hood - it was an M8200 !!! Nuff said.

Dick Bargeron - power is good, weight is too. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[knucklehead]

Alright - yer beamin' thoughts into my head, ain't you!

Just this morning at breakfast, I was looking at a brochure that had the M5700/6800/8200/9000 tractors grouped and wondering where the older L3's fit in - I was comparing loader and hoe specs with the L48, too, and wondering the same thing about the L5450. This is gonna be a long disease, minimum 3-5 years. I have a little guy on my shoulder whispering "5 cylinders! 13 gpm pump! 2 ton 3-pt capacity! Power! Strength!" and another little guy on the other shoulder whispering "you live on 4 acres!"

Next to 240 where I cut wood for 2 families, though. And a field my neighbor is having difficulty getting cut & baled on his schedule.

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[rbargeron]

Wait a sec while I adjust the subliminal transponder here - there that should do it....

Compared to any of the present products, the L5450 is closest to the L48. The differences are: five cylinders vs four, hydraulic shuttle vs HST, removable 1150 loader instead of fixed 1150. wider front rubber (12x16.5), fully adjustable width of rear wheel placement, no fixed 4-post rops, slightly slower multiple motion of 11' hoe with 3" cylinders.

I think the L3 was over-built to compete with the massive Agricultural tractors by John Deere and others. Kubota's market researchers soon realized their target demographic was more toward the smaller-acreage customer so they stopped using so much iron and moved back to the lighter units that were common in their home market.

Some of us old farming types who have seen small tractors broken in half from jerking a big load around have a certain fondness for quiet mass and strength. Maybe we're just out of touch. But I've watched the discussions here for years and there is an unmistakable tendancy for people to move up in power and weight as they spend more years tractoring. Not everyone wants bigger - but many do.

Every time I think about moving to something lighter I run into some job that uses most of the L5450 and I snap out of it.

Take care, Dick B

 

[knucklehead]

Since this has kinda turned into a public email session between us - sometime could you scan in the specs for the L5450 for me? As I've mentioned a couple times, I really appreciate your sharing knowledge with us.

Lastly, could you tweak the transponder a little to the left - we've drifted over a few shades from orange to yellow, and I'm getting an odd desire to go home, study my specs for the JD110 TLB, and watch SpongeBob Squarepants.

 

[rbargeron]

So....would that be an interest in his yellow color or the low-maintenance underwater church? Readjusting the transponder, you could dig a wading pool with an ORANGE tractor. I'm too old to watch Nickelodeon - gives me a headache. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I'll stick with something I know - I'll scan my 5450 brochure and send you a .pdf

 

[knucklehead]

Dick - Big thanks! I'm again in full spec-lust, as I encounter a few things here and there that old 1700 won't do - tried to move concrete front steps which we suspected/confirmed were poured in place - ended up jacking and levering them away from the house by hand, a la pyramid engineering.

I PM'd you regarding cartoon silliness - don't want to overload another hard drive /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

As always - I very much appreciate your technical contributions and especially your peacemaking, even tempered style here on TBN.

Thanks, Dick!