Buying Advice Looking to get first tractor

[fruitcakesa]

"The L4701 is a bit of an orphan in Kubota's lineup. Consider the three-model MX series too, if you want a heavy basic machine with an assured future" Leningrad
absolutely

sounds as if you're getting good advice here for the difficult (& expensive) decision. personally, i would be selecting a model based on your future needs & tasks. purchasing a tractor based on it's storage capacity to me is a backwards approach. lots of affordable options of storing elsewhere
get the biggest one possible then step up a size no really, don't limit yourself w/garage door height. it's too important a decision
best regards on your decision

I had a similar issue when I bought my M after owning an L that fit just fine in my drive shed.
After smashing into the roof trim board the first time I tried to get in, I removed about 4" of gravel from the shed floor and 1 inch from the trim board and if I go in carefully , I can safely park inside.

 

[PaulL2]

This is good information to have, I知 not really sure where to go now as to which model. I definitely need to have a place to store it and don稚 have a taller door....

Your options are to adjust your shed / get a new shed, or to buy a tractor that fits. I'm assuming you would buy a tractor that fits, if it were me I'd probably use it as an excuse to get a new shed.....who doesn't need a new shed?

Anyway, if you need a tractor that fits then we know:
1. You can't have a cab. Sounds like no cab models fit
2. You can't have an L3560, or probably any Grand L
3. You can have an L3901 or an L4701, or an MX

So, there's your choices. They're all good tractors, I see some people suggesting that if you were looking at an L4701 that an MX would be a better buy. So that probably cuts it down to an L3901 or an MX. And with any of those, you'll need to remember to put the ROPS down every time you go in the shed, and put it up again when you come out. If you're like me that actually means leaving the ROPS permanently folded, or occasionally forgetting and whacking the top of your ROPS into the shed. It'll be the shed that will break, not the tractor. If you do it enough times it'll make a hole, then the tractor will fit with ROPS up.

 

[Tractorable]

This is good information to have, I’m not really sure where to go now as to which model. I definitely need to have a place to store it and don’t have a taller door....

A cab protects the tractor, its own garage in and of itself, protects all the controls from dust, moisture, ice/snow, rodents, etc. Since you live in Vermont, consider a cab tractor parked outside until you can afford a shed to put it in.

 

[TheMadOne]

A cab protects the tractor, its own garage in and of itself, protects all the controls from dust, moisture, ice/snow, rodents, etc. Since you live in Vermont, consider a cab tractor parked outside until you can afford a shed to put it in.

This isn't bad advice. I take delivery of a cab tractor today. It will live outside, as have every tractor my family has owned since great-granddad drove his Farmall Cub home from the dealer. The L3301 survived 3 years in the yard with no real harm other than being dirty.

 

[tradosaurus]

Well that may have made my choice easier as I have all 84 inch garage headers! How far off are the grand L from going under the 84 inch header? I definitely need something that will fit in one of the garages.

Before I bought my L3301 I made sure to get a metal carport tall enough to fit it with the ROPS up. Lowering the ROPS is a real pain in the :donkey:

 

[leningrad]

Hey thanks for all the information, all useful for sure! At this point I’m still on the fence really about this as one of the main uses will be to maintain the driveway from both a snow removal and grading it. How would the 3901 handle these tasks? I am ok with being out in the cold but want some opinions as to how this tractor will handle this as now we are hiring out the job in the winters and it isn’t cheap lol I would like to have a tractor the size of the 3901 but heavy like the 4060 but obviously sacrifices must be made as it doesn’t seem as that exists really. As for the financial aspect obviously less is better but I am one to buy once cry once and like to try to get it right the first time. The 4701 is kind of a odd ball in the lineup and as some have pointed out may affect resale so that’s something to think about. Also was thinking about offering my services to mow some overgrown fields to neighbors if I have a tractor so I’m guessing the 3901 would be competent at this task too .... sorry but I don’t have much real world experience and most say go bigger and it makes me wonder how capable these smaller ones are.

 

[wagne223]

Before I bought my L3301 I made sure to get a metal carport tall enough to fit it with the ROPS up. Lowering the ROPS is a real pain in the :donkey:

View attachment 595805

One modification that made my life easier was to grind the threads off the ROPS bolts. Now they slide in and out and are held in place by the hair pins.

Like Jeff, mine is folded and extended every time I use the tractor. So threading them in and out every time got old quick.

Another option would be a bolt with an actual hex head on it. Then it could be removed and installed with a power tool.

 

[Fallon]

Hey thanks for all the information, all useful for sure! At this point I’m still on the fence really about this as one of the main uses will be to maintain the driveway from both a snow removal and grading it. How would the 3901 handle these tasks? I am ok with being out in the cold but want some opinions as to how this tractor will handle this as now we are hiring out the job in the winters and it isn’t cheap lol I would like to have a tractor the size of the 3901 but heavy like the 4060 but obviously sacrifices must be made as it doesn’t seem as that exists really. As for the financial aspect obviously less is better but I am one to buy once cry once and like to try to get it right the first time. The 4701 is kind of a odd ball in the lineup and as some have pointed out may affect resale so that’s something to think about. Also was thinking about offering my services to mow some overgrown fields to neighbors if I have a tractor so I’m guessing the 3901 would be competent at this task too .... sorry but I don’t have much real world experience and most say go bigger and it makes me wonder how capable these smaller ones are.

I had a L3200 for 3 years & am pushing that on the L4060 now.

There were a few snows the L3200 couldnt plow. I got a blower & still plowed 75% of the time, but could flip around & blow when needed.

My L4060 had no issues with a plow except pushing uphill with no chains until yesterday. Google Colorado bomb cyclone & see the before & after pictures attached. The L4060 was not half the tractor for the job.

Irionically my L3200 & blower might have stood a chance at working those 8' packed drifts with no room to work. I could claw through drifts a foot at a time back dragging. A L3200 could have done the same but slower. But plowing normal snow the L3200 tops out at a little over a foot where the L4060 will do up to 2' & wider.

Neighbors wanted tractor work & I spun up a side gig with the L3200. Mostly mowing, mostly up to finger sized brush, some 1' or so material. Pasture & field type stuff. It did fine. I wanted more power at times (for grass actually, it's eats more HP than brush suprisingly). But it did the job.

I got enough work I was able to justify upgrading to a cabbed machine with more bells & whistles. So I upgraded to the L4060HSTC after looking at all the brands. I still often feel underpowered. But that means you just mow a little slower & get the job done all the same. I want more power, but budget wise it was & still is the fight call instead of going to a bigger Grand L.

The L4701 might be a little odd, but not much & I wouldnt wory about it. It's a Kubota & resale if you care about that wont be that different than another Kubota.

Always remember that weight is what makes a tractor work (except for PTO tasks), HP just defines how fast it will get the job done. My L4060 would literally plow circles around the L3200 in 1' of snow despite only 8hp more & a worse power to weight ratio. Weight is traction & ballast to enable you to pull harder & lift heavier.

 

[TheMadOne]

Hey thanks for all the information, all useful for sure! At this point I’m still on the fence really about this as one of the main uses will be to maintain the driveway from both a snow removal and grading it. How would the 3901 handle these tasks? I am ok with being out in the cold but want some opinions as to how this tractor will handle this as now we are hiring out the job in the winters and it isn’t cheap lol I would like to have a tractor the size of the 3901 but heavy like the 4060 but obviously sacrifices must be made as it doesn’t seem as that exists really. As for the financial aspect obviously less is better but I am one to buy once cry once and like to try to get it right the first time. The 4701 is kind of a odd ball in the lineup and as some have pointed out may affect resale so that’s something to think about. Also was thinking about offering my services to mow some overgrown fields to neighbors if I have a tractor so I’m guessing the 3901 would be competent at this task too .... sorry but I don’t have much real world experience and most say go bigger and it makes me wonder how capable these smaller ones are.

Have you explored other brands? I'm no expert, but it wouldn't surprise me to see a Mahindra with your desired size/weight ratio.

 

[rbtjr]

Hey thanks for all the information, all useful for sure! At this point I’m still on the fence really about this as one of the main uses will be to maintain the driveway from both a snow removal and grading it. How would the 3901 handle these tasks? I am ok with being out in the cold but want some opinions as to how this tractor will handle this as now we are hiring out the job in the winters and it isn’t cheap lol I would like to have a tractor the size of the 3901 but heavy like the 4060 but obviously sacrifices must be made as it doesn’t seem as that exists really. As for the financial aspect obviously less is better but I am one to buy once cry once and like to try to get it right the first time. The 4701 is kind of a odd ball in the lineup and as some have pointed out may affect resale so that’s something to think about. Also was thinking about offering my services to mow some overgrown fields to neighbors if I have a tractor so I’m guessing the 3901 would be competent at this task too .... sorry but I don’t have much real world experience and most say go bigger and it makes me wonder how capable these smaller ones are.

We had a L3800 prior to our MX5800 (and a M5400 prior to our L3800). Both HST, which is IMO a real plus. The L3800 did everything we wanted with the sole exceptions that (a) there were times when we wanted more FEL lifting capacity and (b) there were times when we would have preferred a heavier tractor, usually when we had a max load on the FEL (and we had both loaded rear tires and 800+ lbs ballast on the L3800). Also, we added 4" spacers to each rear wheel on the L3800, which helped a lot with stability. The MX5800 is noticeably more stable and stouter, which you would expect. When we bought the MX5800 we also carefully considered a L4701. We opted for the MX because IMO it was a lot more tractor for a reasonable increase in cost.