Mainer needs a tractor and advice

Egon · Oct 3, 2005

Consider the requirements for landscaping and moving about in the woods. Too large a tractor may be awkward in some of these situations.

A snowblower on a smaller tractor may be better for heavy snowfalls. Note highway depts. will be using blowers when the snow gets real deep.

Grading a road can be done with the 30 HP. as can your other mowing jobs.

Used is hard to advise on as it will depend on the condition of the machine.

In summation It would appear you determined your needs and now just have to pick a tractor that fits the budget. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Do lots of shopping, it's fun, and take your time. Haunt the dealer sites and have patience. Sit on different brands and models till one says " I'm yours. "

Egon /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

n4807g · Oct 3, 2005

On the contrary...an 80Hp 8,000# tractor will push a lot of snow very fast. The only advantage a snowblower has is "blowing" the snow. With heavy wet snow you're ot of luck with a snowblower. With the Belarus 572 I've been using It'll push a pile of dripping wet snow effortlessly. I rarely see maintenance crews using snowblowers, they've always got front end loaders, sometimes with specially built snow buckets. I will grant you the lanscaping issue. You don't want to be driving a huge tractgor with AG tires on your lawn.

haszko · Oct 3, 2005

( .
just out of curiousity, what does a patent officer do? And do you have inventions of your own?

)

As a Patent Agent, I represent inventors and companies in order to obtain a patent. I've worked at the US Patent Office (which is actually in Virginia, not DC) and also have worked in private practice and in-house at a large Canadian corporation. I'm heading back to Maine next year to re-establish my solo practice in the middle of the Maine woods thanks to fax, phone, and email.

I don't have inventions of my own, though I've lots of ideas. Sort of the bus driver dilemma...last thing that a bus driver wants to do on their day off is take a bus ride!

DHD · Oct 30, 2005

I'm about 10 miles from Farmington.
For Kubota dealers I checked the ones in Faifield, Auburn, and East Dixfield.
I bought my B7800 from Osgoods in East Dixfield in May 2005.
Not only was it the closest dealer but also offered the best price.
I got my B7800 with a rear mounted 64" snowblower. I have not had a chance to try the snowblower yet.
This summer I used the B7800 with a 72 inch rear mounted finish mower to mow 6 acres and an 84 inch rear grader blade to grade my driveway with no complaints.
Not sure that I'd want to use my B7800 in areas where ground
clearance was an issue, like in some places of my woodlot.

Good luck

escavader · Oct 30, 2005

( Western Maine -- Farmington area ) 
Wow im from that area too,if you want a Kubota ,id buy it from Osgoods ,just outside of WILTON.been there 75 years,they are honest,and really know their stuff.I got a quote from 3 others,including another mentioned,they were within 50 dollars of the others.When i can i buy local,and local people work.fOR deere,MT BLUE AGWAY,and HAMMOND TRACTOR,in FAIRFIELD,aregood.I buy some filters and stuff for my BOTA,at HAMMOND[on my way],they treat me good even though they didnt get the big sale.They are the ones who had the low bid,but not enough from keeping me local.
ALAN

Yardster · Oct 30, 2005

I've heard lots of good things about Osgoods. I might have to check them out. Wescott and Sons in Gorham seems to be decent but they don't want to budge on price much. The prices here in the Northeast are high enough as is. Although, like most everyone here on TBN says, a good dealer is worth spending a couple extra bucks for.

escavader · Oct 30, 2005

Cindy OSGOOD is the third generation to run that outfit,and let me tell you she knows her stuff,Shes been there all her life,and shes the one to demo my BOTA.Her brother CHIP runs the service dept,and her dad is still around ,although i never met him.They never have hesitated day or night to help a farmer in need,from what i understand,now thats service.Some outfits say they are a family business,but they"walk the walk' Tell them i am promoting their business,mabey ill get another free sweatshirt ha ha /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
ALAN

HEC · Oct 31, 2005

If you plan on using a snow blower on the rear be sure the back up speed is slow enough to match the blower.If you go hst this will not be an issue.I have 700ft of drive and have tried all the alternatives over the past 15 yrs. here at my location and for my situation blowing is the best for large storms as it just gets the snow out of the way, and a rear mounted snow plow for the smaller ones as it so much faster.I have use of the bucket also.I have 100 plus acres with half fields and half woods and own an M5700 with creeper gears for the blower .I must say that weight and hp has a lot to do with how much you can push and pull so weigh all the alternatives closely.The M5700 is my third kubota and as others have stated dealer support is of great importance which ever brand you choose.Good luck and have fun with your new purchase.
Northern Maine

Jstpssng · Nov 2, 2005

I'm way up in Washington County (at least my tractor is) yet on the rare occasion it needs something, Osgood's is who I call for parts & advice. I fear I'll be buying a clutch soon; if that's the case it'll either be going to Dixfield, or to Wallingford's in Auburn.

haszko · Dec 3, 2005

The responses have been greatly appreciated and I've been reviewing various other threads to come to some conclusions based upon my current and future needs.

In my mind, a simple machine is better. Reliability is inversely proportional to complexity.

That said, I am 99.9% settled on a Kubota L3400DT. The 0.1% of uncertainty is concerning whether I should go with an HST instead of the gear drive. I'm a fairly coordinated fellow and don't imagine all the clutch work would trip me up terribly. However, I do have bad knees running in the family and already show some signs of a bum right knee.

Another issue is a rear snowblower I intend to use. If the lowest rear speed is too fast, I may bog down too much in the nice Maine snow. Clutch work can alleviate this, but that's neither good for the clutch nor my knees.

However, constantly manipulating the HST pedals are also a concern regarding bad knees....or does the required constant pedal pressure be a concern to me?

Throw in the fact that I do have some hills on my 10 acres and lots of woods and rocks for future FEL work, then I'm back thinking about the HST.

I've also seen it mentioned here that the HST may be more problematic than a simple gear drive. Not sure I understand those concerns. One thing that supports this concern is a recent Kubota recall notice....
PSB-2005-052
Date: 15 September 2005
Title L28 & 3400 HST; PTO “Ratcheting Noise”
Group Code PT06
Product Line L-series
Model Number (s) L2800HST, L3400HST
Service Information
Subject: On HST MODELS, a “Ratcheting” noise may be heard during rear PTO disengagement. This noise results from the overrunning action of the PTO clutch cams. The clutch cams absorb inertia during the shutdown mode of implements, such as a rear rotary cutter....

___________

Does anyone have any experience/opinion they can share regarding HST versus gear drive on the L3400? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I'm really close to making a purchase (at Osgood's in E.Dixfield).