New tractor advice - 11 acres long driveway, Kubota/LS/Mahindra

[blackdogfarms]

If the criteria is loader capacity, look for a bigger tractor. I find it most comical to read all the rants about one dinky toy will lift 100 lbs more than another. A cut is not a dozer or a loader. That's why there are dedicated machines for the task. For fuel for the fire, get a Merlo Multi-farmer, more lift and pull with stability than you will ever need. Insert big smiling emoji here.

The criteria is not solely loader capacity. In my initial post I mentioned using my father's 25 hp loader all of my life and it was capable of hauling trees on the 3 pt hitch to picking up logs with the 4 - 1 bucket. Any tractor I purchase will be equal to better than that 25 hp so I will be satisfied. In many ways it is liek comparing pickup trucks. Do i need a 3/4 ton to pull my tractor and trailer twice a year, absolutely not, the 1/2 ton truck will do well with ease. If i did it every day 365 it would justify using a bigger truck. As many have mentioned a smaller tractor or less lifting capacity may just take a little longer. The defying factor here is cost. From what I can tell the cost seems to be relatively the same fiver or take $1k when financed. Differing opinions on the brands of tractors is what I was hoping for, to sway me one way or another.

 

[rScotty]

The criteria is not solely loader capacity. In my initial post I mentioned using my father's 25 hp loader all of my life and it was capable of hauling trees on the 3 pt hitch to picking up logs with the 4 - 1 bucket. Any tractor I purchase will be equal to better than that 25 hp so I will be satisfied. In many ways it is liek comparing pickup trucks. Do i need a 3/4 ton to pull my tractor and trailer twice a year, absolutely not, the 1/2 ton truck will do well with ease. If i did it every day 365 it would justify using a bigger truck. As many have mentioned a smaller tractor or less lifting capacity may just take a little longer. The defying factor here is cost. From what I can tell the cost seems to be relatively the same fiver or take $1k when financed. Differing opinions on the brands of tractors is what I was hoping for, to sway me one way or another.

You will use the transmission far more than you use any other aspect of the tractor. So put some time into getting what works for you.

My personal favorite is the 6 speed HST that Kubota offers on some models as the "HST plus". It is worth looking at just so you can compare how a top of the line HST works.

More gears are always better. If I couldn't have that HST+, I would choose an 8 speed with clutchless F/R shuttle. The shuttle shift saves real money and is nearly as handy as HST with bulletproof reliability. Any downside with shuttle-shift is minor - IMHO.

I would add a single front hydraulic remote to work a grapple, a bolt-on cutting edge to the FEL bucket, some chain hooks, and probably Universal tires for the additional side-hill stability they bring . That's about it.
good luck,
rScotty

 

[johncanfield]

You will use the transmission far more than you use any other aspect of the tractor. So put some time into getting what works for you. ...

Indeed. My old Kubota had 4 gears with high/low and a shuttle shift, the shuttle shift worked extremely well. My 4720 is a three range HST and after putting over 300 hours on it, it's absolutely perfect for my needs. The HST is significantly faster doing loader work and when I mow in and around trees. If I was mowing 50 or 100 acres or farming acreage, gears would be the way to go in my opinion.

 

[BRMyers]

I will put my vote in for the HST+. My dad, long time gear tractor owner likes it also. His only complaint was that when mowing long stretches or if he pulling a disc, his leg would get tired of holding down the peddle, so a gear tractor would be better (in his opinion).

I took him over to my tractor and showed him the switch on the right side of steering wheel, cruise control. Press it forward and it sets the speed and no more holding the peddle. He just walked away shaking his head.

 

[Egon]

Loader wise the height it can lift may be a factor.

 

[rScotty]

Loader wise the height it can lift may be a factor.

You are so right... The geometry changes throughout the lift, so the forces do to. Here's some notes I made one day when lifting some 3000 lb concrete culvert and placing them with the M59. I'm not usually so messy with my notes - this was done in the field - but at least it gives an idea of the lift versus height. Basically you can see that the tractor will lift two tons up a foot or two, but only one ton to max height.

If lift capacity is important, a graph is a good place to start with lift versus height.... and then put on your fact checking hat to figure out what their sales specs aren't saying.... This M59 graph is pretty good. Far better than most add-on FELs.

Obviously all the FEL manufacturers have this info available. They couldn't design for stresses without it.
rScotty

 

[Milo]

I have been on the tractor hunt for quite a while for our 11 acres in eastern NC, 3 acres of mowing broken up on three separate 1 acre lots, the rest is heavily forested with tractor navigable hardwoods.....

So far I have heard back from 1 Kubota dealer and the LS dealer with quotes.

My choices are Kubota L2501, L3301 OR L3901 (only difference is hp, loader capacity the same), LS MT235he and whatever equivalent Mahindra. LS and Mahindra have a higher rated front end load lifting capacity which i like. I am still waiting on more quotes through next week....

I believe an L2501 will do everything you wish to accomplish with no emission stuff requiring you to run the motor at high rpm all the time. I just got off mine after mowing down meadows which only get mowed once a year so you can imagine how high the grass/weeds/small saplings are. I have used a 5' rotary cutter but now use a 60" flail and it handles either. It can (just) lift its 66" bucket completely filled with crusher run stone which is the heaviest material I can fill it with. I have used the EA grapple to move everything from brush to 10-14 logs up to 16" diameter. I chose not to fill the tires for a number of reasons, instead utilize a ballast box (which costs little to no more than filling tires), is more effective counterbalancing the loader, and is removable for when hanging my RC or Flail off the back, and the additional weight of filled tires would be a detriment on a 25hp machine when mowing, especially up hill. Not to mention the mess trying to deal with flat tires! My L2501 does everything I need on my property, which consists of more than your 3 acres of mowing and far more acres of woods. If I had a lot more mowing to do I might consider an L3301 or L3901 just to run a 72" flail or RC but the 60" I use works just fine for my 6-7 acres once a year. If you mow frequently an L2501 should have no problem pulling a 72" finish mower. And it's nice doing loader and grapple work running a quiet, fuel sipping, 1,600 rpm, opposed to running the DPF motors close to max rpm "to keep them hot" so they don't have to go into frequent regen cycles.

 

[mattg43]

I am going to second Milo - I think a 2501 is where I would be at if I were financing a new one, for a couple of reasons.

First, to echo above, the lack of emissions regen stuff, but I am odd like that.

You mention 5' implements, and you should be fine with the size/power for those with 25hp. You are only looking at 150lb or so difference for the 3901 vs the 2501, so you are really only giving up HP, which isnt going to be that noticeable with the stuff you listed.

With the grapple, weight is pretty close, so will filled tires and counter balance you ought to be fine.

FEL and third function will be the same across all, so no worries there.

It will save you about $4-5k in costs, and resale, at least around me, is pretty strong for the 2501.

If you do decide you want to move up to 72, 84, or 96" wide implements, then the 3901 *might* save you from having to sell and go bigger, but if the difference is in loader causing you to upgrade, you are getting a bigger tractor no matter what, and you will have simply spent the extra cash for no benefit.

FWIW, if you can find a used 40 or 60 series Grand L at a dealer, that would be my suggestion otherwise, in a similar budget range.

 

[rScotty]

The lack of regen stuff makes a powerful argument for buying a used pre-emissions tractor. There are still plenty out there, but by now the best models are well known and priced accordingly. There are plenty in nice condition as well - often stored indoors, and that raises the price too.

In fact if we looked, I'd bet you could find a good used ten year old tractor with 500 hrs going for close to new tractor price. There's a reason people are willing to pay that premium.

One thing that the last couple of posters point out is that the pre-emission diesels are perfectly happy idling when they aren't working, and doing work at fairly low RPMs. I like to run mine in the 1200 to 1400 rpm range for most loader work. That is plenty to use the mid range HST and gives full loader speed. Sometimes I rev it up in reverse because that gear is lower; using the dashboard auto-idle feature to return to low RPM going forward. Lower RPM sure makes the jobs more enjoyable for me than listening to an engine wailing away at full chat all the time. That's crazy.
Plus I don't think there is any doubt about which tractor will last longer - and use less fuel doing it.
rScotty

 

[blackdogfarms]

I believe an L2501 will do everything you wish to accomplish with no emission stuff requiring you to run the motor at high rpm all the time. I just got off mine after mowing down meadows which only get mowed once a year so you can imagine how high the grass/weeds/small saplings are. I have used a 5' rotary cutter but now use a 60" flail and it handles either. It can (just) lift its 66" bucket completely filled with crusher run stone which is the heaviest material I can fill it with. I have used the EA grapple to move everything from brush to 10-14 logs up to 16" diameter. I chose not to fill the tires for a number of reasons, instead utilize a ballast box (which costs little to no more than filling tires), is more effective counterbalancing the loader, and is removable for when hanging my RC or Flail off the back, and the additional weight of filled tires would be a detriment on a 25hp machine when mowing, especially up hill. Not to mention the mess trying to deal with flat tires! My L2501 does everything I need on my property, which consists of more than your 3 acres of mowing and far more acres of woods. If I had a lot more mowing to do I might consider an L3301 or L3901 just to run a 72" flail or RC but the 60" I use works just fine for my 6-7 acres once a year. If you mow frequently an L2501 should have no problem pulling a 72" finish mower. And it's nice doing loader and grapple work running a quiet, fuel sipping, 1,600 rpm, opposed to running the DPF motors close to max rpm "to keep them hot" so they don't have to go into frequent regen cycles.

Interestingly Kubota only finances the L2501 for 60 months but the L 3301 and 3901 for 84 months at 0%. Essentially the 2501 and 3901 would be the same cost per month ($360), one just for 5 years versus 7 years. That tips the scale back to the 3901 now.

KUBOTA SELECT SUB-COMPACT/COMPACT TRACTORS - NEW TRACTOR PURCHASE SPECIAL OFFERS

A grand L would be absolutely awesome but there is no way I can afford that for 60 months at $580/mo