Newbie Lookin' for a Tractor

TxSam · Nov 1, 2001

Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

Howdy All,

Been lurking around for a couple of weeks trying to get educated and must say that this is a great forum. It is well run, full of useful information and seems to have a bunch of informed users.

Now for my question:

I'm looking for opinions on whether I should go with a Kubota L3010DT w/LA482 or a NH TC35/Case D35 w/LA16. From the little bit of reading and pricing around I've done it seems like they are close in price with the NH/Case being slightly more but having more power. My main use will being mowing and doing dirt work (general landscaping) on my newly purchased acreage. They may be a little large but, it seems to be the general concensus that buying large is not necessarily a bad thing. I definately will not go larger.

I like the NH/Case 35's compared to the 33's because of the shuttle tranny which is similar to the L3010. But I'm wondering if there are any other glaring differences between the two brands that I have not considered.

Any opinions?

Sam - Tractorless in Big 'D'

shade2u2 · Nov 1, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

How much acreage do you have?
Is it opened or have some trees?
I have a TC33D w/SS & loader used on 5 heavily wooded acres. It does fine for grading, brush-hogging, raking, etc, but for clearing land the TC45 would be better. Long term, I won't be clearing & the 33 is a better fit. If you have many trees to maneuver around, I would suggest this size. The TC35-45 seems to be much longer & heavier which would make it a little less maneuverable. If you like the TC35, I've heard alot of opinions suggesting going to the 45 - same size, but more horsepower with hopefully less stress/wearNtear on the engine. I thought the same way in going for the 33 over the 25 or 29...
I'm not as familiar with the Kubota. I chose the NewHolland because of price and dealer integrity. After the right size, the dealership is probably more important than the brand (green-orange-orBlue(red)).
I would also suggest at least 1 rear/secondary hydraulic valve. I bought one & will be installing it soon since I didn't get it on when I purchased the tractor new.

TxSam · Nov 1, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

I have about 13 acres, very few trees and fairly flat. Was/is old farm land.

The dealer will factor into my decision quite heavily, the closest dealer of all is a Case dealer (4 mi.) and they have plenty of D35's. There is a fairly close Kubota dealer (8 mi.) they seem nice but I'm not overly impressed with their spread. The best Kubota dealer and closest NH dealer are 30+ miles away, so that puts them at a disadvantage.

Thanks for the input. BTW, what type implements would use a aux. hyd. valve?

Sam - Tractorless in Big 'D'

MikePA · Nov 1, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

I agree with the importance of the dealer. I, too, was considering orange and blue. I stopped in at the closest orange dealer and the salesman was right out of the used car salesman genre'. The only estimate he gave me was a grand total, written on the back of a business card. The blue dealer (twice as far away) took me out on the lot, showed me the different tractors, showed me the differences, etc., and actually seemed to care. Since buying my TC25D I have had two very minor issues (one was my fault /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif) and the dealer has been fantastic. After reading TBN for 6 months, I have come to the conclusion that the different brands, while having slightly different features (which may be important to some people, e.g., the subcompact Kubota BX2200) are pretty equal. The big difference, IMHO, is the support you receive from the dealer.

shade2u2 · Nov 1, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

One secondary valve could be used for a hydraulic toplink which allows you to easily shorten & lengthen the toplink in order to tilt an implement. It could also be used for some post hole diggers & other implements set up for hydraulics. An optional second rear valve would allow you to power 1 hydraulic lower 3pt arm for tilting implements side to side & other implements that the experts here may be able to ellaborate on.

Kelvin · Nov 2, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

My question is "have you ruled out the hydrostatic transmission, and if so, why?".

The hydros are very reliable nowdays, are considered by most of the users on this board to be safer, and are considerably easier to use than a gear drive (I have a hyrostat Kubota and an older gear drive Kubota and will admit to not having any experience with the shuttle shift or glide shift transmissions).

I would have never guessed that my wife would drive a tractor while mowing, but now she takes the larger (nicer) hydrostat tractor and leaves me with the smaller gear-drive tractor when we have our "his-n-her" mowing afternoons.

Having said all of that, the Kubota L3010 is the only hydrostat Kubota that I've heard bad things about. With it, I've heard that it feels underpowered relative to the larger L series and even the smaller B series. I'm just guessing...but if it is underpowered I'd say that the L series must have a much more beefier hydrostatic transmission that robs more engine power than the B series do.

I do believe that the Kubota B2910 and B2710 will also handle most of your "long-term" duties. I also agree with the assessment that you probably won't ever regret going "too big"; but one day you may wish you had gone hydrostatic. I believe that there are a few threads on this board discussing transmission choices.

Kelvin

medfieldtractor · Nov 2, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

I agree with the remarks regarding the value of hydrostatic transmission. I have a Kubota B7500 with hydrostatic transmission and can't imagine going back to a geared transmission. Whatever loss of power there is on my B7500 is minimal. What I gain by the HST is significant improvement in ease and versatility of use. There are many circumstances where the pace of work, control and finesse, and even safety, are substantially improved by being able to move seamlessly from forward to reverse, and to be able to control the speed with considerable ease and precision. I also would strongly recommend looking closely at, and giving serious consideration to, hydrostatic vs. geared.

TxSam · Nov 3, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

Thanks for the input on the HST. I have considered going with the HST, but decided I would rather spend the money on more horsepower. I would go with HST before going with the standard type gear transmission, but with the shuttle type or GST the forward to reverse lever is conveniently located near the steering wheel which makes shifting from forward to reverse and back a little more simple for loader type work.

In the case of the NH, I was considering getting the TC33D which has HST, but then realized I could go up to the TC35 which not only has more h.p. but is a heavier tractor for less money, it seemed to me like an easy decision. But having said all that I'm still trying to work through the decision so we'll see what happens.

Sam - Tractorless in Big 'D'

MDNick · Nov 7, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

Sam,

I bought an L3010DT back in September. I love it. What can I say, I like gears. The extra cost of HST just isn't worth it to me, and I wouldn't have a GST. I like a clutch I can depend on to be engaged and/or disengaged when I want it to be and I know the difference because my foot is doing it. No, I did not drive a GST, I just didn't like the sound of it. The shuttle shift on the steering column of the DT makes it real easy to go back and forth for loader work. No it isn't as easy as rockin' the foot pedal on an HST, but still easy. The DT trainy is fully synchroed, so you really do not have to be completely stopped, rolling slowly is ok. I got the LA482 FEL, which is a nice unit. At times I think it (or the tractor) needs more hydraulic power, but it gets the job done. I have dug out several stumps with it, digging down to 3' or so in clay.
As any of the big 3 colors are, it is a fine tractor, and I think you would be pleased with an L3010DT. However, whatever you get, GET SOMETHING!!! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Nick

Farmer kid usetabe, Farmer Wannabe

PaulT · Nov 8, 2001

Re: Newbie Lookin\' for a Tractor

I have a 2710hst and 10+ acres of land in upstate NY. 3.5 acres of lawn, 4 acres of christmas trees/ponds, and 3 acres of forest/paths. It is moderatly hilly and swampy in areas. I have long term drainage projects, landscape projects, convert some xmas trees to grapes (need a dozer for that, though). I also have an 800 ft gravel driveway to maintain.

For loader work, especially filling in narrow ditches with gravel, without spilling gravel outside the ditch, an HST is a MUST. For grading and leveling with the box blade, I find frequent direction changes to help with picking up rocks and dirt. Here again, HST is a must if you are doing the work for hours at a time. The common reason here for the HST is precision. While I agree that you can get the same degree of precision with a gear tranny, the amount of footwork required (clutch, accel, brake) is excessive. And if you are facing backwards with the boxblade, you are more likely to miss the pedals and need to keep turning around even more often than with an HST.

WRT power, I don't think the 27 or 29 horse Kubota lacks power for any of the jobs you are likely to do. It is far more likely that whatever model you buy over 25 HP, you will loose traction before you will lose power. The implement that really taxes power the most is the boxblade with rippers engaged fully. In low range, through clay soil with rocks (hardpan), I can still chug through it. Once you are over the 25HP range, I really doubt the value of 5 extra HP over the value of the HST. Of course if you jump to 33HP, you also go to larger width implements (like the boxblade). I recommend that you find the tractor with the power to use a 5-6ft box blade and then get HST for it. Remember that the ratings are conservative. I have a 5 1/2 ft box blade, 27HP and I love the setup.

OTOH, Texas is considerably flatter (hill country included), and often drier than where we live. If you are going to primarily mow open fields with a 15 foot batwing mower - by all means get power over HST. But if you have the $$, get BOTH.

PaulT