Buying Advice Ready to buy another one!

[lennyzx11]

I think I have a buyer for my L3301 lined up. It's with regret that I sell it.

I hope Fallon sees this. Since you went to a Grand L from your 3200, I'd like your comments and advice as that is what I'm thinking about.

We are in the process of loading up and moving to Vermont from Oklahoma.
Though I really liked my 3301, as one gentleman on here put it succinctly,

"It's easier to move the tractor and 15 some odd implements in your billfold."

So I'll be restarting from new for a 10 acre farm on flat land and be learning to deal with snow and driveway maintenance along with a vegetable garden and hopefully some small crop to at least say I'm a farmin!

It'll have to be able to pull a mower set up also as there is most of it now manicured lawn. So with the high water table there, l think I'll try to get the industrial tire's this time or turf. No Ags to rear up the yard I think. We will see.

Also open to any recommendations. Going to be new, pull at least a 6 ft mower, 4wd. And a cupholder. And a grapple/loader.

 

[jeff9366]

Kubota L4760 with factory radial tire option. Bare tractor 3,571 pounds. Time for you to enjoy the Grand L Club too.

You lose 3% of engine power for each 1,000 feet increase in altitude, after 500 feet. Fallon will confirm from 7,000'.


L3301 bare tractor 2,778 pounds.


LINK TO T-B-N ARCHIVE: tractor radial tires site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

 

[Morning Wood]

You’re also going to learn about rocks.

 

[lennyzx11]

You’re also going to learn about rocks.

Oh man. I live on a rock pile now. I was hoping that I'd get some relief!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Congrats on the move.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Talk about culture shock going from OK to VT! LOL!
Awesome. I bet not many people make that move.

I also think your gonna have a shock how heavy granite is per ft2.

I like Jeff's suggestion for a model.

And yes, mud season will be a new experience for you. In case you don't know, it's not mud season in the spring because of the rain (although that makes it worse). It's the thaw of the 3-4ft of frost in ground. As you know, frozen water expands, and when it thaws, it leave 3-4ft of loosened water-laden earth (at least in places with that much soil). Once you get into it... it can be effectively bottomless and ag tires only make this worse. You have to "float" on top of it or nothing in my experience.

:2cents:

 

[Fallon]

I'll attest to the lack of oxygen. I assume it's as hard on the machine as it is on me. Doing the mowing I am now I with i had more power, but my L4060 gets the job done.

In general the cabbed Grand is a very noticeably bigger heavier machine. It's harder to tow. I can't fold the ROPS & drive it into my shop (it still fits in the barn easily). It does mark up the pasture a bit even in 2wd when its dry, mostly when turning tight. The smaller machine was a bit more nimble & could squeeze in tighter places.

But I wouldnt ever go back. A 72" track (I can go wider, but dont feel the need) is way more stable than my 60" L3200, even though the Grand, especially cabbed is a lot taller. HST+ makes life a lot easier. It has the same crappy shifting crash box 3 speed every HST has, but with the 2 speed shift on the fly HST+ you don't have to shift the crash box often. The extra weight & traction is nice, but I dont need it that often. I seem to get mostly mowing as gigs rather than driveway maintnance. The Grand will pull a lot more material in a box blade, even when I doubled the weight of the box blade (72" King Kutter to an old beat up 76" Gannon).

I did puncture 2 of the R4s on the L3200, 1 front & 1 rear. The L4060 has been over more mowed brush stumps by far already with no signs of tire damage at all. If you are only going to be mowing lawn or maintained pasture you may consider turf, but i couldn't get away with thinner tires. Turfs might make a Grand work for lawn mowing, but R4s aren't appropriate. Fine for a pasture or field, dont care about some scuffing or mildly torn grass there, but it's not lawn. Stay with a smaller machine (or go with turfs) if you want a lawnmower. We have a house on 5 acres of pasture or field. Somebody a few houses down might have a lawn, but I'm not sure.

I could mow our 5 acres in an afternoon with the L3200. The L4060 doesnt noticeably improve on that. But I wouldnt want to be doing the 8-15 acre jobs of heavier brush I've done recently with less than the L4060. Those jobs are taking 1-3 longer evenings.

Basically it boils down to a bigger more capable machine that comes with issues & cost you'd expect from a bigger & nicer machine. I couldn't rationalize the upgrade for our property back then or in hindsight. But at this point with a couple side jobs per month the tractor makes it's own payment. I'm not really making anything while paying it off, but I have a much nicer toy I dont end up filthy using. If our property was double the size I'm still not sure if i could justify the bigger machine for pretty much only mowing. But Colorado isnt known for massive plant growth other than a bit here in the spring.

 

[lennyzx11]

Kubota L4760 with factory radial tire option. Bare tractor 3,571 pounds. Time for you to enjoy the Grand L Club too.

You lose 3% of engine power for each 1,000 feet increase in altitude, after 500 feet. Fallon will confirm from 7,000'.


L3301 bare tractor 2,778 pounds.


LINK TO T-B-N ARCHIVE: tractor radial tires site:tractorbynet.com - Google Search

Luckily, I am moving to SW Vermont. The elevation is comparable to where I'm at now at 817 ft.

 

[lennyzx11]

All, I have about talked myself in keeping what I have. The devil you know and all that.

 

[Morning Wood]

Oh man. I live on a rock pile now. I was hoping that I'd get some relief!
View attachment 555190

Well, you actually might be right. My sister lives in Vermont and she doesn’t have any rocks. I might be thinking of Maine.