Buying Advice Shopping Advice - Small L's
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gerard
Veteran Member
Re: Shopping Advice - Small L\'s
Only thing you might want to check on is your garage door height. When I bought my L2500DT [2/00] the folding ROPS was not even possible to get as an option. Dumb I know and my only complaint but you won't get in your standard garage door with the ROPS. It's a few inches too high. (Actually my muffler is even about 1/2 inch too high)
Only thing you might want to check on is your garage door height. When I bought my L2500DT [2/00] the folding ROPS was not even possible to get as an option. Dumb I know and my only complaint but you won't get in your standard garage door with the ROPS. It's a few inches too high. (Actually my muffler is even about 1/2 inch too high)
Anonymous Poster
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Re: Shopping Advice - Small L\'s
What is the reported asking price for tractor and loader? What seals are leaking? Seals are cheap, but depending on where they are the labor can be high or a no brainer.The L 2500 model you are looking at is a bottom end old style gear shifter between the legs, non live PTO I still believe and will not have the resale that most others will because of this style. The brite side is that there are plenty of people with non PS & 4X4 looking to move up and haft move to this type and the rest get a joy to drive tractor. And to there are many people stuck with graymarket junk that if they ever can find a sucker they with jump on a L2500,2600,3000. Good luck and hope this helps.
What is the reported asking price for tractor and loader? What seals are leaking? Seals are cheap, but depending on where they are the labor can be high or a no brainer.The L 2500 model you are looking at is a bottom end old style gear shifter between the legs, non live PTO I still believe and will not have the resale that most others will because of this style. The brite side is that there are plenty of people with non PS & 4X4 looking to move up and haft move to this type and the rest get a joy to drive tractor. And to there are many people stuck with graymarket junk that if they ever can find a sucker they with jump on a L2500,2600,3000. Good luck and hope this helps.
gerard
Veteran Member
Re: Shopping Advice - Small L\'s
tom does bring up one good point I forgot to mention, the NOn live PTO. This is a drawback for bushhogging and snowblowing. Since you're in CA I don't think the snowblowers a problem. The bushhogging is only a pain if you have a lot of maneuvering, backing etc to do (Non live PTO means when you throw in the clutch the PTO also stops turning, makes it difficult creeping backwards and cutting cause to have the pto turning you have to let the clutch out all the way) Re the resale, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Your expereience has already shown you that if you take care of a compact you'll get your money out of it. Yes you'll get less for a basic no frills one (which the DT IS) but then you also pay several thousand less in the first place!
tom does bring up one good point I forgot to mention, the NOn live PTO. This is a drawback for bushhogging and snowblowing. Since you're in CA I don't think the snowblowers a problem. The bushhogging is only a pain if you have a lot of maneuvering, backing etc to do (Non live PTO means when you throw in the clutch the PTO also stops turning, makes it difficult creeping backwards and cutting cause to have the pto turning you have to let the clutch out all the way) Re the resale, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Your expereience has already shown you that if you take care of a compact you'll get your money out of it. Yes you'll get less for a basic no frills one (which the DT IS) but then you also pay several thousand less in the first place!
OP
Harv
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Re: Shopping Advice - Small L\'s
Gerard, Tom -
Good points you bring up. When I talked to the dealer a couple of hours ago I specifically asked about the PTO and he said it does have live PTO. He even went on to explain all the variations on live and independent PTO's. Since you own one, Gerard, I'll put more stock in what you tell me. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif My brush-hogging will be mostly open field and road clearing. Don't expect too much fine maneuvering.
Yeah, the ROPS won't fit through the door as is, but I'm told it's the kind where the top section can be removed, inconvenient as that is. I hadn't thought about the exhaust stack, though. But from what I've read on this board, that's a more easily solved problem than the ROPS.
Gerard, Tom -
Good points you bring up. When I talked to the dealer a couple of hours ago I specifically asked about the PTO and he said it does have live PTO. He even went on to explain all the variations on live and independent PTO's. Since you own one, Gerard, I'll put more stock in what you tell me. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif My brush-hogging will be mostly open field and road clearing. Don't expect too much fine maneuvering.
Yeah, the ROPS won't fit through the door as is, but I'm told it's the kind where the top section can be removed, inconvenient as that is. I hadn't thought about the exhaust stack, though. But from what I've read on this board, that's a more easily solved problem than the ROPS.
gerard
Veteran Member
Re: Shopping Advice - Small L\'s
If you have mostly open field you won't mind the NON live PTO but I would check anyway just to see if the dealer knows what he's talking about, should be a good guage of his knowledge! I know I DON"T have a live PTO. Just go, fire up the tractor, have the dealer kick in the PTO and then tell him to throw in the clutch. If the PTO still runs at the same speed it's a live pto. Re the ROPS yes you can easily remove the top, just a bolt on each side and the top comes off. I haven't done it yet but shouldn't be too difficult. Just isn't hinged which, if I had to take it on and off the first thing I'd do is find someone who welds and have them weld a hinge on the back, then you could take out the bolt and just fold it down without having to muscle it around. The mufflers a different problem although it would be a pretty simple task to shorten that a little too if you had to.
If you have mostly open field you won't mind the NON live PTO but I would check anyway just to see if the dealer knows what he's talking about, should be a good guage of his knowledge! I know I DON"T have a live PTO. Just go, fire up the tractor, have the dealer kick in the PTO and then tell him to throw in the clutch. If the PTO still runs at the same speed it's a live pto. Re the ROPS yes you can easily remove the top, just a bolt on each side and the top comes off. I haven't done it yet but shouldn't be too difficult. Just isn't hinged which, if I had to take it on and off the first thing I'd do is find someone who welds and have them weld a hinge on the back, then you could take out the bolt and just fold it down without having to muscle it around. The mufflers a different problem although it would be a pretty simple task to shorten that a little too if you had to.
roysallis
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Re: Shopping Advice - Small L\'s
Harv,
From reading your posts it appears that you have ruled out all brands except Kubota. Maybe you should not limit your search. Even though Kubota is very good so are NH and JD. If you are open to other brands, even Massey Ferguson, you may be able to get that extra horsepower that I feel you really want. Try http://www.johndeere.com and go to the Farmers/Ranchers/Used Equipment section and see if they have anything in your area. Like the song says "Shop around".
Harv,
From reading your posts it appears that you have ruled out all brands except Kubota. Maybe you should not limit your search. Even though Kubota is very good so are NH and JD. If you are open to other brands, even Massey Ferguson, you may be able to get that extra horsepower that I feel you really want. Try http://www.johndeere.com and go to the Farmers/Ranchers/Used Equipment section and see if they have anything in your area. Like the song says "Shop around".
OP
Harv
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Re: Shopping Advice - Small L\'s
You're not the first one to make that suggestion, Roy. My broker has been saying the same thing.
All I can say is, I did a lot of research and gathered a lot of data before I started shopping. My conclusion was that, for me at least, Kubota was the right tractor. It would be politically incorrect for me to go into much detail here, especially since NH, JD and others are certainly fine tractors in their own right, so let's just call it an emotional choice at this point.
Remember, I have never owned a tractor before, so I don't know my keister from a hole in the ground, and I admit it. So in lieu of good arguments, let's just say I think orange goes better with my complexion. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif
You're not the first one to make that suggestion, Roy. My broker has been saying the same thing.
All I can say is, I did a lot of research and gathered a lot of data before I started shopping. My conclusion was that, for me at least, Kubota was the right tractor. It would be politically incorrect for me to go into much detail here, especially since NH, JD and others are certainly fine tractors in their own right, so let's just call it an emotional choice at this point.
Remember, I have never owned a tractor before, so I don't know my keister from a hole in the ground, and I admit it. So in lieu of good arguments, let's just say I think orange goes better with my complexion. /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif
W5FL
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Re: Shopping Advice - Small L\'s
Harv, Simply ask the dealer to demonstrate how you engage and disengage the pto. Put the tractor in gear and see if he can make the pto shaft rotate and the tractor not move.
For me, it is not that important of a consideration, since I can mow for a long time without needing to reverse directions.
Some tractors used a dual clutch to get a pto that could be kept going while the clutch was partially depressed.
Harv, Simply ask the dealer to demonstrate how you engage and disengage the pto. Put the tractor in gear and see if he can make the pto shaft rotate and the tractor not move.
For me, it is not that important of a consideration, since I can mow for a long time without needing to reverse directions.
Some tractors used a dual clutch to get a pto that could be kept going while the clutch was partially depressed.
