smaller new tractor or larger used one?

bspeedy · May 6, 2016

Everyone seems pretty excited about the 'bigger' L3800. I just looked up the weight. The two tractors weigh the same. Rear lift is within 100 lbs of each other. 90% of the time, you will spin the tires before you bog the engine. At that point, 38 hp does nothing for you. Unless you are trying to run a 6' rotary cutter instead of a 5' (which I personally feel would be more than an L3800 should handle based upon it's physical size). If you want to spend 18 grand on a Kubota, I'd like to suggest a Grand L of the xx40 generation. More tractor than the standard L and will hold more value and do more work. Prices in my area on the L3200 and L3800 are insane. They seem to bring more than the Grand L's I see for sale. Another great tractor in the L3200 / L3400 / L3800 size is the New Holland TC30 or T1510 or T1520. Great machines that are designed well and hold up.

Good luck.

bh10 · May 6, 2016

If you are planning on using the loader for more than a couple hundred pounds, get the bigger tractor. Kubota's loaders arent the best in terms of capacity and worse on the smaller tractors.

If you've got a Kioti or LS dealer around I recommend looking there as well.

k0ua · May 6, 2016

bspeedy said:
Everyone seems pretty excited about the 'bigger' L3800. I just looked up the weight. The two tractors weigh the same. Rear lift is within 100 lbs of each other. 90% of the time, you will spin the tires before you bog the engine. At that point, 38 hp does nothing for you. Unless you are trying to run a 6' rotary cutter instead of a 5' (which I personally feel would be more than an L3800 should handle based upon it's physical size). If you want to spend 18 grand on a Kubota, I'd like to suggest a Grand L of the xx40 generation. More tractor than the standard L and will hold more value and do more work. Prices in my area on the L3200 and L3800 are insane. They seem to bring more than the Grand L's I see for sale. Another great tractor in the L3200 / L3400 / L3800 size is the New Holland TC30 or T1510 or T1520. Great machines that are designed well and hold up.

Good luck.

That is what I thought. That the L2501 and the L3800 were the same tractor with different engines.
Why are we thinking that the L3800 is larger and will do more work? why are we thinking the loader is stronger or any of these things? We are talking about engine horsepower here.

the old grind · May 6, 2016

I'll speak up from 12 yrs exp with a Ford/NH 1520 and two now with NH T1520. Both HST, and I agree that these two, the T1510, and TC 30 are pretty much the same tractor except engine size. (7108, 7308, TL110 FELs and hydraulic PSI/CFM near triplets, too) The 1.3L 1520 was rated ~23hp engine, ~19hp PTO. The 1.7L T1520 is rated ~35hp engine and 28hp PTO, IIRC.

I've thought back a few times that I might rather have went for the 1.5L 1510 (a 'short stroke' 1.7) if only for fuel economy. My BH is all of 6' and I won't hitch it to my #1 with a Cat II Deere for heavier work (7' disk, etc). We don't need to operate our CUTs at rated rpm if we choose the right gear to harness maximum torque, but there are reasonable limits and other considerations and I'll expand on that.

When tilling with 60" KK I'm shy of running at 'PTO' rpm for vibration

etc, but at 2200 vs 2600 I can break fresh ground 4-6" deep on the first pass, no prob. Were my BH only a 5' I might feel that the 'bigger' (hp) NH was up to the task, but IMO with no reserve. IOW, I'd be confident with most any implement just wider (ie: 60") than my tractor if I had the oats to horse it. YMMV

Opinion: The older 1520 IMO wouldn't offer much for PTO use, perhaps a chipper or generator, but I wouldn't have wanted the MMM mower from its former life, or the narrower 48" or so tillers, BBs, BHogs, snowblowers, etc that IMO are better suited to its power class.

I see such a similarity to the OP's situation that, well ... for ~$18k I got my T1520 with just and FEL and the L3800 'package' sounds like a sure winner to me. (.. also agree that the lo hrs are moot on the L3800)

Oh btw, Since I'm harnessing about the same 'power' to do my tasks I find the 'thirst' surprisingly similar between the 1.3L and the 1.7L machines, both just either side of 1gal/hr.

k0ua · May 6, 2016

Lets compare a few specs.

L2501 L3800
Weight 2425 to 2623 pounds 2480 to 2668 pounds

Wheelbase 63.3 inches 63.3 inches

rear tires industrial 15 19.5 15 19.5

Loader La525 La524

Lift at pin 1131 lbs 1131 lbs

These are the EXACT same tractor with different engines.. One is NOT larger than the other. One has more horsepower than the other, And the new one has a full warranty. Getting numbers to line up in a table on this forum is just about impossible.

arrow · May 6, 2016

I wouldn't be all hopped up on "0%" financing at all. My tractor ended up being a bit cheaper in the long run with a loan from my CU than the 0% the manufacturer was offering. Why? Because the interest was already built in to the 0% price. The same tractor was $1200 cheaper with regular financing.

newbury · May 6, 2016

k0ua said:
Lets compare a few specs.

L2501 L3800
<snip>
Loader La525 La524

<snip>
These are the EXACT same tractor with different engines.. One is NOT larger than the other. One has more horsepower than the other, And the new one has a full warranty. Getting numbers to line up in a table on this forum is just about impossible.

C'mon - There's a whole kilo different in the loader!

hdmyers · May 6, 2016

Teachu2 said:
No - that's VW....

No manufacturer is going to do that. That's some salesperson's dream. "Well, the new F-150 can actually carry 43 tons, or tow 2.8 million pounds - but we de-rate them to keep your registration fees down." If the engine produces 34hp, they'll claim 34hp.

*** Actually, this happens often. VW claims 200hp on their 2.0t...and made much much more. Any restricted power scheme will have the same outcome of underrated engine numbers. cheers.

the old grind · May 6, 2016

Heh, my only point/case is that the extra power is nice to have, adds versatility, and is why I'm glad I stepped up. I didn't want 'bigger', just stronger, and don't feel burdened by any difference(s) or lack of them

James, point taken about size, tho' it's not what some of us are encouraging. (esp YT) This is hardly a matter of paying more and not getting something. More like paying the same and getting a few extras with more power to use 'em, if nothing else.

grm61 · May 6, 2016

k0ua said:
Lets compare a few specs.

L2501 L3800
Weight 2425 to 2623 pounds 2480 to 2668 pounds

Wheelbase 63.3 inches 63.3 inches

rear tires industrial 15 19.5 15 19.5

Loader La525 La524

Lift at pin 1131 lbs 1131 lbs

These are the EXACT same tractor with different engines.. One is NOT larger than the other. One has more horsepower than the other, And the new one has a full warranty. Getting numbers to line up in a table on this forum is just about impossible.