Spend my money.

[muddstopper]

I already know what a Kubota L4240 with a 6ft bushhog will do on steep ground. You can try it and we will decide what you think when you hit the bottom, either on its wheels or on its top. I dont hold out much hope for the L3200 either.

The primary factor influencing tractor stability is the spread/stance of the rear wheels/tires. The Kubota L4240 has rear tire/wheel spread adjustment of 12" as a standard feature with both R1/ag or R4/industrial tires. Did you set the wheels wide on the L4240?

The second factor is wheel ballast. Loading tires 50% to 75% with ballast improves tractor stability by lowering the center-of-gravity. Were the L4240 rear wheels ballasted with liquid or wheel weights?

Third stability factor is ground clearance. Less ground clearance is better than more for stability. R1/ag tires increase ground clearance over R4/industrial tires.
What tires did you have on the L4240?


The Three Point Hitch tractor has been marketed in the USA since 1939. Patents on the Three Point Hitch and TPH hydraulic controls expired in 1955. Since 1955 (66 years) all traditional compact tractors have been designed and produced around the Ferguson Three Point Hitch, worldwide.

The Three Point Hitch tractor design is generic.​

When T-B-N correspondents correlate any TPH tractor brand directly with stability it invites skepticism.

Best tractors I have found for wood work are the older Massy Ferguson models, (235, 245's). It just seems to me they are more stable and heavier weight wise.

Ground clearance of MF245 (1976-1983) is 9.4 inches.
Weight, diesel, 4,050 pounds bare tractor.
Width 71"

I dont know the details on the l4240, it was a borrowed tractor. It did have ag tires and they where fluid filled. About all I can say about that. I didnt know the weight of the mf 245, but the low ground clearance and weight sort of explains the pulling ability. Just a little more comparison info to help in my search.

I have ran farm tractors skidding logs since the late 1960's, early 1970's. Not commercial logging, persi, but we cut 5ft pulpwood until I went to work for the railroad in 1976. I am no stranger to running a tractor, I just dont know anything about this new stuff. I want HST because of a metal knee. I want a tractor to mow and maintain the field on the farm. A loader for loading logs on a bandsaw mill and moving lumber, a scrape to maintain my driveway and a tiller to work a garden. Most any tractor will do those things, some just better than others. I dont like JD or Kubota, I have my reasons and enough said about that.

 

[Williy]

IMHO John Deere & Kubota are the most
expensive tractors plus the options which
are standard on other tractors will cost you
a heap of dough!

Your best bet is to try all the tractors you can
so you can get the feel of what you want and
is the tractor going to be easy to operate as
are the controls easy to reach operate etc.
Everyone has an opinion on which is the
best tractor but you have to decide which is
the best one to fit your needs. You will get
a lot of good advice from the guys here however
its going to be your tractor so you need to test
drive all the tractors you can to make a decision
because you are the one that will be using it!

willy

 

[jeff9366]

Ground clearance of MF245 (1976-1983) is 9.4 inches.
Weight, diesel, 4,050 pounds bare tractor.
Width 71"

I didnt know the weight of the mf 245, but the low ground clearance and weight sort of explains the pulling ability.

I don't like itybitty tires on the front, but I don't need a set of super swampers either.

Kubota M5660SU Dimensions​

Dimensions
2WD Wheelbase:	82 inches 208 cm
4WD Wheelbase:	80.7 inches 204 cm
2WD Length:	138.7 inches 352 cm
4WD Length:	136 inches 345 cm
Width:	73.2 inches 185 cm *
Height (ROPS):	95.3 inches 242 cm
2WD Weight:	4189 lbs 1900 kg
4WD Weight:	4387 lbs 1989 kg
Ground clearance:	16.3 inches 41 cm
2WD Front tread:	55.9/71.7 inches 141/182 cm
4WD Front tread:	51.2/55.1 inches 130/139 cm
Rear tread:	52/67.7 inches 132/171 cm

Page information
Last update:	June 9, 2021
Copyright:	Copyright 2021 TractorData LLC
Contact:	Peter@TractorData.com

Kubota LA1154 Loader
Height (to pin):	132.7 inches 337 cm
	117.2 inches 297 cm (power position)
Clearance, dumped bucket:	101.5 inches 257 cm
	85.5 inches 217 cm (power position)
Dump reach:	18 inches 45 cm
	35.9 inches 91 cm (power position)
Dump angle:	43°
	60° (power position)
Reach at ground:	76.7 inches 194 cm
Rollback angle:	43°
Lift to full height (at pin):	2469 lbs 1119 kg
	2928 lbs 1328 kg (power position)
Bucket width:	72 inches 182 cm
Raise time to height:	4.7 s
Bucket dump time:	2.8 s
Lowering time:	3.6 s
Rollback time:	3.0 s

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

The other thing to consider is whose engine, and the parts availability for it.. Go on eBay and look for parts to fit the engine.

Talk to local independent tractor repair shops, most rural towns have at least one. They will have experience repairing multiple brands and models. And, in sourcing parts for them. They don’t have a vested interest in any of the brands, and will generally give you the straight scoop on which one they would buy.

 

[rScotty]

Anyone not familiar with the HST transmission should know that just like the other popular transmissions like GST or other Powershifts, the more transmission ranges you have on a tractor the better it is.

Kubota's HST+ tranny has six ranges - it's real handy and gets used everyday. Extra ranges sure do make the tractor work better. The HST+ is a Kubota option, but has been out since 2007, so I imagine most other makes offer a similar upgraded transmission.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

Who's your closest dealer and are they willing to pick it up for servicing?

This can be a deciding factor and why I went with Massey.

 

[mike0000]

I’m not here to bash any tractor manufacturer, I’ll discount my advice from $.02 to free.
I bought a new Branson 3510 in 2004, it’s been a great tractor until this July 2021(thread about it in the Brandon/century section)
I lost hydraulics in early July, and with help from this forum I was able to dive into repairs on my own. The hydraulic drive gear inner spline was wiped out, this gear drives the hydraulic pump.
My first parts order from my local dealer, (that no longer sells Branson tractors, but will repair and order parts) were wrong, wrong gear, bearings and hydraulic pump. It took several calls to Branson to hopefully get the correct parts ordered, the gear however has to come from Korea and could be months, as of today 8-27-2021 I’m still waiting almost two months later.
cost of parts will be over $1200 ( Gear, bearing, hydraulic pump, bearing housing and two gaskets).
This lead me to decide I will not keep the tractor after it’s repaired.

I decided the Kubota L3901 was the right tractor with dealership support for me. Yes I paid more for the brand name
but I’m getting too old to worry about the Branson breaking down again and poor support (at least in my area), or if I will be able to get the parts I need in a timely manor.

Wednesday my new tractor was delivered, I was told 4-6 weeks, it took less than two.
My dealership has seven branches (Jacobi Sales), I recommend only buying a Tractor from a dealership you think will be around to support your needs for a long time.

Mike

 

[RookieWelder]

... I want HST because of a metal knee. ...

A point to consider that you may or may not have thought about - there are 2 pedal types that I have seen on HST tractors. One is a single pedal (like a treadle) that you rock forward to go forward and rock back to go in reverse. The other is two separate pedals side-by-side, the leftmost one to go forward and the right-most one to go in reverse. You will want to make sure that the position you need to get your foot into isn't going to cause you discomfort if that metal knee is in your right leg.

I am a new tractor owner, just reaching 50 hours with my Kioti KD5310SE. It has the side-by-side pedals and I find them more comfortable to use than a single treadle pedal. YMMV.

 

[muddstopper]

Been away since my last post. 45th year wedding anniverary and, well you can guess the rest of the story.
Anyways, at least one person seems to agree with my thoughts on the JD and Kubota tractors. As for a dealer close to me. Nearest ones I know of are both out of state and they carry the exact same brands, Kubota and New Holland. They did carry JD, but with the new Agco dealerships JD stripped them of being able to sell them. Actually there is a new agco dealership just down the road from me, they dont have hardly anything in stock and I aint likely to go looking. I dont look for them to stay in business long. There just isnt much big farms close and there main customer will probably be someone like me just looking for a garden tractor. I have been searching dealer and auctions, got my eye on a Massey 2605 with cab and loader, sycro trans. A little bigger than I was looking for but current bid is $17000 and it is in My state, altho on the other end of the state. I still havent looked at any Yanmar's, actually havent even looked for a Yanmar dealer yet. But Yanmar has made my short list. I was told there is a Kioti dealer about 75 miles away and I might make the trip just to see what they got. In fact, the nearest massey dealer is in the same area so I might kill two birds with one stone.

 

[jeff9366]

Massey Ferguson 26053​

2007 - 2018 2600 Series Utility tractor TAFE built

Series:

2605

Production
Distributor:	Massey Ferguson (a part of AGCO)
Manufacturer:	TAFE / India
Type:	Compact Utility tractor
Original price:	$13,166 (2009 )

Massey Ferguson 2605 Power
Engine (gross):	38 hp 28.3 kW
PTO (claimed):	32 hp 23.9 kW (live)
Dimensions 2WD Wheelbase: 76 inches 193 cm 4WD Wheelbase: 77 inches 195 cm Length: 129 inches 327 cm (2WD) 130 inches 330 cm (4WD) Height (ROPS): 92 inches 233 cm 2WD Shiping weight: 4080 lbs 1850 kg 4WD Shiping weight: 4530 lbs 2054 kg Clearance (drawbar): 10 inches 25 cm

Transmission:	CenterShift
Gears:	8 forward and 2 reverse
Clutch:	dry disc
Four gears, plus reverse, with high and low ranges

Massey Ferguson DL250 (4WD) Loader
Height (to pin):	123 inches 312 cm
Breakout force (lift):	2,747 lbs 1246 kg
Lift to full height (at pin):	2,952 lbs 1339 kg
Lift to full height (at 800mm):	1,780 lbs 807 kg

No width shown.