Glad you mentioned that, Chuck. About the only time that power requirements are a priority over weight/traction is if you're using a PTO driven implement.
My
L3400 runs out of traction even with R1's long before the engine is overloaded doing 90% of the work I use it for. About the only time the engine has any amount of load is using the rotary cutter, and I've never had enough load on that to bog the engine down. I could use more weight though..
Sean
I use a
chipper that takes a 4" X 6" maximum size piece of wood, and have had no issues whith power. I have 26 HP from the engine, and 20, or so on the pto. If I were going to trade, I would look for something no larger than your L, and weight, the size, and capabilities for a backhoe, etc. would be more important to me. For all around use on my small 13 acres, I like the light weight of the B most of the time, and I have the same clearance under the tractor as an L. I have used the Kubota B series with the 4 cylinder engine, and have been bothered by the vibration on one of them at least. I've been working on trails in my woods........ well, acutally reclaiming some old, and very deeply rutted skidder trails, and there have been times when more weight would have been nice, but the only time I've wished for more HP was once when I was snowblowing some deep, and wet snow. The 54" snowblower actually strains my engine more at times than the
chipper does, and there are places I go now with my B where an L just woudn't fit, and I would have to improve thee road before I could go there. (Think between glacial rocks that don't move much)
, and there are a couple of places that a wider loader just wouldn't fit between the trees, and they are "boundry trees" so can't be cut. ( I am planning a different route for that issue, and it would only have to be something like 40' long.) With the rocks, I usually build up the trail with small (3" - 4") rocks, and cover that with gravel to gain the width I really need though it sure is nice to be able to slip between those places in the time being. The land in my woods is that black glacial soil covering a rock field. It just gets more soupy each time you drive over it when it is wet at all. It is however a wonderful playground, and I don't have to use those trails right after a rain, etc.
Sorry, I get carried away when i start talking about my land sometimes. Anyway, the size you want, and the options you want, or need are more important than HP. I should add that if it doesn't make you smile a bit when trying it out, you don't want it.
, and make sure you choose the size, and type of implements you want to use first. You already have yours so that part is already decided. It is a real joy to putter on my land with implements that work, and a tractor that makes me smile.
