Which Kubota for the High Country?

[Newkirk]

Gentlemen (and ladies???):

Thanks for your quick and thoughtful replies. I just walked through the door from a meeting with our local Forest Service agent, during which we wandered the timbered section of the ranch and he told me what I was going to have to do (i.e. thin 3 acres, clean up slash, etc.) I'd wear out my back in no time without some assistance from a diesel engine and FEL.

Safety is definitely an issue here. I'd want at least the FOPS or even a Cab model; any thoughts? The M-series may well be a little large for manuevering in the woods, but will the L3710 be short on power? I also like the idea of the mid-PTO, so the L3710 is the largest I can go and still get the front snowblower, etc.

Yes, we're fortunate to be able to hold on to our ranch, which we've had since 1967. Colorado tax laws are such that it's very expensive to hold vacant land these days without some agricultural use. Fortunately, stewardship of one's forest and pastures counts towards ag - but I do think I've gone long enough using my pickup truck as a tractor substitute!

Looks like the L3710 HST(C?) may be a good pick so far...

Best regards,


John Newkirk

 

[MChalkley]

I'd seriously doubt that you'll ever run into any situations where hp will be the limiting factor on the L3710. I think you'd be extremely happy with one.

MarkC

 

[gordon]

Well Paul, you got me thinking on that one so I did a search for the Kioti-Forester it took a few search engines but I found it. I believe it may be customized by this company. On the Kioti website they don't show this tractor. If anyone is interested here it is. http://payeur.com/anglais/products.htm. The tractor doesn't impress me but the front brush bars running from the front of the tractor to the top of the top are alot like I've got installed on my tractor. They are great to push the limbs up and over the cab, sure does help to see where your going. But look whats missing on that tractor no front panel. No grille guard, no side panels those few missing things would make for a long day in the woods. I would love to have the trailer though, with my woods trailer I have to load it with my loader forks. Guess I'll never be spoiled. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Gordon

 

[Billc]

Newkirk,

I have to chime in with the rest of the folks and say welcome, and what a great place you have!

I dis-(gulp)-agree with MarkC in this case. Please understand, the 11th Commandment, in my book anyway, is "Thou shall not disagree with MarkC 'cause heith knowith much moreith than thy." But in this case I think he's wrong. You need to go bigger, much bigger.

Please know that I have a M5400. You can not get an M series with HST. That is it's one negative rap. My brother has a L3710 4x4 HST. Yes it is fun to use because of the hydro, BUT in power and what our tractors can accomplish, the difference is night and day. I can work circles around him.

Another fact, I begged my brother to buy the 4310hst. He said it wasn't worth the increase in price. 2 weeks after he bought his 3710 he wished he had bought bigger. My brother only has 17 acres. You have 175 acres. I think the 3710 is WAY WAY WAY too small!

If you want to go hydro look at the 4610. If you don't mind gears, look at the 5700 or the 6800...I think the smallest you should go is 6800.

One last thing, I was told by a Kubota dealer that the M series is getting another trannie for 2001. I bought my 5400 this past December. In January they introduced the 5700. I knew it was coming out and that it's gears were going to be easier to use. Looks like they are making the gears even easier to use for next year. Nothing wrong with the trannie on the new M series, they are just making it even easier to shift. So know that next years smaller M series will have a different trannie than this years. Again, this is not a fact, it is what I heard from a dealer in the know about such things.

Lastly, look up my old posts on the hst vs gear. I've written a good bit about it, as has others. Basically it boils down to this: I love the HST. They are great to use. Much easier than gears. When they make a M series with a HST I'll trade in my tractor and buy it. But until then no way would I go down to a L series just for the HST. The M series is rugged as hell. I've worked mine very hard all year and not one problem. The M series will pull much more on the 3 point hitch, and lift more with the FEL. If you have 175 acres you need an ag tractor.

Time to get off the soap box.

Bill Cook

 

[roysallis]

Newkirk, I agree with the other posters, your place looks beautiful from the photo. Post another one with some snow. If you are not hung up on a particular brand take a look at the John Deere 4700 http://products.deere.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prnbr=124DLV&prmenbr=8416&PrevCatRef=8520&PrevCatcgnbr=JD@CUT&pcat=8549&cgnbr=JD@CUT&path=HO. It has 48hp gross, 41.5 hp PTO with PowrReverser tranny or 40hp PTO with the HST, and 4wd is standard. It will handle a 6' brush cutter. If you are concerned about hp also look at the JD5310, turbo 63hp. Study the advice of the other posters and do not make a hasty decision. Look at all the brands.

 

[dmccarty]

I see Roysallis has beaten me to the punch about the JD brand and the 4700 but that is a good thing. We Green Guys gotta keep togather!

If you have not already read the "Which Kubota to Buy" thread from a couple of days ago, head over there because much of what was said applies to your situation.

First figure out what implements you need. That will drive your HP requirements. Figure out the work you need to do, which implements will get the job done, and then the tractor size will fall into place. At least somewhat. The tractor can still be a tough decision if you need something that falls into gaps in the brands product line. I had a tough time deciding between the JD 4700, the JD 5n05, and JD 5n10 product line. I looked at NH and Kubota but the JD 4700 was the right decision for me for various reasons.

Do you need a wood chipper to manage the forest? If so that can really drive up your HP requirements. So can a decent rotary cutter. My MX-6 requires 30 PTO HP and can cut saplings up to two inches in diameter. To cut large stuff is going to require more HP.

The NH, Kubota, and JD are all good tractors. Just figure out which model fits your needs. But more importantly you need a good dealer.

Woods tractors. I'm using my tractor more in the woods than out. Look at the different tractors and especially UNDER the tractors. Wood has a very nasty habit of snaking its way into something vital. I've already had a busted hydraulic line on my 4n1 bucket but that was due to a bad setup by the dealer and a sneaky piece of wood. The dealer fixed it at no charged. In the thread I mentioned I go into more details about my tractor setup problems and how the dealer resolved it to my satisfaction.

JD is releasing an armouring package for the 4000 series tractors. My dealer showed me the information and in the short time I had my hands on the literature the system looked pretty good. They had plates to protect the hydraulic lines on the FEL and the side of the tractor. There also were plates protecting lines under the tractor and they had a steel hood guard for the top of the tractor. It was some serious stuff. He did not have pricing as of Monday. He is not sure yet but he thought you get get bits and pieces to fit on the tractor to suit the owner. I'm not interested in armouring the top of the tractor but protecting the hydraulic lines is a big deal to me.

If you are in the woods, you have to go slow, Slow, and SLOW. Going fast reduces reaction time. In the woods you have to have your head on a swivil looking 360 degrees, up and down. Look INTO trees for widow makers and on the ground for the sticks that will get jammed into tractor parts. And don't forget Operator Parts!

Get a 4n1 bucket. I'm moving 16-20 foot trees 20+inches in diameter with the 4n1 bucket. Sometimes with the root ball still attached. This is a very nice capability to have. When the hydraulic line busted on the 4n1 it prevent me from closing the bucket without loosing fluid. So I had to work with out being able to grab stuff. It really hurt my work performance. I can't believe how important and dependent I've become on the 4n1 bucket. If you are getting a box blade get a hydraulic toplink. Its just to important to have to make on the fly adjustments.

Figure out how many SCVs/hyrdraulic valves you need. The M Series can only have two unless you get a model with a cab. I needed three so that ruled on the Kubota M series for me.

At your altitude I would be concerned with having a tractor with a turbo to compensate for lost HP. A turbo should help keep your HP rating. I think my truck, a turbo, did not lose power until 10,000 feet. Ask the dealers about this. If HP loss is going to be a real problem reconsider the HST since it robs PTO HP.

I drive a manual tranny truck and the PowerReverser tranny on the JD tractors fit my needs perfectly. I still clutch out of habit when going from forward to reverse or vice versa even though I don't need to. I just cant stop.
I just did not want HST since it would cost me a couple of PTO HP which I would rather have. I seldom change gear once working. And being in the woods I like the fact that it takes a concious decision to go faster which requires a change of gear.

Hope this helps.
Dan McCarty

 

[MarkV]

Newkirk,

Love your part of the country and what a great place. With all the learned tractor people here there is no right or wrong advice, just differnt opinions. Although we call them mountains here in N. Georgia, you must laugh when I say 2500' for the one I am on. My problem with the M series is the gear tranny. I find the HST to be the only way to go on changing grades. When you have to switch gears you are a bit in limbo and better hope the brakes are good. With HST you let up on the pedal and you are geared down. For those who grew up on a tractor this may not be a big deal, for me it was and still is. Although I have a smaller tractor, loader, backhoe (B21) it is the only thing that will fit many of the hillside/wooded situations I find myself in. The backhoe has created useable tractor trails places I would never have gotten on side slopes. The 4 point FOPS was also an influence for me with the grade and woods I am in. I think my next tractor will be the L48 TLB.

Guess my best advice is to try them all, read the past posts (that only takes a month or so) and keep us all in touch.

Mark

 

[uppermich]

I just purchased the 3710 (11/1/00) with FEL, backhoe, rear blade, 5' brush hog and post hole auger. I chose the 3710 because of the mid PTO, but I was leaning towards the 4610. I own 38 acres, mostly in fields, with a lot of brush growing in to deal with. I'm planning on using the FEL and rear blade for snow removal, but wanted the option of having a front mounted snow blower. After using the tractor for this short time, I think that a rear snow blower would be just fine. It is so easy to drive!

Spent 18 hours just brush hogging about 18 acres of fields. The going was slow, but the ground is not very smooth, so it was a bumpy ride that really couldn't have gone much faster even with more power. The only thing that would have speeded it up would have been a bigger brush hog.

Spent last weekend ripping up bigger stuff with the FEL with tooth bar. More power would be handy, but once it's done, I'll be able to control everything with a mower and/or brush hog. There's mostly Tag Alders to deal with here, and their root system stays near the surface, making it fairly easy to rip up and hardly any dirt ball. Took no time at all to clear out the backside of my pond into a brush pile about 10x10x6 feet. The HST was invaluable for manuevering in small places. Again, bumpy going, but was able to do everyting from inside the cab.

Oh yeah, I got the Curtis cab on it rather than the Kubota and am very pleased with it. The Kubota cab is too big to allow installing the Kubota backhoe and with all that glass, you'd have the air conditioning running a lot (cold climate here). On a sunny day that only reached 60 outside, I needed to take the doors off, cause it got to be 81 inside the cab, even with the windows propped open. I guess if you have a major bug problem on your land, the Kubota cab with AC would be the way to go.

Three acres a year is not a major amount of work, but you need to evaluate if you need the power to rip/push them up with a tractor or cut them with a saw and just move them with the tractor. Of course, they'll be growing every year.........and I assume you'll want to drag this out to keep your Forest Agriculture status.

Good luck with your decision!


Pat (Techno-Tractor Mom)

 

[MarkV]

Pat,

I don't think I knew you bought a backhoe and cab with your new tractor. I was already envious of your rig, now all I can say is "You go girl". /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[foz]

Newkirk,

i have a L3600 (same as 3710 only 2 yrs older), bought it when we moved to our new property - 188 acres with approx. 160 acres of woods & long driveway

also purchased: Woods BH7500 3pt backhoe, 6 ft brush hog, 5 foot tiller, & back blade, front end loader

we used the BH to pull stumps after clearing for our garage & it worked very well, keep in mind it isn't a large commercial hoe, there are limitations

i am very happy so far, yes you can wish for more power, but the L fits through my woods easily (cab would probably hit limbs, etc.) i purchased it because i want the mid PTO & it is maximum size with mid PTO

i also use this machine for my business (landscaping & construction) and so far am very happy with the machine's ability (Sorry for the long post)