Which tractor

Anonymous Poster · Jun 12, 2001

Ok, it's coming down to the wire...I have had my B7100 for 4 years...have enjoyed it a great deal. I have about 400 hours on it.
I started out looking at the B2710 and B2910...but, as I said in a previous post..I did not find them comfortable (I am 6'2")
I did not even consider the L3010...seemed to big..(I know that's not possible!)
Anyway...I started looking at the John Deere 4200..much more comfortable for a big person (on the Kubota they were going to have to bend the tabs on the seat to get it back far enough...almost to the roll bar) Anyway, I was impressed with the ergonomics of the Deere and that the "standard features" were more in line with the B2910.
I then read alot of the posts which suggested that the 4200 is relatively underpowered?
So here I am now looking at the 4300....So now I am thinking ...maybe I should go back and look at the 3010..
I have about 10 acres of land...about 4 acres of grass that I mow with a woods 6' deck . I have a 200 foot drive that I snowblow with a Woods SB52 rearmount snowblower ....
I am still doing a fair amount of landscaping and use the bucket for moving mulch, loam etc.. Eventually I would like to log another couple acres .

Is the 4300 or 3010 overkill ?
Right now I have negotiated either the B2710 or the Deere 4200 with a bucket for 10,000 even plus my B7100 with a bucket

The B2910 w/bucket would be 11,100 plus the B7100 w/bucket

What would be reasonable to expect the additional cost to be for a 4300 with bucket (the dealer said +1700..roughly)
Part of my decision is based on the fact that I probably won't trade again and would like to have a tractor that can do more in the woods (grading, moving stones, logs, pulling small stumps ) than the B7100
Also, does anyone have a comparison of the ground clearance of the 3010 and 4300 with turf tires..
For reasons unknown to me, I have the green light to get a bigger tractor ...maybe father's day? maybe she thinking of something else?

toddler · Jun 12, 2001

All nice tractors. The L3010 frame size is similar to the 4200 and 4300. All of them are bigger than the B2710/2910.

I wouldn't go by just HP, although it's nice when mowing or throwing snow. I used a 60" snow thrower on my B2710 this past winter (the 3rd snowiest ever recorded in VT) and had no problems, so all the models you've mentioned probably have plenty of engine for your purposes. I'd give the L3010 and the 4300 the nod, if you have those options and don't mind the cost. (and if the size isn't a problem mowing or maneuvering) If you plan on doing a lot of pulling and don't want to spend that much, the 4200 is a beefier tractor than the B2710/2910's.

Also, given you like the JD ergonomics, I'd suggest you look at the New Hollands if you have a good dealer. They might be even more comfortable. (CASE too, same as the boomers but no superstear option and a great warranty.) They're also nice and heavy.

Good luck and let us know what you get.

Todd

Anonymous Poster · Jun 12, 2001

I live in NH....what a winter!

I went back to the Kubota dealer tonight to look at the L3010...somehow it look bigger (though they are fairly comparable by the spec sheets) than the 4300...certainly has more ground clearance (is this a trade off to stability on hills?).

I noticed on the 4300 the power steering is fed by two hydraulic lines behind the front axle...has anyone had a problem with damage to these when going over rough terrain...

At this point the Kubota dealer has the B2910 w/fel priced 600 less that I can get the 4300 w/fel..
I did try (just sat on because the dealer was closed) the 3010 and no question that it is better for someone over 6 feet...
How much difference in price should I expect between the b2910 and l3010 both w/fel..

GlueGuy · Jun 12, 2001

It's kind of funny that you have problems fitting into a 2710/2910, and here I am driving a B7500, and feeling like I only misfit "slightly". I'm putting a 2" square tube between my seat and the frame. This allows me to raise the seat by a couple of inches, and also push it back one or two inches (haven't decided yet how far I'll actually go).

I'm "almost" 6'2" (maybe a 1/4 inch shy /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif). My inseam is 34", I don't know if that's long or short.

The GlueGuy

Anonymous Poster · Jun 12, 2001

I have spent 400 hours on my B7100...which I find fits me better that the B2910 in terms of where the reverse pedal is ...the seat goes back further on the 7100...
The 4300 is like sitting in a recliner....I don't think I would ever get off...the 3010 is not quite that cushy but is pretty good...

BobinCols · Jun 12, 2001

When I purchased dec 2000, there was only $500 difference between a L3010 HST and a B2910 Hst. That's why I purchased the L3010 and love it. A 3010 front end loader should be another 3-400 more than a 2910. A 4300 should be several thousand more than a 2910. Either the Deere dealer is really dealing or the Kubota is too high.

bbse · Jun 12, 2001

Remi, I purchased a L3010 about 2 months ago. I do not regret it for a second. I'm not as tall as you but I am big. The heft of the 3010 is really nice. I have about 15 acres I mow and bush hog plus a lot of dirt moving to do. A smaller tractor would have done just fine. I bought the bigger tractor because I wanted it and I could do more faster. I also hope to buy some more land soon. Bad thing is now I'm dreaming of a 3710's and 4310's..etc..etc.. I have the tires loaded and it is very stable on my hills. Some other chores I've done with her is moved a lot of dirt, cut a new driveway in rock/slate hillside and spread some heavy loads of crush and run. Didn't even breaking a sweat (the tractor I mean). As for price I purchased the tractor for $13,000 and loader for $3500. If memory serves me that was $800 (+/-) more or less than a B2910 and $500 more on the LA482 loader. By the way, You won't read too many posts on this board saying , Oh, I'm so sorry I bought too much tractor...I'm really afraid I have too much power...so get as much as you can stand.

Anonymous Poster · Jun 12, 2001

For the difference of $600.... if that's right... it's a no-brainer...Go John Deere 4300, also the extra 5 HP! {different class of tractor than the "B" series}

However, if you're gonna do the woods alot, I would consider the ag's instead of turfs...

toddler · Jun 12, 2001

I'm with JohnMillerIII, if the 4300 is really only $600 more, forget Kubota and go GREEN. If it's the 4200 that's $600 more than the B2910, and you mis-typed, then I'd look at the 3010 which would probably be only $200 more than that, and is a lot more tractor.
Heck, I don't know why you're still considering the big B's if you're not comfortable on them. Big ticket item here, don't buy one that doesn't fit you to save a couple of hundred bucks.
Todd