Will my Kubota L3901 pull a 4 row planter? And what size disc?

[kneedeep]

I have a small hobby farm and own a Kubota L3901 that generally meets my needs. However, I just bought more acreage. The land deal included a 4 row seeder. There is an 8 acre field for which I would like to plant corn in the near-term. There is an additional 44 acres leased to a neighbor for grazing cattle. I might want to use that in the future for crops as well. I am wondering if my L3901 is sufficient for this? Further, I just realized the planter has a hydraulic hose so I would need to invest in a rear hydraulic kit. Am I good for this or should I be looking for a bigger tractor?


Assuming my tractor will work, I also want to stop borrowing my neighbor's disc. What size disc could I be pulling?

Thanks!

85 hp is adequate for my 4R JD planter.
I don’t think you have enough hp for that planter.
You would be fine with a mounted 2 row, maybe.

 

[dieselscout80]

85 hp is adequate for my 4R JD planter.
I don’t think you have enough hp for that planter.
You would be fine with a mounted 2 row, maybe.

I agree!

To run that planter your PTO has to run the fan. The hydraulic hose goes to the cylinder to raise and lower the planter.

Another thing it looks like it has no till coulters on it, so it will pull harder when used to no till in seeds.

You may want to ask your question on the forum linked to below.

Red Power Magazine Community

www.redpowermagazine.com

 

[TractorNoob85]

You won't know unless you try.

 

[Sid Post]

Planters don’t take a lot of hp to pull. In my experience, discs that are sized for small tractors are light weight and aren’t very good at preparing soil. Maybe a small moldboard plow and harrow combination? Or a tiller?

Bingo!

My L4600, slightly more Hp but the same size frame runs an Angsung gear drive 72" tiller extremely well. You won't as fast as with a disc but, the seedbed it leaves behind is really good. It also works well to clean up "field trash" from other plants.

Regarding discs in general, not enough traction or Hp to pull a disc that will cut well in a normal field. Fine for a hobby garden but, not really for 'traditional' agriculture.

A 2-bottom plow is that I would look for personally. Depending on soil conditions, a 3-bottom would likely work well too. Follow up with a good harrow or field cultivator and you should be set pretty well for most crops. You will definitely want the plow for the 44-acre pasture to become crop land!

 

[Sid Post]

I have a small hobby farm and own a Kubota L3901 that generally meets my needs.

Do you have Ag R1 tires or Industrial R4 tires?

Is your tractor 2WD or 4?

Traction matters as much as Hp in most cases. So, 2 wheel drive in hard firm soils works fine with a heavy tractor (8,000lb 55hp and 4-bottom plow where I grew up but, Case 930 was better!).

4 wheel drive helps with traction, especially in softer or wetter soils. I never personally ran a 4 wheel drive tractor in Oklahoma wheatfields and did 1600acres each Summer growing up through Junior and High School! My main tractor was a 135Hp John Deere in my early youth and 150Hp JD later in High School.

Tires matter a lot! You really want R1 Ag tires for any field crops. R4's might be ok in a feedlot or in barns but, in a tilled field are not what you want.

TRACTION MATTERS!