Zetor 4341

[shibaura_4043]

I am hoping there might be a couple of members on the forum that can give me a review of the Zetor 4341 4wd cab tractor w/loader or simliar Zetor models. I'm close to pulling the trigger on one.... but I have a few concerns.... first of all after seeing this tractor in person the pics on the net didnt do it justice, its much larger than I thought it would be... maybe too large for the HP rating. I test drove the tractor and everything operated nicely, the main concern I have is I couldnt get it to take off in 5th gear it lugged real bad, 4th gear would go but lugged quite a bit too.... it really felt like the brakes were dragging bad, I tried to shift on the fly to use rotational inertia to help out in hi gear but it felt like the brakes would almost slow the tractor to a stop when I tried to shift to 5th. It was pretty much the same result. I wonder if something is wrong or is it just operator error?(I didnt spend a lot of time trying to figure it out) The rear tires are liquid filled, could this be a contributing factor to the lugging problem in hi range? Its a heavy tractor the owner estimates with the rear tires filled the tractor weighs around 9k, seems like alot of weight for a 60hp tractor. Other than a couple of small cosmetic issues and the hi gear problem it seems to be pretty solid. Im also not sold on the air brake system either...does it require more maintenance? Are they durable and reliable? Any reviews would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

shibaura_4043 I at a 1992 three cylinder version that was 40+ HP but they used the same transmission and rear end on the 40/60/80 HP engines the best I can remember. The lift works off of gear oil and the FEL will out work a JD, etc especially in hot weather. They are German engineered the best I could tell and at one time outside of the USA JD painted them green and sold them around the world. My business ate my farm land and equipment in 1996 is the reason do not have it today. They are work horses but not super slick look good only toys. Ours shifted and ran down the road in high gear OK.

Does it have the special air hose to attaches to the air compressor built on the engine. I think you need to engage it with the engine off maybe. There should be manuals on the web.

How many hours is it showing?

 

[shibaura_4043]

The meter shows 380 hrs. I called the local dealer to get more info on the zetor. Turns out the brakes are hydraulic and the onb air compressor supplies air to the 4wd and differential lock.there is a hose kept in the cab for a aux air supply....the dealer said the brake drag is somewhat of a common problem on low use tractors... He recommended bleeding the system and if that wasn't successful i might need to replace a rear wheel cylinder... He assured it was a pretty easy task to take on... Anyway after a long very helpful phone call with the local dealer I feel pretty confident in the durability of these tractors... Decided to purchase it and it will be delivered tm. I can't wait to get a little seat time in tm!!! Thanks a lot for replying

 

[Gale Hawkins]

That sounds awesome. I expect after you do a few things addressed due to low use, etc you will have a fine tractor for the next 20-30 years. Eastern Europe traditionally have used tractors on the road a lot and have air set up for trailer brakes, etc. I would rank Zetor one of the top three tractors in the world for function, ease of up keep and overall value.

The main issue I had with mine was keeping from tearing up my box blade using it as a dozer. The weight gives so much traction and when I would come up with the lift what I was pushing on flipped out or the front end came off of the ground or the arms to the top link pin hole would collapse.

The dealer was telling for a guy in east KY who had a Zetor and JD of about the same size with FEL loaders who mined creeks for flat stones. He said the Zetor would out lift the JD especially after they got hot.

You do not fully realize how much tractor you have purchased yet so take it slow when you get it. It is not like a JD, Case, etc of the same physical HP. A 60 HP Zetor can hold its own against a typical 90 HP farm tractor on a lot of tasks. I am serious they do not know the meaning of QUIT.

 

[shibaura_4043]

I appreciate the encouraging words, yeah its pretty exciting... I took delivery yesterday.. I detailed it and addressed the brake drag now she rolls hi gear no problem, when I jacked the rear up to adjust the wheels I couldnt even turn them by hand, the tractor must be a beast b/c I really couldnt tell other than the hi gear problem I was having... I look forward to testing its capabilities later this week but I will be careful to respect the power of the tractor.... I was reading the manual last night and the weight of the tractor without the loader was 7500lbs add the loader and the loaded tires I think it weighs in closer to 10000lbs..maybe a bit more, what do you think? I am having a little buyers remorse...it was more money than I thought I would ever spend on a tractor and Im not sure I needed such a large tractor but the Kabota I was looking at was just too small and weighed about the same as my open cab Shibaura... and for 800.00 less I was able to pick the Zetor up. We'll see hopefully I dont regret it.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Hey It looks nice. I do not know anything about the prices/values of either tractor but I prefer a tad too much tractor than not enough. On semi level ground you will not have a stability issue when the forks are even high I expect.

If I was going to be feed rolled hay or some be out in bad weather I would like the weight of that Zetor I think.

How id you get the brakes freed up?

 

[shibaura_4043]

Hey It looks nice. I do not know anything about the prices/values of either tractor but I prefer a tad too much tractor than not enough. On semi level ground you will not have a stability issue when the forks are even high I expect.

If I was going to be feed rolled hay or some be out in bad weather I would like the weight of that Zetor I think.

How id you get the brakes freed up?

Thanks, I applied the same logic as you did to justify the larger tractor, I Feed round bales and need to double stack hay on a tandem dual trailer often, the Shibaura was just too small for the job. Unfortunately I may have to keep the old Shibaura around for the smaller jobs around the property which kinda sucks when I was hoping to offset some of the cost associated with the new tractor by selling the Shibaura. it should be pretty stable due to the weight and the rear wheels have been reversed for a little wider stance. The tractor came with the owners manual which had pretty good directions on addressing brake adjustment... basically I adjusted the wheel cylinders out a couple turns to let the tires rotate more freely and it solved my problem...for now at least.... I hope any other problems I have are as easy and straight forward as the brake drag :thumbsup:

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Well I think you got the tractor you need for double stacking on the bed of a trailer because that is nearly like triple stacking on the ground.

Yes I think you will be sorry if you do not keep the Shibaura around for the smaller stuff.

I know a guy that added an old 105 HP Ford 8000 mainly for haying in winter weather. He has found he can do a lot of dozer work with that front end loader bucket too.

 

[shibaura_4043]

Ill probably hold onto it as long as I can... the Zetor might get a chance to prove itself with a little dozer work too.... thanks for the advice

 

[TnWV]

Somehow I missed this thread. I have a 4341 and love it (open station). had 312hrs when i got and about 450 now. Not sure on the 4-5 gear take off, as I rarely use those gears and have always shifted on the fly after starting in 2-3. On the road 5th is still slow, but i dont run the road much. On the brakes, they are really my only complaint. When talking to a few people round me that have a Zetor before getting mine, brakes were their only complaints as well. They work very well but the parking brake sticks almost every time you set it hard, and I wouldn't be surprised if they drag a little as well, probably needs some adjustment just haven't checked it out real good. I agree that it is a very heavy tractor, but you will learn to appreciate that when doing ground engaging tasks. I have done a lot of digging with my FEL and used it a a "dozer" often. The thing really digs and pushes. I run an 8' brush hog and wish I had gone up to a 10'. Also use an 8' disk mower no problem. Lots of power. Good luck, I'm sure you will like it.

 

[shibaura_4043]

Somehow I missed this thread. I have a 4341 and love it (open station). had 312hrs when i got and about 450 now. Not sure on the 4-5 gear take off, as I rarely use those gears and have always shifted on the fly after starting in 2-3. On the road 5th is still slow, but i dont run the road much. On the brakes, they are really my only complaint. When talking to a few people round me that have a Zetor before getting mine, brakes were their only complaints as well. They work very well but the parking brake sticks almost every time you set it hard, and I wouldn't be surprised if they drag a little as well, probably needs some adjustment just haven't checked it out real good. I agree that it is a very heavy tractor, but you will learn to appreciate that when doing ground engaging tasks. I have done a lot of digging with my FEL and used it a a "dozer" often. The thing really digs and pushes. I run an 8' brush hog and wish I had gone up to a 10'. Also use an 8' disk mower no problem. Lots of power. Good luck, I'm sure you will like it.

before I addressed the brake drag I couldnt even shift on the fly now I can engage 5th no problem... I guess Ill avoid setting the E-brake as much as possible to elminate as much brake drag as I can. Im glad u posted Ive been wondering what size brush hog to get I was leaning 8' but now I may look for 10'....although I did find a 8' hog locally for 1250.00 I thought that was a pretty good deal. I can t wait to get a few hours of seat time later this week. thanks for replying.

 

[TnWV]

before I addressed the brake drag I couldnt even shift on the fly now I can engage 5th no problem... I guess Ill avoid setting the E-brake as much as possible to elminate as much brake drag as I can. Im glad u posted Ive been wondering what size brush hog to get I was leaning 8' but now I may look for 10'....although I did find a 8' hog locally for 1250.00 I thought that was a pretty good deal. I can t wait to get a few hours of seat time later this week. thanks for replying.

I definitely wouldn't go smaller than 8', and that sounds like a good deal if its in good shape regardless of brand. I searched high and low for a used one, but had no luck. I stumbled upon the Kodiak brand and was impressed at what I got for the money. When I bought mine, the 8' was 2600 and 10' was 3600. I had never used a cutter of this size and didn't know what to expect, so I did the safest thing and chose the 8'. I was worried about the weight on the 3 pt and didn't want a pull behind due to cutting backwards up some pretty steep ground. The tractor doesn't even know its back there. I'm looking for pallet forks and an 8' box blade now. I mostly use the tractor to brush hog and cut a little hay, and so far have been very pleased with how much tractor I got for the money.

 

[BarryinMN]

I've had my Zetor 4341 cab with loader since new 2004 & something over 300 hrs now. Extra iron weights on the rear wheels.

Only non scheduled maintenance thing I've done is replace the clutch slave cylinder - it's inside frame rail takes about 1-2 hrs. Did not notice oily spot under tractor one fall until I went to start it & no clutch. Had an accident with blowing out the rear window with softball sized rock - parts were ordered from an online dealer down south & FEDEX to the barnyard. The glass came in a wood crate & was undamaged.

Most of my implements are sized for a JD A 40 hp & the Zetor will tear them up if not careful.

I bought a large 4x18 on land plow and the Zetor even busted that.. I pulled up a 5' dia boulder and the plow rolled up on top of it. Imagine a 20' long machine weighing 3000 lbs sitting on top of the boulder... I rolled it back down the hole & went after it with my backhoe which was too small. Then dozed it out with my JD350 dozer (10K) machine.

The loader breakout is 5K lbs & it spoils you. I added front hydraulics for a grapple.

 

[shibaura_4043]

sounds like these tractors are tough as nails...do either one of you guys have your tractor set up with a 3pt quick hitch... I must say my shibaura is setup with a QH and it sure makes things a little easier, however I know it may not be necessary with larger implements(pull type) I will eventually be purchasing but right now I think it might work out pretty good since my current implements are already QH modified... any thoughts on this? TnWV I think I m going to look for a pull type 10' hog... thanks.

 

[TnWV]

sounds like these tractors are tough as nails...do either one of you guys have your tractor set up with a 3pt quick hitch... I must say my shibaura is setup with a QH and it sure makes things a little easier, however I know it may not be necessary with larger implements(pull type) I will eventually be purchasing but right now I think it might work out pretty good since my current implements are already QH modified... any thoughts on this? TnWV I think I m going to look for a pull type 10' hog... thanks.

I have thought about a quick hitch, but I just don't change between implements enough to justify it right now, so i cant be of any help there. I will be interested in what you come up with for future reference though. I think the 10' pull behind will be a perfect fit. While I didn't like the idea of backing it up hill, I do wish I would had gotten it anyway. Fortunately, most if my open areas are cut for hay, and I usually only brush hog the areas that are too steep and rough for haying. I can run pretty fast with the 8' and It sure beats the 5' I was use too! You can do a search for posts I started and see pictures to give you an idea of what the 8' looks like on the 4341. Post some pictures when you get it!

 

[shibaura_4043]

Ill check out your pics... Im probably going to make an adjustable QH, my wife's grandpa made his QH adjustable from cat1-cat2 I think that would work good for me... thanks

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Our 1992 Zetor cat 2 arms had locking flexible ends that I just pulled out before backing up to equipment and after making the connection I just backed upped to relock them in place.

 

[TnWV]

Our 1992 Zetor cat 2 arms had locking flexible ends that I just pulled out before backing up to equipment and after making the connection I just backed upped to relock them in place.

My 4341 has the same set up, I just haven't used it. I need to try it out!

 

[shibaura_4043]

So does mine ... I still think the QH would serve me better with all my current implements. Grandpa's QH went from 27"-33" wide to have the versatility of using many different implements.

 

[JBourquin]

My parents used to sell Zetors in the early to mid 90's. I don't think we ever had an un happy customer. My grandfather even used a few on his farm, along with a few Massey's and JD's. I loved the old 5211 and 7211 we had, pretty much what I learned to drive/operate on when I was growing up. Can't remember any common problems with Zetors in general, I'll ask my folks if they can remember any when I see them tomorrow.

Oh, and if I remember right, I believe Zetor was made in the Czech Republic.