What's wrong with the L4400?

[tallyho8]

I'm planning on buying a new L4400 hydro Monday. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of this model? It is the right hp for everything I need to do and my knees are so bad I have trouble using a clutch very much.

I've never been orange before but I have a lot of friends who are trying to convince me that this is the way to go.

 

[tbay]

I have a new L4400HST-1 being delivered next week. BH90 backhoe, LA703A loader, standard bucket, pallet forks, Farm King 84" RM snowblower. I'll let you know if I like it.

 

[Foothill Rancher]

Nothing wrong with the L4400! I have one with the manuel trans and it will do everything I ask it to do. The only cons I have are the up curl on the FEL is kinda slow, and it is on the light side but that may not be a con depending what your using it for, I use a 7ft blade to clean ditches and to clear roads, when it digs into a bank it will throw you around a little but will still do the job.
You'll like it.

 

[Modn]

I looked at one and the only downside things were: The 3pt hitch was on the lighter side with internal ram -vs- external rams. The 3pt arms were not extending arms. The FEL had the rams directly attached to the bucket -vs- being attached to the (don't know what you call it) hinge system up higher on the loader frame. Lighter duty bucket with no level stick. Just so you know this was in comparison only to the L5030HST that I purchased. If I would not have rec'd such a good deal on the L5030 I purchased I most likely would have walked away with the 4400. I feel it is a price fighter model, for most people buying today I don't think the things they "cheapened" up on would actually really matter. Just my opinion.

 

[dex3361]

I have a L4400 hst with about 25hrs on the clock. I run a medium duty 6 foot rotary cutter, 7 foot box blade. 7 foot scraper. and it handles all of this well. The property that I have is steep slopes and hilly. I ordered the tractor with the skid steer type quick detach for the the bucket, 3x3 remotes on the rear, top and tilt kit for the rear, rear work light,and block heater. I would recomend loading the rear tires as this helps balance the FEL. I feel as though I bought the perfect machine for my needs. What type of work will you be doing and what type od land etc?

 

[tallyho8]

I will be using a 6' medium duty rotary cutter on about 6 acres, occasional discing small plots, making post holes, grooming an arena, moving downed trees after hurricanes, grading my driveway, etc. All my land is flat and some is a little swampy.

 

[L4400]

We love our L4400 gear drive tractor. It is quite a step up from our old 9N and Kubota L2500. It does everything I've needed. I was looking for a gear tractor with at least 35 PTO hp and the L4400 meets that requirement with 37.5 (HST may be a little lower). Ours just turned over 50 hours the other day.

 

[weedpharma]

I have a gear L4400 and am pleased with it. It is my first tractor and has ~55 hrs on it. My only complaint is shared with many other tractors - nowhere to put anything like tool box. Mine handles a 11 point spring tyne harrow with ease.

Weedpharma

 

[have_blue]

I like mine a lot, but it has faults. It's a gear tractor, but some things are common to both gear and hydro. The main things I dislike are the 3ph has no telescoping ends, the exhaust is loud, the fuel tank is small, the loader has no usable level indicator, the gears grind very easily, and there aren't enough gears. Of course the latter 2 complaints are remedied by the hydro. However, the hydro makes it more expensive, kicking it into the same price range as bigger nicer tractors.

 

[Bob_Young]

Nothing wrong with the L4400, tallyho. Sounds like a great choice. I've got the L4300 gear predecessor and what few issues I have with it were answered by the L4400 design. If you can get the dealer to add extending 3PH lift arms, it'll make your hookups easier.

As for the knees, you might try this: Stop taking multivitamins for a month or two if you are taking them. My knees were getting steadily worse until I stopped taking vitamins last year. Then, after a few weeks, the pain went away. I resumed taking vitamins as a test and the pain returned immediately. When I stopped again, it took another 10 days to go away. Now I'm back to distance running and even paved surfaces don't seem to bother me. I'm 63.
FWIW
Bob

 

[tallyho8]

Ok, I've finished haggling with the dealers and I have gotten the best deal I can get and am going to get it in the morning.

Kubota's MSRP on the L4400 with optional R4 tires, LA703 loader with bucket and quick attach coupler is $26,333. My dealer is going to sell it to me for $21500 plus tax. I hope this is a good deal.

 

[leonz]

Ok, I've finished haggling with the dealers and I have gotten the best deal I can get and am going to get it in the morning.

Kubota's MSRP on the L4400 with optional R4 tires, LA703 loader with bucket and quick attach coupler is $26,333. My dealer is going to sell it to me for $21500 plus tax. I hope this is a good deal.

If the dealer was going to drop it that much I would be a little worried-unless its a used one maybe? I would ask if its flood damaged no disrespect intended to anyone.

 

[skipperbrown]

That's an 18.4% discount and I guess it includes the rebate. I think that's a really good deal. Your dealer really wants to move a tractor more than my dealer.

 

[RobJ]

Ok, I've finished haggling with the dealers and I have gotten the best deal I can get and am going to get it in the morning.

Kubota's MSRP on the L4400 with optional R4 tires, LA703 loader with bucket and quick attach coupler is $26,333. My dealer is going to sell it to me for $21500 plus tax. I hope this is a good deal.

Gulp!!

Can you get the tax farm exempt in LA?

 

[N80]

I love my L4400. I've had it about 3 years now, around 150 hours. Most of the weak points have been mentioned. Some I agree with, some I don't. I've used mine for a very wide range of tasks but have never felt the need for more gears. In first it creeps like a snail in 8th (4/hi) its a decent road gear. Maybe a few extra gears in reverse would be nice but that's nit picking.

Telescoping lower hitch arms would be nice but you could add that (I think).

I think the 3pt hitch is a bit weak, at least the specs are. This is not necessarily due to the fact that the cylinder is internal. I know a fellow with a 100 hp JD ag tractor with a single internal cyclinder and it will lift a house!

The loader specs are good, not great. In three years never felt it held me back any. As mentioned, it is a direct-to-bucket connection. The primary problem this causes is that at full curl it does not go back very far. This means with the loader arms down low, the bucket is tilted forward a bit even at full curl. This causes spillage of loose material. It may also result in slower curl times though I have never felt this to be a problem.

The tractor is light. In my book, for my use, this is a strength, not a weakness. Anything bigger and you might need to move up to a 2--- series truck to pull it. So you get probably the lightest 45 hp tractor available. If you need weight....add it.

The tractor has been totally reliable. The only problems I've had were due to damage caused by operator...um...stupidity.....branch through radiator. And believe me, I have worked mine hard! Its just a rock solid machine.

HP is great. Have pulled 6 foot 3 pt mower, 7 foot HD pull type mower, 7', 20" disk, 6' box blade, 14" 2 bottom plow all with relative ease. The power of this light little machine is a joy and the 4wd system puts it right on the ground.

I still have mixed feelings about the HST. I have no problem with HST but the increase in price pushes you into Grand L territory where a little more money can get you a good bit more tractor or the same money can get you a Grand L with less HP but better hydraulics, weight and build. It also pushes you close to the price of a geared M5040 which is a lot more tractor, and is the tractor I'd buy now if I was on the market, which I'm not, thank goodness.

But, in the end, HST or not, its a good machine and I think it still represents one of the best values in tractors of any make. Lots of power for the money. Good quality Kubota product.

 

[tallyho8]

I put the deposit on my tractor and I have to wait for them to install the fel in a few days before I can pick it up. The dealer had a few new ones on his lot and told me to pick the one I want but they are all exactly the same so it didn't matter.

Over the years I have learned one thing from buying new cars or trucks and that is they will always come down on the price more if you are buying the tractor outright instead of financing it. They may even offer 0% finance rate but they make this up by not selling it at their lowest price or by not giving a rebate on the financed sale. Luckily, I was able to just write them a check and avoid the financing hassle.

 

[N80]

Congrats on your new tractor. You will love it and you'll get more done than you ever imagined!

As for the financing and them coming off the price, well, it all depends. When they are offering 0% or a bank is doing the financing, then you're right. They'll prefer cash. But if the maker or the dealership is doing the financing themselves they probably don't even want cash at all, they're making money on the loan, not the sale. I ran into this when I bought my last truck. I kept asking for a lower total price and each time they'd go lower but what they were doing is each time they gave me a lower price, they were increasing the interest rate and extending the loan months. And I let them do it, made the purchase, went home and refinanced the truck with USAA for half the interest rate.

Anyway, we want to see pictures when it gets there. I especially would like to see some close ups of the QD system on that LA703a loader. It was not available when I bought mine. Wish I had it.

 

[have_blue]

My dealer in town wanted ~$20,400 for plain La703a, R4's, and non-folding ROPS. I got price checks out of town, and knew he could do better. I badly wanted to buy in town, but he was so mule-headed about the $800.00 or so that he forced me to buy out of town. The out of town dealer took my application over the phone. I met him in person when he delivered my tractor 30 miles for ~$19,600... with a folding ROPS and nice Kubota cap.

My favorite feature is the smooth, powerful engine. I think most of those 46 horses are for real.With <50h, I haven't pulled anything bigger than 6' yet, but I have no doubt it will pull 7' implements.

I have mixed feelings about the light weight of the L4400. My previous tractor was a 35hp NH, and had loaded tires. I seldom spun a wheel on that tractor. The Kubota's tires are not loaded, and they spin too freely if I hit a slick spot. Good news is, there are fewer ruts when I mow damp fields. To load, or not to load?

I hope nobody is put off by the light weight of the L4400. Kubota's are made from good steel, and are as strong or stronger than heavier tractors in their class. I've seen them abused so badly on commercial jobs it made me cringe, but they keep on ticking.

 

[N80]

I have mixed feelings about the light weight of the L4400. My previous tractor was a 35hp NH, and had loaded tires. I seldom spun a wheel on that tractor. The Kubota's tires are not loaded, and they spin too freely if I hit a slick spot. Good news is, there are fewer ruts when I mow damp fields. To load, or not to load?

That tire spin can come from lots of things. First, the horsepower. 45 is a lot for a tractor that small and lightly built. I've spun all 4 tires when digging up stumps that aren't budging, even in dry dirt. In other words, tractor is stopped by the stump and tires still spinning. Second, R4s typically will spin sooner that an R1. Third is weight, of course. I have my R1's loaded and I'm very satisfied with the traction in everything but sand. Weight and aggressive R1 tread are not ideal for deep sand.

 

[RadarTech]

That tire spin can come from lots of things. First, the horsepower. 45 is a lot for a tractor that small and lightly built. I've spun all 4 tires when digging up stumps that aren't budging, even in dry dirt. In other words, tractor is stopped by the stump and tires still spinning. Second, R4s typically will spin sooner that an R1. Third is weight, of course. I have my R1's loaded and I'm very satisfied with the traction in everything but sand. Weight and aggressive R1 tread are not ideal for deep sand.

I have to say I have a 3400 with ags and I have spun all four when digging with the loader... sad-- but no tooth bar --- YET ---
And even did that with a box blade full of gravel going up a major hill with an empty bucket...
well it was a tough hill....

Later,
J