Tractor Sizing Kubota L4600, L3240, L3940

[Skintback]

New guy here looking for some new tractor buying opionions. I am not new to tractors but I am ready to purchase a new one. It has gotten old having to work on the tractor 2 hours to do 3 hours worth of work.

I was hoping to get some info on these tractors but let me start over. My father has alot of different tractors but I am ready to own one myself (tired of borrowing). I primarily use a Ford 2000 and 3000 for brush hogging roads and fields, discing wildlife food plots, boxblade for woods road maintenance, and various, lesser used implements for specific things (subsoiler, middle buster, spike harrow, etc). All work is done either at my house (1 acre), at our farm (117 acres),or at my fathers' place (20 acres). I have been looking at new tractors for over a year and have decided on Kubota. The dealer is awesome with good prices and excellent service. I went to the dealership thinking the Grand L3940 4WD was the perfect size (more hp than the 2000 and less than the 3000) and got a good price. The salesman asked if I had lookes at the L4600 4WD; I had not. He said it was more hp but was more of a basic tractor that didn't give up much performance. Looking at the specs, the biggest difference is the pump doesn't have as much volume flow and the lift won't pick up quite as much. I am concerned about the L series jerky 3pth as this would not make me happy. I can only afford to purchase once soI needto get it right the first time. I was quoted the following prices, all with gear drive transmissions:

L 4600 4WD = $17,800
L 3940 4WD = $20,800
L 3240 4WD = $18,400

I loved the way the 4600 operated and was set up but no more than the other two. The price was the cheapest but it was really a little more hp than I was looking for (not always a bad thing). As far as pto hp goes, I think I will be good either way as a 5 foot brush hog is what I run and I will be purchasing a 6 foot finishing mower with the tractor. Our implements will work with pretty much any of the tractors (I think) as the box blade is 6 foot and the scrape blade is 6 foot.

I am looking for opinions on any of the above mentioned tractors and also if I am wrong about running the implements I have.

I am thinking I should probably go with my original intention and just get the L 3940 because it is in the middle on power but the right size for me.

Please advise......

Thanks!!!

 

[Bluegill2]

All great tractors and all will do the work you need. Was me, I'd get the L4600 and save a few bucks, but that's just me...

I've not heard anyone complain about jerky hitch with the new L4600. My L3800 isn't jerky either.

Your attachments will be fine. Just pick the one you like best.

 

[1fastbob]

I purchased a new L4600 a couple of weeks ago and I am very happy with it.

 

[94BULLITT]

I would go with a grand L, I love the auto throttle advance and the dual speed hydro. You will have to get it home and use it before you really appreciate the dual speed hydro but it keep you from having to change ranges. You can put it in MED-LOW and do about anything with it and then you can switch it to MED-HIGH and run almost 9mph. The grand l has a better 3PH, telescopic lift arms and stabilzers. Have you looked at a L4240, it is the first one for the LA854 loader. I would at least go with the L3940 because it is the smallest one with a 4 cylinder engine. You will probaly want a 6ft rotary cutter for the 3940 so it will as wide as the tires and you will want a 7ft blade so when you angle it, it will be wider than the tires.

 

[Tannehill Kid]

I was in the same place you are and went with the L3940 and have no regrets whatsoever. I do pretty much everthing you listed and I'm very satisfied.

 

[skipperbrown]

Of the one's you mention, go with the grand, hands down. It's a great tractor with all kinds of neat features you'll appreciate for years. With such wide open spaces, is there any reason you aren't looking at the M series? It would certainly be more comfortable with more weight and bigger footprint. Where are you in MS? I have a 3940 HST+ with 300 hrs and FEL I'll sell you for the same price.

 

[Notforhire]

I looked at buying a L4600. I realy liked the tractor. After testing two, I discovered that both had the jerky hitch problem.:thumbdown: That in itself was a deal breaker for me. I ended up buying a L3240. If I could afford the L3940 I would have bought it. The 3240 is a nice tractor, but I would have liked a little more HP. My tractor was a year old (NOS) so I was able to get a good deal on it. It has a glide shift trans. Frankly I would prefer a manual trans over the GST.
Some members report that their L3800, or L4600 tractors don't have jerky hitch problems. I am happy, that they were able to find ones that worked as they should. I tested several L3800, L4400, and L4600, and they all were jerkey. I am disappointed that Kubota would make such a great tractor and spoil it by not fixing that problem. IMHO, because of this, a GL was the only way to go, unless I changed brands.

Happy shopping, Bill

 

[bilrus61]

If it makes a difference to you I think the L4600 is made in Thailand and the other two you mentioned are made in Japan. Makes a difference to some and not to others. That is Thailand not Taiwan. I've seen folks confuse the two. I would imagine (but don't know) that the engine on the L4600 is still made in Japan.

 

[TripleR]

I have no doubt the L4600 is nice and capable tractor, I have seen posts by new owners and looked at them on the Kubota website. I however picked the Grand L for the added features such as the HST+, I also liked the extendable lower links, tilt steering and the way the cruise control works. I needed more power and size, so I got the 5740, but all Grand L's are equipped the same. It does take a while to fully appreciate all the features on the HST+ and I use some only occasionally, but I use the dual range every time I use my tractor.

Kubota HST-Plus Transmission - YouTube

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

I am concerned about the L series jerky 3pth

FYI... thats never been an issue on this series. Thats L2800-3400-3200-3800. They are a totally different tractor. The L4400 - L4600 are derived from the older Grand L-30 series. Its basicly a grand L30 w/o rubber floor mats.

That said, unless you need the HP the L3940 is a much more feature rich tractor.

 

[Notforhire]

The L4400 - L4600 are derived from the older Grand L-30 series. Its basicly a grand L30 w/o rubber floor mats.

I beg to differ.
They may have derived from a Grand L, but the ones I tested all had the jerkey hitch. :thumbdown:My dealer had a few 4400 and 4600 tractors on the lot. If they didn't have the jerkey hitch, I would have bought one of them. I didn't really want a GL. I do like the GL features, but I could have lived without them, to save some money.
The salesman actually brought the 3PH to my attention. They called it an Inching Valve because it moves up in increments. And thats the way it was intended to work. I call it a Jerkey Hitch because that's the way it works. If the hitch was the same as the Grand L, why would the salesman pointed it out as a "feature"?:confused2:
I have tried two Grand Ls and they both operated smoothly. I have yet to operate a standard L that operates the same as a GL.

Bill

 

[JC-jetro]

I actually test drove L4600 and MX5100/4700 for several hrs. M series we re a bit more beefy, refined and a better all around than L4600. I did not notice any jerky lift on L4600. In my opinion only "Thailand" manufactured was the only alight negative I saw on L4600. L4600 was my original choice. L4600 is a lot more tractor than L4400 due to great shuttle shift than the mechanical shuttle and a better loader.

JC,

 

[Notforhire]

I actually test drove L4600 and MX5100/4700 for several hrs. M series we re a bit more beefy, refined and a better all around than L4600. I did not notice any jerky lift on L4600. In my opinion only "Thailand" manufactured was the only alight negative I saw on L4600. L4600 was my original choice. L4600 is a lot more tractor than L4400 due to great shuttle shift than the mechanical shuttle and a better loader.

JC,

Just wondering. When you operated the 3PH on these tractors, did you have anything heavy attached, like a box blade or bush hog? If so did you try to raise the 3PH slowly?

 

[Fordman1981]

Notforhire I want to point out messick is a kubota dealer so he may have some validity in what he says. Do you think your salesman might have been trying to sale you a more expensive tractor to make more commission? I have an L4400 and it's hitch is smooth every L4400 I gave seen had a smooth hitch they are a different design from the smaller L's that I do know for a fact.

 

[JC-jetro]

Just wondering. When you operated the 3PH on these tractors, did you have anything heavy attached, like a box blade or bush hog? If so did you try to raise the 3PH slowly?

No, it did not have anything heavy on the back end. Some add land pride quick attach where it would not be very heavy.

JC,

 

[Notforhire]

Notforhire I want to point out messick is a kubota dealer so he may have some validity in what he says. Do you think your salesman might have been trying to sale you a more expensive tractor to make more commission? I have an L4400 and it's hitch is smooth every L4400 I gave seen had a smooth hitch they are a different design from the smaller L's that I do know for a fact.

He didn't try to steer me to a GL at all. He was very busy one day with several other customers. It was my third trip to the dealership. He gave me a handfull of keys, and said try anything on the lot. I actually hooked up a Bushhog to the tractors and tried the 3PH at different RPMs.
After only finding jerky hitches on the regular L. I tried a GL just to compare. The difference was night and day. Believe me I wanted the hitch to be smooth on the 4600. Other than that, I really liked everything about it. So I was not going by what the salesman told me, I actually tried them myself. BTW when the salesman mentioned the "inching valve" he didn't present it as a defect, but as a feature. So he wasn't trying to sell me a GL. As a matter of fact he was suprised that I had even looked at the GLs while he was gone because I had told him I wasn't interested because of the price.
The 3240 I ended up buying was a NOS so the price turned out less than the 4600. If it was a current model and priced as such, I would have left without buying a Kubota.
The only other explaniation I can offer is that my dealership gets defective units, in order to sell more Masseys. Beyond that I don't know what to tell you. If your tractor, and the ones that Messick has tried are smooth, thats great, but all the ones I tried wern't and I didn't dream it.:laughing:

Bill

 

[Notforhire]

No, it did not have anything heavy on the back end. Some add land pride quick attach where it would not be very heavy.

JC,

It would be difficult to tell without a heavy attachment on.

 

[JC-jetro]

It would be difficult to tell without a heavy attachment on.

I know that and have no argument with that. I would have tried heavy load on l4600 if I wanted to buy it. I found the dealer I talked tobe very honest and saw no reason to not believe him when I asked the question.

JC,

 

[Notforhire]

I know that and have no argument with that. I would have tried heavy load on l4600 if I wanted to buy it. I found the dealer I talked tobe very honest and saw no reason to not believe him when I asked the question.

JC,

What question was that?

BTW I am not suggesting that someone should not buy a L4600, or any other tractor that they fancy. I would however recomend that they try it out with a bushhog attached. Between the length and weight of this attachment any problems would be easly detected. Kubota sells lots of standard L tractors, I assume the owners are happy with them.

Bill

 

[crazyal]

Maybe I missed it but what type of transmission are you planning on getting? The Grand L tractors have probably the best HST transmission being sold today but if you're looking at a gear tractor then you loose a lot of what makes the GL stand out. Are you planning on getting a loader? I think the 4600 has a larger loader but I can't say for sure.