Buying Advice L3800 input, price check

[hhsco]

Hey Gang, looong time lurker in regards to my old '78 JD 2040 and first time poster.

I've been trying for a few years now to upgrade my tractor situation- the weather here in the winter is pretty much the worst in the country- feet of snow, 100+mph winds, drifts like you wouldn't believe. So the 2wd JD with no cab isn't cutting it. I'm also about to embark on a series of construction projects and don't want to pay the usual thousands of dollars for someone to move gravel around and dig trenches.

So what I want is 4 wheel drive, a decent loader, a cab, and the ability to mount a backhoe. The L3800 seems to fit all those reqs.

My sister's father-in-law bought a 2012 L3800 last June and put ten hours on it. Then he got the deal of a lifetime on a used backhoe from a local rancher and no longer needs the tractor. The tractor is HST, loaded R4 tires, aftermarket cab WITH heat, 524 loader with hooks already on the QA bucket, etc. He wants 22,500 but I think he will knock off $500 for me. It is still under warranty.

What do you guys think, decent deal or too much?

 

[murphy1244]

Welcome from Ohio

 

[case245]

at that price go for it that a good deal

 

[murphy1244]

I stopped the build at 30,000 and that was without cab so I think its a good deal imho

 

[reggiejr]

Welcome aboard.
Honestly if i'm reading your post correctly that really imo sounds like all the money for that setup with no bh.
I would go kick tires at the dealership and get prices on a new one of you own.
You would probably like a grand l with a factory cab a lot better.
Also if you want a bh it would be a lot more convenient to get it all together as a new package deal with it all on the same 60m 0% kubota loan if you need one. also you can set it up exactly the way you want it.
Don't get me wrong i own a l3800 and i love it but if were looking for a cab tractor the after market cabs don't even compare to a factory setup plus it would have a/c.
If it were say 17-18k id say go for it but to me it would be too awkward to negotiate with a family member that much.
I would let him try and sell it at that price for a while and then maybe you could make him a real offer without insulting him once the market shows him the real value.
Hope that helps.

 

[reggiejr]

Here are a few examples to show you.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7507277

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7497691

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7139263

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6303325

Also not sure how far they deliver but Ive heard many good reports about this company's prices and their ability to do business with out of state customers.
http://barlowequipment.com/content/package-builder

 

[murphy1244]

Here are a few examples to show you.

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7507277

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7497691

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=7139263

http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6303325

But he needs a cab tractor.

 

[kiotiken]

With cab and bh, that's good deal. Aftermarket cabs aren't great (I've had two tractors with them), but they're a heck of a lot better then no cab. You'll likely need hearing protection and a small fan in the summer. Yes factory cabs are nice and so are Grand L models but forget about a new one under $30K. Standard L tractors can have issues with a jerky 3pt hitch, but some are fine and a lot of people dont seem to care.

 

[TurkeyHerder]

I love my L3800 HST. This is a great deal. Let me know if you pass on it so i can grab it up.

 

[reggiejr]

But he needs a cab tractor.

Yeah i know i just wanted to show him an approx market value of a used l3800 read his post and i don't think it comes with a bh he noted it "had the ability to have one".
I have the same exact tractor and there is no way i could sell it for 22,500 used and its perfect.
That's what i paid new w/0 hrs with a rear remote and hd ssqa bucket w/cutting edge,rear light,loaded r4's +full warranty.
I'm just saying if i were to get a cab tractor i would want a factory cab tractor the first time around vs looking at them two years later after ive realized how much better they are in comfort and quality.

 

[murphy1244]

Yeah i know i just wanted to show him an approx market value of a used l3800 read his post and i don't think it comes with a bh he noted it "had the ability to have one".
I have the same exact tractor and there is no way i could sell it for 22,500 used and its perfect.
That's what i paid new w/0 hrs with a rear remote and hd ssqa bucket w/cutting edge,rear light,loaded r4's +full warranty.
I'm just saying if i were to get a cab tractor i would want a factory cab tractor the first time around vs looking at them two years later after ive realized how much better they are in comfort and quality.

Ahh gotcha

 

[hhsco]

Thanks for all the input, folks. Just to be clear the 22,500 does NOT include the backhoe. I'd have to pick that up from the dealer in a separate deal.

I'm not too concerned about the cab- my folks farm down in Georgia so I'm fairly familiar with what a "real" cab looks like and was quite impressed with the dealer-installed Curtis cab on this L3800. Wasn't perfect but really nice. I'm used to sitting way up high without even a ROPS getting absolutely blasted in the face by snow shooting out of my 3pt snowblower when it is -20 out and blowing in all directions. It sucks. I just need something to block the snow, really.

This Kubota has kind of fallen in my lap, especially since the used market up here in NW Montana is sliiiiim. I'd rather have a grand L or better yet 5000 series John Deere but I flat out can't afford it. Driving the 3800 the other day I was quite impressed with the power it had and it's relatively small size makes it wonderfully maneuverable. Any other opinions out there?

 

[murphy1244]

Thanks for all the input, folks. Just to be clear the 22,500 does NOT include the backhoe. I'd have to pick that up from the dealer in a separate deal.

I'm not too concerned about the cab- my folks farm down in Georgia so I'm fairly familiar with what a "real" cab looks like and was quite impressed with the dealer-installed Curtis cab on this L3800. Wasn't perfect but really nice. I'm used to sitting way up high without even a ROPS getting absolutely blasted in the face by snow shooting out of my 3pt snowblower when it is -20 out and blowing in all directions. It sucks. I just need something to block the snow, really.

This Kubota has kind of fallen in my lap, especially since the used market up here in NW Montana is sliiiiim. I'd rather have a grand L or better yet 5000 series John Deere but I flat out can't afford it. Driving the 3800 the other day I was quite impressed with the power it had and it's relatively small size makes it wonderfully maneuverable. Any other opinions out there?

Is there a Kioti dealer near by?

 

[hhsco]

Closest Kioti dealership is 4.5hrs away, although there is one closer....in Canada.

 

[94BULLITT]

Isn't a aftermarket cab like $7k?

Does it have a/c? A/C is a must in a cab tractor.

 

[hhsco]

Does not have A/C but the windows all open and you can disengage the heating unit and use it as a fan. Plus it looks pretty easy to take out the side panels entirely. Double plus, northwest Montana isn't quite the southeast as far as heat and humidity go. Triple plus, for old school farm work I'll probably keep using the ole John Deere and enjoy the sunshine.

 

[94BULLITT]

Does not have A/C but the windows all open and you can disengage the heating unit and use it as a fan. Plus it looks pretty easy to take out the side panels entirely. Double plus, northwest Montana isn't quite the southeast as far as heat and humidity go. Triple plus, for old school farm work I'll probably keep using the ole John Deere and enjoy the sunshine.

I use the a/c sometimes when it is 40*. It gets warm in a tractor cab. If you take the door off and open the back/ side window it may not be bad.

 

[hhsco]

I use the a/c sometimes when it is 40*. It gets warm in a tractor cab. If you take the door off and open the back/ side window it may not be bad.

Good food for thought, thank you.

 

[kiotiken]

I use the a/c sometimes when it is 40*. It gets warm in a tractor cab. If you take the door off and open the back/ side window it may not be bad.

I somewhat disagree. Yes it can get warm in there, but opening all the windows and having a small fan going is usually all it takes. My first aftermarket cab didn't have door shocks so I put some pipe insulation along the edge of the doors and bungy corded them together behind the cab. With them open and the rear window open, it was like an open station again.

I love the A/C in my current factory cab, but I fully expect it to quit working in a few years. I've never owned a car that didn't have A/C issues after about 5 years. That's usually the end of the car for me, but a tractors different, I'll either fix it or do without. With the cost of fixing A/C, I'll bet it's the later.

I'm not sure this is a great deal without the BH. The problem with aftermarket cabs is they don't really add any value to the tractor. They're kind of like swimming pools, very expensive, but don't add to the value of your house because not everybody wants one.

Without the BH, I'd take the advice to look at Kioti. They make the CK30 or CK35 that will have a ton more features than the L3800, it's heavier which is what you want for BH work and you can get a dealer installed cab that is make by Kioti specifically for the CK series. I started with a JD 955 with JDP cab than bought a CK30 with Kioti comfort cab and now have a Kioti DK45 with factory cab. The CK30 with Kioti cab is as close to factory as you're going to get and much better than the aftermarket cab in it's fit and finish, included features and noise level. It looks factory as well. Here's two pics of the CK30 beside the DK45 with factory cab (in the 10 minutes I had two tractors!)

 

[hhsco]

As far as the BH77 backhoe goes, does anyone have 1st-hand experience with them? I've checked all the specs and watched the youtube videos and whatnot but am still curious as to just how burly they actually are.

I live on the Rocky Mountain Front, basically on a glacial moraine. The ground is really, really rocky- ranging from pebbles up to boulders. The frost line is quite deep so all my water lines are buried between 6 and 8 ft down. The tractor is expensive enough but I don't want to plop down $8500 or so for the BH only to find it won't do much for me up here.

Thanks for the info on the Kioti line- they certainly look very nice.