Tractor Sizing Pre-Purchase homework - L3301DT Package

[chinton]

I'm planning on purchasing a L3301DT Package from my local dealer. He suggested the smaller L2501 but I want more HP than my Husqvarna mower has.
Their package is the L3301DT 4WD, LA555 Loader, LandPride 60" Cutter and 60" Box Blade. I'm planning on adding R4 Tires and fluid.

I'm planning on using it to get my ~3 Acres back in shape (I'm going to win the battle with the honeysuckle this year) and start preparing for a small apple orchard, some nut trees, and garden. I'm going to be cutting many trees and chopping most of it up for mulch.

My "soil" is described as Nixa with fragipan within 12 - 30" (see below). I've verified that the soil is mostly impermeable to hand tools and light equipment (rental 1-man PHD). A steel rod is pretty much required to make progress with digging post holes by hand. A bobcat with auger is recommended (keep the steel rod handy though).

My main question is around how well the FEL and/or box blade can be at digging. My research leads me to believe that my fruit and nut trees will be most successful if I'm able to dig a trench at least 4' wide, probably more like 6', to about 2' (fruit) and 3' (nut) deep. If I'm not through it by these depths I'll break out the steel rod and re-evaluate. I'm thinking I'll use the teeth of the box blade to break up the "soil" and the FEL or BB to scrape it out and pile it aside for amendment. How nuts am I?


Description from the Govt (Web Soil Survey)
Description of Nixa

Setting

Landform: Hillslopes
Landform position (two-dimensional): Backslope
Landform position (three-dimensional): Nose slope
Down-slope shape: Linear
Across-slope shape: Linear
Parent material: Slope alluvium over pedisediment over residuum weathered from limestone
Typical profile

Oi - 0 to 1 inches: slightly decomposed plant material
A - 1 to 3 inches: very gravelly silt loam
E - 3 to 10 inches: very gravelly silt loam
BE - 10 to 18 inches: very gravelly silt loam
2Btx - 18 to 43 inches: very gravelly silt loam
3Bt - 43 to 80 inches: very gravelly clay
Properties and qualities

Slope: 8 to 12 percent
Depth to restrictive feature: 11 to 30 inches to fragipan
Natural drainage class: Moderately well drained
Runoff class: Very high
Capacity of the most limiting layer to transmit water (Ksat): Very low to moderately low (0.00 to 0.06 in/hr)
Depth to water table: About 9 to 28 inches

 

[Citydude]

Why not the 66" box blade instead of a 60"? Also, the 3301 will run a 6' cutter. I think your not using the horsepower you bought.

 

[chinton]

The dealer has these packages and the only thing that changes is the tractor (L2501DT, L3301DT or L3901DT). All three come with the LA555 loader, and Land Pride RCR1260 cutter and BB1260 box blade. I've not asked about the cost differential with larger cutter or box blade.

 

[motownbrowne]

Personally, I'd want a hydrostatic machine for what you want to do with it. Unless you're sure about a gear model, go test drive a hydro. Assuming your soil isn't full of large rocks, the loader will dig that trench. A toothbar will help greatly.

 

[Citydude]

The cutter is fine for 3 acres, just pointing out that the 3301 will run a 6' cutter. With the work your planning for the box blade, I'd at least ask about the 66" model. I have a 60" on my 2501 with R1 tires set out as wide as they will go with spacers due to the slopes I work on. The 60" is too narrow and doesn't cover the width of the tires. I need the 66". It will pull the 60' full of wet heavy material with no problem.

 

[s219]

If he's getting R4 tires, the 60" box will be fine and will cover the tire tracks. I have a 60" box on my L3200, and it's pretty good most of the time, but the tractor could use more guts when the box fills with soil and gets heavy to pull. I would not want a wider box blade unless it was an L3901 with more power.

 

[Citydude]

Wont your tires lose traction before running out of horsepower?

 

[jeff9366]

For such tough soil I suggest first pre-ripping trenches with a (shear-bolt protected) Subsoiler or Middlebuster. One of these implements will save you net time.

As you intend to DIG with the FEL, get a Tooth Bar for the bucket. Piranha Tooth Bar is favorably reviewed here.


I used to travel Arkansas occasionally on business, visiting wine distributors. Regret I never got to the NW part of the state.


VIDEOS (3): middle buster - YouTube

compact tractor subsoiler - YouTube

piranha tooth bar - YouTube

 

[super55]

If your soil is that hard a box blade with rippers is 1. either going to stop tractor dead in it's tracks or 2. not be able to adequately penetrate the soil. You might have some success with a single point subsoiler but I am willing to be that will even really tax the limits of the tractor if the soil is as hard as I think it is.

You might be better off to hire someone with a dozer and a ripper plow on the back to open up your trenches for you. To me trying to get a CUT to open that up just sounds like a good way to break something.

I had a Kubota L2500 DT and it is a great tractor. I used to run a 6' bush hog off it all the time and could run it in the second to highest gear without issues unless I was in some really deep nasty stuff. Also ran a 6 1/2 foot disc off the back without any issues. The gear transmission had incredible drawbar power. With Ag tires on you'll run out of traction long before you run out of pulling power.

 

[4570Man]

Wont your tires lose traction before running out of horsepower?

My tractor does and it's a HST.

 

[chinton]

Thanks for the replies. You've given me more to think about.

 

[s219]

Wont your tires lose traction before running out of horsepower?

My previous tractor, a B2920 with 29HP and weighing 1500#, would run out of traction before power. But my L3200 (32HP/2600#) starts to bog down and struggle long before it give up traction. I guess it comes down to power and weight. In both cases, you lose forward progress, so the end result is much the same. Little more comical on the B2920 though.

 

[4570Man]

My previous tractor, a B2920 with 29HP and weighing 1500#, would run out of traction before power. But my L3200 (32HP/2600#) starts to bog down and struggle long before it give up traction. I guess it comes down to power and weight. In both cases, you lose forward progress, so the end result is much the same. Little more comical on the B2920 though.

Are you using low range? My L3240 HST weighs 3,400 pounds stock and I have a loader, loaded tires and a backhoe attachment. With all of that on I can break traction in 4wd with the diff lock held down on any surface. The engine does start to struggle if it has good traction, but it has never given up before the wheels slip. If you have a geared model the engine won't even struggle to break traction.

 

[lennyzx11]

L3301/HST here. I pull a 5 ft land pride BB and the 6 ft LP cutter. I have R1s. I was using it slow in rocky ground and snapped one of the tine ends off on the BB. I've been digging with it hard and the tractor would spin and never has seemed to run out of power.
The rotary cutter has never bogged the tractor down. Even in deep thick never before cut brush. I use low range for everything working though.
The FEL seemed a little weak from the dealer and I checked the pressure and shimmed the pressure relief valve per instructions posted here.
The piranha tooth bar was the single best addition I've made to the bucket. Digging improved greatly.

 

[Citydude]

Thanks for the replies. You've given me more to think about.

Your welcome. The 3301 geared tractor your looking at has more than enough power and weight to upgrade to to a 66" BB and a 6' cutter however it will do what you want it to do with the implements in the package your looking at. Enjoy!

 

[jeff9366]

RE: Box Blade selection

The key metric is weight per unit of width. Generally, 100 pounds per foot of width is minimum for effective cutting. Box Blades used in commercial work begin at 200 pounds per foot of width.

Box Blade Width: Select a Box Blade a tad wider than tractor rear tires. If not this wide, you cannot make repeated pulls in the same trench, because the tires will not have free way. So, never narrower than rear tire width. No reason to buy wider than 12" over tire width (6" each side), money better spent on additional weight per unit of width, than absolute width.

The Three Point Hitch does not provide down force. Primarily, the weight of the implement provides cutting ability, Three Point Hitch/Top Link adjustment provides optimum cutting for a given weight.

In many cases a Ratchet Rake bucket attachment is better at light grading than a too light Box Blade.

 

[chinton]

Interesting. So the stated weight of the BB1260 is 346#. Is it built strongly enough to withstand use in heavy soils? Throwing some ballast on top of the BB would seem to be easy enough if the thing is inherently strong enough. Would something like the Cimarron BB60 be a better choice at 483#?

I'm already scheming on the piranha tooth bar as well as that bar.

I've not bought anything yet but already feel the tugging of the money vortex!

 

[bspeedy]

I'm planning on purchasing a L3301DT Package from my local dealer. He suggested the smaller L2501 but I want more HP than my Husqvarna mower has.

The 25 hp diesel engine on a CUT is not comparable in any way to your 25 hp Husq riding mower. I would not hesitate to get the 25 hp machine for small acreage. Same frame as the 3301 as well - I think.

 

[Fallon]

I have the same machine... L3200 HST with loaded R4s. Got it with the same rotary cutter, but a now sold back blade (have a SSQA plow now). My cutter is fine, although I could spin a 6' I bet. I can bog the tractor in heavy dense grass, brush & stall the tractor mowing yucca with my 5'. Either one will probably be fine as you can go slower with the 6' trivially with a HST. It mostly comes down to maneuverability. Go with the 6' if it's mostly going to be open field with no obstacles. If any tighter conditions or obstacles are in your path, go 5'.

I have a 72" King Kutter box blade. I can pull it reasonably well, but often wish I had a heavier 66" box instead. I've excavated down about 6' digging out the back of my barn where the hill was burying it using the box. Took a while, but did well. A 60" would be to small for me. The L3200 HST can pull the 72" almost full before running out of traction. You'll never reastically run out of power before traction. You may be going really slow, but except for PTO stuff I've never been out of power before traction.

Whatever you do, get the rear tires loaded. It's not stable or that safe without, not to mention lacking a lot of traction. Always have proper ballast (rotary cutter is great) on the back when using the loader.

 

[Fallon]

The L2501 is an underpowered machine to get under the 25hp emissions limits. However it's probably under rated compared to its true output & configured for torque rather than HP. I keep hearing it's not as much of a dog as you'd expect. I wouldn't want less than the 32hp on my L3200, but want to check out a L2501 when I'm at the dealer one of these days to see how it compares. I suspect better than I initially thought.