Buying Advice L3560HSTC suggestions for recommended options

[AllByteNoBark]

Hello,

New here but have been using the site to do research the last month or so. Lots of good information. I am looking at possibly purchasing an L3560HSTC LE. Currently I own a John Deere 950 (31 hp, 2,750 lbs) from the 1980s. Not a bad tractor but think I would like to update. Getting to old for the bugs and heat.

We have 20 acres which is flat and about 120 feet above sea level. Soil is fine sand/dirt mix for first 12 inches then heavy clay. When it rains much it turns to soup, anything with any weight goes straight to the clay. My main uses will be mowing, moving a little dirt here and there and clearing and stacking some brush. We do not have heavy brush like some in south Texas, but I would like to clean it up a bit more. Will also be maintaining about 1,000 feet of gravel drive. I plan on mowing a couple of times a year to help keep the brush down and clean things up.

My current equipment besides the tractor consist of:

6 foot TSC brush hog
5 foot landplane for the drive
a carry-all I built to tote things around, used the TSC frame
20 foot 12k trailer for hauling tractor as needed​

The things I am thinking about adding with the tractor are:

Loader (of course) 805 with 66 in bucket
brush grapple
front remote for above
two rear remotes for top & tilt eventually
wheel weights or fill tires?
​

May add a box blade though I am not sure I need it with the land plane and the loader. Main reason I am considering it is that I thought about adding a ballast box. Then looking at the price of it thought maybe I should just add the box blade and use it for ballast. Any recommendations on this?

Items I would like to add eventually:

Disc/harrow
Sprayer
Fertilizer spreader
Quick hitch
Top & Tilt
Tiller
Radio
Work lights (probably an led light bar)
​

Some of the above items like the disc I will watch for on Craigslist and other local used stuff.

So what did I miss?

What don't I need? (Well I suppose I don't need any of the above, but...)

 

[Fallon]

Make sure your dealer gets good valves for your rear remotes. I have 3 & have been through over 5 separate valves trying to get ones that don't leak down. The L4060 is going back to the dealer again here when I have some down time for them to try to get another one that works. All under warranty & they are hauling it next time but still tedious.

Fit Rite Hydraulics - fitritehydraulics.com is a long wait & not cheap, but worth it for your TnT.

At my elevation my L4060 probably performs similar to a L3560 at sea level. With loaded tires my power to traction ratio is about right. I wish I had a bit more power for mowing at times (8' flail), or roading the machine up hills but not often running the box blade or land plane.

Any car radio can be put in. Easy DIY & the wiring harness is already there. There is some farm store selling adapter plugs you can find with some Googling. I got a cheap generic plug & figured out the wires myself. Would get the plug from the farm store & save the hassle if I had to do it over. https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums...ng/372739-anybody-have-radio-plug-pinout.html

I wired in my own fuse box & a pair of LED bars. The OEM wire & fuses may be enough for even my big bars though. The front lights are pre-wired & just need a switch. https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/376458-let-there-light-l4060-light.html both cheap bars cause radio interference & the front one recently started leaking & letting in water.

 

[jeff9366]

wheel weights or fill tires?

The cab on a Kubota L3560 will add about 700 pounds, with most of the weight over the rear tires.
That is enough. I would inflate rear tires with air, the simplest option.

Maintaining traction is usually only an issue with ground engagement work. The only moderately demanding ground engagement work you foresee is pulling a LPGS. The 700 pound cab will put sufficient weight on the rear tires to maintain traction driven by modest 37-horsepower.

The rear R4 tires on the Grand Ls are, unusually, on two part wheels. L3560 rear wheels/tires can be spread to any of three width increments: 52.2", 53.5" or 57.7" tread width. Tread width is from CENTER of one rear tire to CENTER of other rear tire. Tread width is published because tire suppliers change tire configurations but tread width is always tread width.

Spreading the rear wheel/tire stance increases tractor stability more than any other individual option. Consider rear wheel spread first.

My L3560 with R4/industrial tires set at 52.2" tread width has an outside-to-outside tire width of 62". Tire marks in soil are about 59", outside to outside. Buy a 10' stick of 1-1/4" PVC pipe. Cut pipe at max tire width. Mark narrower widths on pipe. Walk around your land, comparing pipe to tree spreads, gates, etc.


My OPEN STATION L3560 with R4 tires inflated with air pulls a 620 pound Rollover Box Blade, full of dirt, uphill, fine. Don't fill the rear tires; it is pointless.

Soil is fine sand/dirt mix for first 12 inches then heavy clay. When it rains much it turns to soup, anything with any weight goes straight to the clay.

 

[TripleR]

Sounds pretty good to me and jeff9366 owns one. We own tractors with 2WD, 4WD, loader, no loader, fluid, no fluid and one with fluid and cast centers and one with fluid and wheel weights; also two cabbed. We don't have any with a cab and no fluid. The good thing is you can try without and add if needed. With the grader, I would certainly wait on a box scraper. Only you can tell on the other items for me not worth it would be a tiller. We have a 3PH sprayer and spreader, but we have quite few acres.

I didn't get a float remote and wish I had.

 

[Fallon]

My L4060HSTC has slightly bigger tires than a L3560 weighs maybe 200lbs more than an equivalently equipped L3560. I loaded my rear tires & havent regretted it.

Doing some serious regrading of my front drive with a 6' Gannon box blade put my traction to the limit. I can usually get away with M low for most work. I sometimes have to switch to low range, but as often as not I run out of traction first.

Interestingly my 5' LPGS can almost stop the machine as well as the 6' Gannon in a good few situations. No action photos of the Gannon & minimal ones of the LPGS apparently.

You can probably read between the lines on the tractor photo for the biggest reason not to load the rear tires (loading the fronts isn't recomended & doesnt help stability). I havent had any issues though.

My machine is stable at max loader lift with minimal 3pt ballast. Way more stable than my L3200 with loaded rears & heavy 3pt ballast. Loaded tires dont unload the front axle like 3pt ballast does. But it does help stability & traction. You feel the extra weight going up hills though. I road my machine between jobs a lot & moderate hills are 15mph down, 6-7mph up.

I'm happy with my rear track set at 72", 74ish if you count sidewall bulge. I think I could go wider & know I could go narrower. I'm happy with the compromise of stability & manuverability though. It also makes a good target for impliment width (ignore the 5' LPGS & 8' flail mower behind the curtain).

 

[BRMyers]

I really like my L3560HSTC. As you can see by the pictures below, I use mine for mowing, moving dirt and concrete debris, along with clearing trees.

 

[mikescruggs]

I think your choice of tractor is good for the size of the property and weight concern for the mud/clay soil. My thoughts are still to load the tires to help you manage loads. I have a L4240 and use a box blade with 4 cinder blocks filled with concrete on a rack I made...it allows me to carry the loads better. I would think that most rear blades, even with pistons in place, would not give you much of a weight gain. Still more useful than a block of concrete.

I would recommend two or three rear remotes and a third function on the loader for a grapple. I'm not familiar with your type of soil. I have run R4 and R1 tires. I prefer R1 tires with chains year round. I don't like putting the chains on several times a year so they stay unless they absolutely have to come off. Sounds like R4 tires may not be the best choice. My R1 front tires are ok on my lawn unless I make tight turns then the chains help aerate the soil too.

Under the older tractor series I would have recommended a L4240 so you can have the larger loader...but I think in the new series you have to step up a fair amount.

Mike

 

[Fallon]

I think your choice of tractor is good for the size of the property and weight concern for the mud/clay soil. My thoughts are still to load the tires to help you manage loads. I have a L4240 and use a box blade with 4 cinder blocks filled with concrete on a rack I made...it allows me to carry the loads better. I would think that most rear blades, even with pistons in place, would not give you much of a weight gain. Still more useful than a block of concrete.

I would recommend two or three rear remotes and a third function on the loader for a grapple. I'm not familiar with your type of soil. I have run R4 and R1 tires. I prefer R1 tires with chains year round. I don't like putting the chains on several times a year so they stay unless they absolutely have to come off. Sounds like R4 tires may not be the best choice. My R1 front tires are ok on my lawn unless I make tight turns then the chains help aerate the soil too.

Under the older tractor series I would have recommended a L4240 so you can have the larger loader...but I think in the new series you have to step up a fair amount.

Mike

L4760 to get the big loader.

I prefer R4s. Higher carying capacity & more durable at the expense of a little traction. Less turf damage too. I get good traction on dirt & ok traction on snow. I only occasionally need chains on snow. The R4s are smoother & longer lasting doing lots of roading too. But definitely go R1s for sure if you have a lot of mud or pull a plow in soft dirt.

 

[jjp8182]

I would suggest going ahead and adding the third remote since you're already planning on the top & tilt kit. Having the 3rd rear remote would permit using a hydraulic line for any implements without having to disconnect/remove the top&tilt cylinders.

Granted I'm a bit biased as that's what I did on mine, and I've looked at implements that could (if all hydraulic options were added) result in needing as many as 6 rear remotes if the top & tilt kit were left on the tractor. The EA Land Shark rear scrape blade: 84" Land Shark Deluxe Scrape Blade With Hydraulic Options being an example.

Personally I went with all float valves, though at times I've wondered if going with a self-canceling valve on one of the three would have been a better move. However, given most of my (foreseeable) uses involve more in the way of hydraulic cylinders, rather than continuous run hydraulic motors (latter being where a SCD valve would really shine).

Edit: as far as rear ballast option, it might be worth looking at a Heavy Hitch. It may not be as cheap as a ballast box when it's all said and done, but having the 2" receiver hitch (and all the flexibility it offers for tool-mounting in addition to trailer hitches) in addition to weight plates has put one on my implement wish list.

 

[jeff9366]

We have 20 acres which is flat and about 120 feet above sea level. Soil is fine sand/dirt mix for first 12 inches then heavy clay.

My current equipment besides the tractor consist of:

6 foot TSC brush hog
5 foot landplane for the drive
a carry-all I built to tote things around, used the TSC frame
20 foot 12k trailer for hauling tractor as needed​

The things I am thinking about adding with the tractor are:

Loader (of course) 805 with 66 in bucket
brush grapple
front remote for above
two rear remotes for top & tilt eventually
wheel weights or fill tires?
​

May add a box blade though I am not sure I need it with the land plane and the loader.

Items I would like to add eventually:

Disc/harrow
Sprayer
Fertilizer spreader
Quick hitch
Top & Tilt
Tiller
Radio
Work lights (probably an led light bar)
​

A Bush Hog makes pretty good Three Point Hitch counterbalance for max FEL loads. Because of its length behind the rear axle leverage amplify its value pound-for-pound as counterbalance. However, FEL-TRACTOR-BUSH HOG makes a long unit, limiting maneuverability in tight places.

Tillers, being short and heavy, are often used as TPH counterbalance.

Tiller and Disc Harrow are both soil mixing implements. You may need one. Few need both.

Top & Tilt is especially nice for cab equipped tractors. It is time consuming to get in and out of a cab.

You will like find plenty of use for a clevis grab hook attached to rear center drawbar. PHOTO

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/316605-kubota-l3560-rear-storage.html

 

[foggy1111]

I have a hydraulic top link and the PATS hitch on the back of my tractor. Pretty easy to hook up to the various implements I have......I'd do this over a "quick hitch".....which I have tried in the past. The Quick Hitch just is not compatible with all the old implements I find and use regularly. PAT's adapts to anything I have. I also have Rim Guard in my rears.....and would do that again in one heartbeat. Even with a heavy ballast box and the beet juice.....I can get the rears off the ground with a heavy load on my grapple.....such is the power of my loader. I also have dual remotes on the back and the joy stick function for the grapple. Nice stuff to have and I use the dual remotes for my stump grinder. Nice.

I have allot of implements and use them all. I own a KK tiller, 6 foot disk harrow, field cultivator, landscape rake, 2 row planter, single point ripper, post hole digger, stump grinder (3500 stumps thus far), fertilizer spreader, Herd Seeder, Grapple, High Forks (for deer stand moving), cultipacker, drag, and a few others that escape my memory. A tractor without implements is like an engine and no wheels.....IMO.

I think I can pull my 6 foot disk thru about any ground possible with this tractor. The power and weight I have seem ideal for my situation. (sandy loam soils)

 

[AllByteNoBark]

Wow, great feedback everyone, I appreciate the input. :thumbsup:

Stopped by a different dealer today and talked to them about the remotes. They kind of gave me sticker shock. They told me the remote for the grapple would be $1200 and the rear remotes would be $1100 each. All I could see was $3400 to $4500 flying away. So when I got home this evening I looked on the Kubota build tool. It shos a cost of $903 for the third function valve kit for the FEL. Also shows that if I add 2 double acting and one detent it would run $2008. That would be $2900 for the front and three rear vs the $4500 they told me. I'm guessing the salesman just got mixed up somewhere along the line. At least I hope so. I am going to check another dealer tomorrow.

Fallon - I have looked at the Fit Rite Hydraulics site and will definitely consider some of their products. The long wait is the hard part for me. That 8' flail I'm sure will put the load to it once in a while. Not sure what I will do on the radio, the dealer said they would give me a deal, we will see. Appreciate the info you provided. On your other comment, looks like you get after it. Looks like a great job on the drive!

Jeff9366 - I wondered about the weight the cab added. I will not be doing much ground engagement on a regular basis. I think what I will do is use a product everyone here in my part of Texas keeps recommending, MultiSeal. Seems everythign here will either bite you or has nasty thorns. It is supposed to solve the thorn issue and prevent flats while adding some weight. Runs about $300 and I don't like worrying about flats or dodging thorns. As far as gates all of mine are 16' minimum and will be on future fencing I have to do, so no problem there. Also flat as a table top pretty much so not to worried about stability. On your other post about the BH as counter weight. The property is pretty open and going to get more so if I buy this unit. The BH is my default 3 point implement right now so may just try running that way for a while.

TripleR - Yes, the tiller is down the road for sure. Would be nice for the garden and food plots here and possibly one other property which would require trailering. I am thinking 2 remote floats and one detent but am not sure I fully understand the advantages of each one. Need to do some more research in that area.

BRMyers - What BH is that on yours in the photo? I am considering buying a heavier unit with the tractor if I pull the trigger and selling my cheap one with the 950. I saw some other photos you posted. Very nice to see one working. The Massey I believe I saw in one of them reminded me of one of the tractors we had when I was growing up. Dad bought a 165 and we thought we had it made. The high-low range on it kind of reminds me of the high-low on the Kubota.

mikescruggs - I considered both larger and smaller but do think this would be the right size. Our ground is fairly open other than some mesquite and huisache brush. Also some big holly bushes and a few other trees. Mainly we are looking to get rid of most of the huisache don't mind the rest. Will run the R4 and if it is wet the tractor will be staying in the barn. The bottom falls out when it rains. Nothing I have to do, everything is more on the want to do list.

jjp8182 - If I pull the trigger on this I may do three rear valves. Depends partially at least on where the pricing comes in. The wife says she is good with this but there is probably a limit I would just as soon not find. As far as the hydraulics I'm not sure what I will want down the road. Not much experience with using hydraulics on the rear but have used a lot of different pto stuff. My son helped me set some post and brought along a hydraulic tamper, that thing was awesome! I have looked at the heavy hitch and it does have a place on the wish list though it may be down a ways right now.

Foggy1111 - I looked at the Pats stuff and wondered if that might not be the case. I don't expect to be swapping units all that often so it might be a good way to go. You have a nice selection of implements there. I need to add cultipacker to my list of watch for items on craigslist, be great for food plots.

Thanks to all, keep the ideas coming!

 

[BRMyers]

My rotary mower is the Land Pride 1272. It works really well, in the heavy, thick stuff I have to slow down, but most of the time I can move right along.

The MF is a MF275 which belonged to my grandpa that my dad now owns. We use them on the family farm, which is a small 80 acre farm.

 

[Fallon]

A Bush Hog makes pretty good Three Point Hitch counterbalance for max FEL loads. Because of its length behind the rear axle leverage amplify its value pound-for-pound as counterbalance. However, FEL-TRACTOR-BUSH HOG makes a long unit, limiting maneuverability in tight places.

Tillers, being short and heavy, are often used as TPH counterbalance.

Tiller and Disc Harrow are both soil mixing implements. You may need one. Few need both.

Top & Tilt is especially nice for cab equipped tractors. It is time consuming to get in and out of a cab.

You will like find plenty of use for a clevis grab hook attached to rear center drawbar. PHOTO

MORE: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/316605-kubota-l3560-rear-storage.html

I definitely agree on the rotary cutter. It being so long gives it leverage amplifying its weight impact on the front axle. I had to stack junk on the back of my rotary cutter on my L3200 for ballast. Minimal ballast needs on the Grand though for stability.

I have a plain clevis on the back of mine to put a slip hook on when I chain the machine down when hauling. That fancy chain hook clevis is cool if you only use 1 chain for both sides though.

 

[Fallon]

If you arent doing much ground engaging stuff & have proper 3pt ballast when using the loader I'd skip the loaded tires. It will save fuel, time & what not. You can always load them later.

Hydraulics are expensive but worth it. With TnT & a QH I can hitch up all my impliments without getting off the machine even if they are really crooked. Still need to get off for a PTO or hydraulics though. I get a lot of value for my TnT with my box blade or LPGS. Less so for mowing & that's really only hitching up or the toplink. I leave the toplink in float when mowing.

If you are looking at the backhoe, the Kubota one is pushing $8-10k or so. Get a frame mounted one, not a 3pt. 3pt can work but invalidates warranties & has been known to break some tractors in half. Personally I just borrow a friends TBL for the few occasional uses I have.

 

[TripleR]

Two alternatives to the third function are running it off a rear remotes or a diverter, you can source parts for the diverter or buy the kit from Kens Bolt On Ken's Bolt on Grab Hooks <<Hydraulics>>

Float RR lets your equipment follow the contour of the land.

 

[jjp8182]

I can't believe I missed it earlier, but a set of pallet forks is actually really, really handy. While I originally bought a set with the tractor for use in unloading future implement purchases I've found that it's actually started to charge the way I buy and transport other things as well.

In fact, it's gotten to the point that when I'm buying heavy, bulky or large quantities of things I'll either have the store load things by forklift (if they will), or take a spare pallet with me and just stack, and secure the stuff myself when I'm done shopping.

Either way it makes unloading much faster and easier when I get home. Lumber, fence posts, bags of mulch/soil/rock/cement, really any building or landscaping material, as well as any large tools/appliances/"furniture" (to include shelving) is a lot easier to handle when you're able to handle it in the same fashion that it's commercially transported and handled.

Then of course there's this (currently) 28 page thread on other uses for pallet forks: https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/attachments/331526-what-else-do-you-do.html

Speaking of building things, if you need to do anything with fencing (or perform any small tree & bush removal) a post/tree puller can be handy.

Though if there's potential for any tractor-mounted post-hole augers I'd strongly suggest going with something that's hydraulically driven (whether loader or 3pt mounted). Growing up I had the displeasure of trying to get a pto-driven auger bit removed from a hole (5-6ft deep) after it got hung up on something at the bottom of a hole. Removing it required detaching the bit, manually turning it backwards (with soil on it), and then trying to re-attach it to the auger to see if the tractor could lift it out of the hole. It kept 4-5 of us busy for a few hours (ended up with a couple cousins & an uncle coming over to see what the three of us were doing). Now more than 20-ish years later, I don't recall whether it was tree root or a large rock that it'd gotten caught on, but I recall the effort required to remove that bit and for that reason alone even when I get around to buying a tractor-mounted auger it absolutely won't be PTO-driven (well, unless someone makes one with a PTO-driven bit reversing option).

 

[DVR]

I added a nice alpine radio with bluetooth, phone... with a ebay harness. About $110 for the radio and $10 for the harness.
Works great. Have the same radio in my 1987 toyota 4x4 so I almost know how to use it.

 

[Fallon]

I agree on the forks. I use them more than the bucket I think. And it does affect how you but, move & store things. Everything heavy or bulky around the house ends up on a pallet.

 

[AllByteNoBark]

The dealer should have one here in a week or so.

I don't need a backhoe for anything I know of yet. The pallet forks would be handy and might add them down the road. I have a fork truck so have unloading heavy stuff pretty well covered but can still see how the forks would be nice. I do have some fence that needs built but not sure, probably going to hire it done. The crew I used last time was fast good and pretty cheap, and I hate building fence. Though I would rather build fence that fix fence.

Will post here when I make a decision of some kind.