New kubota tractor advice

[thunder86]

I currently have a b2601, r4 tires and I'm really disappointed with it. Been an ongoing issue. I have a tiller, brushhog, boxblade with it.
Kubota now does 84 months on the L series and I'm considering getting the L3901 with R1 tires and grapple.
I'll include some pictures of my projects because I need help on which grapple and considerations on a disc harrow. Projects are clearing areas for food plots in woods, some unworkable hillsides that cannot be tilled will go into native shrubs. Small trees I want to grapple the roots out of the ground. I want to move trees/brush piles around that I take chainsaw too. I also want to grapple old stumps out of ground if possible. I need to grapple larger rocks put of ground.
My current tractor gets hung up pulling a box blade on my old logging trail I wanting to till up. It gets stuck while moving brush piles around slides around causing me to get stuck against tree or stumps. I want something when I hit the gas it goes straight and doesn't slide.
Disc considerations. I feel I have to have a disc because I have a 10 acre open fallow field I want switchgrass in and it needs to be either burned or disc every few years to keep it in switchgrass. I also want to disc it in the winter to enhance native forbs. My current tractor is perfectly fine for this field but it's all it could maintain. I want a disc I don't have to add weight too. If I did get the disc could I also trade in my tiller for extra cash help? 90% of this field hasn't been worked in 10+ years I think. Would I be extremely disappointed getting rid of my tiller?
How does a disc hold up to rocks and roots i miss on the woods I'm clearing? I had about an acre dozer off and there's still some roots/sticks lots of rocks. I understand pick them up but your always gonna miss something. How well will a disc hold up?

 

[thunder86]

Big rocks I'd like to grapple out of the ground. My current tractor won't get these out even with a tooth bar.

 

[thunder86]

What size rocks can a disc hold up to? Some of my pictures are not loading but this is an acre I had dozed off and I ran my tiller across it at the shallow most setting and 5 bolts broke out of it. Would a disc be more forgiving?

 

[thunder86]

Some of these smaller trees I'd expect to be able to grapple them out by the roots. I don't think I got pictures of the old stumps.

 

[thunder86]

This is an idea of what I was trying to pick up and move with my b2601 which was unable to pick it up and was sliding, back end coming off the ground, got stuck on the stump whiling sliding. Getting old.

 

[Aquamoose]

You could get a 100hp tractor but it’ll be pointless without leverage and weight is a big factor.

 

[thunder86]

You could get a 100hp tractor but it’ll be pointless without leverage and weight is a big factor.

What size do recommend? The L series is 1,000 pounds heavy than what I'm used to.

 

[RjCorazza]

A box blade is capable of anchoring practically any sized tractor if it catches large roots of boulders. A larger machine will have greater fel capacity, but I have yet to see a loader that couldn't be over loaded.
R4's do not excel in mud. Sounds like R1's would keep you from sliding around.
I guess my point is that a larger L series tractor has limitations also, and you should either take smaller bites at your tasks or buy larger and work within the machine's capability.

 

[LittleBill21]

maybe logging chains are the way to go, i feel like you need a dozer more then a tractor from the photo's

 

[Thomas]

" I want something when I hit the gas it goes straight and doesn't slide."

Hire or rent dozer to do the rough work and put the finishing touches on the land with tractor you have now,it might be cheaper in the long run.

 

[dodge man]

I’d say maybe your expectations are to high. You won’t be able to grapple a rock out of the ground, you will have to dig them out with the end loader. Dig around them and then get under them with the bucket.

Not to insult you but are you a newer tractor operator? If so it takes some practice and you have to learn your limitations and the machines. I’ve been running smaller tractors for 12 years and about a 1000 hours and am probably just adequate as an operator. I remember getting frustrated when I first started out. There is no doubt a bigger tractor will do more for you but I can’t help but wonder if you will just have a bigger disappointment.

 

[oosik]

I think Thomas's & Dodge man's answers are the best way for you to go. Unless you take "smaller bites" you could be asking your tractor for too much. This will, eventually, lead to something being damaged.

 

[sea2summit]

From what you’re talking about the MX would be a great option, lots of capacity.

Welcome to the very large club that has bought too small initially

 

[buck12]

I can not add anything on rocks since the only rocks I have are on my drive. As to tractor size, I went from a 26 hp open station to a 54 hp cabbed tractor. While the larger tractor will accomplish more usually in a shorter time, every tractor has its limits. Roots will hung by my box blade will stop my tractor.
You may have under bought but I accomplished a lot with a 26 hp tractor on my 72 acres for 12 years. I used my grapple to push the same size trees I now push up with a 54 hp tractor.

i stepped up in size because we built a weekend cabin and I wanted to keep part of the property cut more often in a faster time. My experience is my larger tractor reduces the time time it takes to get a job done. It really does not do more than the smaller tractor did. I hope that makes sense.

 

[jjeff]

I've noticed on this sight a quite a few folks have lots of disposable income, absolutely nothing wrong with that, id love to have the money to move up to a m4 or similar with heat and air that actually work. Where I live used three point backhoes with independent hydraulics come up pretty frequently for sale, you can easily move rocks with one with or without a grapple with some stick time of course. You can also remove stumps with a 3 point BH, A trick I learned, either read (maybe on this forum) or was told to me was to cut a few of the main leaders of the roots to get it out quicker, especially if you have a smaller bh. I carry a cordless sawzall with a demo blade on it when I take out stumps these days. Three point backhoes aren't very efficient and can be a hassle to put on and take off frequently but they do the job and its probably better than ramming a 30k+ tractor into rocks and stumps. good luck

 

[tman1020]

I have a bobcat CT 225 tractor. It is approximately twice the weight of your tractor. From the looks of the pictures you have i don’t think I would have much trouble with any of the jobs in your pictures assuming the ground is not wet.
Everything has its limitations but I feel my tractor would be sized appropriately for that job. Or Possibly a touch on the small side. I do feel like my tractor does punch above its weight class. So a bit larger (and more hp)would not be a bad thing if maneuvering a larger tractor is not an issue. Not familiar with Kubota model numbers in that size range but in bobcat it would be in a four or five series tractor. Hope that helps.
As far as the rocks go they’re hard on everything. Especially tillers. Spring tooth rakes are cheap and do a pretty good job at popping out rocks if they’re not too big. and rock buckets can be helpful to remove them also.

 

[RidgeHiker]

You might find a bucket spade helpful for the rocks. It clamps on to the loader bucket or forks.
This is the one I have: Bucket Solutions

 

[Jchonline]

Excavator for the rocks is a great idea. You have a small machine meant for light tasks. Others that have done hard work with 25 HP tractors are probably on a bigger frame. When you are moving weight, you need weight to counter it. You need ballast, and you need enough weight for good solid ground engagement. In a B series you just dont have it. Sure they are awesome for getting in tight places, moving lighter loads... but when you need to break ground weight matters. You cant move a 3000 lb rock with a 2000lb machine easily. You need to find other ways to accomplish this.

 

[redman135]

Tractor wise, are your rear tyre rims adjustable for width? If so go to max' width for stability. You will be surprised at the difference in "feel".
Tyre wise you are better off with Ag tyres, especially on soft or greasy ground.
Discs are probably a better option as they will climb over large rocks and cut the smaller branches and roots.
I recomend a serrated disc as opposed to a smooth disc because serrated cuts better, especially green roots and branches. Nothing cuts hard dry sticks or dry roots very well.

An alternative is to mark every stump and rock you want out and get a contractor in to do the job and do the trees as well, this will bring the job down to a size your tractor can handle and save the cost of upgrading.

 

[jeff9366]

"I'm considering getting the Kubota L3901 with R1 tires and grapple."

"The L3901 is 1,000 pounds heavier than what I'm used to."


A Kubota MX series tractor is what you need. Not too much more money than an L3901. An MX tractor is both more robust and more stable than an L3901.

The fundamental importance of TRACTOR WEIGHT eludes many tractor shoppers.

Within subcompact and compact tractor categories, a significant tractor capability increase requires a bare tractor weight increase of 50%. It takes a 100% increase in bare tractor weight to elicit MY-OH-MY!

Tractors are inherently unstable operating on sloped ground. Tractor rear wheel/tire spread, adjustable on the Kubota MX series, is a critical factor increasing compact tractor stability working sloped or uneven ground. A 6" to 10" increase in rear axle width substantially decreases tractor rollover potential. Tractor width is an approximation of rear axle width.

Small tractor wheels drop into holes, disrupting traction. Larger wheels and tires supplied on heavier tractors bridge holes and ruts, increasing traction. Larger wheels and tires permit higher operating speed over uneven ground by reducing implement bounce and operator perturbation. MX series has exceptionally large wheels/tires for a compact tractor.

When considering a tractor purchase bare tractor weight first, tractor horsepower second, rear axle width third, rear wheel/tire ballast fourth.

BUY ENOUGH TRACTOR THE SECOND TIME.​

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