B7800 or L30 series

vjcunr · Oct 25, 2004

Thanks to everyone for this great resource. I am looking for advice in choosing a tractor to use on a 20 acre, heavily wooded, parcel at 7500 feet altitude. My main uses will be snow removal, brush chipping, and some material moving. A backhoe option would be nice but is out of my price range for a few years, and I'm guessing it would be too underpowered for the rocky soil. (We did use a JD310 for most of the trenching, and it was great for cleaning up brush and "popping" up the root balls.)
I spoke with the local dealer who suggested the B7800 with a LA402 loader and 63" B2782 snowblower. After looking over this forum I am now wondering if I should consider the L30 series. If so, how much HP is appropriate? Is the high altitude a factor? Is it worth the extra money for the 38HP engine?
Any advice is appreciated.

ronjhall · Oct 25, 2004

Welcome to TBN. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

The L30 tractors may be a better choice than the B7800. Since you do not list mowing as one of your task.
I can't help you with running diesel tractors at 7500' altitude. The jump from L31-3430 to L3830 is a larger tractor though.

Henro · Oct 25, 2004

You will not regret buying the larger L30xx series.

For a little more in price you get a lot more tractor.

The B series is good if you want/need a smaller physical package. With 20 acres to work with, assuming you are going to be there for the long term and want to do something with that land, the L series is the way to go in my opinion.

Get the larger capacity loader...it is required if you want to add the BH90 backhoe later, and more capacity is better anyway... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Each time you step up in tractor size, you seem to get a lot more tractor for each additional dollar spent.

Have fun making up your mind! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You may learn the meaning of "over think" by the time you do...been there, done that... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

SkyPup · Oct 25, 2004

We've got an L-3130 with LA-723 FEL at sea level on 30 acres of heavily wooded property and it is excellent, a smaller compact tractor would not be a good all around addition as Henro mentioned.

At 7,500 feet, I would be concerned about torque and HP loss too. With a non-turbocharged diesel you will be losing around 10% of your power at that altitude from the lower air density. At that elevation, a turbocharged diesel would be advantageous but don't know of any small tractors offhand that have more than one atomsphere of intake pressure.

vjcunr · Oct 25, 2004

It sounds like it would be worth it for the larger engine. I would like to run a 5 or 6 inch chipper and the extra HP would be useful. I'm also interested in knowing how capable a backhoe on this machine would be. Does this attachment make the machine too top/rear heavy? I know I can weight the wheels and the front, but is this enough?

If I am planning to buy the backhoe and chipper at a later date what options should I have factory installed to make these purchases easier to install?

Has anyone noticed that the suggested snowblower (L2174A) for the L3830 is only 62" wide while the tractor specs out at 66.5" wide? The next larger size blower (L2185-72") requires the L4330 tractor. Does this mean I need to downsize the tractor to the L3430 or can the 72" L2185 operate smoothly on the L3830?

Thanks again.

Henro · Oct 25, 2004

The BH90 backhoe is a much nicer backhoe than the BL4690A that is on my B2910 (same as B7800).

Slightly bigger, four point mount (not 3PH) just much nicer and better built in my opinion...

Someone who has a BH90 may report on its performance. I can tell you that I am happy with the 3PH backhoe on my tractor, but I KNOW I would be even happier with a BH90 (with a L30xx attached to it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ) if I had more property...would be overkill on 3.7 acres...especially when most of the work is done...

vjcunr · Oct 27, 2004

I got the following prices:
L3430HST with R4 industrial tires-$17,177.00
LA723 LEL with HD L2273 bucket -$5180.00
L2174A Snowblower(don't know what options) $4990.00
for a total of $27,347.00

The L3130 (tractor and loader) $20,467
The L3830 (tractor and loader) $24,237

I still have to shop around. I didn't try to get any discount yet, nor did I check to see what the packages include...at this price I hope everything.

Any comments?