B7800 or L3400?

tgicountryboy · May 2, 2006

I am fairly new to TBN, but have been reading advice off this site for a long time. I recently purchased 10 acres of rolling hills, no trees except along creek at back of property. 8 acres will be pasture (fescue, eventually native prairie), 2 acres of grass to mow. I also have a 200 foot gravel drive to keep up. I'm trying to save money. Would a B7800 work, or even a B7610? Also, I can't seem to reply to any messages on this site. Whenever I try, the system logs me out. Anyone else experienced this? Would sure like to take part in my own conversations.

ronjhall · May 2, 2006

A B7800 or B7610 would do the job. Smaller tractors will require more time to get your projects compelted. My choice would be the B7800.

riptides · May 3, 2006

Sounds a lot like my old setup. I ran a 5 foot Woods brushcutter on the back of my B7800. For the pastures though after initial cuts, I ran a 6 foot finishing mower. After a few years they looked really, really good. The 7800 was perfect for that lot, had the clearance to get into the woods, had the HP to run at a good speed cutting. I really sized that tractor right. (Pats himself on back).

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

cart99 · May 3, 2006

I also have 10 acres and a 200 ft gravel driveway. My B3030 (same size/power as B7800, just more features) is the perfect size. I definitely didn't need anything bigger. Something smaller would do alot of what I do, but I would not want to bushhog with anything smaller than 5' cutting width, so again the B3030/B7800 seems "just right" to me.

jinalee · May 13, 2006

Hi, I am looking for my first tractor to use on my 7 acres of heavily wooded hillside. A local dealer quoted the following prices, and I think I can go with either one, but can you tell me which one is a better deal for me in the long run in terms of performance and price as well as resale value?

B7800HSD 12,500
LA402 3400
BH75 6500
Total: 22,400

L3400HST, LA463, BH75 for 23,750

canoetrpr · May 14, 2006

I think the B7800 or B3030 sounds like a fine package for you. I assume you are going to get a MMM for your mowing chores?

For starter's I think that th extra bit of cash is well spent on a B3030 over a B7800 - definately think about that. You get a lot of goodies for it - including a better 3PT valve. Well worth it IMHO.

I seriously considered the B7800/3030 and then let my dealer talk me into a L3400. It was the right move for my application. I have about 1 to 1.5 acres of lawn and about 13 of pasture and given what MMM's cost and the fact that I would have had to get turfs so as to not tear up the lawn, I was much better off getting a dedicated machine for the farm - the L3400 and now I'm shopping for a little riding mower for the yard.

I like the feel of the L series better than the B series - feels bigger and more solid. It is generally a heavier machine.

I hardly think you can go wrong with any one of these machines for your application - but if it is definatley going to include lawn mowing then go for the B instead of the L.

Can't hurt to mention again - I think the 3030 is a steal over the 7800. Only pass up on it if you have to

jinalee · May 14, 2006

Thanks for the information. I think we will get a small riding mower just for mowing - it's less than an acre of grass, and it's cheaper than MMM. I also don't have to deal w/ attaching/detaching it. The rest of the 7 acres is wooded. I would like to use the tractor for snow removal, general clean up and maintenance, planting, moving logs and firewood, renovating a two stall barn into a cabin for kid's sleep over parties, etc. I would like a strong workhorse for this. When I compared the hydraulic output on B7800 and L3400, B7800 has 9.5 gpm and L3400 has 6.3 gpm. I don't exactly know what that means other than the higher the gpm, the stronger the hydraulic power. Have you had any issues w/ hydraulic attachments with L3400? I am buying FEL and back hoe. What about the price? Is this a reasonable quote? (dealer quote: BH75: $6500, LA463: $3500, L3400 $13750

Thanks

ccsial · May 14, 2006

( 9.5 gpm and L3400 has 6.3 gpm. I don't exactly know what that means other than the higher the gpm, the stronger the hydraulic power ) 
GPM is gallons per minute. This is a measure of how fast the loader will be. The strength is determined by the pressure (PSI) rating and the size of the cylinders.

ccsial · May 14, 2006

( 9.5 gpm and L3400 has 6.3 gpm. I don't exactly know what that means other than the higher the gpm, the stronger the hydraulic power ) 
GPM is gallons per minute. This is a measure of how fast the loader will be. The strength is determined by the pressure (PSI) rating and the size of the cylinders.

RayMunising · May 15, 2006

I believe the B7800 has one pump (dual pump) for both the power steering and the tractor hydraulics with total 9.5 gpm while the L3400 has 2 pumps, 3.8 gpm for PS and 6.3 for the tractor hydaulics. So to compare apples to apples the B7800 is 9.5 gpm and the L3400 is 3.8 + 6.3 = 10.1 gpm.