Price Check Disappointed in L3010HST! What price for L3710HST

shadow · Aug 25, 2001

Disappointed in the L3010HST. What is a good price for a L3710HST?

Today I visited a local Kubota Dealer and test drove a L3010HST.
I was very disappointed in the power of this machine. I have
read several posting on various forums stating how great this tractor is, but
I believe it is lacking power. It was riding on unloaded R4 tires with a front loader on
it. The tractor barely had the power to pull itself up a steep hill in 2nd range, I had to let up on
the hydostatic pedal and creep over the top to make it up. I would hate to see what it would
do if it was pulling a load or if it was powering a mower behind it. It also was lacking power in 3rd range on flat ground,
It seemed like it might be able to reach full speed/full RPM's but it was sluggish and I
ran out of space to fully test it. I was wanting to test an L3410HST to see if
it could do any better, but the dealer didnt have one. He had a L3710GST with unloaded turf tires and a front loader so
I thought I would give it a try. What a difference! It pulled the same hill in 5th gear with no problem. I also did excellent
on flat ground in 7th gear. The test course was to rough to try 8th, but I'd bet it would have done well.
My conparison between these two tractors wasn't completely fair. The L3010HST was equipped with the taller R4 tires VS the turf tires on
the L3710. The L3710 also had a glide shift transmission. The L3710GST didn't even breathe heavy in any of my tests, even taking
off in 7th gear at 2100 RPM and it wasn't at it's rated RPM for full power (2600RPM).

Does anyone out there have a L3710HST?
Does it perform well? Does it take off quickly or do you have to ease it up to full speed in 3rd range.
Does it have plenty of power for pulling itself as well a powering implements? Especially pulling hills.
Does it pull steep hills in 2nd range with no problem?

Im am trying to find a L3710HST with R4's at another dealer try to find this out for myself,
but inventories seem to be low this time of year.

Am I expecting to much out of the L3010HST?

I priced the L3710HST with Loaded (W/Washer Solvent) rear tires, LA682 loader, R4 industrial tires, and foldable Rops
I was quoted $20,400.00 which included a $500.00 rebate from Kubota. Is this a good price?

Does anyone have any inside scoop on whether Kubota will offer this rebate or a better one later this year to
close out the 2001 Models?

Bird · Aug 25, 2001

I have one question, shadow. Are you familiar with hydrostatic transmission operation? If so, then please ignore this because I have no intention of being condescending and the 3010 you drove may have had a problem, or simply not be what you need. However, if you're not familiar with an HST transmission, you may have made the same mistake a lot of us (maybe most of us) made to start with. You set the engine rpm with the throttle, but there is a natural tendency to think of that hydro pedal as an "accelerator" when in fact you have to think of it as a gear shifter. The farther down you press it, the less power you have, but the more speed (as in shifting to a higher gear). If the tractor starts to slow down, it seems to be natural to push farther down on the pedal, when in fact you need to ease up on the pedal (or increase rpm with the throttle; not the hydro pedal). Like I said, if you already knew this, then ignore this message. And good luck with your shopping.

Bird

MReeter · Aug 25, 2001

Shadow,I'm curious about the 500. rebate that you mention.Is this rebate good on all Kubota models? Is the rebate just on specific models? Do you know what kind of time frame the rebate runs? Thanks for any info,Mike.

MileFork · Aug 25, 2001

Bird,
I made the same observation today test driving a Kubota B7500 and a TC25D. Climbing a small hill, I felt the urge to hit the accelerator a bit but found the tractor slowing. Once I backed off the pedal, I pulled a small hill with no difficulty.

Sailorcrew · Aug 26, 2001

Like Bird said, the pedal is not an accelerator. I still have to remind myself to let up on the pedal for more power. But once I do, nothing stops me. I have had the bucket filled with granite rocks going up a steep hill in mid with not a hesitation as long as I remember to stay light on the pedal. David

frank_f15 · Aug 26, 2001

shadow: re-read birds post, he said all i would say but better!. hydros are a different breed and take a bit of time to get used to.

shadow · Aug 26, 2001

Mike,

As far as I know the rebate from Kubota was just on the L-series tractors

hayden · Aug 26, 2001

I borrowed a neighbors L3710HST a few weeks ago and found I could drag down the RPMs very easily in M and H range. It was so bad I wondered if the govorner was broken.

AndyR · Aug 26, 2001

I have been quite happy with my L3710HST. 66 hours on it since I bought it new in February. Bird's post says it all re: hydro.

Andy in NH

JATO_RaT · Aug 27, 2001

Again to restate Birds remarks, you need to learn the operating characteristics of a hydrostatic transmission, especially if your not familiar with them. Go try a gear drive to get the idea of how much power the engine is capable of. That is close to what a hydrostatic is capable of, it just takes some understanding how it operates. I drove a Bobcat for awhile which is a hydrostatic drive, it seemed terrible to me at first until I learned how to use it. The speed I could get things done was incredible when compared to anything with gears. RPM's are critical for the hydrostatic to operate with satisfactory results. In the M range, make sure you have the RPM's to go full pedal. H is pretty much transport speed, don't go draggin a box blade or even try to run up hills with it, you simply will need more power then what these compacts are designed for. Heck, even the articulating 960 series loader CAT makes have this same problem, try to move a 4 yd bucket into some soft dirt in high and forget it, they don't have that kind of power. Rat...