Is the L4400 enough tractor?

[Bob_Young]

N80:
"I'm curious though, what do you need a medium duty 6 foot cutter for?"

Around here it's sumac, choke cherries, sapling ash, multi-flora rose and a few other woody specimens that seem to take up residence in neglected fields. The choke cherries, especially, make a heck of a racket going through the BB720. Even a thick mature stand of burdock standing 4' high can put a big strain on a standard duty BHog. I get a fair number of downed branches/limbs hiding in tall grass on my property. Don't necessarily want to chop them up, but do want the Hog to survive the encounter when I blunder into them.

The farmers who use a BHog to chop cornstalks behind the combines also have large rocks to contend with. They run the combine pickups high to avoid the rocks but the stalks have to be chopped before plowing. Again, it's a BHog survival issue. Chopping cornstalks is like being chased around a field by an enraged kettle drum

With farmland being abandoned in this area for economic reasons, neglected fields are becoming more common...and they are eyesores. Well kept fields, like in your picture, can be easily handled by a standard duty BHog.
Bob

 

[Double Orange]

If you can lay hands on the L4740's Owner Manual and look for the table of Implement Limitations,

For purposes of comparison (and because there may be a large Grand L in my future), I would like to know what Implement Limitations for the L4740 are... them.
Bob

Bob/Eastexfrank, Per Kubota's owner manual:

L4740 rear cutter....926#

L5240 rear cutter....1058#

 

[Bob_Young]

Thanks, Double-O

 

[N80]

Now you guys have really got me worried. I have a L4740 with a Bush Hog SQ172 on order and waiting on delivery. I have some pretty steep slopes to run up and down and the dealer said that the tractor would pull it with "no problem", in fact he was trying to sell me a heavier model, but from what you guys are saying, that might not be the case. I suppose I'm just going to have to wait and see ..... and worry.

You have nothing to worry about. My LX-6 is a little lighter than the SQ172 but not much (mine has laminated tail wheel, guard chains, etc which make it heavier than the LX-6 specs indicate which is 635 pounds) and as mentioned, I don't notice it is back there. I mow on slopes and seriously uneven ground. No problems at all. Thick, deep grass as shown above, no problems. The 3 pt hitch on the L4400 raises it and lowers it quickly and with ease. The 4740 is a bit more robust than the L4400 so you have no worries and I'm sure you could probably handle a larger mower if you needed it.

 

[N80]

N80:
"I'm curious though, what do you need a medium duty 6 foot cutter for?"

Around here it's sumac, choke cherries, sapling ash, multi-flora rose and a few other woody specimens that seem to take up residence in neglected fields.

I was asking the OP specifically. But I understand what you are saying. However, anywhere you go you can find big tough stuff to mow. My B-I-L goed through stuff up to 6 inches in diameter with his big old mower, but that doesn't mean I want or need to. My point is, does a new buyer really need to spend extra money on a tractor to meet what often times is a one time need. If you have an ample budget, go for the bigger machine anyway (that's what I'd do!), but I personally wouldn't over do my budget for one or two mowing jobs that could be rented out and then mowed with smaller lighter duty equipment in the future.

With farmland being abandoned in this area for economic reasons, neglected fields are becoming more common...and they are eyesores.

That's a problem around here too. But the nature of the field depends on how long it has been abandoned. We have locust, gums, plums and especially persimmons that pop up fast around here. My mower is rated at a measely 1" stem size. But I've mowed larger and yes, it is quite a racket!

Well kept fields, like in your picture, can be easily handled by a standard duty BHog.
Bob

Bob, depends on what you mean by well kept. That field had not been mowed in three years....the last picture was an AFTER picture. Before I mowed it there were sections of head high broom straw growing out of dense fescue clumps. In other areas there were waist high blackberrys and everywhere there was a healthy mix of 3-5' persimmons and clumps of gums. My light duty mower handled this fine...once. I imagine if I had to do this regularly the gear box would start to go south. But, I shouldn't ever have to do that again. As long as I do this a couple of times a year, it will be fine on mower and tractor.

And my point in all this is that the OP might not need a heavy medium duty mower regardless of what tractor he gets (but he has not told us what he needs the medium duty for yet). The SQ172 mentioned above is rated at 2" stems and will handle softwoods larger than that. If he has the budget for a bigger nicer tractor, then there is no question what he should do. But if his budget is tight and something like the SQ172 will do, he can save money on tractor and mower, still get the job done and have money left over for....more implements!

Bottom line is, if he really needs a medium duty mower to do medium duty tasks, then he probably needs to look at a M5040 (my dream tractor).

 

[EastTexFrank]

Thanks guys. I didn't mean to hijack the thread but your comments had me worried for a while but you also eased my concerns some. I did a lot of research before reaching my decision and thought I had got everything about right. We'll just wait for it to arrive and take it for a test drive. Man, I don't know if I can wait much longer. I've got stuff for it to do.

Thanks again.

 

[EastTnFarmboy]

Trook,

For whatever it's worth....

I have a 6' Woods Brush Bull Extreme, which is pulled behind an L5240. The tractor doesn't know it's there. Although it is considered a "light" duty by Woods, I would consider it a heavy duty compared to many cutters. It is rated for saplings up to 1.5", but I think that is a very conservative rating by Woods. Recently, I used it to clear thickets on several acres in Missouri. Basically, anything I could drive over and lay down, it would cut up (not rocks and stumps obviously). Now granted, I have 45 PTO hp. I know that I shredded some 3" stuff without any trouble. I did get into something once that brought out the best in the slip clutch, but it did its job and we went on about our business.

The cutter weighs a shave north of 800# if my memory serves.

A close examination of the cutter after the fact revealed that it is no worse for the wear. With the exception of the rubber guard on the front being chewed up pretty well and few dings and scratches, it is good as new.

I don't think you will be disappointed with a BB X series cutter. Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

Good luck!

 

[EastTnFarmboy]

By the way, Trook, welcome to TBN.

 

[midman1955]

I have been looking at the L4400 2WD tractor for using a 6ft. meduim duty Woods brush cutter, and I would like to use a 8ft disk instead of a 6ft disk if possible. According to the specs on the brush cutter, the MINIMUM HP is 35 at the PTO. I am a little concerned that the 37.5 PTO HP rating on the L4400 may cause the engine to strain during heavy cutting.

Will the L4400 have enough HP in less than perfect conditions, or would I be better served with a larger tractor? Also, would 4WD make $4,000 worth of difference pulling the 8ft disk?

I am also considering a John Deere 5103 2WD. It has 38 HP at the PTO

I have own a L4400 for three years. Standard shift, 4WD, loader bucket, 6ft. shredder and box blade. It does very well with 6ft. shedder. It cuts 1 1/2" limbs with no problems. It will cut bigger limbs if shredder is lowered slowly on to what you are cutting. If using to cut brush or in uneven terrain make sure the shedder has slip clutch. Also, you will not regret spending the extra bucks for the 4WD. it will serve you well, especially in uneven terrain or wet spots. I cut 50 acres of pasture in 20Hrs. I also added water and anti-freeze for extra weight for traction to the rear wheels. I am very happy with the L4400.
If I had do it again I probably would go with John Deere simply because parts are plentiful. But do get the 4WD it will come in handy.

 

[N80]

This thread is five years old! I hope the OP has already purchased his tractor by now. But, I'll second the recommendation for 4wd. I've driven mine with and without. On a light tractor like the L4400, 4wd makes a HUGE difference in almost every task.