Kubota L3400 Reviews

[bkheur]

Hello everyone,

I am thinking of buying a L3400 DT. I have done a lot of tire kicking and keep coming back to the L3400 DT. Today I was quoted a price from my local dealer of $14950. This is with Ag tires and a loader. Is this a good price? Should I try to get them to knock more off the price or what? I am in Indiana. What other items should I try to get them to throw in?

My main uses will be mowing 15 acres of pasture, raking hay, landscaping, hauling wood, gardening, and loader work; plus whatever else needs to be done around the homesite.

What I would really like to know is how satisfied everyone is who has a L3400. Does it have good power, lift capacity on the loader, will it run a 6' brush cutter, how big of a plow and harrow disc could I pull with it, etc. And what about the 3 ph lift capacity it looks a little on the light side according to the spec sheet.

You help in this decision will be a great help in my purchase.
Thanks everyone for any info. I am really enjoying this site!!

 

[LeadPoison]

You need more tractor with if you are going to be haying, especially with 15 acres. Cutting that will take two full days. I would step it up to a 60-70 HP tractor with a flex-wing mower unless you have a LOT of time on your hands to kill.

 

[Deerlope]

It will do all the things that you mentioned but it will be slow going. Move up to around a 50HP model.

 

[N80]

I agree, mowing 15 acres will be time consuming with a 6 foot mower. You did not mention if you'll be pulling a baler or not. If so, I'd say you need way more HP.

However, if you have plenty of time for mowing and won't be pulling a baler, you might want to look at the L4400. You get 45 hp, a little more weight, more capacity with the loader. I know it will pull a seven foot mower, possibly 8. I have an L4400 and can recommend it highly, especially if budget is an issue.

If you need more tractor than that, I'd look at the 7040. But be prepared to spend waaaay more money. But you will be better off spending a lot of money and getting enough tractor than spending less and not getting enough tractor.

 

[bkheur]

You need more tractor with if you are going to be haying, especially with 15 acres. Cutting that will take two full days. I would step it up to a 60-70 HP tractor with a flex-wing mower unless you have a LOT of time on your hands to kill.

I will only use the tractor tobush hog and rake hay not bail. The pasture will only need to be mowed once or twice a year and horses will be grazing on the pasture part of the year.

 

[b33b]

Wish I could find an L3400 in New England for $15K. A Maine dealer has been quoting $16,290, plus $550 for R4s, since August and no indication of coming down with the colder temps. A New Hampshire dealer was a hundred or so higher.

Got a better price from Carver, who has helped others on the list, but shipping prices erased most of the advantage.

I think an L3400 gives a lot of hp for your money.

Cal

 

[KubotaTerry]

I've had the L3400HST for about 9 months now. I'm pretty impressed. I don't have a lot of experience with tractors in general. I had a Ford 9N for a few years before getting the L3400. At first I thought it was light in power, but that was mainly because I was keeping the revs low for the first 50 hours as the manufacturer suggests. I know, most people just take 'em to the limit right out of the gate, but I'm ****, and I figure if the manufacturer says to...
Anyway, now that I've picked the revs up, it seems to have plenty of go. I use it to grade a horse arena with a 5' box blade. I set the scarifiers as deep as I can get them, and drag a 4' square drag behind it. I can drive it around in Medium range on the HST with no bogging. The 4WD works great. I used the loader last week to dig out of a blizzard with some 4' deep drifts. Never spun a wheel. No liquid in the tires, chains or anything. I've also used it to move a bit of dirt around. It seems to have no trouble lifting a bucket full of any dirt, sand or snow that I've come across so far. It does lack the ability to "lift and curl" at the same time. If you do a lot of FEL work, that might be a concern. I got the HST because I someday plan on adding a 3-pt snow blower, and everyone told me the HST would be just the ticket for backing slowly up the road in reverse. With the GST, you've probably got even more power available.
I haven't done any mowing or even used the PTO yet, so I can't tell you how it will handle the mowing job you plan on using it for.
If you decide to go with the L3400, check the lift of the 3-pt for extreme "jerkiness" as it goes up. There was a problem with the earlier units that they mostly fixed in the new ones. I bought mine well after the cut-off date that they started fixing them at, but still it has the old 'jerky' lift valve. I will get it upgraded when I get the 50 hour service done. Search this site and you will find more info on it, including the serial numers where they cut in the change.
Also, it comes stock with only one air filter element. The second stage is optional. Probably worth while adding it from the start.
I can't comment on the price. I seem to be the only idiot in the world that actually paid "list price" for my tractor. My picture is probably framed and hanging on the dealers wall....

Good luck with your decision.

Terry

 

[Doc_Bob]

I don't hay, but weight of tractor is an issue. 3 tons or more.
Bob

 

[N80]

I will only use the tractor tobush hog and rake hay not bail. The pasture will only need to be mowed once or twice a year and horses will be grazing on the pasture part of the year.

If that's the case an L4400 might be sufficient for your needs. The L4400 does not come in an HST model though. Gear drive only.

Also, the type of acreage you mow can have more to do with your needs than the number of acres. I only have 3-4 acres of actual field to mow but it takes a long time because it is bumpy, rutted, steep and uneven. I have to go slow. When I've mowed in my B-I-L's pasture I can speed up a lot, set the throttle to a fixed point and make pretty good time even with a 6 foot mower. But, it has been pasture for a hundred years and is quite smooth. so, if your pasture is nice and smooth and the grass doesn't get too high and you have a day or so to get it done, a 3400 or 4400 might be okay.

The other possibility is that if there is only one thing in your list of needs that makes you feel like you have to buy more tractor than you want to, then hire that job out once a year and get the tractor you want and can afford.

What is your budget by the way?

 

[bkheur]

I've also used it to move a bit of dirt around. It seems to have no trouble lifting a bucket full of any dirt, sand or snow that I've come across so far. It does lack the ability to "lift and curl" at the same time. If you do a lot of FEL work, that might be a concern.

Terry

Why does you loader not have the ability to lift and curl at the same time. Most tractors I have test driven have this ability. Is it the valving in the joystick that is preventing this?