Kubota M4D-71 vs L6060 for newbie

[roadracer]

Hi folks,
Unfortunately my local Kubota sales team is a lot more eager to sell what they can get than what I will need, so I want to get some external opinions.

I just moved on to a >150 acre property in the northern rockies and I need to do *everything*. To start with I need to do general construction as well as property development including road development, bridge construction, building foundations, etc. After we're a little more comfortable, we're looking at a wide variety of hobby farm agriculture. The property is currently irrigated for livestock pasture and that will continue but we likely want to move from direct grazing to a small hay operation (~30 acres of hay).

Based on my research the m4-71 is about the lowest HP that is reasonable to use with a baler. It's a much big tractor than the L6060 and I worry that it might be overkill in the long run. The L6060 also has the 3-range HST, which seems like it would be more convenient for the non-agricultural use cases. Anyone have any opinions or illuminating follow up questions that might help me sort this out? I'm a buy once / cry once kind of guy, but I'm also open to the possibility that I should get a much smaller "starter" tractor as a gateway into the right purchase.

Cheers!

 

[sea2summit]

I have an M4 and it's what I would consider the bare minimum for anything hay related if you're only going to have one machine. And I'm at 900' ASL.

Your initial list of projects however aren't tractor projects, they're dozer or excavator projects.

 

[roadracer]

Yeah, didn't mean to imply everything would get handled by the tractor, just what was reasonable. I would rent a mini-ex or hire someone to handle the stuff that is too big for me. I am at 4600'. With the turbo is that much of a factor?

I was imagining I would get a box blade, post hole auger, maybe a tele-boom, etc in order to help with the construction projects, but not replace a real dozer or ex.

 

[jeff9366]

I just moved on to a >150 acre property in the northern Rockies.

How many of your total acres do you expect to "tractor"?

How many acres are flat, how many are hilly?

I do not hay myself but I live in the middle of hay country. You can hobby-hay from ten acres to 75 acres for your own animals. Few in north Florida try to hay as a living on less than 300 flat acres, which they process at high tractor speeds.

The property is currently irrigated for livestock pasture and that will continue but we likely want to move from direct grazing to a small hay operation (~30 acres of hay).

You can certainly process thirty acres of hay with an L6060. Round bales would be 800 pounds, rather than 1,200 pounds. L6060 would stack 800 pound round bales three high.
T-B-N ARCHIVE: hay baler for compact tractor site:tractorbynet.com


To start with I need to do general construction as well as property development including

road development -- L6060 / 'loaded' rear tires plus wheel weights.

bridge construction -- contract out to a professional

building foundations -- contract out to a professional.


The L6060 has the 3-range HST. I'm a buy once / cry once kind of guy,

The L6060 is Kubota's most powerful 'Grand L' model. 'Grand L' = Compact tractor nirvana. I worked through two economy tractors before finally buying my L3560, the lightest of the 'Grand L' models, eight happy years ago. The HST/PLUS transmission has an intermediate half-step level for each of the three ranges, extremely useful. New tractor owners tend to stall the engine many times per day. HST/PLUS has 'stall guard', which has eliminated stalling for me. I has been at least a year since I last stalled my tractor.

Comparison - What's the difference between the GrandL and Not-So-Grand L?

I'm looking at the L3540HST versus the L4600HST I'm looking at these primarily due to the 9' backhoe, which I expect to be using a lot. according to build my Kubota, these will both take the same BH, whereas the L3800 will only take the 7'? the 4600 has 9HP more than the L3540, so what does...

www.tractorbynet.com

 

[jeff9366]

I am at 4600'. With the turbo is that much of a factor?

With a turbo, no. With a natually aspirated diesel engine you would be down about ~~ 9% in engine horsepower at 4,600'. (3% per thousand, after 1,500')

 

[jeff9366]

Kubota L6060​

2013 - L60 Series Compact Utility tractor

Series:

L5460 ←

L6060

Production
Manufacturer:	Kubota
Type:	Compact Utility tractor

Variants
L6060HST:	ROPS
L6060HSTC:	cab

Kubota L6060 Power
Engine (gross):	62 hp 46.2 kW
Engine (net):	60 hp 44.7 kW
PTO (claimed):	53 hp 39.5 kW

Kubota L6060 Engine
Kubota 2.4L 4-cyl diesel
Fuel tank:	13.5 gal 51.1 L

Mechanical
Chassis:	4x4 MFWD 4WD
Steering:	hydrostatic power
Brakes:	wet disc
Cab:	Two-post foldable ROPS. Grand Cab with air-conditioning optional.
Transmission:	hydrostatic
Transmission Transmission: HST Plus Hydrostatic transmission with three ranges plus Hydro Dual Speed Hi-Lo. The Dual Speed allows rapid switching between two speeds in range, either automatically or with a lever on the steering column. Type: hydrostatic Gears: infinite (3-range) forward and reverse

Photos

Hydraulics
Pump flow:	9.4 gpm 35.6 lpm
Total flow:	14.1 gpm 53.4 lpm
Steering flow:	4.7 gpm 17.8 lpm

Tractor hitch
Rear Type:	I/II (dual)
Control:	position control, draft control optional
Rear lift (at 24"/610mm):	2976 lbs 1349 kg

Power Take-off (PTO)
Rear PTO:	independent
Rear RPM:	540 (1.375)
Mid PTO:	optional
Mid RPM:	2000

Dimensions & Tires
Wheelbase:	75.4 inches 191 cm
Weight:	3990 to 4365 pounds
Front tire:	9.5-16
Rear tire:	14.9-26

Kubota L6060 attachments

snowblower

blade

front-end loader Kubota LA1055 LoaderHeight (to pin):112.7 inches 286 cm Clearance, dumped bucket:87.2 inches 221 cm Dump reach:26.3 inches 66 cm Dump angle:46° Reach at ground:77.8 inches 197 cm Rollback angle:42° Breakout force (at 500mm):3171 lbs 1438 kg Lift to full height (at pin):2361 lbs 1070 kg Lift to full height (at 500mm):1784 lbs 809 kg Bucket width:72 inches 182 cm

backhoe

Electrical
Ground:	negative
Charging system:	alternator
ROPS Charging amps:	45
Cab Charging amps:	60
Battery volts:	12

 

[ning]

Two tractors (minimum), not necessarily simultaneously.

I think to begin with you should be looking at a full size construction backhoe. Once the big jobs are done, switch to a tractor for more general utility and haying. Consider paying someone local to do the hay for a couple or few years to start to before you jump into that.

 

[roadracer]

Thanks folks!

To be clear, this "enterprise" is not intended to support anyone's living. The cost of land prohibits that even it was my goal, which it's not. About half the land is flat enough for conventional agriculture. More if you wanted to try growing some grapes, etc.

As for the other projects, I'm trying to do as much as is reasonable myself. Not to save money, but because I think it's fun.

My DIY bridge is only rated at 10klbs. If I needed something for a full cement truck, I'd have the pros put it in for sure.

Starting with a backhoe is an interesting idea. I wonder if used tractors are experiencing the same price hike as used cars...

 

[jeff9366]

Starting with a backhoe-loader is an interesting idea. I wonder if used tractors are experiencing the same price hikes as used cars...

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About 75 acres is flat enough for conventional agriculture.

An L6060 uses 72" and 84" wide implements. Bare weight 4,000 pounds. Sufficient for 30 acres.

An M4-71 uses 84", 96" and 108" wide implements. Bare weight 6,000 pounds.

Most farming 75 acres would prefer the wider implements behind a M4-71.

The importance of tractor weight eludes many tractor neophytes when shopping.

How do you value your time?

 

[roadracer]

Thanks folks. I've decided to get the M4D-071. Curious what the lead time will be for an order. Does anyone have guidance on what is normal for pricing on these tractors relative to MSRP? I was under the impression that they tended to sell for 10-15% below MSRP but maybe that is not true anymore with the limited supply.