L2800 & PTO

[coyote_hills]

Hello - I'm in the market for a compact and looking at the Kubota L & B series. I keep reading posts that say the L2800 is not the best for brush hogging because it doesn't have live PTO. I have a Kubota brochure sitting right here, however, that lists a "live-continuous with overrunning clutch" for the L2800 HST model (not the gear model).

Is this _truely_ a LIVE PTO and if so, are there any other reasons to stay away from the HST L2800 for occasional brush-hogging and light loader work? The price is just more attractive than the B3030.

Thanks
Ken

 

[HODAK]

GEAR model is not live. You are looking at HST.

 

[familyman]

The only complaint I've read here so far about the L2800 HST PTO is about the ratcheting sound the overrunning clutch makes when it functions (prevents the momentum of the implement from driving your tractor foreward via the drivetrain when coming to a stop). Other than that sound, I'm sure it's fine and more convenient to use than the trans driven PTO in my L2800 gear.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

I will add my question to Ken's... What is the clutch used for on the L2800HST? How is the B3030 setup different? How is the B3030 pto engaged, is it abrupt, or does it ease in?

 

[RoyJackson]

"I keep reading posts that say the L2800 is not the best for brush hogging because it doesn't have live PTO"

There is a modicum of accuracy to that statement if you were using a finish mower.

However, it takes quite a while for cutter blades to spin down...plenty of time to shift gears without losing much RPM (of the blades). This is due to the cutter blades' greater mass. I know this as a fact as my first tractor didn't have a live PTO. It did have an over-running clutch though. That tractor's transmission wasn't synchronized, so one had to stop to shift.

A finishing mower's blades are much lighter and lose rotational speed much quicker.

So, for brush cutting, the gear L2800 would do fine. I don't know if there is an over-running clutch built into the Kubota's PTO (as there is with the Deere's), but that would be pretty important (so the cutter doesn't drive the tractor when the PTO is disengaged).

The HST would be nice, but definitely not a necessity.