L345W in Texas

[BillG_in_TX]

I'm in the market for a used Kubota to start working on 42 acres of rocks, trees and slopes in the Hill Country. I came across an L345W with no attachments, 3800 hours, asking $6800. It's in great condition, no leaks that I can find and the engine sounds perfect. Is this a good tractor? I was thinking about offering $5000 if it checks out.

I want a FEL - is the L1720 the best/only FEL for this unit? Can you find used ones?

What does the "W" indicate?

Thanks for any help you can offer this newbie.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

sounds interesting ,tell more. did you hear about the front engine block leak on 305/345 that could be missed?also the 2stage clutch may wear drive before pto and depressing clutch all the way should stop the pto, otherwise you may need to replace main clutch

 

[Bird]

Bill, that's one I'm not familiar with, and wonder about a bit. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.kubota.com>Kubota's own site</A> lists an L1-345 as a grey market tractor, but no L345W. And <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.tractortips.com>Tractortips.com</A> lists an L345F and an L345FW, but no L345W.

 

[Harv]

<font color=blue>42 acres of rocks, trees and slopes in the Hill Country</font color=blue>

You just described by property exactly! You sure you're in Texas and not in California?

Sorry, I don't know anything about that model. It was just a year and a half ago I was on the same search for a used 'Bota. The selection was scarce at that time, and I wound up with an L2500DT plus a new FEL. I was hoping to spend less than $10K but eventually forked up $14K, only slightly under retail.

Good luck, and keep us informed.

 

[rbargeron]

Bill - The plain L345 model designation indicates a 2wd tractor. L345DT (double traction) indicates 4wd.

Does the nameplate on the side of the tractor say L345W? For many years Kubota offered wide ( W ) versions of some tractors for crop clearance - as well as narrow ( N ) versions for other special applications. There was a narrow L4150DTN , only 42" overall width, for orchard/vinyard work. I have never seen the L345 in a special width - but yours might be one - does it look extra wide Is it 4wd? Also, Kubota has used W to indicate wet clutch - but not on the L345 that I know of.

The only Kubota loader was the 1720 - but I've seen others adapted. Buying a used loader for a L345 would be tricky - there are several frame parts attached to the tractor - you'd need to be sure it was all there. If you need an FEL, it might be better to find a tractor with one already on it.

 

[BillG_in_TX]

I went back and took some pictures. It is a 2wd and appears to have a long frame. I notice on TractorTips that the L345FW was only sold in 1985 and weighs about 400 lbs more than the L345F. It is about 5'6" wide and 10' long.

 

[BillG_in_TX]

Here's a picture of the decal and engine.

Good point about the FEL. If it is a longer frame than the L345, I guess I need to ask a Kubota dealer about putting a FEL on it.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Bill, it looks like the machine is in pretty decent shape with no signs of abuse however I think the downfall here would be trying to put a FEL on this unit and operate on sloping terrain. It might work alright in a flat barnyard for moving materials around and light grading but I'm sure the limited traction of the 2wd would make negotiating a hill with any weight in the bucket frustrating and even dangerous. Just ask anyone with a 4wd unit how useless their machine is if switched into 2wd. I would recommend looking a around little more, a 4wd machine half the size of this one would outpull it on a slope, especially in reverse.

 

[rbargeron]

Bill - comparing the pictures to the L345 brochure I have, the tractor is normal length for the model - these are long tractors, they have a wheelbase of 76-1/8" c-c and an overall length of about 11 ft to the end of the front bumber/weightbar. Interestingly, the picture shows a loader frame front bracket on the tractor - U-shaped affair with flat plates on each side of the hood above the front axle. So in its past life it had a loader? The original rops on this model was sometimes part of a loader and/or backhoe frame. The missing rops may be another clue about its history?

My guess is the W stands for wide. The front wheels look deeper, with more offset than the standard ones. Maybe for enhanced stability with a loader.

Dick Bargeron ---- Cheerful refund if info is bogus /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[rbargeron]

Bill - a couple more observations from the pictures. It appears the tractor has been repainted - not a deal-breaker by itself, but maybe a hint of a hard former life. A lot of engine parts are blue that weren't originally - radiator shroud, oil filter, fuel filter, alternator, starter, paint over decals, fuel lines, linkages, missing shield beside radiator fan, missing cage around alternator. Also there's a hydraulic oil leak on the right side filter canister where the tube is welded to the top - probably got hit and is cracked there - not a major issue unless hydraulic oil has run low. Nothing big - but maybe an indicator of what kind of maintenance it has gotten. The oil and fuel filters have not been changed since sometime before the paint job. /w3tcompact/icons/hmm.gif