L4330

[smoothie17]

I have a B2910 with 82 hours that I purchased in August, 2004. I use a 5 foot Woods rotary cutter and have the LA402 loader with a 4 in 1 bucket.

After bush hogging for 17 hours over the weekend, I came to the realization that maybe I need a larger cutter. Contacted my dealer and he suggested that if I go to a 6 foot rotary cutter then I would need to go up in size on the tractor to the L4330 with 43 HP. I would be looking at the LA853 loader as well.

Please let me know your thoughts on this larger tractor. I'm sure it will perform much nicer but I have the problem of having to tow everything 20 miles to my property so I have to be concerned with the weight (my F-150 will tow 9,100 pounds and the trailer weighs 2,000 pounds).

Your comments are appreciated.

Thanks !!!

 

[riptides]

Uhhh.... how often do you plan on bush-hogging? Once the area is cut on a regular basis, a RFM could be used. I have pulled a 6 foot RFM with my 7800 and it was no trouble. I do run a 5 foot brush-cutter, but I certainly would not do more than a few hours at a time with it.

These 17 hours... in one spot? Or many little jobs?

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[smoothie17]

I bush hog about every six weeks or so depending on how much rain we get. This is a 19 acre piece of property (about 3 acres in woods that I don't mow) that I enjoy as a place to relax and get away. In the summer I like to keep it mowed so I can enjoy it more. The land is pretty smooth but I don't know about a finish mower; that's a possibility I may persue with the dealer.

Thanks for the feedback !!!

 

[riptides]

Hey, I'd give you a link on this site for mowing speed, attachment size and lot size. But, that take all the fun out of exploring this site.

Try searching on "cutting", "mowing" or "acres per hour" in the attachments discussion forum.

I saw some pretty interesting figures that some people put together for spending time with your tractor. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

It was a really informative discussion, try and check it out.

Have fun, it was a beautiful day yesterday in VA.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[coveredbridge]

You're mowing 16 acres with a 5' BH and it takes 17 hrs. That's a little less than an acre per hour, which sounds about right if you're only mowing every six weeks or so.

If you upgraded to the larger tractor and 6' BH, you increase cutting width by 1', or 20%, plus you maybe can cut at a little faster ground speed with the extra HP, depending on the terrain and conditions. So, you're still looking at about 12 - 13 hrs to mow the entire property. Is it worth the expense of the bigger tractor and mower for 4 - 5 less hrs mowing every 6 weeks? You're the only one who can answer that.

I know that you said you need to trailer your equipment to the property, so you probably don't want to truck your rig there every week. However, you might want to consider if it's practical to divide the parcel into sections and mow one section every week or every other week. That way you're mowing 3 - 6 hours (plus the loading and unloading time) instead of 17 at one time.

Another option may be to reduce the total area to be mowed, by planting evergreen trees or other decorative plants in different areas on the acreage. I know that may not be practical, depending on how you use the property, but it may be worth considering. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[smoothie17]

Thanks for the reply. You made some good points. I think the basic problem is that now that I've had the B2910 for a year, I'm just trying to justify buying a bigger tractor. Hey, that way I'll have more time to spend with the wife, do more chores, ....

 

[GeneD14]

The L4330 is a very nice machine. It will easily power a 6' rotary mower. For doing alot of loader work the 5030's hp is nice. When digging with the front bucket I have ran out of HP a few times. Hauling a 4330 with loader and mower may be a little dangerous behind a 1/2 ton truck. Good Luck.

 

[wushaw]

You would more than likely be at your max tow weight for the F150 and you also have to consider the length of your existing trailer.
Just upgrading the tractor may not be the only thing you will be upgrading.
The L4330 is a fine tractor, a buddy of mine has one with a cab and just loves it.