L48 or L4610?

[Jag]

Re: L48 Loader Problems

Rat, watch what you say about Tonka... One steel toy truck is the only thing that survived my childhood.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Re: L48 Loader Problems

Agreed, I had a full five piece set back in the early 60's. I was thinking more about todays products.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Hey Mutt, remember in your L 48 for the weekend post you mentioned disliking having to depress the clutch to start up the engine, I test drove an L48 and just as I thought when you mentioned this, by having the shift lever in N or neutral, it starts without depressing the clutch allowing you to use the hoe without getting out of the seat. I also got to use the loader and found it not only much faster operating then its specs would indicate, but quite powerful. Thanks for all the input you've given regarding this subject, Rat....

 

[HR_Mutt]

Rat
Is great news that you're getting a "handle" on the L48, maybe I'll pick your brain before renting it again/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.
I left trans. in gear so I could move forwards from the bh seat by just grabbing the hst pedal. As far as the frequent shut-offs, that was just so I could retrieve the camera for some pics. Wasn't sure I could get projects done in allocated time.

Looking forward to a post of yours in <font color=orange>Kubota Owning</font color=orange> /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif
regards
Mutt

 

[foz]

Sorry I forgot to mention about the gaurds at the front axle, I have bent them back 3 or 4 times now, just remove them & reshape with 8 pound hammer.

 

[JATO_RaT]

Went to a local dealer/friend and drove the L48 around for the first time. It was a great tractor. No hoe on this one and I can see where a heavy box scraper and ballasted tires are a must. While looking at both the L4610 and the L 48 almost next to each other, I noticed a few things. Both are great. The loader on the L48 is definitely stiffer, thats not to say the L 4610 was soft, but there was some difference. I suppose for the advantage of being able to quickly remove the loader on the 4610 this is a small price to pay . Forward visibility on the 4610 was better, but I'm used to using much bigger loaders with worse visibilty. The controls and high, medium and low was faster and easier on the L48, its a straight line rather then an h pattern on the 4610. The engine on the 4610 seemed a bit quieter then the L48. The hydraulic loader lines on the L48 are all 1/2" vs 3/8" on L4610. Overall, for only a few thousand more, ( about $3300) I'm inclined to go with the L48 TL. Again, I won't be making a mistake either way. The HST is sooo smooth. Full throttle, low, stomp down on the pedal and its smooth. At idle, in high, stomp on the pedal, engine loads up but won't die. Its smooth with no HST whine. HST is the only way to go and I use a shuttle tractor all day that is very easy. The instant forward/reverse is similar to using a skid steer, its fast and very smooth even when quickly stabbing into full reverse while going full forward. Rat...

 

[MChalkley]

Yeah, but gears are more efficient. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

MarkC

 

[JATO_RaT]

Yeah but, but, but, HST is more efficient then a shovel and wheelbarrow. So MChalkley, checked out the new products from Bobcat? T190 track steer or 4 wheel drive, crabing, all wheel steering super extendo loader HST Perkins fired same size tire on all 4 wheels beast? Rat...

 

[MChalkley]

Rat - Yeah, I've heard about it, and looked through a copy of the owner's manual for one at a dealer. It's not a T190, though - that's the track loader. I forget the model designation of the new one, but it hasn't been formally announced yet, I don't think - that's supposedly going to be at the FL equipment show, whenever that is - soon I think.

It looks very interesting, and proves my point all along - that there are a lot of folks who aren't impressed by skid steers and won't be convinced to ignore their shortcomings because of popular opinion and millions of dollars of advertising. The dealer who showed me the manual did so after telling me at least a dozen times - in response to my list of the reasons I hate skid steers (he asked, so he started it) - "Well, there's a lot of people using them for what you're doing." Finally, I told him "Look, you're not going to convince me by telling me that lots of other people are using them. Most people don't think. They do what the dealer tells them to do, or what the dealer tells them "everybody else" is doing. Give it up. Either address the issues, or just listen." (I was nicer about it than the printed version of my statement sounds. Actually, I liked him - he was genuinely trying to be helpful - he'd just been to too many "dealer sales seminars" and I must not be his average customer. /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif) At that point, he listened a while, then said "Have you heard about the new Bobcat with 4-wheel-steering and crab steering? It hasn't been announced yet, but I've got a manual for it." You can imagine what my reaction was. "Why did you just spend 3/4 of an hour trying to convince me I'm wrong, then give up and prove to me that Bobcat corporate knows I'm right?"

All that said, the new machine is no EarthForce, by any stretch. Then again, I guess most folks don't need an EarthForce. The biggest difference between the EarthForce and the new Bobcat, other than capacity when you get into the EF-3 class and up, is the ability of the EarthForce to have a backhoe (or whatever else will attach to a backhoe/mini-excavator) follow it around all the time. Of course, there's some mobility/space requirement compromises in favor of the new Bobcat there, too. Nothing comes without compromise...

MarkC

 

[johnjc]

Re: L48 Loader Problems

I called the dealer Friday and 1 of the parts they were waiting for had come in and was installed. The other was substituted by the computer and the wrong thing came . The part that was installed went into the lower valve body (level control).
Picked it up and took it out to my ground and it works better but still doesn't seem to have the power it should.
Probably be a week till the rest of the parts come in.