NEW L4330 POWER QUESTION

[Muleskinner]

I used my new (9.0HR) L4330 on a job site today for the first time. With the 72" high back Gannon full of dirt and pulling through soft dirt the tractor felt a little underpowered.

I had the trans in low range and the throttle wide open and I was almost able to kill the engine. I let up on the HST pedal a little to regain RPMS and lifted the gannon up to keep forward motion. I would have thought this machine would have enough power in low range to spin all four tires before bogging down??? I did not want to push it too hard due to the low hours, but it just felt a little underpowered. Anyone with a L4330 have this problem? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[familyman]

What's a "Gannon"?
I don't have HST, but from all I've read, more pedal gives you more speed but less power. Less pedal=more power.

 

[teddydo]

I have a 2004 Kubota 4330 and I have never sttalled it out. yours won't either if it's broken in and right.......teddy

 

[JoeR]

Whenever I have my 4330 in Low range, lots of RPM, I rarely stall. I do spin my tires in this mode. I know this is going to sound stupid, but I have to ask if you accidentally left the parking brake on? I am speaking from experience here! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Joe

 

[grandad]

I have an L4610, which at 46 hp, is just slightly more powerful than your 43 hp Kub, and a 6 ft. box. Just going on operation of my tractor, seems to me you should not have any hp problems, even with a heavy 72" box blade on your 4330. Even very wet, heavy soil should be easy for you to rip, load and move.

Just one observation from the way you stated your problem though... when you say "I let up on the HST pedal a little..." If you are trying to floor the HST pedal like the gas pedal in your car, that could be why you are feeling it's underpowered.

When you step on the gas in your car, you increase the rpm's, hp and torque output of the engine. The HST doesn't work like that... the engine RPM's, etc., set by the hand throttle, are constant, and pressing the HST pedal changes the gear ratio. More pedal = taller gear, go faster with less torque. Less pedal = lower gear, go slower with more torque.

Takes a bit of getting used to, but I think once you get comfortable with how it works, you'll find your 4330 has all the power you need.

 

[Muleskinner]

No the parking brake is not on. A "Gannon" is the brand for a 72" rear box scraper.

I have ran my B7800 for the last two years doing construction grading and it will spin all four tires standing still against a load in M or L range. I'm not sure if this L4330 will.

The rear box blade (Gannon) weighs 1140 pounds. The rear tires have about 1000 pounds of water in them. I'm not sure what the 853 FEL weighs.

I know about letting up on the HST pedal alowing the engine to rev up against a load. That's the only way I was able to pull a full rear scraper in low range. That is why I am a bit concerned. I don't want this tractor to be under powered size to weight wize. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[grandad]

Considering you are using a really heavy box, it probably does work pretty hard to pull it full in M range, but I'd probably be using L range anyways for any hard pulling like that.

Just my opinion, but unless you're just doing light grading, M range has too much ground speed for heavy ripping with the box.

Consider this: Your 853 loader is about 1,500 lbs, give or take, so you're operating with something like 7,000 lbs. of tractor there. When you snag any big roots or rocks, etc., you are making one heck of a tug on all the attachment points, etc.

Your big Gannon will probably handle anything you might hook onto by accident, but I like to be very respectful of all that nice, expensive hardware on the tractor itself, so I'd go a bit slower in L. Call me slowpoke, but I'd be doing that with an M6800 also!

 

[_RaT_]

I say your situation is typical. I have a comparable boxblade. In low range on my L48, I could hit a point where I could drag the engine down. Thats 48 HP and a low range that is even lower then the L4330. Spinning your tires does little but tell you your out of traction. Loading the engine up and not spinning your tires tells you that you have a load. Learn to back off on the HST pedal and learn to lift the 3 point as necessary. No matter what tractor I have used be it Ford 545's, JD's 210 both industrial tractors too the many compacts I have used, you encounter this situation. Some comments will be made by other folks that they are not encountering this situation, my comment would be that they are not having a similar condition to make the comparision. Take their tractor to your place and I will guarantee, the result will be similar to the one your having. Congratulations on getting a nice boxblade. Gannons are top notch and well made. Having 1000lbs on the ground is much like an anchor. Pulling it while cutting and also filling it with about 20 cu ft of material is going to put a high demand on your tractors HP be it HST or conventional. You just need to learn to work it.

 

[GeneD14]

I have had similar issues with my L4330. I have the LA853 loader, filled R1's, 300lb wheel weights, and a 6' Woods Box Blade. I have had it weighed and it is about 7,300 lbs. I have killed the engine several times digging in clay ground with the front bucket/toothbar while in low range, high RPM. Using the hydraulics on the loader to pry and dig while driving forward in tough soil seems to max it out. I think that because of the 7,300 lbs of weight plus the force of the loader prying or lifting: the tires do not spin on the hard clay. If the tractor didn't have as much weight on it I'm certain that the wheels would spin before it stalled.
I absolutely love the tractor but if I had to do it all over again I would get the L5030 for the added HP.

 

[Muleskinner]

I'm begining to agree. For the folks who wondered what gear I was in, I was using low range. I like the tractor don't get me wrong, but I am begining to wonder if I should have gotten the L50 for the type of construction grading I do. I'm sure I will learn to use the weight where the HP is lacking. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif