Questions, questions

[uppermich]

OK boys,

I'm a woman in my 40's living in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and I'm about to purchase a Kubota Grand L but still undecided about the model, transmission and tires. I've narrowed it down to the 3710 or 4310, and the GST or HST and really not sure about tires. I'll purchase the FEL and brush hog, and would like to add a backhoe, post hole auger, and possibly a blade or snowblower. The dealer is 90 miles away, and I'd like to get "real life" experiences to help guide me.

I'll use the tractor to:

1) Keep almost 1000 feet of driveway open in winter- this is an area with as much as 350" annual snowfall. I guess I'm thinking of using the FEL or blade rather than a snowblower cause I can use those implements all year round and for other things. Besides, you've got to store and maintain all this stuff and my shop is close to full now!

2) Brush pulling (tag alders - clumps of 4-6 trunks approx. 2" diameter with roots near the surface) to clear some overgrown parts that will eventually turn into brush hog work and/or mowing.

3) Manure handling and pasture management for three horses (senior citizen pasture pets).

4) Building projects - water line to shop (150'), replace drain lines to septic (50') maybe building an earth sheltered greenhouse, lots of fencing and whatever else I can dream up of and afford to do ;-).

5) Maybe some crop farming, but mostly landscape work.

I own about 38 acres with decent soils, but rocky ( a gravel pit is across the road). Most of it is in fields - generally 3-4% slope, one small area of 10% slope. I already have an 18 Hp riding lawn mower, a Farmall M tractor (but no 3-pt hitch) and an old Dodge truck with snowplow. (Dad was an engineer and taught me that women can like toys too!!) I'll get rid of the plow truck and maybe the M when I get the new tractor.

I've test driven the HST and GST and felt more comfortable with the GST, but most everything I read says the HST is best. I figure I'll get used to it, but how is the HST in winter with heavy boots?

Just how easy/difficult is it to attach/remove the various implements for a woman? Any heavy lifting required? The hay mower on the M is a b***** to handle - can't do it myself and "grunt" help is hard to find!

IF I go for a snowblower at some point, would the rear mount be a pain for the amount I have to keep clear? i.e. Should I go with the 3710 with a mid mount PTO or would I be happier with the 4310 (more power)?

The dealer didn't have a Curtis cab on the lot but did have a Kubota cab. I felt like a goldfish in it and it was awful warm with all that glass, but the visibility was great. Don't think I'd be happy with a cloth seat either, but you can always cover or replace it. How does an ftermarket cab compare? I liked the idea of removing the doors for the summer.

Will I need additional lights for snow removal?

Tires????? There's liitle mud, but the lake shoreline is soft and I'll have a bit to do there.

Thanks.

Pat




Pat

 

[rja]

Pat, I have a L3000dt and use a large brush hog, rear blade, and york rake. To your point about attachments, the brush hog gives me a hard time. I finally placed it on blocks so it was as level as possible. This helped a little. (I did not pull my back out the last time it was used). At to the trans type, the HST is easer to use for loader work, but you will loose some HP compared to manual transmissions. I thought that the manual had less that could go wrong. I think that this more of a preference. Good Luck.

 

[glennmac]

For ease of attachment, research Freedom Hitch here and on their website:

http://www.freedomhitch.com

Get their video. I felt that they were worth a small percentage of my overall tractor purchase expenditure, and I haven't regretted it. (And I have different chromosomes than you.)

Glenn

 

[MChalkley]

Pat - I've had 3 GST's (the last being an L3600GST) and an HST (the L4310HST I currently own, which I think will be with me a while). I traded the L3600 to get the HST transmission, not more HP. Many, many people have switched from GST to HST, but none, to my knowledge, have gone the other way. My advice would be to make an effort to get used to it, if you feel a little uncomfortable with the HST. It won't last long, and the benefits are huge. There's always an theoretical argument that you lose power with the HST. It's paper power only - you can't use it. As I've said many times before - if I can spin the tires with a 1,000 lb implement on the back, what would I do with more power? (Keep in mind also that I've got much larger than stock tires, radials, ballasted with 50% liquid, and with much more aggressive cleats than are on the stock tires. Check out my "L4310 enhancements" topic in 'Kubota Owning' if you're interested in more detail and/or pictures. Also, the HST has another advantage that completely negates the "paper" power loss and, in fact, tips the scales very much in favor of HST: the ability to perfectly match the tire speed with the application. I don't mean to be disagreeable here, but this is not a matter of preference - it's a matter of experience. Ask anybody who's had both - I'd bet you'll find them totally in favor of HST's 10-to-1. (Again, I don't mean to be contentious here - I'm rather trying to be emphatic in getting the straight dope out - but if you haven't owned both, but only tried them on the dealer's lot, I'd suggest you aren't qualified to know which is best in real usage situations.) As for your question about boots - I've used my HST with sneakers, boat shoes, "cowboy" boots (what I usually wear), big cleated rubber insulated winter boots, you name it - no problem.

If you're concerned about durability, check with some outfits that rent GST and HST tractors. Ask them which ones they have the least maintenance with. Many dealers will tell you they have very little trouble with either, but if they prefer one over the other, it'll be the HST.

Another issue: safety. If there were no other advantages to HST, I would recommend it to almost everyone on its merits in this area alone. I'd also suggest you search the archives on this topic before you plunk down your hard earned cash.

Based on your listed usages, I'd recommend R4 tires. (If you've got the cash, I'd recommend you get a dealer credit on the stock Firestones and go with Michelin's, but that's another story, one well documented in the 'L4310 enhancements' discussion I referred to earlier.)

I don't think you'll be unhappy with the power of the L3710, and if you need the mid-PTO, it's your only choice.

Lighting should be fine for snow, unless you put a tall enough blade on the front that the stock lights won't shine over it, which isn't likely. If you do need lights, you can easily add them. Again, the 'L4310 enhancements' topic discusses this ad infitum, ad nauseum, too.

Now that you've gotten a couple responses to prime the pump, let's see what else you get... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

MarkC

 

[Bird]

Pat, I can't think of anything right now to add to what Mark said, other than to agree with him 100%./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif If you don't intend to use the tractor for any finish mowing, you might have just a tiny bit more traction if you just go with the R1 (ag) tires, but the R4s are probably tougher and more puncture resistant. And I really like the Kubota cab, but I'm far enough south that I'd want it for air-conditioning; cooling rather than heating./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird

 

[Anderson]

I have a L3600 manual transmission with cab (replaced by the 3710)7' rear blade, brush mower, FEL, post hole auger, front snow blower, and a tiller. I live in Minnesota, and use my tractor for similar chores to what you are proposing, and NEVER have I needed more power, so I'd get the 3710 with mid PTO because:

I hate to say it, but I don't think you'll be happy trying to move that much snow with the FEL, and back blade. I have a front mounted blower and they are a bit of a b**** to take on and off. However I now take it off and lower it onto blocks using a floor jack, and install the same way, so the hardest part is getting the tractor positioned. If you really don't want to maintain a blower, you could get the front mounte blade.

space isn't a problem for you - just set your blower where your plow truck sits now.

Tires: I have the R1 Ag tires, and only on the rare occasion when I have drive on the lawn would I trade them for the R4 industrials. My driveway is rather hilly, so I plan on putting on some chains this winter - we'll see how it goes.

You're right about the glass - it is hot in the sun, but the AC is strong enough to keep me from baking. But you do need the glass so you can see what you're doing.

I have little experience with crop farming, but I suspect that if you plan on doing more than 5 ac. the 3710 may be a bit small - it takes an awful lot of horsies to pull the impliments through the dirt.

If you get the cab, I'd get the front and rear work lights - you'll use them more than you think. Besides, the only thing the headlights illuminate is the back of the bucket, and distant tree tops.

I have nothing but good things to say about my John Deere post hole auger other than I wish it could go through large rocks.

 

[MarkV]

Pat,

Welcome to the forum. Wish we had more tractor ladies to keep the guys in line. I have a smaller Kubota than you are looking at so I will let Mark and others give you the scoop on the L series. I will add my vote for the HST. If you are used to a gear tractor the HST takes an hour or two to get used to. Give it another test drive before you decide.

PS. Love your part of the world, that is great country. At least in the summer.

 

[richh]

Pat welcome to tractor world! I to live in da UP to, gladstone. Im gussing your getting your tractor from mich. sales?? Kubota Doug?
You for sure want the HST I had a new L4610 with GST and returned it for a HST.[I was a dummy and didn't lisen to every body on this board but thank GOD i did come around] If you think you don't like a HST you haven't ran one long enough.... You need to have at lest 5-10 hrs of set time to get the hang of it and then you just won't belive it, and if you are going to move all that snow with the loader it will be way FASTER. Its also much easery to hook up attachments, your fine movement control is better and the tractor stays where you stop, whitch is very handy. HST all the way/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
Rich

 

[PaulB]

Pat - unlike all the other guys here I have to work all day, so I am late in responding /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif, but anyway, I agree that HST is the way to go. Of this I am absolutely 100% convinced. I too have lots of snow, and the foot controls are dirt simple to operate even when I am to frozen to move my arms. I have not used a freedom hitch, but even my little attatchments (I have a 17 horsepower tractor) are difficult to maneuver into place, so if the freedom hitch is half what it seems to be, it looks like a good investment.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Mark, you are correct in as much as I am not an expert on compact tractors. I have driven both HST and Manual trans. machines. I have also reviewed the posts on this board as well as the 'compact tractor board'. With all of this info, when I went to buy a tractor, I Perferred the manual over the HST transmission. I had a better understanding about how the manual trans worked and there seemed to be more problems reported on the boards about the HST. Further, I perferred not to spend the extra money for the HST when the manual trans seemed to meet my needs. What I am trying to say is that both systems appear to be without major problems so it boils down to what you are most comfortable with. Rich.