The underside of my newer Kubota

[TractorTYMe]

I just did quite a bit of damage to my TYM T474 hitting a old style t-post that was rusty in 6' brown canada thistle down slope. ONLY pokey weeds, got stuck as I tried to get tractor out of there. Kinked some oil hardlines and wiring, plus pedestal HST pedals mounted to.

 

[Michiganguy]

Dang. Glad you are getting things covered and this is working out for you, but it's simultaneously a pretty terrible piece of feedback on Kubota durability/reliability.

Does kind of confirm my thoughts that the Kubota L series is really meant to be a homeowner or hobby farmer machine, not for construction of land-clearing.
Or the BX stuff with the plastic fans exposed underneath, yikes.

I think a lot of folks use their tractors for things they are not really designed for, myself included.
Tractors as a whole are generally not designed for land clearing. I would think a better choice would be a skid steer.
The sad part is a lot of the manufacturers sell attachments like grapples and heavy duty brush cutters for these tractors but don’t equip the tractors for the conditions the tractor may be running in using such attachments.
It would be nice if the manufacturers would at least offer skid plates as an add on option although I can imagine they would be pricey. However I’m sure they would be able to sell quite a few with the way folks use their tractors nowadays.

 

[Notforhire]

I think a lot of folks use their tractors for things they are not really designed for, myself included.
Tractors as a whole are generally not designed for land clearing. I would think a better choice would be a skid steer.
The sad part is a lot of the manufacturers sell attachments like grapples and heavy duty brush cutters for these tractors but don’t equip the tractors for the conditions the tractor may be running in using such attachments.
It would be nice if the manufacturers would at least offer skid plates as an add on option although I can imagine they would be pricey. However I’m sure they would be able to sell quite a few with the way folks use their tractors nowadays.

You make a good point, but....
While driving my L47 across my son's lawn, I ran over a stick that was 1/2 - 3/4 in. dia. and about five feet long. A front wheel must have flipped it up and it became tangled in some exposed wiring along the frame. Fortunately I stopped before any damage was done.

I suspect that Kubota designed this backhoe to be used only on stick free pavement in good weather.

I definitely need a skid plate and I do think Kubota should have provided something to protect the wiring.

 

[mx842]

I think a lot of folks use their tractors for things they are not really designed for, myself included.
Tractors as a whole are generally not designed for land clearing. I would think a better choice would be a skid steer.
The sad part is a lot of the manufacturers sell attachments like grapples and heavy duty brush cutters for these tractors but don’t equip the tractors for the conditions the tractor may be running in using such attachments.
It would be nice if the manufacturers would at least offer skid plates as an add on option although I can imagine they would be pricey. However I’m sure they would be able to sell quite a few with the way folks use their tractors nowadays.

HeHeHe......probably so but I bought this tractor to use for what needs to be done not for it to just sit in the shed with me washing and waxing it each day. I've been running heavy equipment long enough to realize the weak points of the machine I'm running, but as you said there are limits. At what these things cost now days you would think you could use them. I bought a Case 1150 B track loader back in the 70's brand new. This tractor cost me more than I paid for that loader but even that tractor had limits. It was bad ass though.

 

[hayden]

It's definitely frustrating how unprotected tractor underbellies are. I have had an electrical connector ripped off, and a branch poked a hole in the hydraulic suction line for my hydraulic pump. That one was a doozy because it didn't leak at all, but when running it would suck in air. My steering started getting wonky, but it still took a while before I figured out what was going on.

Construction equipment, on the other hand, is all armor plated. You have to drop plates to work on some stuff, but it's all very well protected.