which to buy ???

[Steppenwolfe]

Guys, I really need some help here. I am torn between a new M 5100 with loader ( and $28,000 ) or a nearly new L 3400 with loader and backhoe @ 67 hours and $ 19,000. I know the horse power is a big difference, buy not really sure I need that much. I currently have an L 2600 dt with loader and need more tractor hp. We have an 80 acre property with woods, hills, and about 8 acres in meadows. I want to use a 3 pt. hitch chipper, splitter, and all the other normal implements. I'm thinking the 3400 will work, but worry about buying too small of a tractor. I would greatly appreciate any opinions. By the way, my lovely wife thinks bigger is always better... and yes I know which door I just opened, lets keep our comments to tractors. Thanks.

 

[Don87]

Better get the bigger one.

 

[Bluegill2]

Big diff in size between 3400 and 5100...

Keep the L2600 and get the M5100

 

[FatTire]

What do you want to use the loader for? There is a significant difference in FEL capacity. A couple of weeks after getting my MX5100 we had to lift a roll of steel that weighed close to 2,000 pounds high enough to get up onto a trailer with roll hanging by a strap. The L3400 would never get it done. The MX5100 could just barely do it. (Best guess is that it was 1850 lbs.)

I thought the MX5100 seemed kinda large when I got it, now I cannot imagine going smaller. If I'd purchased the L3800 I'd probably be looking at trading it in already.

 

[PossumHound]

How much do you really need that backhoe? Loader lift capacity and h.p. aside, do you really need the BH? If just occasional use is planned you can rent an excavator.

PH

 

[newbury]

Guys, I really need some help here. I am torn between a new M 5100 with loader ( and $28,000 ) or a nearly new L 3400 with loader and backhoe @ 67 hours and $ 19,000. I know the horse power is a big difference, buy not really sure I need that much. I currently have an L 2600 dt with loader and need more tractor hp. We have an 80 acre property with woods, hills, and about 8 acres in meadows. I want to use a 3 pt. hitch chipper, splitter, and all the other normal implements. I'm thinking the 3400 will work, but worry about buying too small of a tractor. I would greatly appreciate any opinions. By the way, my lovely wife thinks bigger is always better... and yes I know which door I just opened, lets keep our comments to tractors. Thanks.

Are they both 4wd HST? Has the L3400 had it's 50 hour service?
On Tractorhouse Marshall's has a couple L3400 TLB's with more hours at about that price range.

Do you plan a lot of driving thru the woods building and maintaining trails? Do you plan on having to maneuver it in tight places? Smaller might get more work done.

Going over your info and Kubota's list price for NEW they both price out about the same at about $28K . That means to me someone paid about $134/hr for the use of the L3400.

What type of work would you use a backhoe for? Do you have projects planned? How easy is it to rent a mini-ex? Is the backhoe big enough at 7.7'?

In my case if I want to rent a mini-ex it's and hour drive each way. Ok for large projects if I need it for a week or so but a killer for small ones. I'd rather the equipment sit in my shed and be ready for my small projects when I need it.
Examples -
I've got to dig up a walkway, I CAN do it by hand. My B7610 will probably take several hours. A 2,000lb mini-ex and a trailer would be probably about two hundred dollars and 2 hours driving.

I want to dig for a house foundation, my b7610, or the L3400 might do it in a month. An 11,000 lb mini-ex would cost about $1,300 for a week. Winner mini-ex rental.

If you know you need the lift capacity etc. go for the bigger.

I personally would not go for the L3400 with the 7.7' backhoe because I have a 7' backhoe already.

 

[k0ua]

I think you have received a lot of good information already, but as an ex L3400HST owner I will chime in. The L3400 are good tractors, and the FEL is not weak by any means for its size. The Mx5100 is bigger and stronger though for sure. What do you intend to do with the tractor? If you need the backhoe for anything, the price of the L3400 seems like a good deal to me if it was well maintained. The 3pt hitch on a lot of L3400 are jerky if you try to move them up in small increments slowly. Mine was particularly jerky. As for the chipper, how large of a chipper are you going to get, do you need the extra PTO horspower of the MX5100? Check spec's. The L3400 and the MX5100 are the same basic tractor layout except the MX is larger and stronger in every way. I guess it all boils down to how much you need that Backhoe, if you need it, and your chipper will run on the 28 PTO horsepower of the L3400, I would be inclined to get the L3400, but if the backhoe is just a whim, or you don't really have a lot of use for it and you need the extra horsepower and lift capability of the MX5100, then by all means get it. Or for less money you could get a DK50 Kioti that will lift more, pull more (more weight) have approx the same horsepower, and has many more luxury features than the MX. AND it is still orange. Good luck with whatever you choose.

James K0UA

 

[kuboman]

Buy the bigger one. You will always find uses for the higher capacity loader and HP.JMHO:thumbsup:

 

[crazyangel]

+1 for the MX5100. Great tractor. Strong and nimble.

 

[urednecku]

I have never wished my M7040 was smaller. BUT I DO sometimes I wish it was bigger.