Just bought a L3400 the other day. Most of my implements are sized to the old tractor and are going to be more than the 'Boty is going to want. My old tractor is Category 2, 67 Hp gross and 54 Hp on the IPTO and 42 Hp on the drawbar and has Draft Control. I cant expect the 'Boty to take on the 8' Flail, 8' Box blade, 9 Shank Chisel or the 7' brush hog I already have so I'm gonna have to either downsize a bunch of implements or hang on to the old tractor to use them. My question is how how much hog can the L3400 handle adequately? What size used chisel or tandem should I be watching out for?
Size of implements?
- Thread starter L.C. Gray
- Start date
I have the same tractor except 3 more hp (L3700SU) and use a 5'bush hog, 6' finish mower' 6 and 7' box blade, 6' strait blade, 20 blade disk and a 5 shank chisel plow.
DBCSteve
New member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
B2650, FEL, box scraper, Artillian forks & grapple, GR 2120 mower
I also have an L3400. My equipment is listed in my avatar, which will be updated in a few weeks with new equipment. 5-foot Rears flail mower is a perfect fit. Also have Gannon hydraulic scraper (5 feet, I think), 6-foot Rhino landscape blade for road drainage maintenance, and a 58-inch BEFCO tiller. I upgraded mine a few years ago to Top-and-Tilt and extra hydraulics for the scraper. All just sold with our property. In retrospect, I could have saved $$ by selling the Gannon, buying a regular HD scraper with manual rippers, and not install the extra hydraulics to run the rippers.
Our new tractor will be a B2650, and I will miss the L 3400 power. We plan to downscale implement sizes (all L 3400 implements sold with the tractor anyway).
Unsolicited plug: Rears flail mowers are excellent but pricey. All our orchard neighbors have Rears mowers (we currently live in walnut and almond country in northern California, moving in a few days to Snohomish, WA). They are heavy duty and are IMHO the best design for maintenance. I priced several good quality flail mowers, all about the same price but Rears has a better design. Again, IMHO.
Our new tractor will be a B2650, and I will miss the L 3400 power. We plan to downscale implement sizes (all L 3400 implements sold with the tractor anyway).
Unsolicited plug: Rears flail mowers are excellent but pricey. All our orchard neighbors have Rears mowers (we currently live in walnut and almond country in northern California, moving in a few days to Snohomish, WA). They are heavy duty and are IMHO the best design for maintenance. I priced several good quality flail mowers, all about the same price but Rears has a better design. Again, IMHO.
Flails are safer, that's about it. They give a good cut on ground that is mowed regularly. You try to run out into a pasture that hasn't been mowed or grazed in a few years, it'll turn into a round baler. They take more HP to drive, they're loud, they're expensive and probably terrible when its time to change blades. if neatness isn't the priority, nothing beats the Hog.
One more advantage to flails is they don't stick out so far behind the tractor, making them useful if there are trees to mow around.
DBCSteve
New member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
B2650, FEL, box scraper, Artillian forks & grapple, GR 2120 mower
Good observations, but there are other advantages. After our pending move to Washington I'll start a new thread on flail mowers (advantages and disadvantages) along with pictures. I use my flail to chop up orchard prunings and piles of leaves, and have the opposing knives rather than the "duck bill" knives used primarily for cutting grass. And yes, they are 2-3x the cost of a good rotary mower. For that parked-out look of mowed lawn, it is certainly the wrong tool for the job. But it does a decent job for me in cutting 2-foot high wild oats when I mow the perimeter of my pasture for fire control. I use my flail for mowing as well as shredding since I wore out my 5-foot Bush Hog after 20 years of regular use.
As to changing knives, most flails are as you describe -- a real pain. That's where the Rears mower has the advantage, quick changes without resorting to wrenches and bumped heads.
I only mentioned flail mowers since the OP has one already (he also has a rotary mower) and wanted to offer advice on flail mower size for the L 3400. I plead guilty for going a bit off subject -- sorry! More on a separate thread....
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