Yep, larger is not always better. The L3800 is small for our place, but better suited for what I need to use it for. 
Which to Buy: B3200 or L3200/3800
- Thread starter MyHomestead
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Kirk
New member
Equipment
l3800 kubota 60 in backblade 60in boxscraper 60in brushhog 58in rototiller
My wife and I just purchased a L3800 today. Paid 23,750 for new tractor, 58 inch rototiller, 60in backblade, 60in box blade and 5 ft brush hog, all implements are all Land Pride. Am curious how I did price wise, also curious as to what to watch for. Am hoping made good choice as to this is going to be last tractor purchase ( I hope, lol).
Depends on the L3800 options (prices can vary several $k), but considering you got all landpride accessories, that's a pretty good deal. You should have purchased all 72" accessories though. Honestly I'd call the dealer and try to upgrade. My only 5' accessory is the 1860 cutter, and every time I go to use it, I regret not getting the 1872.
As many times as I've heard of dealers recommending the 60" implements for the 32/3800, I'd be willing to bet there is better kickbacks on them over the 72". Ask 3800 owners who use the 6' implements if they'd downgrade, I'd bet they'd be few and far between. I was going to use a 7' rake on the back, but the only reason I ended up with the 6' was the deal I got on the 6' rake and BB.
Kirk - For comparison I purchase a L3800 couple days ago, still waiting on delivery. Should be delivered tomorrow. But I got a L3800HST with FEL with QA 66inch bucket, R4 tires, Cruise Control, Loaded tires and a Land Pride RCR1260 for $21,000 without tax in Virginia.
UnionMan
UnionMan
I'm still on the fence about 6' implements on a L3200/3800. It will handle them no problem, I have 5' and 6' mowers and box blades.
What I don't like is a 6' mower hanging out 6" pass my rear tires. Seems to hit every tree, or fence post I try to get close to. I do like the 6' box blade though!
The 5' hangs out just barely an inch beyond the tires, and I've yet to add wheel spacers. It's easier to drive further away from objects by 6" then it is to get a close cut on fence lines when your cutter is INSIDE of the rear tires!
Not to mention when using the 5' cutter, one must overlap the previous cut by 18" running over the same track again. The 6' would allow at least another foot and not run over the same track giving a better cut on the long grass.
I have my ag tires set out all the way and the outside width matches a 5' mower to a tee. I also do not have to overlap 18" with the 5 footer?
That said, I do like a 6 footer more better. And I will learn to back off the trees and posts to be able to take advantage of the extra foot.
R4s here, they tend to lay down a good 12" or more of grass.I have my ag tires set out all the way and the outside width matches a 5' mower to a tee. I also do not have to overlap 18" with the 5 footer?
That said, I do like a 6 footer more better. And I will learn to back off the trees and posts to be able to take advantage of the extra foot.
Ha yeah, that wide flat foot print.
The 5 foot Land Pride I use does create a vacuum effect with the type of blades it has and will pull the grass up pretty good before the cut.
Having owned a B3200 and an L3800 I might be able to shed some light. First a little back ground. I've owned 4 new tractors from 3 different makers with 3 different frame sizes in horse power ratings from 21 to 38. All had HST transmissions, (I will touch on that later) and front end loaders. 2 of these had R-4 tires and 2 had R-1 tires. All had loaded rears. The first one was under powered for its weight, which is a big issue because you cant just hang more power on it somewhere. 2 of these were to light for digging, pushing and pulling given, their power, even with loaded tires. A balast box cured that, more so with R-1 tires. R-4 tires tend to set on the ground and spin if its slick at all, no matter the weight, being fat and not very aggressive. The fourth, my L3800, is heavy enough with loaded rear R-1 tires that I can do most anything I need to do in 2 wheel drive. I wish I had went this route from the begining. Its only marginally larger than the B3200 it replaced, as far as foot print, and is way more tractor. The B3200 also viberated so much that it would make my hands and feet go numb and that is the main reason I went up to the L series and im so glad I did. I have no reason for a bigger tractor now but I sure as hell dont want a smaller one again if it's my only tractor. Now an aditional smaller tractor like a BX 2670 would be cool as a little brother for the 3800.
Tires- if I was mostly mowing a nice big lawn id have turfs. I dont mow with these tractors and I want traction and R-1 tires cant be beat for that. Any mud or wet soil will pack up R-4's and turfs. You can still run across your lawn with ag tires, you just have to use common sense.
Now for my thoughts / experiences with the transmission debate. I grew up on a 40 acre hobby farm. Growing up i learned to drive sticks at the age of 8. All my dads truck were sticks, even today and he is 88 years old. All 6 of our tractors were gear shifts with out loaders. They were used for working the ground. Im a stick guy at heart when it comes to hot rods and off road rigs like Jeeps and what have you. I also like a stick tractor for field work due to the fact there is a bit more power to the ground and they are cheaper to purchase. Now I dont do field work on my 10 acres. Its all loader work, back blading and snow removal. There is not a snow balls chance in hell that I would want a gear shift trans on any tractor that I use primarily for excavating and loader work. Am I afraid to use my HST equipped tractor to pull a disk or plow? No, and I will with confidence if I ever have the need. HST transmissions are a must, in my opinion, where frequent directional changes are needed as well where precise control is required, like back dragging or peeling top soil right tight to a building or between two trees where an accidental lurch could wreck someting. Instant speed changes are a plus as well with out the need to stop and shift or use a clutch. I also like the buffer an HST tranny puts between the engine and drive train preventing shock loading of axles and gears. These are the reasons I like Hst over gear for my use. They have proven super relable for years with proper maintenance and are used in all kinds of heavy equipment like pay loaders and bull dozers with great track records. It has to be a 3 range hst though. 2 range systems are often times to slow in low range and under powered in high. With my 3800 I can do the majority of my work in range 2. Snow plowing, unless really wet, I can do in high range.
Fuel consumption. I was hung up on that for a while. Here is my thoughts / experiences on this subject. Yes a bigger tractor will consume more fuel at full load than a smaller tractor but I rarely need to run my L3800 over 1800 rpms. It is usually set 1600-1700. All three of my other tractors had to be ran pretty hard to get the work out of them that I needed. Also you can accomplish the same task much faster with the bigger tractor than with a smaller tractor, lessening the fuel used even more and reducing the hours and wear and tear on the machine. I did a little unscientific test with L3800 a winter ago. Plowing snow running 1600-1700 rpms mostly, only running her fast if needed I consumed right around one gallon per hour. I filled to the bottom of the neck, put 3.5 hrs on it plowing over a couple weeks and refilled one gallon at a time using a one gallon jug. It took just under 3.5 gallons to bring it back to the bottom of the neck.
In a nut shell, go bigger than you think you will need, get the trans that will fit YOUR needs most and the same with the tires.
Tires- if I was mostly mowing a nice big lawn id have turfs. I dont mow with these tractors and I want traction and R-1 tires cant be beat for that. Any mud or wet soil will pack up R-4's and turfs. You can still run across your lawn with ag tires, you just have to use common sense.
Now for my thoughts / experiences with the transmission debate. I grew up on a 40 acre hobby farm. Growing up i learned to drive sticks at the age of 8. All my dads truck were sticks, even today and he is 88 years old. All 6 of our tractors were gear shifts with out loaders. They were used for working the ground. Im a stick guy at heart when it comes to hot rods and off road rigs like Jeeps and what have you. I also like a stick tractor for field work due to the fact there is a bit more power to the ground and they are cheaper to purchase. Now I dont do field work on my 10 acres. Its all loader work, back blading and snow removal. There is not a snow balls chance in hell that I would want a gear shift trans on any tractor that I use primarily for excavating and loader work. Am I afraid to use my HST equipped tractor to pull a disk or plow? No, and I will with confidence if I ever have the need. HST transmissions are a must, in my opinion, where frequent directional changes are needed as well where precise control is required, like back dragging or peeling top soil right tight to a building or between two trees where an accidental lurch could wreck someting. Instant speed changes are a plus as well with out the need to stop and shift or use a clutch. I also like the buffer an HST tranny puts between the engine and drive train preventing shock loading of axles and gears. These are the reasons I like Hst over gear for my use. They have proven super relable for years with proper maintenance and are used in all kinds of heavy equipment like pay loaders and bull dozers with great track records. It has to be a 3 range hst though. 2 range systems are often times to slow in low range and under powered in high. With my 3800 I can do the majority of my work in range 2. Snow plowing, unless really wet, I can do in high range.
Fuel consumption. I was hung up on that for a while. Here is my thoughts / experiences on this subject. Yes a bigger tractor will consume more fuel at full load than a smaller tractor but I rarely need to run my L3800 over 1800 rpms. It is usually set 1600-1700. All three of my other tractors had to be ran pretty hard to get the work out of them that I needed. Also you can accomplish the same task much faster with the bigger tractor than with a smaller tractor, lessening the fuel used even more and reducing the hours and wear and tear on the machine. I did a little unscientific test with L3800 a winter ago. Plowing snow running 1600-1700 rpms mostly, only running her fast if needed I consumed right around one gallon per hour. I filled to the bottom of the neck, put 3.5 hrs on it plowing over a couple weeks and refilled one gallon at a time using a one gallon jug. It took just under 3.5 gallons to bring it back to the bottom of the neck.
In a nut shell, go bigger than you think you will need, get the trans that will fit YOUR needs most and the same with the tires.
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^^^What he said, go larger. Your tractor will thank you, and you'll be more efficient at most tasks. Our 3800 gets run pretty hard and put away wet. I feel bad for it...it still has a lot more work to do.