B20/21 or the L35?

[Bruin4]

Hello,

New to this Forum and happy to have found it.

I am in the market for a TLB and have decided on a used Kubota. After researching as best I could and having looked at a few that are for sale I think the B20/21 or L35 will suit my needs best.

1. Used B20 with 300 hours for $15,000. ( like new machine )

2. Used L35 with 400 hours for $26000 ( like new machine )

3. Used L35 with 700 hours, $22500. good condition, tight machine but some wear, missing lighting on ROPS, some early signs of paint blisters, exhaust pipe rotted, needs front tires. No leaks apparent.

What I want the machine for is for trenching and light FEL work, mostly on tight jobsites and excavating around existing foundations to install perimeter drainage. It has to be on the small side. No mowing or field work but a front PTO or hydraulics for a snow blower may be nice, also a clam shell front bucket would be nice.

The biggest question is can the B20 or B21 handle these tasks- it seems a little underpowered? The L35 seems like it would work and has more reach, the L48 ( of which there seem to be more of around? ) may just be too big.

Both seem to be commercial quality machines , not sure if the pricing is reasonable, there are several for sale in the country at lower prices but I was hoping to see and test the machine locally rather than rely on buying it sight unseen. None of the local sellers will come down in price, at least that's what they say.

Has anyone tested the crankcase oil of a used machine before buying it?

Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated..Thanks

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Both are considered commercial machines, the B series is smaller and can get into tighter places, but it is really on the week side and you could easily out do what it can do.
The L series is got some real advantage's over the B's in operability, more power, smother controls, but it is a little larger and doesn't fit into as small of spaces.
There is really no way to get a good idea of the condition of the engine from the oil, you could pull the sick and look but it's not going to tell you much.
Run it and drive it around, run it threw all the gears, and operate everything! It should start smooth with little to no smoke. it should Idle real slow and smooth after a few min of warm up.
The outside of the machine pretty much tells you what the inside looks like, I would avoid the one that need a bunch of repairs if your looking to work the machine, because the previous owner didn't seam to care if it was taken care of or not.

 

[Bruin4]

Thanks for the reply. I am leaning towards the L35.

When I said test the oil I meant that has anyone taken a sample of the engine oil and sent it out to be tested. You can buy kits that you just take the sample and mail it away for analysis, they give you all the lead, chemicals , particulate matter etc. that is in the used oil. Its supposed to be a good indicator of engine condition.

Thanks

Bruin4

 

[kubby 2013]

I would go for the L35 as it has longer reach with the hoe. My experience with a hoe has been you never have too much reach. Also be careful of judging the hours by the meter. It is very simple to turn the hours back. A co-worker of mine bought a L2250 with low hours sight unseen and when he got it it was obvious that the tractor had a lot more hours on it. Just saying.

 

[Bruin4]

Thats a good point, The Hour meter is not a perfect judge of condition and they can break or be replaced - Im getting the feeling that the 600 hour machine is no 600 hour machine, especially because the seller was so difficult - I showed up with the full ask price in cash in my pocket and when I asked one simple question he started ranting and raving about what the tractor is worth and how he's done standing in the rain talking to me, at that point he started it up and shut it off after about 30 seconds and I just left him standing there. He never knew I had the cash with me.

But the engine oil test seems to be pretty reliable - its 30$ probably worth it if I can get the seller to agree to let me take about 6 ounces of oil out of the pan through the dipstick tube.

 

[Billdog350]

Bruin4, I see you're right here in CT as well. The oil analysis will definitely help IF the oil hasn't been changed recently and IF the damage/wear is detectable.

An overheated motor will eventually have head gasket issues but likely won't show up in the oil other than possibly more deposits.

For the $30...its definitely worth being an educated consumer...but I would concentrate on the big dollar items and ensure they're good. Hydraulic cylinders can be rebuilt and aren't super expensive, but do they drift down? Are the hydraulic filters painted body color or do they have writing on them? origional transmission and hydro filters are installed and then spray painted over with the kubota grey paint. A new filter will be yellow, shiny metal, or possibly grey. If you note that all the filters "look" original...they might be. Since you're supposed to be changing your filters every 300hrs....I would be more worried about lack of maintenance to the hydraulic system and transmission since they are even more expensive than the motor!

Like everyone says, no smoke, good idle, no leak down on hydraulic cylinders, hydrostatic functions normally, 4wd operates normally, and transmission gear ranges all work (I have seen people force the lever in cold weather and break or bend the shift forks in the transmissions).

You should be able to lift the front of the tractor with the loader and rear of the tractor with the backhoe and/or stabilizers.

Feel free to PM me for more questions, I have sub contracted for a large Kubota dealer in NH for over 4 years and serviced hundreds of Bx, B, L, and M tractors as well as KX excavators, RTV's and mowers.

My father has well over 2500hrs on his L48 that he got new and has had very few issues with it. The water pump was done around 2000hrs, front tie rod ends, front axle pivot seals, a few hydraulic hoses, and the one annoying thing was a hydraulic leak from the middle of the tractor where the two transmission case parts bolt together. The machine had to be split to fix that leak. Considering how much work he does with that and how aggressive he is with it, it has held up VERY well.

 

[Bruin4]

Thanks for the great info Billdog350. I will check those things, it was tough with the last seller. The painted over oil filter is a great tip.....as I spend more time with this I have gone from a B20 to deciding on a L35 and now Im thinking to just get the L48!

 

[Billdog350]

Bruin, another thing to consider is that the L48 will have the most lifting capacity. The forks can lift 2000 easily and I think as much as 3000, I know my father welded a hook in the middle cross beam so he can remove the bucket and use a chain to lift even heavier things. He moves around those 4000lb concrete "mafia blocks" by curling the loader beam and not hitting the lift lever (if you do the detents will drop the load to the ground). The L48 also can lift significantly more at the backhoe and with a thumb is downright amazing. If you are worried about weight, that is one of the big differences between the L35 and L48. The L48 weighs close to 8000lbs while the L35 is 6000. When you load the tires, add chains and add a good size bucket, the L48 will be close to 10k....so make sure you have a truck and trailer that can haul that. The L48 compares to the JD 110 and is a well built, beefy tractor that will do commercial jobs with ease.

 

[Bruin4]

Thanks, the L48 may just be too big. I have to check the dimensions, wheelbase, weight etc. I also only have a 7500# trailer so I may have to step up to a 10000# one

Thanks

Bruin4

 

[b20barry]

Hi all, If you need the reach and lift capacity the L would be better, but don't let the horsepower fool you. I can put the B20 against a tree and dig holes. They all have limits. Someone has to stick up for us B20-21 guys.

 

[DonDC]

Bruin4, I have an L35 TLB that I bought a year ago with 1050 hrs on it for $19,000. I would say with the 400 hour machine unless you can find something wrong as suggested above, it is only just broke in. I have put 400 hours on mine in the last year and had no issues with it. As far as I am concerned, it is a good strong tractor. I have mainly been land clearing 3 acres, pushing over 4 to 8 iinch tress and and digging out stumps so I have worked it hard. Yes the L39 and L45 are stronger and sometimes more power would be nice but if you take it a little slower, you don't need a bigger machine. Just make sure the previous owner did all scheduled sevicing and you should be good to go for many hours of work. JMHO. Good Luck on your final choice. Don....

 

[Bruin4]

Hey B20barry, I am all for the B20's !

My search started for a B20 or B21 and has grown into L35 and L39's and now the L48....I know Ill take one of each! But the B20 is certainly a capable machine and I would be happy to own one.

 

[b20barry]

Well they all do what we want for different types of work, what I like is the tight places I can get the B20 in with little trouble. But sometimes I would like an M59 , maybe add that someday!