Hello! I'm looking to buy my first tractor. I've grew up running my grandpa's tractors but I've never owned my own. I'm needing a tractor to take care of my hunting land. I'll be running a bushhog, pulling a disk, spreading fertilizer and lime, using a cultipacker, spreading seed, working up new food plots, ect. I'm needing advice on wither or not to buy a 4wd or 2wd. I own a newer 1/2 ton pickup, but I don't really want to up size my truck if I don't have too. I've been looing at the L3901 with the la525 loader. Does any one know the actual weight of this machine with loader? Any advice? Thanks for the help!
Please help me pick out a tractor!
- Thread starter dtaylor
- Start date
North Idaho Wolfman
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L3450DT-GST, Woods FEL, B7100 HSD, FEL, 60" SB, 743 Bobcat with V2203, and more
2.5 K to 2.8 K depending on the version of the tractor and FEL is 805lbs give or take, so your looking at about 3.5k or a Ton and 3/4.
A bit heavy for a 1/2 ton truck, but will it work, yes with the right trailer.
A bit heavy for a 1/2 ton truck, but will it work, yes with the right trailer.
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Welcome to the forum! I got the 3901 and am doing the same chores/work/playing you are talking about doing. I just rolled over 70 hours and here is what I know... this is not yours or my grandfather's tractor! The 3901 is light comparetively speaking to a 35-40 HP from back in the day. This is good and bad. I too have a 1/2 ton pickup and did not want to buy 3/4 ton truck along with a tractor... it would be nice though! I have a 20 foot trailer and 1/2 ton pulls it and stops it, no problem. Get trailer brakes, though. You may need to stop in a hurry and it is probablly not good on your truck's brakes stopping truck, trailer, tractor, loader, bucket, implement, etc...
I am going to advocate for the 3901 because an accomplice is nice to have! Most everyone will tell you that there tractor is the right one for you!
The 3901 is a great tractor and it will do what you need as far as the food plots and light brush clearing. If you mean bulldozing when you say "working up new food plots" you may need to step up in size or two or three! It is a tier 4 and noone knows what future problems are to come with this technology; time will tell! I have the HST and love it but others swear by DT or shuttle. I got R1 tires loaded because it gets soggy here. I got my tires widened for a better stance and I feel more comfortable on a wider footprint. I have replaced the damper rod on the HST (backed over a limb just big enough to jam in the bracket and bent it) and both tie rods Both aggrivating and both probably preventable if I bought it to keep in the garage!
I would suggest you test drive the 3300, 3901, 4600, 4701 and see which one feels right. Good luck in your search!
I am going to advocate for the 3901 because an accomplice is nice to have
! Most everyone will tell you that there tractor is the right one for you! The 3901 is a great tractor and it will do what you need as far as the food plots and light brush clearing. If you mean bulldozing when you say "working up new food plots" you may need to step up in size or two or three! It is a tier 4 and noone knows what future problems are to come with this technology; time will tell! I have the HST and love it but others swear by DT or shuttle. I got R1 tires loaded because it gets soggy here. I got my tires widened for a better stance and I feel more comfortable on a wider footprint. I have replaced the damper rod on the HST (backed over a limb just big enough to jam in the bracket and bent it) and both tie rods
Both aggrivating and both probably preventable if I bought it to keep in the garage! I would suggest you test drive the 3300, 3901, 4600, 4701 and see which one feels right. Good luck in your search!
Thanks for the advice! Yes trailer brakes are a big big help! What are the advantages of a 4wd tractor vs over a 2wd tractor? Other then two more tires pulling? Haha I was always told 4wd only gets you stuck even worse!
My previous tractor was a 28hp JD 4x4 and I can say for it's size it was a workhorse. I took it out of 4x4 a few times thinking I might save wear and tear on the front end, gears, tranny, etc but every time I asked it t do real work it was immediately noticeable that it required 4x4 for traction.
I'd say had I chose a 2wd that half what I wanted to do with it would have never got done.
And stuck even worse... I buried it several times, just stop before you bury it to the frame. Using the loader to lift and push and 4x4, I never stayed stuck long.
Good luck, hopefully others will chime in.
CaveCreekRay
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L3800 HST, KingKutter box scraper, KingKutter 66" rake, County Pride Subsoiler
4WD is a must.
I live in AZ on a horse ranch which is fairly flat land. There are a couple of draws (ravines) crossing my property. One of them I dump excess material into. I regularly get stuck in my L3800 after dumping a load while trying to back out in 2WD. Even a 5 or 7 degree slope shifts the weight far enough forward to take a load of weight off the rear tires. And my tires are weighted. 4WD is the only thing that gets me out every time.
Get the biggest tractor you can afford, but just make sure its 4WD.
I live in AZ on a horse ranch which is fairly flat land. There are a couple of draws (ravines) crossing my property. One of them I dump excess material into. I regularly get stuck in my L3800 after dumping a load while trying to back out in 2WD. Even a 5 or 7 degree slope shifts the weight far enough forward to take a load of weight off the rear tires. And my tires are weighted. 4WD is the only thing that gets me out every time.
Get the biggest tractor you can afford, but just make sure its 4WD.
Thanks for all the advice gentlemen! I have a another question, what tire would you go with? The ag tire or the R4? Sorry for all the rookie questons! I guess its better to ask now then after I spend a bunch of money and wish I would asked the questions before hand!
gpreuss
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L3200DT w/FEL, K650 Backhoe, 5' Rotary, 40" Howard Rotavator, 6' Rhino blade
As Wolfman said, the loader weighs about 800 lbs. That is without the bucket. Add another 300+ lbs to the package. Keep in mind that the weight is mostly in the front; be careful about tongue weight.
Tractor brakes are only on the rear wheels. If you have a loader your rear end will be WAY light, as Magkarl said. In 2WD you end up without traction and brakes! It is both scary and dangerous. Go for 4X4.
Tractor brakes are only on the rear wheels. If you have a loader your rear end will be WAY light, as Magkarl said. In 2WD you end up without traction and brakes! It is both scary and dangerous. Go for 4X4.
I picked up a 4wd b2650 about 2 months ago and can say that the 4wd is well worth it. The b2650 is only 26hp but does everything I used to use a 35 hp 2wd tractor for. I do occasionally have traction issues, but that is due to weight. I need to fill the rear tires with ballast. I have had no issues with lack of power though. We have 30 acres with a 4500 foot drive which I use a six foot box blade, I run a two row cultivator through our orchard, 60" bush hog, and a FEL. The newer tractors are really much more capable than tractors from 40-60 years ago. I too was looking at an L series but due to density of our woods and the orchard really needed a smaller tractor to work in tight areas.