Accessorizing new L3901 tractor

Hello all:
I am the happy new owner of a L3901 after a week of rather intensive research and driving back and forth between green and orange dealers which are in two different towns in opposite directions from our home.

We have about 5 acres that needs a fair amount of work for snow removal, brush and tree clearing, driveway repair, pad for a shop, and more things I haven't thought of yet. I have used a few very beat up tractors in the past but never owned one.

With the tractor I am getting the Loader, PFL2042 loader forks, the BB1566 box blade and RCR1860 brush mower. The tires are being changed to the industrial tread. The dealer is installing the canopy, filling the tires, mounting chain hooks on the bucket, and installing a block heater. The dealer has been excellent.

For the logic of the tractor choice we were comparing to the green 2038R, 3038E and 3033/9R vs the L33/3901 and L3560. The 3R's and L60 were quite a bit over the budget and my wife and I both preferred the L3901 to the others (and it was cheaper!). I thought for the price the power upgrade from L3301 was an easy choice and the dealer thought correctly we would never use many of the features in the L60 series. We were able to see and test drive all of the tractors except the L60. There were a few near new tractors available but I didn't find the price compelling vs new. Key features that sold us on the L3901 I think were the 3 speed HST, and generally a smoother feel operating the hydraulics and tractor itself which convinced us this was the best value.

It will be a week or two until it's delivered since the canopy and one of the attachments had to be ordered. In the meantime I had a couple questions and would welcome any suggestions or comments...

Is the quick hitch setup going to be worth the cost? I envision the box blade and loader being mounted most of the time with maybe half a dozen escapades per year with the mower attacking the weeds and bushes. The dealer thought it was not necessary.

Is the 1566 (66 inches wide) box blade too big for the tractor? The online manual lists the maximum width as 52 inches but the dealer recommended going wider to cover the width of the tractor.

I believe the 60 inch bush mower with the clutch rather than sheer pins was probably a good choice. IIRC the 48 inch ones used sheer pins which may not be a good choice given the operators lack of experience while the 72 inch wide may be too much especially given fairly uneven terrain. With these constraints is the 60 inch mower going to be just right?

I have read several posts about adding teeth (more like dentures) to the loader bucket -- will these work with the stock bucket? Is there a land-pride version or is the best one available from another manufacturer? I am in a continual battle with Saskatoon bushes and if there is something good at ripping them out that would be wonderful.

Is the there any other implement or accessory I should consider or anything I should know about the tractor or the implements I have listed above?

Thanks in advance...

I did get the HST so also 4wd.

The dealer had originally suggested the 6 foot box blade and we talked about it and I thought coming down a little in size to 5 1/2 foot might be a little easier and safer to use since it doesn't stick out much past the width of the tractor. I think the one I chose was also a little heavier than the 6 footer. I read through the manual though and it was saying 52 inches max which had me thinking even 66 was too wide. Maybe I am over thinking some of this.

For the mower I have a lot of hills, trees, buildings, poles etc to get around with mostly flat spots where I want to mow. I am probably going to be in reverse as much as forward and I guess it came down again to making it more maneuverable (and again the dealer originally suggested a 6 foot mower as you have). There isn't more than 2 acres to do at most 3 or 4 times a year so it isn't a big deal to make a few extra passes was my thinking.

More importantly, I was wondering about the chains and did notice how little room there is in the fender with the industrial tires. I thought it would need spacers for chains and it would be easier for the dealer to do it before delivery while they are switching tires anyway. The tractor currently has ag tires on it and the dealer was going to switch them with a 3301 that has the R4's. I do have some non-weeded areas and understood that the industrial tires are less likely to tear that up than the ag tires. Note that the rear tires will be ballasted with beetle juice if that makes a difference for traction.

The primary use for the tractor in the winter will be snow clearing so winter traction is important. I live in an area that gets a lot of very wet snow that I need to move out of the way so the loader is ideal. My driveway is pretty much level with maybe a 5% grade down to the road. It is about 100 yards long, about 2/3 gravel and asphalt by the house. The road is also gravel.

Am I going to need chains? Will the chains damage the asphalt? It is probably right around freezing half the time here so the asphalt won't be entirely frozen.

I did ask about chains though. The dealer thought I probably wouldn't need the chains and that they may damage the driveway and basically the idea was that with the much wider industrial tires I won't need the wheel spacers if I don't need the chains. Though he didn't specifically promise me anything I don't think the dealership is concerned with putting them on later -- they have sold a large number of tractors to an orchards beside me and I think they are expecting to be out this way frequently in the next couple weeks. One of the things I liked about this dealer is that they were not trying to load me down with extra's I may not need. On the other hand there is no way my miata is going to pull the tractor out of a ditch.

Thanks very much for any information...

teg said:

Did you get a HST transmission? If you did, it's not as important to get the Quick Hitch (although, they are nice).

As for box blade, I have a 6 footer and would not want anything smaller. You can get by with smaller but with your larger HP... I don't see why you should.

As for mowers, you should be able to handle a 6 footer, I would seriously conciser one. I use a shear pin with a 5 footer and had to replace it a couple of times.

As for other options... (that's loaded question). R4 tires are pretty bad in snow, so if you are thinking about chains, you'll need wheel spacers (which are pricey). Is your land flat or hilly??

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That would be siping? There is at least one company in town that has the ability to do that. I wonder how much it would weaken the tire?

It's just the snow. I don't have to worry much about mud where I am as it's mostly pretty rocky.

I guess I should trust the dealer's advice and wait until there is actually a problem before I panic.

Thanks!

teg said:

If it's flat, you should be able to push the snow - there is a way to add extra traction to R4 by cutting groves into the flat tread.

Yes, chains will damage asphalt!! Seems like your dealer is giving you good information. Nice to see hear that...

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Great!

Thanks -- I will leave the box blade at 66 and not decrease the width any further. I think that is very close to the width of the tractor with the industrial tires.

The brush mower is a little narrower than the tractor but I think I will leave that at 60. There won't be a problem doing overlapping passes and if I miss a spot here or there the neighbors are probably not going to complain: I think they'll be happy I am doing it at all...

mdhughes said:

I have a 66" box blade with my L3901DT and have no problems pulling it. It would be a real pain if it was smaller than the width of the tractor.

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As a closing remark...
I've had the tractor and implements for almost two weeks now and I have to say I am very happy with my choice. Easy to use (or in my case easy to learn to use) and good power. Very happy with the 3 speed HST. I thought that I would have to do a little work to access parts of my property but have found that the tractor easily climbs the banks to get anywhere I need to go. The relatively small size makes it easy to get between trees and maneuver. Fantastic.

If I had to find something negative I can only think of two things I thought might be an improvement: a more convenient set up for the parking brake lever and maybe a light to indicate that the four wheel drive is engaged. Other than that I am very happy with the tractor, the accessories, and my dealer...

Thanks folks.

teg said:

I just leave it in 4x4 all the time...

As for the parking brake, I don't use my hands... One foot to hold the brake while the other foot engages (push forward) the parking lever. I hate bending over.

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I couldn't figure out if the parking lever was meant to be foot or hand actuated. I must be lacking in foot dexterity 'cause bending over and doing it by hand seemed to work better. Bet you're a better dancer than me...

teg said:

Setting the brake with my feet is about all the dancing I ever do!

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The Kubota two-step.

Dchemphill1 said:

I would fill the rear tires with ***8220;beet juice***8221;. It will add considerable weight and make you more stable and less likely to loose traction. I felt tippy on the L3901 on my slopping ground before doing this. I run ag tires and have never been stuck in mud or snow. They are tough on your lawn though.

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The dealer included the beet juice in the tires from the very first quote with no extra charges and had it installed and ready to go on delivery. I am very happy with my Kubota dealer.

I did get a chance today to see the value of ballasting (and 4wd) clearing 8 inches of wet slippery snow. Left it in 4wd and with the beets and the box blade I had no trouble pushing long stretches, even up moderate inclines. I have the industrial tires, no chains. This thing is great for clearing snow!