New L4240

pmhowe

Member

Equipment
L4240, Ford 8N, Kioti CK 2610
Jun 23, 2012
117
0
16
Banner Elk NC
My new L4240 just arrived! I have only put about an hour of seat time on it but, so far, I am thrilled with it. It has the usual front end loader, one set of rear remotes (my budget wouldn’t allow two or three at this point), all four tires filled with Rimgard, and a block heater. (Some pictures are attached.)

I had purchased an L4600 new but, when it arrived and I put an implement on the back, the three point hitch had a bad case of St. Vitus Dance. Although it is a fairly heavy tractor and I had all four tires filled with Rimgard, the jerkiness of the hitch was bad enough to cause the tractor to jump violently. Much worse than my former L2550. Other than that, the L4600 was a very nice tractor. Because of the three point hitch behavior, the dealer took it back.

Some first impressions about the L4240:
* It has the LA854 loader with 72” bucket. This loader appears to be a bit heavier than the LA764 on the L4600. I haven’t had time to use it yet, but it operated smoothly and precisely. (So did the LA4600).
* The three point hitch operates smoothly, even at very low rates. It is not as precise and as smooth as the loader, but is still very acceptable. Interestingly, the hitch raise and lower lever has eight settings, but the lever has to be raised to the number 6 position before the lift actually moves. I assume this is just sloppy assembly, but will wait until warm weather to sort it out.
* The HST is a delight to work, especially with the automatic throttle control. The L4600 had the HST, but not the throttle control. The tractor with the throttle control seems much easier on the operator. It may be easier on the tractor, I don’t know.
* The L4240 has the upgraded seat with a high back and armrests. It didn’t seem like any big deal to me. Maybe with more seat time I will appreciate it.
* The digital instrumentation is OK if you like that sort of thing. I prefer analog. Oh well.
* I read recently that the Kubota 3 cylinder engines are much quieter with less vibration than the 4 cylinder ones. The engines (4 cyl) on the L4600 and the L4240 are much smoother and quieter than the one on the L2550 (3 cyl).
* Today, it was 0F outside. I allowed the glow plugs to heat for about 10 seconds (the glow plug light didn't go off, so maybe I should have waited longer). The tractor fired immediately, with no complaint. However, I had the block heater on for about an hour beforehand.

The L4240 is a nice, stable, heavy tractor, with lots of power. I’m looking forward to using it. I'll bet it will be a lot more stable on my hills than the L2550.
 

Attachments

eserv

Well-known member

Equipment
BX24, A1000 Kubota Generator
May 27, 2009
2,110
112
63
Hardisty, Alberta
The Grand L series tractors are beautiful machines! I just set up a L5240 for a customer with a front broom and snow blade, I am major jealous!
I hope they put the block heater in the rear frost plug on the RIGHT side on your tractor! Far to many are putting them in on the left side, the block heater won't last long if installed there. ( they do go in the left side on the 3 cylinder engines)
Ed
 

Eric McCarthy

New member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
Kubota B6100E
Dec 21, 2009
5,223
6
0
42
Richmond Va
The L4240 is the pimp daddy delux model with all the bells and whistles on it compaired to the L4600 is a basic no frills tractor. I'd love to own either one of them but I prefer the gear tranny over hst.
 

Wildfire

Active member

Equipment
Kubota L5740 HSTC3 and a Kubota ZG222Z, 2013 BX25D,Custom Toyota fork lift.
Wow! Congratulations on your new 4240. I know first hand just how good they are because I owned one and its a great tractor. I love the HST and with the Grand L the HST comes with the "HST Plus" can't be beat. Then there's the Auto Throttle which is one of my favourite items on the machine.
Glad to see you got the larger FEL.
You did good getting that machine. Hope you enjoy it for many years to come :)


 

TripleR

Active member

Equipment
BX2200, BX2660, L5740 HSTC, M8540HDC and some other tractors and equipment
Sep 16, 2011
1,911
7
38
SE Missouri
Congratulations on your L4240, I really like the Grand L Series tractors.
 

pmhowe

Member

Equipment
L4240, Ford 8N, Kioti CK 2610
Jun 23, 2012
117
0
16
Banner Elk NC
IPZ2222 – It is sad to see the wood. It is all cut from dead-standing or dead-fallen trees. Colorado has had a real problem with bark beetles. My area hasn’t been hit as hard as many other places, but still we are getting a lot of die off. West of us there are areas that were fully forested and are now bare of trees except perhaps one or two per acre. I have about six or eight live trees (lodgepole pine) that are infested with bark beetles. This spring, I will cut them and peel them, to kill the beetles before they can mate and reproduce. I will probably use the wood to build a workshop. There are plenty of other dead trees for firewood.

Eserv – Thanks for the comments. The dealer put the block heater in the left side. This dealer apparently always does that, as they also installed a block heater on the left side in the L4600 I returned. I’m curious: For the four cylinder engines, why does the block heater not last as long when installed on the left side? It would seem that if it is reaching coolant, that it should work just fine.

Eric, you have a way with words:). I considered painting it pink (very briefly). Pimp or not, it seems like a really strong, good tractor.

Wildfire, I saw what you did with your L4240 and was really impressed. One of my first projects will be to use your idea for storage in the FEL tubes. I don’t have any machining capability (equipment or skill), so I will have to figure out a different approach. Once I do that, I will share pictures.

TripleR, thanks for the comments. I’m looking forward to a lot of work with this tractor.
 

gpreuss

New member
Lifetime Member

Equipment
L3200DT w/FEL, K650 Backhoe, 5' Rotary, 40" Howard Rotavator, 6' Rhino blade
Oct 9, 2011
1,166
6
0
Spokane, WA
I'm too jealous to talk...
 

eserv

Well-known member

Equipment
BX24, A1000 Kubota Generator
May 27, 2009
2,110
112
63
Hardisty, Alberta
Eserv – Thanks for the comments. The dealer put the block heater in the left side. This dealer apparently always does that, as they also installed a block heater on the left side in the L4600 I returned. I’m curious: For the four cylinder engines, why does the block heater not last as long when installed on the left side? It would seem that if it is reaching coolant, that it should work just fine.

It is easier to install the block heater on the left side but...! The frost plug opening in the left side is just a narrow slot under the steel plug. the coolant isn't able to circulate to and from the block heater adequately resulting in poor heat transfer to the engine AND overheating of the block heater itself.
To install it on the right side requires removing the hydraulic pump but it is correct and you will probably never have a block heater failure! ( the 3 cylinder engine has a full opening frost plug so it is OK on the left side.)
Ed