Neil from Messick's here, out today with the Kubota L3902. This is a really important tractor, Kubota's introduction of an updated Standard L. This series machine is actually the top selling compact tractor in the United States, it is one of the most popular models in the industry. And Kubota has done a lot of things to this tractor that I think are really nice improvements. So we're going to take some time today, walk around the L3902, show you a couple of things that they've changed and updated. If you're the owner of the prior model, I've got a couple of tips for you, on here are some of the things you might be able to peel off of this tractor and put onto your older machine if you think that's worth looking at. So come along with me here today, we're going to walk around this new model.
Standard L Family
There are four tractors in the Standard L family. Now, prior to these two new ones, you would've had the L2501, 3301, 3901 and 4701. What's being updated here for 2022 is only the 33, now the 3302 and the 39, going to a 3902. Those numbers mean things, when we look at Kubota model numbers, those first two digits are going to be the engine horsepower, the second two are a series identifier. So those are all being incremented. So we now have new 33 and 39 horsepower tractors in the Standard L family. I would guess, probably safe to assume that the other models will probably be addressed in the next model iteration. You're going to notice a small model number change on the loader as well, this is an LA526, the prior model was an LA525. This loader is backward compatible to the prior model. So if you have an older tractor that does not have a loader on it, the LA526 will go back to your older machine as well. Couple of small improvements on it that we're going to point out to you here as well.
Kubota's product line is complicated, there's so many different models and many of them that seem to overlap. And you'll notice to this point, I've always referred to this tractor as Standard, Kubota's LX series, which is a large compact tractor, a very deluxe model, overlaps a little bit with the Standard L series, which is the more economy, utility oriented version of that tractor. What's interesting about this model now is that they're taking that tractor that's usually economy oriented and adding a lot of comfort features to it. It's making a kind of a less standard, less economy tractor, even though it is still priced on the economy side of the market. This is a very cost effective machine for the capabilities that it has.
Rubber Floot Mats
When I sit here in the operator's seat, there's a couple of those things that are very apparent. You're going to have rubber floor mats now. Rubber floor mats help keep down vibration, they wear better because the stones on the bottom of your shoes aren't scraping the paint off every time you get on and off the machine and they just give the tractor a better look. So this machine used to have a metal floor pan, it now has rubber floor mats sitting on top of it. If you have one of the prior models, these rubber floor mats fit your older tractor, you can take these and fit them on to the L2501, 3301, 3901, L3200 and L3800. We have a separate video showing how that's done and they're currently at a cost of about $150, $160 or so. So it's a pretty economical upgrade for your older tractor.
So besides the floor mats, as we work our way up here, you'll notice that we get a little bit more comfortable seat, it has more suspension to it now than the older model did. There's a suspension undercarriage here that gives it a little bit more ride, making it get a little nicer to ride around on. An optional armrest kit can be fit onto the seat. So if you'd like to have a place to set your elbows, they can come right around the side here. The PTO switch on the older models used to be almost back behind you, almost where your elbow would be sitting normally on the tractor, you have a little electronic switch back there to actuate the PTO. That changes now on the 02 series and moves up near the right hand, grab handle with a bump knob. So it's in a much more convenient location and when you want to turn it off, you simply have to bump your hand against it in order to snap it off. So that's electro hydraulically engaged.
We've done videos in this product series before of using the brakes to help steer the machine or get it unstuck, kind of like a limited slip differential. The prior series that could be challenging to do because the brakes and the hydrostatic pedal were located on the same side of the machine. If you had a hydro, you had to swing both legs over the one side in order to be able to push those brakes while pressing your hydrostatic pedal. That changes now and is corrected on this series. The brakes are on the left hand side while the hydrostatic pedal remains on the right. So you now have proper steering brakes on the Standard L.
Purchase Your Rubber Floormats
Left Side - https://messicks.com/part/tc820-47450
Right Side (Gear) - https://messicks.com/part/tc820-47510
Right Side (Hydrostatic) - https://messicks.com/part/tc820-57510
Parked PTO
Another feature that's commonly found on deluxe tractors and left off of the economy series is a button to do a parked PTO. If you're going to run a wood chipper or a generator on the back of your tractor, when you need to have that PTO spinning while you are not in the operator seat, it usually takes another function in order to make that work because you are not going to be sitting here and the safety switches are going to cut off the machine in order to keep somebody from getting injured by that PTO. Sometimes you're going to flip the seat forward and you'll hit a little safety switch there on the bottom of the seat that engages that. But this tractor has a little bit nicer option now, an option that we find up in the Grand L series and some of the M series machines is to push this button here on the dash. And if you have the parking brakes set, the PTO turned on, you can depress this button and get off the machine and it's going to allow that PTO to continue to spin. So no need to get down here and hot wire safety switches, things you probably shouldn't be doing anyway. Push the button on the dash and away you go, your chipper or generator is going to continue working.
Fuel Filter Location
I noticed a difference in this tractor, in the fuel filter setup that's on it. This used to have a cheaper assembly in here for the fuel filter, this one is a lot nicer and it's very conveniently located. Tucked in the backside of the loader right here, in view of the operator's seat is your fuel filter. A lot of the problems that we see with tractors stem from fuel that has gelled or has water in it or picked up algae, having a nice sight line down to that fuel filter is nice that it helps you identify that kind of stuff that might be happening to your tractor, catch a problem before it arises. So it's a much nicer element, easily serviceable and I love the sight line from the operator's seat. Now, I don't know how much we should care about styling because fundamentally we buy tractors to get work done, right? It is nice though to be driving around on a good-looking machine and in my mind, this is one of my favorite iterations of Kubota updating the styling of a unit.
Lighting
It looks good, it's an attractive-looking machine. I like the ribbing and stuff in the hood, instead of just a smooth rolled-off hood, you've got some kind of attractive lines that run back it now. All the headlights on this have been upgraded to LEDs so there are not old halogen bulbs in here or anything. We're actually getting LEDs from the factory in the tractor headlights now, which is cool. But what I really think is cool is the grill over here on the side of the machine. Not only is there an air intake over here, but tucked up in the corner as a little strip of LED lights that lights out the side of the machine. These headlights are marginally effective a lot of times, they're blocked by the loader, if you have your loader up in the air, the headlights are shining into the back of it.
You have your loader posts over here that block your light coming out the side. These things though tucked under these corners back here are going to cast some light down underneath the loader and give you some light out to the sides that are going to kind of act like the fog lights on your car almost, I like that visibility down there in the corners if you're out working in the dark. Now, in case you don't think these companies listen to what their customers ask for, I show you this. This is very cool to me. We see a lot of these tractors equipped with grapples now, more and more of these machines go out with grapples on the front to be able to go out and manipulate brush, push things back into the woods. It's become a very popular attachment on these machines.
Grill Guard
This unit has a couple of changes to help make that a little bit easier, we'll point out some differences here in the third function, but more specifically, the grill guard. The aftermarket has now created several weld shops now that are out making grill guards to go onto these tractors. When you put a brush grapple on the front of the machine, it's really easy for some of that brush to come back and bust your nice expensive LED headlights or put a dent in your hood. We see a lot of machines that have grapples come in pretty busted up when they get traded in. Kubota's now offering a factory brush guard, a nice heavy piece of steel that's going to bolt right in here in order to keep sticks and stuff from coming back into the hood. So that's a pretty economical upgrade, I believe, say, sub-$200 for one of these things installed.
And not only are they covering the front, but this goes a step further than what I'd seen anybody do before and installing a wing back the side here to keep something from coming in the side and covering the sides of the headlights also. So we now have a factory option for a really attractively painted, nice brush guard, to keep you from damaging the front of your tractor if you're doing work in the woods or using a grapple.
Third Function
Staying on the topic of front grapples, we can talk about the third function valve. Now, third functions can be really confusing, there are models where we literally have three different options for you in third function valves, each one having its own little intricacies. It's simplified on this tractor a little bit in that the only kit that's offered on this machine is from the Land Pride side of the company. Remember Kubota owns Land Pride and Land Pride makes third-function kits for these tractors. There's also some cases where the Kubota engineering division is also making a third function kit.
So we have, say, the company itself almost competing internally to make the third function kits for these tractors. Land pride though is the only one that's on this machine. You'll notice how the valve body here is tucked back in behind the loader post, I like that a lot to see these things shielded a little bit. Many times you see these valves hanging off the side of the loader, where it's really easy for a tree to come by or a branch to catch that valve, tear off a hose, whatever, this really keeps that valve body nice and tight back here. It's also easy to pop these hoses off. If you go to remove the loader from the tractor, you have your four hoses right here on your valve and your two hoses for the third function right here beside each other. Nice and clean, easy to get it all off. The buttons to operate this are going to be up on your loader stick, simply two buttons there in order to actuate, to operate that front function.
Three Point Hitch
Nothing has changed around the backside of the tractor here, but if you're shopping for this machine, there's a couple of things here that I want to point out to you. One place that this machine remains a little, we'll call it, standard, the more economy configuration is the turn buckles that are back here to tighten down the three-point hitch. I don't care for these threaded rods that much myself, I find them difficult to adjust, especially once they get rusty and dirty. Kubota continues to offer though a add-on kit for this tractor to put sway bars back here, we sell dozens of them, if you'd like to upgrade your machine to put those sway bars on.
That allows you to drop a pin in to make the adjustments back here on the three-point hitch, rather than finding a screwdriver or something and having to break loose those threaded rods and use the wrenches to get the jam nuts off. It makes it much nicer to adjust the three-point hitch. You'll notice that this machine here is also equipped with a three point quick hitch, this is a Land Pride QH15. I have seen a couple of these tractors equipped with QH05s, the cheaper quick hitch. It's a lot less money, but it's a little light duty for this size machine so I'd encourage everybody to look at a QH10 or a QH15 class quick hitch for the back of your tractor. It allows you to back directly into implements like this Land Pride rotary cutter scoop underneath the three-point hitch arms and pick the thing up and lock it in place without having to kick the pins over top of the three-point hitch arms, it makes such a big difference in making it easy to get things on and off of your tractor. So between going through and putting a quick hitch on the back of your machine and sway bars on the back of this one, it gives this tractor about the most deluxe three-point hitch that you could find in the industry right now, with just a small upgrade to the machine.
Other Changes
If you want to get super nerd with me here for a minute, I keep catching little things on this tractor that I notice are different, but aren't necessarily called out in the product improvement sheets on this tractor. Down here on the engine, you'll find an exhaust diffuser, this little thing here that says, "Hot," on it. Sometimes you'll see people redirecting the exhaust when it comes off of their tractor for two different reasons. One, to try to get it away from them so that they're not smelling it back on the operator's platform, but also because the black slit that comes out of your engine, sometimes we'll discolor the sides of your loader.
This diffuser back here is made to pull in fresh air and mix the fresh air and the exhaust air together before it comes out of the end of the diffuser right here. So it mixes it a little bit more so you don't smell it as much back at the operator's station. And I think it's going to help too, with the amount of soot that collects on the loader arm. So a small change back here by adding this little thing, I recently had it done on my personal tractor and I could tell the difference in the before and after. So that's a little bit on the changes to the new Kubota L02 series, the most popular compact tractor in the industry.
Walking around this machine, I'm pleasantly surprised. When they come out with a new model, they didn't go and break the mold and throw out all the engineering in the old tractor. But it always impresses me how many things that they can find to improve on a machine after a couple of years. It's been five or six years since these things have had an iteration and there's a lot of changes here, there's a lot of things to like, so I'm happy for that.
