Utility Tractors... Take me to School..

[Wingate]

I have found myself in the market for a utility tractor and the more I search, the more I get frustrated...

I am in the market for something from 38-45 flywheel hp, 4x4, with a front end loader.

From the limited conversations i've had on the subject, that seems to be the size tractor I need to safely handle 5x6 round bales and with that size, it can do pretty much anything else I will ever need.

So far, the Cub Cadet and Mahindra seem to be good choices, but the Cub is somewhat confusing.

Its a Cub, no its an MTD, no its a Yanmar, but wait, its a John Deere?????

I've tried following this trail, but it appears that its a Yanmar built under the Cub Cadet nameplate, and Yanmar is actually owned by MTD???

With all that confusion, IS it a dependable piece of equipment???

What about the Mahindra? are they strong? Reliable?

I also looked at the Branson, but something abouut them is giving me an uneasy feeling, almost like I buy one today, and two weeks from now they are no longer being sold in the US... I even saw a Kioti??? not sure what that is or where it came from...

I am not really interested in a Kubota... and the J. D... . well, thats some expensive green paint.

I looked at the Challenger/Agco... but not really impressed. .

How do I compare apples to apples? weight, warranty, transmission type? and what type works best for loader use and brushhogging? Shuttleshift? Hystat?

Sorry, i know its alot of ??????



HELP!!!!

 

[Slow Six]

You get what you pay for. My choice would be John Deere or Kubota. They are reliable and have resale. Also parts and service should be better if and when you need it.

 

[dclassens]

Every brand you mentioned is made over seas INCLUDING the John Deere. That being said ALL the brands are decent machines and will serve you just fine including the Branson. In my area there are a few Branson dealers so parts should not be that bad to get. In my opinion your purchase should be based on what suits you best, who has the best warranty(i think Branson is 4 year), what dealership will be most helpful and who will give you the best deal. Don't forget about the Bobcat which is made overseas for bobcat, TYM, Montana, and a whole bunch of other brands. . You have to decide on comfort and what you are comfortable with. This is just like somebody asking why they should buy a dodge cummins over a duramax when we all know that the GM trucks are VERY nice trucks. It is simply my own personal opinion that I/WE like cummins. I would buy the Branson, but thats because of good local support.





(PS~ the engines in Branson tractors are made by Kukje who is also the maker of the A series cummins. the bigger 55 and 65 hp branson tractors have Cummins engines and stickers on the side of the tractor. )





Branson Tractors - About Branson

 

[HBarlow]

I was in a similar situation a year and a half ago. I asked Bill Stockard who spent most of his career as a salesman and sales manager in an International farm equipment dealership, for his advice.

Bill suggested a Kubota for my needs. He owns a Kubota himself. I bought a Kubota B2920 (29hp) four wheel drive, hydrostatic drive for my five acre place. I love it. The engine is a fuel sipping three cylinder diesel. I have found it tough, reliable, economical, and extremely handy and easy to use for a long list of chores. I have just under 200 hours on it and it is about time to take it back to the dealer for the 200 mile routine service. Like Japanese cars, it has been perfectly issue free.

I use it for mowing (belly mount mower) shredding weeds and the highway ditch(three point mounted shredder), moving dirt and gravel (front end loader and three point rear mounted blade), grading driveways (towed hydraulic adjustable grader blade), spraying weeds (rear mounted spray tank), moving trailers (trailer mover hitch), lifting and moving heavy objects (front end loader again) ground prep and seeding (harrow and spreader) and more. The tractor is only limited by my skills.

Bill told me that all the smaller John Deeres are actually rebadged Yanmars. You can prove this by reading the engine data plate. I was initially leaning toward a JD because I live in cotton farming country but Bill pointed out that service would be difficult to obtain because the real farmers and their large JD tractors and equipment would always have higher priority needs than mine.

I had no interest in an antique American tractor made with the Mahindra nameplate in India or a Branson, Yanmar, or other odd ball brand to save a few bucks.

 

[rscurtis]

I agree with others on sticking with a name brand. You won't go wrong with a Kubota, and they're even assembled in Georgia, giving at least a few Americans jobs.



Yanmar is a privately owned Japanese company whose primary business is marine engines, the tractors are a sideline. They have no ownership by MTD.



The Mahindra is supposed to be a very popular unit, but based on the shenanigans they're pulling on their diesel pickup, I can't say I'd want to own one.



Enhanced resale value will more than make up for any additional cost as far as the Kubota is concerned- they've been around a long time with a proven track record.

 

[HBarlow]

I agree with others on sticking with a name brand. You won't go wrong with a Kubota, and they're even assembled in Georgia, giving at least a few Americans jobs. .

I didn't know that but it is a good thing to know. Another point in favor of a Kubota.

Enhanced resale value will more than make up for any additional cost as far as the Kubota is concerned- they've been around a long time with a proven track record.

That's another excellent point I forgot to mention. I have noticed since I bought mine that asking prices of used units are normally pretty pricey.

Kubota makes it very easy to own one if you don't want to pay cash for one. Zero percent interest for 36 months is an easy way to buy one without taking a big chunk out of your savings or borrowing at high interest from a bank. Kubota or Kubota dealers can provide all the implements you may want specially made for the Kubota tractor as part of the original purchase, also at zero interest.

I've grown very fond of Kubota orange!

 

[Wingate]

hhhmmm... maybe I need to rethink the URange paint.

My FIL's little JD says its a JD everywhere until you raise the hood. Then it says Yanmar. . go figure.

As for the Mahindra, I was hoping for that response... They kinda look like the old Belasaurus (sp?) tractors that I see laying scattered around East Texas in pieces. .

To be honest, I looked at the Branson several years ago... . and ther is a local dealer less than 20 minutes away, but I just get an uneasy feeling about whether they will be able to continue to play in the US market with the economy as bad as it is. I would hate to try and get parts if they pulled out of the US market, not to mention the resale being in the toilet...

Any other brands I should be looking at???? Other comments?

 

[HBarlow]

PM Bill Stockard and ask him. Bill can tell you from personal knowledge the entire history of all the tractor nameplates including companies sold to other companies or merged with other companies. He is very knowledgeable of all the brands.

 

[fox]

My advice is to shop DEALERS FIRST!



BTW, I have a smaller Kubota and it does everything I ask of it, but it is not in the class you need. B2150 HSD--24 hp 4x4. Guys who have been critcal of it because it is Kubota, run it or watch and say it has more power than thier comparable tractors.

 

[Wingate]

Really, the only reliable info I have on the Kubota is that when working in the same hay meadow as a similar sized much older and wore out JD, the JD wore the Kubota out all day long. Who knows, there may have been something wrong with that particular tractor. Other than that, the only thing I have ever heard is that some of the models are light compared to competitor models...

 

[Skydiver]

Wingate, as we know, take reviews with a grain of salt.
I have read some great information about how Kubota will go out of their way to keep you satisfied. My little 1800 lb 2007 Kubota ZD326 zero turn mower has been perfect. Your horse power range will make for an effcient unit. My 32 horse 87 Ford 2810 uses one gallon diesel per hour inless I run it up against the governor. If the word "comfort" means much to you, buy a tractor with a 28 inch rear rims. I used a small tractor with 24 inch rims and it like to of beat me to death while bush hogging. My Ford does not have any cold starting aid but will crank at freezing temps within 5 seconds. DI vs IDI. Unless you like seeing your tractor in two pieces keep your foot off the clutch pedal unless you are engaging it. And lastly. DON'T loan your tractor to anyone that does not have 100 hours experence on a tractor. Been there, done that.
Another short story about small tractors. In 1978 went fishing with my cousin in Gulfport Ms. As we were leaving the boat ramp heading out to sea I said to my cousin. "MAN, look at all those (100s) tractors on the docks ready to be shipped over seas. He said "Skydiver, those tractor are waiting for a truck to ship them inland". My heart almost sunk.

 

[Wingate]

yep... ive seen hundreds of those little Yanmar grey and red tractors... . seems that everybody and their brother is selling them listed as refurbished low hour units from Japan...

Krylon overhaul is more like it. If you get on Yanmars web-site, they are distancing themselves from those tractors also. . stating that they were never designed for use in the US.

The list of people that are allowed to borrow anything from me is getting shorter by the day. Seems like anytime I try and help by letting someone borrow something, it comes back broke, parts missing, etc... or I have to go get it myself.

 

[HBarlow]

Really, the only reliable info I have on the Kubota is that when working in the same hay meadow as a similar sized much older and wore out JD, the JD wore the Kubota out all day long. Who knows, there may have been something wrong with that particular tractor. Other than that, the only thing I have ever heard is that some of the models are light compared to competitor models...

I am skeptical of that. If a JD and Kubota are matched with similar tractor weight and horsepower there would not be any noticeable difference in ability to perform work. They are both made in Japan, both are very similar when specs are compared and matched.

All the smaller JD/Yanmars are 4wd and hydrostatic drive, exactly like my Kubota and with nearly identical hp ratings. One minor advantage offered by Kubota in the compact class like my Kubota B2920 is the Kubota has three speed ranges, the JD only two.

I have noticed that comparing the JD/Yanmar and my Kubota, I like the JD's three point hitch securing/adjusting arms a little better than my Kubota.

 

[wolfman00hd]

I'll chime in with my experience with a Kubota L3400. It was a great utility tractor for my needs and ran everything I needed with ease (loader, shredder, PH digger, roto tiller). I did not need to lift/move round bales with it or would have stepped up to the next size. The 4WD was a lifesaver in the sand I'm in and I chose the direct manual transmission over the hydrostatic drive simply because I figured if it ever broke, it would be cheaper to fix. My needs for the tractor disappeared after a couple of years and I sold it and my implements. The Kubota's do hold their value as I made a little money on the deal. Looking back, I would have opted for industrial tires over the ag tread I had and heavy implements (shredder mainly) was a bear to hook/unhook. I purchased mine at Normangee Tractor and had a perfect sales experience there.

 

[AWeiman]

let me throw my . . 02 in here. regardless of what you buy make sure you buy a tractor that has some weight. its nice to have the back two tires on the ground moving bales. i would also consider contacting some dealers and see if you can demo some tractors. that way you can spend some time using them and moving some hay around your place to see how they handle things. buying a tractor to mow weeds and a tractor to move hay are two completing different situations so be careful. personally we have a 60hp case we move bales with and every so often we"ll buy the little 5X6 bales those seem to be the perfect size for that tractor to handle , so just make sure you are getting a proper size for your needs. as far as brands go we have always had good luck with case ih. kubotas have always struck me as a lighter tractor compared to the others. (case, jd, ford) my uncle owns one comparable in size to our case and i would take ours any day. not saying one wouldnt suit your needs as i said above just make sure you get something heavy enough to do the job and last a long time. just my opinion from a guy whose spent a few years in the seat moving more bales than i can remember.



( stay away from jd they are pretty proud of that green paint)

 

[T Mike]

John Deere utility tractors are assembled in an Augusta Georgia plant. Some of the same models are produced in overseas plants. A list of JD plants and what each produces can be found on the internet. I am a retired JD employee

 

[mwilson]

T Mike,



With Waterloo, Iowa as listed your home town it would be a given for me to assume that you did work for John Deere... ... ... . :-laf:-laf



Just did a quick Wiki on your town and noted that John Deere laid off 10,000 workers in the '80s. Must have been some hard times for your city for a while.



Mike.

 

[T Mike]

MWilson,

Deere still is the big player in town. Have added more workers than needed replacing by retirements the last 3 years. They have also spent about 5 million on more capacity and productivity improvements in the last 5 years. All large tractors, engines and castings are produced here along with worldwide tractor engineering. Tractor business is doing well with production forcast to be up for the next year. Mike

 

[mwilson]

A quality product for sure.

The John Deere diesels are second to none for use in hydraulic cranes and log loaders up here. Have overtaken the "B" Cummins in that market. Will do the same amount of work on a 1/3 less fuel. The 6068T is an incredible engine.

Went to Bell Power in Ct. for training. They dress JD diesels for all kinds of industrial duties and was very impressed with the capabilities of the engines. They were retrofitting loaders with the then new Tier III electronic engines. Also were testing Natural Gas conversions as well.



Son and I often fantasize about stuffing one into a tonner or something. :-laf:-laf

 

[WCPoe]

I think my best suggestion would be to buy whatever the "best" nearby dealer has to offer. That being said in 1999 I ended up ordering my JD4600 4x4 with the loader. My nearby dealer went under and I had to buy from a dealer which was not convenient to get to. I think you should survey the local, (read convenient), dealers for their sales and service reputations and factor that in your decision. It would help in the long run.



My JD4600, (43 PTO hp, hydro transmission), was one of those built in Augusta, Ga. , has a Yanmar engine and I think the hydro transmission was built south of the border. It's been a great unit with no problems but doesn't get used that much, (only has about 500 hours currently, mostly mowing but I have used it hard at times with the loader). I choose it over the Kubota only because of the hydro pedal placement because of my bad right knee. The comparable Kubota did have several features I thought were superior to the JD but the driving position made the sale.



Either the green brand or the orange brand units seem to be the tops, have good service networks and hold there values well. One neighbor has the Kubota and another has an older JD955 which he absolutely abuses but both have held up well.



Anyway good luck on your quest. Oo.