Comparison Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520

   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #1  

sub80

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This will be my first tractor. Been looking for months now and I'm ready to pull the trigger this week if I can just make a decision. I only have about four acres, mostly woods and heavy brush, all flat, and would like to clear most of it and plant pastures, put in some trails for the kids' bikes, and then keep it all maintained. I think the tractors I'm looking at are on the large size for my long term needs but I want to do the work myself and don't want to end up undersized. Also - I'll have a dedicated mower for the lawn. I've ruled out the JD E class because of the weight and the L32/3800 because of the "jerky" 3pt issue.

The JD is the std ehydro and the 3240 is obviously HST+. Both would have loaded R4's and ballast box, rear lights (or light in the JD's) case. JD would have the 300CX, Kub would have the HD loader with std bucket.

Don't like all the plastic on the JD and the Kub's all metal, thin as it is. I like the weight of the Kubota, the telescoping arms, bigger loader. I don't mind the treadle but I prefer the JD pedal set-up. Not sure why Kubota still has a clutch. The JD has more power -a less weight by 500lbs. My only concern about the power of the Kubota is being able to eventually run a rear flail mower. Most I've seen require 30hp and the KUB is 25 at the PTO.

Kub 3240 with HD Loader is $22,518. That includes welded hooks and a ballast box.

JD 3520 w/ 300CX is $22,725. That includes hooks and filled tires. Also - it's part of their Gondola fleet and has 30 hrs. It has 2 yrs 9 mos left on warranty.


I'd truly appreciate any feedback on the brands, feedback from owners of these two models, and any recommendations. Thanks!
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #2  
Both are good tractors, my choice would be the Kubota even though I agree on the clutch thing. We own a John Deere and the plastic issue hasn't been a problem.
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #3  
id go with the kubota as well.
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #4  
Don't like all the plastic on the JD and the Kub's all metal, thin as it is. I like the weight of the Kubota, the telescoping arms, bigger loader. I don't mind the treadle but I prefer the JD pedal set-up. Not sure why Kubota still has a clutch. The JD has more power -a less weight by 500lbs. My only concern about the power of the Kubota is being able to eventually run a rear flail mower. Most I've seen require 30hp and the KUB is 25 at the PTO.


I'd truly appreciate any feedback on the brands, feedback from owners of these two models, and any recommendations. Thanks!


I personally like the size and weight of the Kubota over the JD, you'll also get more ground clearance with the Kubota.

If you jump up 1 size (3540) that would take care of your PTO hp concern :thumbsup:
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #5  
Looks to be about $1280 diff. between the L3240 and the L3540...
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520
  • Thread Starter
#6  
That's three votes for the Kubota. TripleR - seeing as you have a JD, I'm interested in why you recommended the Kubota. Is there something inparticular you don't like about the Deere?

Also - any thoughts on the pricing i'm getting from the dealers? I think I left out that on the Kubota there's a $500 rebate they take off after tax.

Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated.

Eric
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #7  
I looked at the same tractors last July and bought the Kubota and have not been sorry one bit. I bought the GST not the HST- for price reasons only. My dealer really wanted to sell the GST he had. Took all of about 1hr to get real comfortable with it. I had always used a gear tractor. I like the setup and extra features on the Kubota more than the JD, but JD was still a really nice tractor. I dont think you would go wrong with either- my choice would be the big orange one!

AndyG
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #8  
That's three votes for the Kubota. TripleR - seeing as you have a JD, I'm interested in why you recommended the Kubota. Is there something in particular you don't like about the Deere?

Also - any thoughts on the pricing i'm getting from the dealers? I think I left out that on the Kubota there's a $500 rebate they take off after tax.

Thanks for all the feedback. Much appreciated.

Eric

I have the highest regard for John Deere in general and just this morning took my grandson on a tour through a John Deere dealership as he loves tractors.

The things I dislike about the John Deere in this niche are things that others prefer and I usually recommend trying them both out before buying, but got lazy this morning I guess.

The ergonomics/controls on the John Deere are just not for me, but others find them great.

While we have a turbo equipped tractor, in this size I kind of prefer natural aspiration.

John Deere HST has brakes on the left while Kubota has them on the right. There is an often hot and ongoing debate/discussion on this, so I won't go into it here beyond that if steering brakes while using the HST is important, the John Deere is easier. For me however, all of the tractors I use with the exception of the John Deere have brakes on the right. About a month ago, an emergency application of the brakes on our M8540 kept me out of about thirty feet of water and I do not want to be in a similar situation on a tractor with brakes on the left while my right foot is hitting air. This will admittedly not be a problem for the one tractor owner or maybe even the more experienced operators with multiple tractors.

The rocker HST on the Kubota v the two pedal system on the John Deere is a non issue for me as I have used both so long, I have no strong preference one way or the other. For some this can be problematic and maybe only for the older folks, but my father in law put his new John Deere in one of our ponds the first week he owned it. Until the day he died, he would occasionally hit the wrong pedal, but quit mowing around the pond with the John Deere 425 and started using the tractor.

In my opinion, neither tractor is better, just different, so try them both and maybe even some more to find which fits you the best as you really can't go wrong with either.
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #9  
I have a slightly bigger Kubota with the HST+ and there's no other brand I would buy now that I have some seat time. The extra features of the HST+ just set it above the rest. Just the H-DS feature (being able to shift from high to low without letting of the HST pedal or turning off the curse control) alone is worth it's weight in gold. But if you've never owned it you probably never miss it.

As far as the flail mower goes, I would either step up a size like Rockgod said or I think you would just have to go a little slower. The brake pedal is a non issue to me. The GLs have an almost flat deck so it's easy to move your foot to the brakes ( I could see where having a hump could be an issue). Try them both out and then come back and ask a few more questions about each.
 
   / Kubota 3240 vs JD 3520 #10  
I have a slightly bigger Kubota with the HST+ and there's no other brand I would buy now that I have some seat time. The extra features of the HST+ just set it above the rest. Just the H-DS feature (being able to shift from high to low without letting of the HST pedal or turning off the curse control) alone is worth it's weight in gold.

Agree with all of that.

But if you've never owned it you probably never miss it.

Before buying I had read enough & asked enough questions on here that I determined that if I didn't buy the HST+ I was gonna be sorry I didn't. It's very useful, in different ways for different scenarios. When bush hogging, M range works well for me, & if I hit a thick area I can keep the pedal flat on the floor & just shift the HST+ from Rabbit to Turtle without slowing down, stopping to shift, etc. Sure I could just let up on the pedal, & sometimes I do, but the point is with the HST+ you have several options on how to do things - Pick the one that suits you.
 
 
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