Buying Advice Kubota L3200 vs John Deere 3032e

[pozment]

Looking at these two tractors. Please give advice on which is a better tractor in the long run and which will have a better resale value say 3-4 years down the road. Have 2+ acres to mow. Main reason wanting a tractor is the land was previously timber that was cut with the stumps pulled up. Land is now settling with large sink holes and big swags. Need to be able to move dirt. The two units I am looking at are 4wd with a front end loader and cutter. The price difference is 2k. Kubota higher. Please help!

 

[slayer94165]

I have a 3032e and love it .I also looked at the l3200 but did not like the hydro pedal and the two i drove the had a lot of vibration compared to the 3032e i drove .I also checked out new Holland, bobcat, massey ferguson, kioti and kubota.I think you would be happy with the kubota or the john deere .As resale i have no idea on that one as i plan on keeping mine a long time.I have pulled or dug a good number of stumps so that is not a proplem .The loader is strong if i rember right the kubota has about the same lift capacty but the kubota has more breakout force..The 3032e has plenty of power .I used a bb for grading my drive way and trails though woods and have no proplem except going up a hiil with a full box blade then i get some slip but putting some weight in bucket solves that..the kubota is a heavier machine by 600 pounds ,but with my 3032e and loaded tires and ballast i have no proplem with traction i run my rears at 10 psi and front at 16 when not doing loader work.Also loader does not come off on the 3032e that didnt bother me and no backhoe option as the kubota loader does come off and has a factory backhoe .hope this helps some jim

 

[LD1]

The two tractors are VERY similar in specs, but there are quite a few MAJOR differences to be aware of.

First, look at the L3200. Have the dealer put something heavy on the 3PH and try to raise it very slowly. Most are jerky. Some more than others. You need to decide if YOU can live with that. And if you can, I think it is worth $2k more than the deere.

The deere loader is NOT removable. The kubota is. Which is a VERY nice feature for mowing. You dont have that loader sticking out there and swinging around when trying to mow in close to obsticals.

The kubota is 600lbs heavier as mentioned. Probabally woulnt be a noticable difference in capabilities of the two machines, but it does give the edge to the kubota for tractive force.

And the reason the deere is 600lbs lighter is because the rear casting (i am told) is made of cast aluminum and not cast iron. And because of that, the deere cannot have a backhoe attachment if that is ever in your future plans.

Those are the most major differences. There are other minor things that you will just have to look at, test out, and see. The resale is probabally going to be about the same.

Also, dont limit yourself to just those two brands either. Check out the Kioti or Bobcat. (Same thing different color). They are typically a little heavier, more features, and cost the same or less. Kioti has a pretty solid reputation. They cost less because they are "the new kid on the block" and dont have the vast dealer/parts networks that kubota/deere/cnh have. BUT....If you have a good kioti dealer in your area, and they are well represented in YOUR area, re-sell value should be on par with the bigger names.

BUT...if kioti isnt well know/represented in your area, and you drive 250miles to a dealer and buy one, the re-sale value probabally isnt going to be too great.

 

[TheGoose]

I checked out the 3032e machine a few years ago when I bought my L3400.

Here were the differences then:
Kubota-gas gauge deere-no gas gauge (gas tank has lid with level indicator). Also seems like the Deere didn't have a temp gauge whereas my Kubota does. FYI the fuel gauge on my L3400 no longer works consistently.

Kubota L3400 has std. cruise. 3032e had no std. cruise. Not sure about the L3200.

Kubota had a std. draw-bar. 3032e had no drawbar.

Kubota had 3-speed hydro. 3032e had two speed.

Kubota had removable loader. e series was not removable.

Kubota had option for back-hoe. 3032e no backhoe. Didn't know at the time about the aluminum housing being the reason.

I drove the e series and it's a nice machine. I needed/wanted my PTO HP to be ~30 HP...the deere ended up being just a little shy of my PTO HP. The Kubota ended up at 28.5 for the hydro.

The L3400 just was a better value for the money. With probably the exception of the jerky hitch it is a much better tractor. I'm unsure how the L3200 compares.

 

[slayer94165]

As far as the rear end being cast aluminum yah but i dont believe thats the reason for no backhoe as the 2000 series and the 3000 series deere have cast aluminum rear ends and can have a backhoe atleast that what i read .As far as draw bar my dealer throw it in for free as a package deal and you can always add gauges as i did for oil pressure and temp .but im shure you could look at other manufactures and find a tractor thats good.I liked models from other manufactures but it came down to dealers that were near me and price and i liked how the 3032e was to operate .

 

[k0ua]

Look hard at Kioti CK 30 or Ck35. If you have a Kioti dealer. More tractor than either one for usually less money. Lots more standard features.

James K0UA

 

[RJD2516]

I have sat on, but not driven the Deere. I bought a L3800. My hitch is not jerky, but I know a lot of them are.

The MAIN reason I chose Kubota over deere was the 3 speed Hydro. I had a two speed on my BX2660, and I hated it. It was either going to slow, or it did not have enough grunt. My 3800 is almost always in Medium. Only drop to low when I use a rototiller. One of the reason's I upgraded tractors was for the 3 speed trans.

The Kioti option is also a good one. I have heard good things about them. And they are cheaper. But no good dealer near me. Also, I knew a deere or kubota would hold it's value better. However, if you say anything negative about Kioti on this forum, get ready for backlash. The guys who own them absolutely love them. I wish it had been an option for me.

Good luck with your hunt. Take your time, and try them all. I think you will be happy with whatever color you end up with. I will however pre-warn you that whatever you get, you will wish you had gotten just ONE SIZE bigger :}

 

[LD1]

As far as the rear end being cast aluminum yah but i dont believe thats the reason for no backhoe as the 2000 series and the 3000 series deere have cast aluminum rear ends and can have a backhoe atleast that what i read .As far as draw bar my dealer throw it in for free as a package deal and you can always add gauges as i did for oil pressure and temp .but im shure you could look at other manufactures and find a tractor thats good.I liked models from other manufactures but it came down to dealers that were near me and price and i liked how the 3032e was to operate .

Are you sure on the aluminum housing on the 2x20 and 3x20 tractors?????

Can anyone else confirm??

The 3x30 about the same size as my kubota. The 3x20 weighs 2900lbs, the kubota 2600, and the 3032 is only 2000#.

Seems the 3x20 is pretty heafty for having cast aluminum parts:confused2:

And regardless, the 3032's aluminum rear may or may not be the reasone for no backhoe. But I suspect that it is a good part of it. Only 2000lbs of metal there. Probabally deemed that it wasnt stout enought for a backhoe sized for that class of tractor.

 

[BleedGreen]

The 1, 2 & 3 Series all have cast aluminum rear ends - and have had them for some time now. The 1, 2 and 3x20 Series all have available backhoes. The 3E Series does not - which has nothing to do with it having a cast aluminum rear end. The 3E Series also does not have an available Mid PTO, or the loader joystick built into the tractor, or a standard drawbar, or a quick remove loader, etc... It is a basic machine at a great price point.

On another note, drop the bucket from the loader (standard JDQA) and the loader boom barely sticks out in front of the front tires - much closer than any other machine I have seen - so it really isnt a hassle to mow with the loader attached.

 

[GreenWannabe]

There is now a parking stand kit available as an option for the 305 loader on the JD 3E series tractors. According to Deere, it makes the loader removeable without tools.