anyone have opinions on Branson Tractors?
- Thread starter ckm351
- Start date
backintheday
Bronze Member
2012 3510HST TLB I bought it June of 2012 the first problem came a month later and didn't get resolved until around Oct/Nov the same year. The problem was I bent the boom out ram on the BH twice, after the second time they replaced the controller assembly thinking the pressure relief valve wasn't working. It took at least 1.5 months for that to happen, after the dealer replaced the controller he called and said it's going to break again, the boom out valve is sticking so the ram keeps extending, it also started leaking out of one of the fittings on the controller so bad I had to add 5 gals of hy oil over a few weeks time. After it broke again it took about 2 months for branson to decide to rebuild the entire BH from the seat back. After that the ram bent again, I kept using it anyway and eventually broke the frame under the seat ( 2x4 steel). Now in Bransons defense my ground is very hard but in my opinion if the pressure relief valve was working properly this wouldn't have happened. I can't explain why the frame broke, I guess I'll take the hit on that and say I was working it past it's limits. Sometime after that they decided to upgrade me to the next bigger BH thinking that could take the ground I dig in. The dealer delivered it, hooked it up and dug in my septic field I was working on for a bit. He didn't have a problem, I got on it later that day to finish my septic field, 30 mins later I swung to the right and it wouldn't return to the left. The dealer came back out and fixed it, haven't had a problem since. When this started it was June, when it got resolved the ground was frozen. My dealer was in touch with branson many times, they stopped returning his calls, so I called the same number he was, that's when I was cussed at by some service half wit. My dealer had me put together the cost I had in rental equipment and what I had to pay contractors to do the digging that I couldn't do cause the BH was down, he used that to get branson to only charge me $1200 for the bigger better BH. The dealer did the best they could to take care of me, they lost a lot of money in this deal at no fault of theirs. I felt bad for them, I will buy from him again probably later this year. As far as the new BH, I dug a 7' deep x 60' long trench this summer with out a problem. The tractor is well built, can't say the same for the company. If I would have known it would have been this much of a problem and with how I was treated I would have got a lawyer, I'm pretty sure I would have had a good case, this coming from a guy who thinks lawyers/ lawsuits are a big problem with this country.
i have a 4520r branson tractor, 2014 tier 4 . I am very happy with it . Cabelas came out with their tractor a couple weeks after I bought my branson. I am very impressed with those tractors. They are made by TYM. They are loaded with lots of extra features like rear remotes standard. Korea has some great tractor manufacturers including kioti. I was told by a mahindra tractor dealer that was closing his doors, that to stay away from the india built tractors.
rydfree
New member
Well I didn't buy mine with resale in mind , I bought it to work the piss out of it LOL . I looked at Kubota for I love my ZG222 but the price was just too much for a smaller tractor . I looked at 28-38 hp offerings from Kioti,LS,Mihindra but the 3520 Branson was so much more tractor and built very well I could not pass it up . So far it has been a beast clearing my 7.5 acres of total brush . I don't think parts availability will be a problem as Ebay has everything I believe .
Attachments
Mr Bitz
Gold Member
how come you didn't go with the hydro? just curious I guess I see you I have a brand new brush hog mower sitting there I bet you can't wait to use that huh? nice looking rig you have there.
rydfree
New member
The bush Hog got broken in well and is in the pic with the lumber on the front end loader . So far everything has worked very well and met or exceeded expectations . I thought about a hydro but have a lot of hilly terrain and figured the gear drive would do better . The hydro has a bit less HP on the PTO as well and if the hydro goes out you are pretty much dead where you're at .
GManBart
Elite Member
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2012
- Messages
- 4,967
- Location
- Detroit, Michigan
- Tractor
- Massey Ferguson 241, Kubota SVL90-2
Many folks want the hydro for hilly terrain because it's safer...no clutch, shifting, etc, so you can't mess up as easily and wind up with no braking power. Since there are only rear brakes on tractors, the machine has to be in gear, and in 4wd, for the front wheels to help slow you....important if you have to go down steep hills where the rear tires have limited traction/braking power.
4k before loader is a lot to haul around with 35hp!
Parts may be a bigger problem down the road than you realize....Branson didn't make your tractor, Kukje did. Even Deere is starting to have significant problems (to include zero support) supporting some of their older machines made by Yanmar. If it can happen to them, it can happen to anybody.
tman1020
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2014
- Messages
- 1,467
- Location
- north west indiana
- Tractor
- Bobcat ct225 and Bad Boy zero turn
Find looking rig you got there. How do you like the Backhoe? Do you know who makes that particular one for Branson?
DK35vince
Super Member
You make it sound like in 4 WD on a gear drive tractor the front wheel braking will no longer work if the transmission is in neutral.
That is not the way mine works.
The front and rear wheels stay locked together as long as I'm in 4WD for front wheel braking, regardless if the transmission is in gear or out.
Proper operation where the rear tires would have limited traction going down the steep hill requires any tractor to be driven down the hill in reverse.!