If it is of any value still to anyone: I purchased a Branson 3510i with a Backhoe and Loader in 2008. It is a very sturdy, reliable and heavy duty Machine for the price I paid. I had my heart set on a John Deere but the dealer I went to treated me like dirt and ignored my needs. I drove off with my perception and my money. Next I went straight to the Kubota dealer, but he refused to deal and was over- priced on everything I wanted. I we back home and did research and found a nearby Branson Dealer. He wanted my business and worked with me on my needs and price. I discovered you get more for the money Branson. It has just a little more of everything over an equal Kubota , John Deere, Mahindra and many others regarding basic functions over all weight and features. Moreover, I am including in this claim the factory loader, its capacities and the backhoe capabilities. The loader and Backhoe are built by Amerequip. One main feature on the Branson is that it has two Hydraulic pumps (one for steering and one for attachments). I work the crap out of this tractor moving tree trunks, brush, clearing, digging huge pits, ponds, roads, and many other things. I never have used the PTO however. After plenty of experience on the machine it is-- so far so good for me. The only drawback I see thus far is Branson Dealers are dropping off like flies; the dealer I bought from has dropped Branson from their product line. There are still many out there and I can still get attention on parts that I Broke (my Fault). However, I have found Branson and Century parts are over-priced in comparison to other tractor brands. They force you to by more than you need and pay more for it. For this reason-- If I buy another Tractoré*�nd I willæ‚* am shying away from Branson. I will go look at New-Holland, Cub Cadet, Bobcat, and maybe Kubota again. John Deere can kiss my ---$%$%%.
Long tractors were in my opinion, decently built , The company was in Romania, however, they were assembled, I think in N.C. .
They have been out of business for awhile, but parts are easy to get and cheaper than most.
Not happy to hear your experience w/ the J.D. dealer, I too wouldn't have bought a thing. Some people are just that way..
For me I don't have that problem all my J.D. tractors are older than a lot of people on this site. Funny thing I was repairing a fender from a 1020
I'm restoring and I compared it to a newer tractor, I think it was 2008 (what make) I won't say. Anyway the fender was bent from someone backing into
something, so I laid the fender on the concrete floor and put all 205 lbs of me down on it the to begin straightening, this thing wouldn't budge
the amount of steel in this JD fender could make at least 20 fenders of the 2008 I mentioned.
The old John Deer's are a remarkable tractor they are just so dang tough you can't hurt um if you stay within the parameters of common sense.
I think a lot of people destroy a tractor by not knowing it's limitations, you can't use a 40h.p. tractor when the job calls for at least a 70 h.p. tractor.
I have seen people twist loaders and even frames, rip off the draw bar and a lot more.
I once seen a guy w/ a brand new 40 h.p. tractor attempting to pull a very large off set disc, he had the tractor at full throttle , he kept it up
util everything let go including the engine ,trans and rear end, the tractor had 20 hours on it and the dealer refused to honor the warranty
rightfully so. I finished the field for him w/ my J.D. 4020 power-shift it pulled the disc without a grunt, it;s also a 99 h.p tractor made for this type of work.
For the price of a brand new tractor a person can buy 3 older John Deer's and never have to worry about parts availability or changing implements again,
that's the point I'm making, but of course this is not for most people, you have got to love these old tractors and enjoy operating them.
I restore mine, however, I also use most of them as well, not all of them, some are for looking at and driving in parades and such..