Confession Time . . .

[Robbmatt]

I知 a city slicker who has been lurking around here for awhile to get an education on what I need to buy for my new 8 acre farm in East Texas. I appreciate the insight you guys offer.

Here痴 my question . . .

I have a Branson dealer and an LS dealer within 10 miles of my farm. I am looked at both offerings and need to choose between two packages - the LS XG3025H, Ag-Meier Brave 5 brush cutter, 6 Armstrong Box Blade or the Branson 2400h, 4 ft. mower, 4 ft. Box blade, and 82x20 trailer. The LS deal comes in at $18,647 and the Branson deal comes in at $17,295. I知 wanting to stay under $20k.

I致e also looked at at Kubota L2510 but its on the high end of my price range.

I知 planning on having a few pigs, chickens, and a decent size garden. The property is fairly flat and in good shape with a long gravel driveway.

I know both of these are Korean tractors. I liked the LS but feel like I might get more bang for the buck with Branson.

Any thoughts from those of you with more experience?

Matt

P.S. I致e also looked at a Kubota L2510 but its on the high end of my price range. The financing options were attractive!

 

[mddorange]

:welcome:
To TBN Matt.

You came to the right place as we love to spend other people's money.

Be sure to test drive all tractors before buying one to make sure it feels right for you. The more models that you test drive will give you more of a feeling of what you really want.

 

[ptsg]

To be fair, my experience is mostly with Branson, however I've compared both when I was shopping for my tractor.

It seems that you are looking at two tractors of different sizes. I would say that the LS is more comparable to a 15 series Branson at least size wise.

The Branson has a really solid and robust construction. The castings are really thick and strong. It is also fitted with the Cummins A series engine. The tractor might not have loads of electronic features, but sometimes, simple is better, right?

Now the main I reason I went with Branson is that the dealer gave more money for the two tractors I've traded in and make me a good price on the Branson. If it was the case of the LS dealer, I would have probably went with LS. Same for any other brand.

I have a F36R, same as the 3515R in the US, and I've really enjoying it very much. It has 65 hours now. No power issues at all, really stable even though it sits higher than the competition and I've done some hard work with it.

That said, lets wait for someone to reply with LS experience.

I agree with mddorange opinion. It's better to test-drive both and see what suits you better.

 

[Thomas]

:welcome:to TBN.
Indeed take your time doing your home work also check out service department.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I would drive as many as you can, even brands you don't think you're interested in. Can give you a better reference when it comes to making a choice.

Looks like both tractors have SSQA compatible FELs. The LS has a 3 range hydro compared to the Branson 2 range. It looks like the LS is heavier, and has better FEL and 3 pt lift stats. On the surface, I'd say the LS will be more versatile of the 2, and this is from a Branson owner (larger model though).

I think you should consider more attachments also, like a tiller for that garden, maybe a forklift attachment for the FEL, or possibly a landscape rake for cleanup and grooming the driveway. Also consider a couple of rear remotes and a 3rd function for the FEL. In case you want to add a grapple later for brush work, or run a blade with top/tilt functions. It's cheaper to add those up front then to have them added later. The tractor provides the power, but it's the attachments that do the work.

But make sure you "interview" your dealers too. You're not just buying the tractor, you're buying a dealer. You want one with a good reputation, that will be there when/if you need them. Good service after the sale is hard to put a $ on, but it's priceless.

 

[newbury]

<snip>

I have a Branson dealer and an LS dealer within 10 miles of my farm. I am looked at both offerings and need to choose between two packages - the LS XG3025H, Ag-Meier Brave 5 brush cutter, 6 Armstrong Box Blade or the Branson 2400h, 4 ft. mower, 4 ft. Box blade, and 82x20 trailer. The LS deal comes in at $18,647 and the Branson deal comes in at $17,295. I知 wanting to stay under $20k.

I致e also looked at at Kubota L2510 but its on the high end of my price range.<snip>

So -
LS w/ 5' cutter, 6' box blade vs Branson w/ 4' implements vs Kubota w/ what?
If the LS can pull those in your conditions I'd say LS but what does Kubota offer?

The Kubota is essentially a "detuned" larger tractor to meet EPA regs.

LS is often viewed as a high end but "second tier" manufacturer, Branson is getting almost third tier.

What is your time span?
Are you 95 and this will be your "last tractor" or 25 and this is just a start?
Do you envision getting more acreage?

 

[MickeyDBC]

In that size class the Kubotas don't cost much more than the others but the resale on them is a lot better. Nobody plans to get rid of their new tractor, but people sometimes realize they bought something too small or large or have a change in life plans (hit by a bus). In central Texas, small Kubotas really don't depreciate much from what you pay for them.

 

[s219]

Absolutely drive the tractors, don’t rely on paper specs and prices. One of them will jump out at you as a better fit.

 

[ericm979]

Often the package deal implements are the very cheapest ones. Cheap implements break more often. Do you really need a trailer? Unless you will be hauling to a remote location to do work it's cheaper to rent a trailer if you need to take the tractor to the dealer. Or have them pick it up. 10 miles is not far so the dealer's fee should be reasonable. If you do your own routine maintenance chances are good you'll never need to take the tractor to the dealer. Tractor maintenance is no harder than changing the oil on a car or truck (except you don't have to jack up the tractor to get under it).

There's a significant difference between 4' and 5' implements. If you have a large area to mow you'll appreciate the 5'. A 6' box blade may be a little large for that tractor if you want to use it to move dirt rather than level it.

Even though I have a Branson and like it a lot, I agree that Kubotas have better resale value. Around here to many people tractor = kubota. There's a lot of Branson dealers in Texas compared to here so more people may be familiar with them. I bought the Branson anyhow because it had a lot more features than the comparable Kubota, cost a lot less and is well made. And I liked the dealer. The Branson may lose a few $thousand in resale value compared to a Kubota, not 50%. All compact tractors have good resale because there's a lot of people who want them.

 

[newbury]

Often the package deal implements are the very cheapest ones. Cheap implements break more often. Do you really need a trailer? Unless you will be hauling to a remote location to do work it's cheaper to rent a trailer if you need to take the tractor to the dealer. <snip>

But check around first and see what it takes to rent a trailer for your size tractor. Not only cash outlay but time and availability.

In Virginia I can rent a trailer for my B7610 easily. For my M4700 not so. In Mississippi for me to rent ANY trailer it's a 2 hour roundtrip drive.

And a trailer can be used for other things. I've probably put 15K miles on my trailer I bought in 2009 w/ my B7610. Moving tractors has only taken up about 4K of that. I've just now finished unloading from my last trip from Virginia to Mississippi. Lot's of tractor associated stuff inside but no tractor,

If you do get a trailer write PINTLE on the coupler. That way if someone wants to borrow it you can say it's a pintle coupler