Photo comparison: NH, Kubota, Branson, JD, etc

[Bob_Skurka]

The lovely Mrs_Bob left for a week to visit the inlaws and as is my tradition, equipment usually ends up in my driveway while she is out of town. So I spent a good deal of time on dealer lots poking around and took a lot of photos.

I thought I would post the photos to let everyone see how different and still how similar tractors really are. No real editorial here folks. Just photos with some objective descriptions. I also, via PM, invited several other TBN members to photograph their tractors and post the pictures in this thread. All the pictures will show similar areas of the tractors. Bucket, loader area, operators station. ALL OF THE TRACTORS ARE ROUGHLY 30HP. NONE ARE BELOW 27, NONE ARE ABOVE 35.

BUCKETS will be described by SHAPE and by DUTY RATING.
Generally buckets are either "C" shaped or "L" shaped. "C" shaped buckets have a large top piece that is at least 6" deep. "L" shaped buckets generally look like a triangle or the capital letter "L"

BUCKET DUTY RATINGS will be described as LIGHT, STANDARD or HEAVY. LIGHT is defined as reinforced ONLY on the bottom cutting edge. STANDARD is defined as reinforced on EITHER the TOP or the SIDE (but not both) in addition to the bottom. HEAVY DUTY will be described as reinforced on the BOTTOM, the SIDES and the TOP. Reinforcement is defined as extra steel tubes (round or square) or 2 layers of steel plate welded in place, folds and dimples do not count as reinforcement for this definition.

FEL valve/hoses areas will be described in the following manner. The hoses, if they extend ABOVE the hood of the tractor & above the loader arm, will be described as UNPROTECTED. If they are below the hood & loader arm, they are PROTECTED. Operating valves can either be LOADER MOUNTED or FENDER MOUNTED. Operating the lever itself will be described as requiring a HORIZONTAL movement of your arm or a VERTICAL movement.

RIGHT SIDE photos of the operator's station will show the relative position of the loader valve and will show if the tractor can be entered and exited from both the right and the left side of the tractor or if the levers, valves, etc block right side access.

I had other pictures, but honestly could not figure out how to be totally objective so I am only sticking with 4 pictures per tractor.



Attached is Picture #1, it is the bucket detail of a New Holland TC35.
The bucket is a "C" shaped bucket.
The bucket is a "heavy duty" bucket since is has extra side plating and a steel tube welded under the top lip of the bucket.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Here is Picture #2, it shows the same NH TC35 bucket, only from a distance, it is easier to see the shape of the bucket.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Picture #3, this shows the FEL valve operation area, the lever uses "Horizontal" movements to control the bucket. The hoses are "protected" as they are not exposed.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Here is the final picture of the TC35. It shows the right side of the operators platform. You can see that the operator of this tractor can enter and exit the tractor from either side with minimal obstructions.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Here is a brand new Kubota B3030. This tractor is a 30 hp tractor so it is logically smaller than the previously posted TC35. This is a photo that shows the bucket detail. The bucket is defined as a "light duty" bucket becuase it does not have either side reinforcement or top reinforcement. The top lip is folded into a 3 sided open box for extra rigidity, but it is not welded or reinforced.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Here is another B3030 bucket picture.
The Kubota's bucket is an "L" shape, while it does have a top, it is not a deep top, so I think it is more "L" shaped than "C" shape.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Here is a shot of the FEL valve on the B3030.
Movement is "vertical" to operate the bucket.
Location of the valve is on the "loader bracket."
Hoses can be described as "protected" becuase they are kept below the top fo the hood and the loader arms.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Here is the right side of the Kubota B3030.

You can see the operator can enter or exit the tractor from either side as the loader valve and other levers allow for ingress and egress.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Here is the Branson 3510. This is another 35hp tractor. This is a close up of the bucket.

The bucket is classified as "light duty" because it has no welded reinforcements on the sides or the top. The top has a single fold to enhance rigidity.

 

[kensfarm]

Happy Friday Bob.. just wanted to mention the bottom of the HD bucket.. has 3 reinforcement pieces. The only problem I've had w/ the bucket is the stich welding on the inside of the bucket seams.. I was getting stress cracks at the welds from probably abusive FEL work. A solid weld across those interior seams solved the problem. I've been really happy w/ the way it's held up over the last 5-6 years!