KUBOTA VS. NEW HOLLAND

[inveresk]

Can anyone offer advise on how these two manufacturer's hold their price used? It may be the deciding factor - I'm trying to decide which to go for new and can't get enough information on used prices in my neck of the woods (coastal BC).

 

[sneaky_pete]

Can't tell you anything about NH, but in the U.S. Kubotas are known to hold their value fairly well. Several people here on TBN have reported selling their Kubota for about what they paid for them after a few years/few hundred hours.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

I use both brands. Kubota is the dominant small tractor company in the North American market, they have roughly 60% of the market share in the US, not sure about Canada. New Holland is huge in the AG tractor market, but holds the #3 sales position in the compact tractors with a market share something near 15%. As for holding their value, would suspect that both of them do a very good job, I was recently offered 100% of the cost of my 2 year old NH as a trade in toward a new one by my dealer. I would say that is pretty darn good. Now compare that with some of the minor brands that many dealers will not even accept for trade in and that makes things look even better for the major brands. Resale value is probably pretty regional, but I would suggest that Kubota, Deere, Case/New Holland, and Massey Ferguson are probably the best brands to own if resale value is a consideration.

 

[inveresk]

Thanks for the stats. sneaky Pete. That's a big difference in market share, Kubota having 4X that of NH in compacts. There must be good reasons why. Have NH neglected this sector of the market, is it better marketing by Kubota or are the compact products simply better, or better priced? I liked the Kubota but thought it less appealing than the JD (I hesitate to use the word 'inferior'). JD prices were considerably more though, 6-8k CAN including backhoe and FEL. So now I'm down to NH or Kubota.

 

[thcri]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( That's a big difference in market share, Kubota having 4X that of NH in compacts. There must be good reasons why. Have NH neglected this sector of the market, is it better marketing by Kubota or are the compact products simply better, or better priced? I liked the Kubota but thought it less appealing than the JD (I hesitate to use the word 'inferior'). JD prices were considerably more though, 6-8k CAN including backhoe and FEL. So now I'm down to NH or Kubota. )</font>


I don't think Kubota, John Deere or New Holland is actually any better than the other. Kubota did one heck of a sales pitch to a market that the others just didn't think was good or important and now are trying to play catch up. New Holland and John Deere typically had dealers that were more interested in selling the big ones. John Deere has made moves to have dealers just for the compacts and now finding that was a good move. New Holland still only sells through their dealers that sell the big stuff. Most sales people like to sell the bigger stuff. If I was you I would ignore the fact that Kubota sells more than the others. I would be looking more at which dealer you think is going to give you the best service after the sale. The big 3 hold their re-sale value pretty good so that for the most part is also not important. But for any tractor out there if the dealer is no good, neither is the tractor. "Go for the dealer"

just my 2 cents worth.


murph

 

[inveresk]

Dealerships near me are a problem. I'm on an island so it's a ferry ride minimum 35 minutes for a start which hikes up service costs and getting the machines to and from the dealer. The closest dealer didn't respond to my initial emails on pricing - not a good start. I eventually got a good price and reasonable service from a dealer who is over an hour and a half away on the ferry plus a further drive of an hour +. I tried to see if an "in the field" warranty was available, even as an option, but 'fraid not. One point NH ought to consider - the name for their compacts - "boomer" tractors - somehow suggests they're hobby toys, not quite up to the mark of "real" tractors. I know they're robust workhorses but I'd a hard time with the image that marketing gimmick conjured up.

 

[aloha]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Dealerships near me are a problem. I'm on an island )</font>

This would be a reason to compare what support is available at a distance. Because the Kubota dealer on my island has no real interest in support, I have turned to TractorSmart.com and have found Ronnie to be extremely helpful in getting parts to strange places.

I have no idea whether there is anything comparable for other brands.

 

[Boomerang1]

Just because one brand is more popular than another, doesn't mean it is better.

 

[OkeeDon]

I think when NH selected the "Boomer" name, they wanted to strongly suggest that these were not the monster Ag tractors they were famous for, but a world apart which were easier to use and with more convenience features. Considering the market they were trying to enter, it was a pretty good choice. They're doing a better job of marketing them nowadays; they've come out with a magazine ("Acres") with articles aimed directly at yuppie country folk.

I assure you they the are as robust as Kubota or any of the other compacts, and, from all the reports I've read, perhaps the most comfortable. Certainly, they're on the cutting edge in design.

In my experience, the dealer is important in "shades of gray" warranty issues and responsiveness if you have problems. I haven't had any serious problems, but my dealer replaced a power steering hydraulic cylinder under warranty when it was prety obviously bent, probably by a tree branch. Since then, they were efficient in taking care of a minor recall (FEL fittings that might have rubbed). After the intial 50 hour service I do my own service every 100 hours, and after the initial 300 hour service, I did the next one myself and intend to continue. Many of the folks here do their own service, I haven't needed any repairs. I have almost 700 hours on my TC18 in about 27 months. I use it (and abuse it) as if it was a much larger machine; It reminds me of the Chihuahua that thinks it's a German Shepherd.

 

[Bob_Skurka]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Just because one brand is more popular than another, doesn't mean it is better. )</font>


Please re-read the orignal question about resale value and then please re-read my reply. I think you and I are in agreement but you might have missed it? However, market share does prove popularity and that usually is a good indicator of reliability and that usually is a good indication of resale value. But it is not gospel. But also please understand I was responding to the resale value issue. If you want to talk about specs, in the smaller sizes the CNH produces universally whoop (that is a technical term for "beat") the heck out of the specs of the smaller Kubotas but come at a higher price. As the machine sizes go up then Kubota versus NH comparisions begin to blur because direct comparisions become difficult.


OkeeDon . . . as to the BOOMER name, I seem to recall something from quite a while ago, prior to the "Boomer Rocks" advertising campaign that was suggesting the Boomer name was related to the power of the tractor. I agree with you about the Acres magazine, and I'm not sure if I read it because of that or in spite of that.