John Deere 790 vs Kubota L2800 vs Kioti DK35

[msmith619]

I recently moved to New Mexico and have 4 acres of flood-irrigation pasture and horses. I need a tractor to mow, build irrigation borders and knock them down about every 3 weeks, level the driveway and a loader for mostly hauling dirt and manure piles from cleaning horse stalls. I have 3 "package offers" from JD, Kubota and Kioti. All three tell me theirs is better than the other and I am making a big mistake if I don't buy theirs. I get the impression the Kioti is abetter tractor but don't know tractors to really be able to tell.
Here are the packages and prices:

John Deere 790, 4WD, with JD front end loader, 5' JD rotary cutter, 5" Cimaron box blade and a refurbished border disc. Price $17,525 new or $15,525 for a used JD 790 with 200 hours and the above implements. The impression I get from the dealer is that these are low end (read least expensive) attachments.

Kubota L2800 4WD, all new implements- Kubota front end loader, off brand box blade, rotary cutter and border disc. Price $17,298.

Kioti DK35 4WD, Top end front end loader, 5' Kioti box blade, and rotary cutter. They do not make a border disc. Price $17,600.

As you can see, all are within a few hundred dollars of each other. Which is best for my situation?
Thanks for the input.

 

[RobS]

If money is your prime factor, I'd go with the used 790. Mine has around 200 hours on it and it's like new.

What are irrigation borders and a border disc? How do you build them and knock them down? Are any of these tractors suitable if it's moving a lot of dirt?

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[msmith619]

In southern New Mexico, our land is flat and there is very little rain. We water by flooding the property with water obtained from irrigation ditches. You use a "border disc" which consists of 4 to 6 discs that are arranged to dig into the ground and push the dirt into a single furrow in the center forming a 12" to 30" tall and 1-2 foot wide "border" that we build around the area we want to water. We then open the irrigation gates and let the water in flooding the property under about 6" to 12" of water. The 'border' is what holds the water in our property for the day or two it takes for the water to soak into the ground. Weeds grow up quickly on the border top and sides and so we frequently knock the borders down and build them back for the next watering. They must be thick and tall enough to hold in a large amout of water.

 

[RedRocker]

The dealer you feel most comfortable with and or the tractor that fits you the best.

 

[MossRoad]

Start making a comparrison sheet of the lift capacities of the 3pt hitch, the FEL, the weight of the tractor, the HP at the PTO, etc... it may help you to narrow down your decision.

 

[DaveNay]

Hi MSmith!

To me, all three of those tractors seem like they are a little on the large size for your long term needs. Of the three that you have pointed out, I would choose the L2800 last, and the DK35 first when it comes to quality of equipment. However, before settling on one of these three, have you considered looking at the slightly smaller models such as a JD 4115, NH TC26 or Kubota B7610. This size tractor in the 25 HP range works great on your smaller property, and when it comes to the weekly mowing the lawn task, you will appreciate the lighter more manuverable machine. I have a used JD 855 with MMM that is great for mowing, and it would be significantly more difficult to mow with anything larger.

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Let us know what you settle on! Any tractor is a fun tractor, but getting the right one can make a big difference in how well and how much you use it!

Cheers!
Dave

 

[msmith619]

All of the dealers say this is the smallest tractor that will serve my needs. Most recomend a 35 HP or 45 HP for the border disking. 4WD and power is a must to break this dirt and build those borders. My neighbors 25 HP tractor is unable to do it.

 

[RobS]

Any time you are moving dirt you need to have both power and weight for traction. The 790 is pretty light for it's power so it may not work either. I don't know enough about the other models. Ideally, you should work out a demo with your candidate machines on your property to see if they are up to the task /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[DaveNay]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( All of the dealers say this is the smallest tractor that will serve my needs. Most recomend a 35 HP or 45 HP for the border disking. 4WD and power is a must to break this dirt and build those borders. My neighbors 25 HP tractor is unable to do it. )</font>

Ahhh....disking is indeed very different from simple FEL Loader work. Also beware....dealers are still dealers, they would sell you a JD6020 if you let em /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Dave

 

[JimR]

Is there anyone in your immediate area that might let you borrow a tractor of similar size to see if can do the job?