OakHillFarmer
Member
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2005
- Messages
- 38
- Location
- Pepperell, MA
- Tractor
- Kubota L4330 HST, R4's, HD Quick Attach bucket
I did it. After reading here nightly for months, visiting various dealers, test driving everything and comparing stats, I purchased the Kubota L4330 HST with the LA853 Loader. I also got the heavy duty QA bucket, loaded R4's and a Woods RB750 HD Rear Blade.
I owe a debt of gratitude to all that post here because I knew very little when I started shopping. A little history - When I bought my farm I also bought an old Long 610 Agg tractor that turned out to be a lemon. I sunk a bunch of money into it in a short time and was still struggling with it before I decided to cut my losses and trade it in. It was the best move I have made. In a sense, I'm glad I fought with the Long because I appreciate the Kubota so much more now. Operating it is a pleasure and I look forward to my daily chores and other projects on the new machine.
One of the biggest struggles I had was identifying what was superior about each brand and how that was important to me. I found that the performance differences were so insignificant between the big 3, that the most important things ended up being the dealer, the user feedback and the price. I collected and compared all the factual statistics that were important to me plus I rated subjective qualities such as ergonomics and style. Attached is the spreadsheet I used to help organize my thoughts and measure superiority.
I don't know if it will be useful for anyone else, but the data is accurate and the format could be used to measure other Horse Power classes as well. I rated the categories 1 to 3 (with 3 being better) and I made price and user feedback count double. I also ranked the dealers on a few different categories to give them a score that I included when ranking the tractors. Keep in mind that scores may differ based on what others like and what's important to them. For instance, a lighter tractor scored better for me because I'm towing with a 3/4 ton pickup and a dump trailer. For others, heavy is better.
Also, with my old tractor, finding parts and service wasn't easy. I limited my search to Kubota, JD and NH because I know support will not be a problem for a long, long time. I have a couple of dealers for each brand within a 30 minute drive of my farm so it was nice to have comparable options.
My final analysis on the tractors themselves was that I would have been completely satisfied with any of them. The Kubota didn't blow the competition away but for my needs, the stronger, smoother hydraulics, smoother trany, lower price and better dealer made them the clear choice for me. I have not been disappointed. I couldn't find the value in the price the JD wanted despite some slick options. I like the sloped hood and load match but the dealer didn't give me the warm and fuzzies and the price was much higher. The NH was very comfortable but it was not as refined a machine and I didn't like reading about steering and trany issues in the NH forums. Again, I'm sure I would have been satisfied with either but I selected the brand that fit me better. I've already put 35 hard hours in it in the few weeks that I've had it and it's been a blast!
One thing I will say is that I overbought on the HD Woods rear blade. I bought the HD even though it's rated for a 50 HP tractor because it is upgradeable to operate hydraulically. My L4330 does handle it with no problem but this thing is a beast. It's extremely well built- heavy, strong and big. I'm sure I could easily have gone with the medium duty model and been more than happy. I'm not complaining, I typically go overkill on equipment anyway, but this is extreme!
OK, enough typing! Again, thanks to everyone that contributes to this site. It's incredibly helpful for us rookies and I've learned so much. I went from knowing very little to being able to figure out exactly what I need, exactly what I want and exactly who to get it from. I'm happy to say that I confidently bought the machine that is exactly right for me with all of your help. Thank you all!
I can't wait to get my work lights, my Markham tooth bar and the grapple when I replenish the funds.
I'll be getting some pictures over the Christmas weekend and posting them soon.
I owe a debt of gratitude to all that post here because I knew very little when I started shopping. A little history - When I bought my farm I also bought an old Long 610 Agg tractor that turned out to be a lemon. I sunk a bunch of money into it in a short time and was still struggling with it before I decided to cut my losses and trade it in. It was the best move I have made. In a sense, I'm glad I fought with the Long because I appreciate the Kubota so much more now. Operating it is a pleasure and I look forward to my daily chores and other projects on the new machine.
One of the biggest struggles I had was identifying what was superior about each brand and how that was important to me. I found that the performance differences were so insignificant between the big 3, that the most important things ended up being the dealer, the user feedback and the price. I collected and compared all the factual statistics that were important to me plus I rated subjective qualities such as ergonomics and style. Attached is the spreadsheet I used to help organize my thoughts and measure superiority.
I don't know if it will be useful for anyone else, but the data is accurate and the format could be used to measure other Horse Power classes as well. I rated the categories 1 to 3 (with 3 being better) and I made price and user feedback count double. I also ranked the dealers on a few different categories to give them a score that I included when ranking the tractors. Keep in mind that scores may differ based on what others like and what's important to them. For instance, a lighter tractor scored better for me because I'm towing with a 3/4 ton pickup and a dump trailer. For others, heavy is better.
Also, with my old tractor, finding parts and service wasn't easy. I limited my search to Kubota, JD and NH because I know support will not be a problem for a long, long time. I have a couple of dealers for each brand within a 30 minute drive of my farm so it was nice to have comparable options.
My final analysis on the tractors themselves was that I would have been completely satisfied with any of them. The Kubota didn't blow the competition away but for my needs, the stronger, smoother hydraulics, smoother trany, lower price and better dealer made them the clear choice for me. I have not been disappointed. I couldn't find the value in the price the JD wanted despite some slick options. I like the sloped hood and load match but the dealer didn't give me the warm and fuzzies and the price was much higher. The NH was very comfortable but it was not as refined a machine and I didn't like reading about steering and trany issues in the NH forums. Again, I'm sure I would have been satisfied with either but I selected the brand that fit me better. I've already put 35 hard hours in it in the few weeks that I've had it and it's been a blast!
One thing I will say is that I overbought on the HD Woods rear blade. I bought the HD even though it's rated for a 50 HP tractor because it is upgradeable to operate hydraulically. My L4330 does handle it with no problem but this thing is a beast. It's extremely well built- heavy, strong and big. I'm sure I could easily have gone with the medium duty model and been more than happy. I'm not complaining, I typically go overkill on equipment anyway, but this is extreme!
OK, enough typing! Again, thanks to everyone that contributes to this site. It's incredibly helpful for us rookies and I've learned so much. I went from knowing very little to being able to figure out exactly what I need, exactly what I want and exactly who to get it from. I'm happy to say that I confidently bought the machine that is exactly right for me with all of your help. Thank you all!
I can't wait to get my work lights, my Markham tooth bar and the grapple when I replenish the funds.
I'll be getting some pictures over the Christmas weekend and posting them soon.
