Why is a Kubota BX24 better than a John Deere 2305

[Tractorbeam]

Folks in NH should buy NH's!

[BX2230_Lockport]

The 3PH arms are about twice as thick.

[slan]

I looked at the 3205 and found that it was a very stripped down version of the JD. The killer for me was the hydro trans was VERY loud and jerky. I went from driving a 3205 to the 20 series and then to the Kubota and the hydro is much smoother than the JD.
Oh, the JD didn't have a cup holder! LOL

[Titan978]

Hi

Well the price of the 2305 was much higher than the BX24. the main reason I bought the BX was you can get on/off the tractor from both sides. The JD with the loader on you can only get on from the left side...

[SeymourBota]

Originally Posted by offcamber

One other odd off topic thing I noticed..around here it seems folks that live in NH tend to buy Kubota and folks that live across the river in VT tend to buy JD...its not strict rule just something I have noticed....

I'm a Vermonta with 2 orange, no green...

[KeithInSpace]

For me, all the exposed hydro stuff under the JD 2305 machine looked unfinished and vulnerable. If they're not worried about the stuff that you CAN see, how much care was put into the stuff you CAN'T?

Also, hopping on the JD at the state fair and I couldn't quite figure out how it all worked. Even now when I see one, I look around the operator's platform and I have a hard time with it.

Sat on the BX and even though I had never operated a tractor a day in my life, I knew how to do most everything with it. Looked clean and put together well. Something a suburbanite with a need for something "bigger" but still "small" could hop right into. Very intuative. Not set up in a way that would require you to be a farmer to get comfortable with.

Whatever. It works for me. The 2305 was a little more expensive and they pitched me on a bigger tractor saying the 2305 was a toy. If THEY think it was a toy, what am I supposed to think about it?

The Kubota dealership matched me to a tractor that they felt were perfect for my needs. SOLD!

I love my machine. Of course you'd probly hear that from every 2305 owner as well...just telling my story...

[sqidget]

I liked the 2305 very much. I was going to buy one before I spoke to the Kubota dealer. After I saw the BX24 and went back to JD I found out that JD did not make a backhoe for the 2305. I also did not like where the loader hydraulics connected. But I liked where the loader control valve was mounted, to me, it was more comfortable. This was in april of '06. They have a backhoe now. I will be curious to see how the backhoe holds up. The main pivot and mount are welded stamped sheet steel, it looks really cheap. The BX24 has a cast piece. I do not feel you could go wrong with either machine, At this point the decision would be made by which dealer has a better customer service reputation.

[TractorEnvy]

Originally Posted by RayCo

There were a few deal-breaking reasons that made me scratch the JD off my list when I was tractor shopping:

• ROPS doesn't fold (although it is about 7" shorter than the BX, so it would have cleared my garage door opening)
• Fuel tank capacity (this wouldn't matter to me now that I see how infrequently I have to fill up my tank)
• FEL raising and curling times appear to be excuciatingly slow.

Have you looked at the Massey Ferguson MF2310 at all? That's also a comparable machine.

I'm attaching a spreadsheet (had to zip it to post it) with some comparisons of the three models. This was mostly copied from a spreadsheet someone else put together and it has some useful specs. But like most will tell you, don't worry about what tractor is the best, because that all depends on your needs and also on your dealer.

I went to Prizers in South Coventry, PA to look at the Deere. The response I got was, "Oh, those tractors are really expensive..." and was basically dismissed because of being young, I suppose.

The closest MF dealer looked like an abandoned crack house and there was only one new tractor on the lot - just didn't get a good feeling.

I didn't buy my tractor from my closest Kubota dealer, because a certain member of this forum was able to give me a much better price. But I do frequent my local dealer and like the place very much. I especially like that the employees smoke behind the counter (I hate all the anti-smoking stuff) and there are four cats that live inside there and sleep on tractor seats.

Thanks for posting the comparison spreadsheet! Unfortunately, although I'm able to download it, I can't unzip it or open it with any utility I have. Are you able to open it with PKUNZIP or a similar utility?

[RayCo]

Originally Posted by TractorEnvy

Thanks for posting the comparison spreadsheet! Unfortunately, although I'm able to download it, I can't unzip it or open it with any utility I have. Are you able to open it with PKUNZIP or a similar utility?

I don't have pkunzip, but if you PM me your e-mail address, I can e-mail you the unzipped xls. Or I can just post the xls here renamed with a .txt extension, I imagine.