How Long Will a Kubota Last?

[rScotty]

Just how many hour/years can I expect my Kubota to last?
Figure on doing maintenance by the book or close to it, OEM parts, use a block heater in the winter, and work it hard but no abuse.

I've heard lots of guesses, but I don't think I've ever seen any data or studies to back up the guesses. Maybe a guess is as good as we've got so far.

Is brand new better than 100 hrs? How much life is left at 2000 hrs? 5000 hrs?
How many hours & years on your tractors? How long do you expect them to last?
rScotty -


Kubota M59 - bought new demo < 50 hrs, now at 1000 hrs, One control cable & one cylinder rebuild. Works fine, nothing needed.

 

[yanmars]

If a diesel is not abused and maintained well it may well outlast you, I have seen a number of diesels with well over 5000 hours still going very strong.

 

[George2615]

As long as the tractor is maintained properly and not abused it should last a very long time. Your tractor at 1000 hrs is just broke in IMO. Generally speaking, a tractor should easily last 5000 hrs. By that time there may be a need for some repairs just from normal wear.
New vs one with 100 hours? It depends if buying from a dealer or private owner, whether it still has warranty, if traded in at a dealer it may be the PO needed a larger tractor or may be that he had many problems with it or could be just a demo. If not abused a 100 hr tractor is basically still new.
I had a MF years ago that I bought new. It had 3400 hrs on it when sold and still running perfectly with no major repairs other than a few scratches. Next tractor was a 26HP CUT I had for 10 years and sold with 440 hrs to buy a larger tractor.
Current 36HP tractor I bought new 4 years ago and I expect it will outlast me. I consider it a homeowner tractor not used for farming and I think most people that own smaller CUT's don't do a lot of farming. Mine is mainly used for snow plowing and some landscaping, driveway work in summer. It only sees about 60 hrs a year and is at 225 hrs today.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

If we are talking about a Kubota, it really depends on how it's used...

IF a home owner has one, for the most part it will be lightly loaded and babied and last a LONG time...

IF that same Kubota is on a working farm and loaded doing farm work, then it's life will be MUCH shorter...

I have seen 50, 60hp Kubota's that are used with a 3 point blower where there's a lot of snow each winter that were smoking pretty heavy and down on power with 4,000 hours on them.

I had one that I used for heavy tillage and rotary cutting and before 2,000 hours the valve guides were pushing quite a bit of oil past them along with other problems... It never lacked for maintenance either.

SO, like I said, it really depends on how heavy they are used...

SR

 

[varmint]

Certainly not the same thing, at all, but I have been told that STATIONARY diesel engines, running at constant speeds and loads driving generators (with periods of down time, of course) are expected to last 12,000 hours between overhauls. You'll find tractors with 3,000 hours being sold, and listed as fully operational. Use, not abuse.

 

[art]

We sell several makes and first got started with compacts back in the early 80's. Through color combinations by brand it could be said we have sold 17 in total. Talking Kubota strictly as that was the question we have ag tractors in excess of 10,000 hours. We have many ZD's over five thousand hours and reaching 8,000 hours! F-series with over 10,000 hours. BX's with over 7,000 hours. RTV's over 5,000 hours, B-series over 7,000 hours as well as L-series over 7,000 hours. These units have been used commercially and still going! Repairs are minimal or operator error or they would be replaced do to the daily use. The basic sales line of "they are all the same" is not true.
A true homeowner tractor more often then not gets less then 100 hours a year of use. Small hobby farm might get 200 hours a year. We have units on farms that might get 8 hours a day or about 3,000 hours a year on cleaning and feeding machines including the skid loaders! Many landscapers only get about 500 to 1,000 hours a year.
Are there exceptions to these hours, yep! Pay attention to your tractor and the care you give it! The right oil and filters are cheap!

 

[ovrszd]

If a diesel is not abused and maintained well it may well outlast you, I have seen a number of diesels with well over 5000 hours still going very strong.

My neighbor used to rent my hay ground. Baled with an old JD4020. 10,000 hours on the clock and no engine work. It would start smoking blue if sat idling for 15 minutes or more.

I'd like to think our Kubotas have that life in them, but I've not heard of any with that many hours. I've saw a lot of older Kubotas in Japan and Korea. They appear to have that many hours or more. But I've never talked to the owners there to verify.

 

[ovrszd]

We sell several makes and first got started with compacts back in the early 80's. Through color combinations by brand it could be said we have sold 17 in total. Talking Kubota strictly as that was the question we have ag tractors in excess of 10,000 hours. We have many ZD's over five thousand hours and reaching 8,000 hours! F-series with over 10,000 hours. BX's with over 7,000 hours. RTV's over 5,000 hours, B-series over 7,000 hours as well as L-series over 7,000 hours. These units have been used commercially and still going! Repairs are minimal or operator error or they would be replaced do to the daily use. The basic sales line of "they are all the same" is not true.
A true homeowner tractor more often then not gets less then 100 hours a year of use. Small hobby farm might get 200 hours a year. We have units on farms that might get 8 hours a day or about 3,000 hours a year on cleaning and feeding machines including the skid loaders! Many landscapers only get about 500 to 1,000 hours a year.
Are there exceptions to these hours, yep! Pay attention to your tractor and the care you give it! The right oil and filters are cheap!

To reinforce Art's points above. It's all about hours, not years. I've never had a tractor break down or wear out parked in the shed.

 

[ehenry]

I have a BX22 with 1800 hrs and a B7300 with 2400 hrs give or take a few hours on either one and they are both running as strong as they were when they were new. Neither one uses oil. On the BX I've replaced the hydrostat fan, shaft boots and fan belt in one repair and numerous hydraulic hoses on backhoe and that's it. OH, and the seat too. On the B7300 I replaced the O-rings on the injector plungers, the front axle pivot O-rings and that's it.

 

[mcfarmall]

My neighbor bought a brand new Kubota 50hp tractor with a cab and FEL about six years ago and it was destroyed 2 years ago...the guy just thrashed on that tractor...not a piece of glass left in the cab except for the floor, cab roof shattered, hood and side sheet metal beat all to h e l l. About 2 weeks ago a brand new Kubota skid steer appeared at the place, my son and I are wagering on how long it will be before it's trashed.

I've never known someone who can pay good money for a piece of equipment and then treat it the way he does...SMH.

So the bottom line is a Kubota tractor will last as long as you desire to care for it.