Not trying to start a flame war. Kubota vs John Deere CUTS

[white cloud]

Hello all,

My wife and I have purchased 65 acres of forest property in S.C. We have decided we need a tractor to bush hog the roads and do general cleanup. I have learned that on 65 acres of forest there will be a blow down from time to time. I would also like to put in some food plots. I am guessing the total acreage for food plots would be less than three acres but I will have to plow/till this. I went and looked at tractors. In my area the dealers that are near enough to matter are John Deere and Kubota. I looked seriously at a John Deere 3032e and a Kubota 3301. Both of these tractors seem to do what I need a tractor to do and I can still get them in my garage. Neither my wife nor I have ANY experience with a tractor. Given that, it appears the 3032e is much simpler to operate. I like the pedals on the 3032e much better than the Kubota treadle pedal. Our problem with taking the plunge with the John Deere is that after talking with a number of tractor savvy people in my area, nobody likes a John Deere. What gives? Is the John Deere really a poorer choice? I want to hear any and all opinions. I am not bad mouthing either brand as they both must have good features. Both seem high quality to me.

Thanks,

White Cloud

 

[dadster4]

I know I'm probably biased, but you should look at Kioti also. I was new to tractors also and felt comfortable operating mine in no time, and after 175 hours seat time, I like it even more.

 

[4570Man]

My personal experience based of 2 different Deere's is the loaders are much smoother on Kubotas. I don't like the plastic hood on the Deere's. I personally prefer the Kubota treadle pedal. I really like the Kubota HST+, but the model you're looking at isn't equipped with that. As far as just the tractor they're probably equal. I think it really boils down the which one you think feels better and $$$. The Kubota in discussion weighs 400-600 pounds more than the Deere which means it's going to get more work done. The Kubota loader has a much higher break out force and has a higher 1.5 meter lift rating.

 

[paulfun9]

I also recommend looking at the other players like Kioti. They make a fine machine and my last time buying I brought a DK Series Kioti home over the Kubota. The arguments for one being more comfortable than the other from us really don't count for you as you would find out just by searching this site many will say they like the single pedal HST and others like me Hate it and would choose a pick and shovel over using one. SO comfort is relative to the user just as 4570man said he hated the layout of the Kioti and likes the layout of the Kubota. Myself I found that the opposite was true. Nothing will replace actual seat time on the tractor and don't just drive around the smooth paved parking lot at the dealership. Run it threw its paces and find out what it feels like on a bumpy field as well.

 

[4570Man]

Being a new tractor owner I think you'd be happy with either pedal style. I've spent several hundred if not thousands of hours on the Kubota treadle pedal. The few hours I've spent on the Deere double pedal felt like learning a foreign language. I'd still rather use any tractor over a shovel. My statement Paul quoted above was true, but I later removed it hoping not to start a war. A agree 100% that you need some real seat time off the pavement before you can make an informed decision. Surely the dealer had a used machine of at least a similar model you could put a couple hours on. You probably aren't going to be able to take a new machine off the pavement.

 

[ultrarunner]

I own 1 Deere and 3 Kubota...

Have to say I feel most comfortable with new operators on the treadle Kubota Hydro... like the L3301HST or even the L3901HST

The closest I have size wise is my L3800

I like my Deere but it is a larger TLB.

The Kubota front axle is rated for 1,000 more pounds than the Deere... good if you need to do loader work.

http://www.kubota.com/assets/product/comps/L3301/L3301Comp.pdf

 

[Aquamoose]

I'd list 10 (or 5, etc) features that are important to YOU and your wife and go from there. For me, loader capacity was top on the list followed by overall weight and wheel base for greater stability (without any 3ph implements). Don't forget comfort, ease of use, ability to fold ROPS, etc.

 

[brown40]

I think JD's change in business model ~10 years ago soured homeowners and other small fry that used the former hometown dealer network in favor of big box Ag distributors. They demanded a minimum volume out of dealers that one purchase every 3-10 years won't help much. I think SC saw a lot of closings and consolidations. They make as well an engineered product as anyone--particularly for ergonomics. I'd be pleased with either, but prefer separate pedals. I like Kubota's business approach, where consumer's value is not based solely on their annual expenditures/revenues.

 

[TMGT]

I stopped by my local jd dealer the other day when i had to kill some time. They had a L3301 there, I guess as a demo comparison. It was sitting next to a 3032e, seeing them next to each other I have to say it appears you get more for the money with the kubota, I know the JD is an economy model but I was pretty suprised at the things they removed and even the fit and finish didn't seem up to par considering the price.

I haven't run them both so can't comment on how they operate.
I will say I've run both the jd twin peddle and have a Kubota with the treadle, I considered the treadle to be a negative when I was looking at tractors but actually prefer it now, only took a few hrs to figure out what was comfortable and now it's second nature.

 

[Ivan49]

I would do a check on the background of both dealers to see if they have any complaints or other remarks on the quality of their service dept.Without a good service behind the product the tractor is worthless if something happens. Both tractors are good tractors and I looked at both. I always favored Deere as I have had several in the past. The first thing I noticed on the Deere was when I stepped on the step to get on the operater platform dropped slightly. I did not want the HST and it wasn't avaiable on Deere. The biggest thing was The Deere did not have a drawbar as it was an option and I wanted steering brakes which Deere did not have. I know of 3 tractors here within a few miles of me that the fenders cracked on them a couple years ago when we had temps of - 30. I did not know much about Kubota and the the things the dealer showed me I was imppressed , steel fenders and hood, steering brakes and it even came with the drawbar LOL. Kubota had a couple of rebates and Deere did not and this amounted to several thousands of dollars. The base price of the tractor was about the same as Deere but with the rebates it made the Kubota less. Tomorrow it will be one year since my L 3301 was delivered and the only regret I have is I wish that I would have had 2 rear remotes installed instead of 1. I have 120 acres of ground and I use it for trail maint, food plots and wood hauling and It has not disappointed me yet. If you get a loader make sure you get the tires loaded and I would recommend a box blade for the rear as it makes trail maint much faster and easier. The one rebate paid for the boxblade and most of the cost of a set of forks