Buying Advice Green? Orange? Red? The other Orange? Where to start?

[Simon64]

Wow.....owning the tractor may well turn out to be the easy part, as deciding sure isn't! ****, I have had marriages that have lasted shorter! LOL

So after all the helpful input so far I am going to throw the following on the table.

Kubota L3901: 6ft Implements (BB and RC) perhaps a set of pallet forks, and a post hole digger. HST preferred, but I would add that as a Brit, stick shift and gears are not a big issue, and little FEL work compared to trawling up and down the pasture with the cutter! That said I am not getting younger, and as I want this to be a forever tractor, HST may well be the way! Would I really be losing a whole heap of power if I went for a L3301, to keep within my price point? Are 6ft implements impractical?

Would anybody have experience of the B3350? I know it is a size down, but more toys on it I believe? Could that haul 6ft implements. Or just a 6ft cutter?

The second choice would be the green one:
I have been looking at the 3038e and 3032e: Now I know these are price point base models. I know the loader does not one off, but the bucket does. I know that they are not as heavy as the Kubotas. Now I could move up the either the 3033R or 3039R, but big leap in price?

And finally with these two models in mind, what would be some others to look at?

Simon

 

[k0ua]

Check out LS and Kioti also if you have good nearby dealers. I have owned one Long, one New Holland, and 2 Kubota's and now my Kioti. The Kioti is an excellent tractor.

 

[wcampbell47]

I traded my post hole digger off when I had the B3200. Just seemed like it did not have the torque to turn it in heavy soil (clay) where I live. I also would not put 6 foot implements behind a B model tractor. My B3200 would have made an excellent estate type tractor if I had outfitted it with a mid mount mower. My B7510 now has a mid mount. I have a 72" land pride finish mower I drag behind the L3901. I mow an acre an hour in Low range no matter how heavy the grass. Beats the zero turn we were using by about an hour.

A note on the B models. The 3 point hitch arms tend to swing to the middle of the tractor making hook up more difficult than it should be. On L model tractors the arms are held apart ready to hook up. The B model can be made to hold the arms open but that requires other toys and $$.

A point I like about HST when mowing or using any PTO driven equipment - the PTO stays engaged at full RPM when changing direction of movement. When the clutch is depressed on a gear shift tractor that also disengages the PTO.

Good Luck. BTW your tractor will not talk back to you or tell you "No, honey I have a head ache."
LOL

 

[TripleR]

Simon64, you keep mentioning being a Brit and use to driving gears, hate to be the one to break it to you, but gears and using them are not unique to Britain or anywhere else, warm beer maybe but not gears. Many of us over here have grown up using geared cars, trucks, tractors etc., I was in my 60s before using an HST on any thing but lawn mowers. There are a lot of HST converts here on TBN and even a recent convert in my own family. As mentioned, I still operate gear and HST tractors, but for uses you describe my best information is for long term use, HST is the way to go.

As to 3901 0r 3301, I've seen lots of posts from people wishing they had more power but none wishing they had less. The 3901 also has a live PTO where the 3301 has the transmission driven PTO.

I like the B3350, but wouldn't buy one for your stated uses.

I'm not familiar with the John Deere models you mentioned, so I can't help you there.

Before writing a check, I will agree with James (k0ua), go look at a Kioti in that size, my brother's Kioti is heavier with more features and stronger loader than the equivalent Kubota as well as cheaper.

Good luck, my brother and I own eleven tractors and neither of us is sure what we would buy if we needed a new tractor right now, almost an embarrassment of riches thing.

 

[Simon64]

Simon64, you keep mentioning being a Brit and use to driving gears, hate to be the one to break it to you, but gears and using them are not unique to Britain or anywhere else, warm beer maybe but not gears. Many of us over here have grown up using geared cars, trucks, tractors etc., I was in my 60s before using an HST on any thing but lawn mowers. There are a lot of HST converts here on TBN and even a recent convert in my own family. As mentioned, I still operate gear and HST tractors, but for uses you describe my best information is for long term use, HST is the way to go.

As to 3901 0r 3301, I've seen lots of posts from people wishing they had more power but none wishing they had less. The 3901 also has a live PTO where the 3301 has the transmission driven PTO.

I like the B3350, but wouldn't buy one for your stated uses.

I'm not familiar with the John Deere models you mentioned, so I can't help you there.

Before writing a check, I will agree with James (k0ua), go look at a Kioti in that size, my brother's Kioti is heavier with more features and stronger loader than the equivalent Kubota as well as cheaper.

Good luck, my brother and I own eleven tractors and neither of us is sure what we would buy if we needed a new tractor right now, almost an embarrassment of riches thing.

Hahaha! And I have just sent emails out to several Kioti dealers to see the response....and with my age, it will be HST, just for the sake of my knees (Years of playing Rugby, which is like American Football without the padding and helmets!)

Have got the Kioti dealers looking at CK35 and CK4010.........does your brother have a view on their service backup?

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Just to make sure you are clear Simon; a manual transmission automobile is not operated the same as a geared tractor. You probably know this, just want to make sure.

 

[Simon64]

Yes....just making the point that not worried by some leg work...however as my prior post stated, HST will be the choice as I will be still riding this tractor, when every limb aches, and so will think ahead for once in my life!

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Something else to consider is the new tier4 compliance hardware. I carefully compaired Kioti to Kubota and at least for the size I was looking at Kioti clearly speced the tractor to win at a "spreadsheet" comparison. However, I went with Kubota because I was more confident in my dealor's and kubota's ability/willingness to deal with any problems over the next 10-15yrs. Remember, tier4 is just for the US market. The investment and resources Kubota has in this market is massively larger than kioti (and all colors) I couldn't convince myself that the cost savings was worth the uncertainty. Pertinent to this concern is the fact that apparently Massy Ferguson has stopped supporting some of there small CUTs! Who's next?
This is just my opinion.

 

[TripleR]

Hahaha! And I have just sent emails out to several Kioti dealers to see the response....and with my age, it will be HST, just for the sake of my knees (Years of playing Rugby, which is like American Football without the padding and helmets!)

Have got the Kioti dealers looking at CK35 and CK4010.........does your brother have a view on their service backup?

My oldest son played Rugby for a couple of years on a local community team and it will sure bang you up.

I agree with others, dealer support is a big issue for many of us, our local Kioti dealership is more into lawn and garden equipment than tractors while the Kubota dealership is a full service family owned dealership established in the 50s and this has been great when I wanted additional options added and warranty work.

My brother frequently hauls equipment and is a mechanic, so he bought his Kioti out of state. He had to haul his back for one warranty repair and just did the other on his own.

Only from threads I've read on here, Kubota as a company is more responsive to customer concerns than Kioti, but reliability is the same for both. It would not be a deciding factor to me as a good dealer can often offset any difference.

 

[DK35vince]

When the clutch is depressed on a gear shift tractor that also disengages the PTO.

That is only true on a transmission driven PTO.
A gear model with a live PTO (dual stage clutch) or an independent PTO the PTO will continue to run with the clutch depressed.
My gear tractor has independent PTO.
The PTO turns on with a switch. The PTO is independent of the clutch, it will continue to run as long as the switch is on regardless if the clutch is in or out.