JD 4310 vs Kubota L3130

[wade1]

I am going to buy a tactor and have narrowed it down to these two tractors. I have 8 acres on one place and 5 on another to take care of. I am building a new house within a year and have 6 horses. So I will be using it to take care of the land and around the barn/stalls. The specs are about the same, ecept the Kubota outweights the 4310 about 300 lbs, and has a longer wheel base.

I can purchase the 4310PR package for $19,800 and the 3130HST for 21,000. The packages are the same with about the same quality of implements. Listed below is the package. Please provide me advise on price and your personal preference on models.

Tractor L3130hst/4310pr
Loader LA513/430
5' Rotary Cutter SQ600/LX5
5' Box Blade w/Spikes
16' HD trailer w/brakes
Rear hay fork

 

[Boondox]

Wade -- You're about to enter into a long and hopefully pleasant relationship with a tractor dealer. Do you have a better feel for one dealer over the other, or one service department over the other? Price, as you'll read repeatedly if you do a search on the general topic of choice, is not necessarily the bottom line.

Pete

 

[GreenMtnMan]

Recently I was facing the same decision. I liked both tractors but I chose the 4310. My reason? I preferred the twin pedal arrangement of the JD over the Kubota treadle pedal and the JD dealer was a lot closer. It's worth a lot to me to have a good dealer close by. As far as price goes it's hard to compare package deals especially in different regions.

 

[MarkV]

Wade, both are fine tractors and you will find fans of each here on the forum. I did have a couple of questions about the package you described. On the Kubota you were listing the L513 loader rather than the L723 which has about 450lbs greater lift capacity. May just be me but a loader can never have enough lift capacity. I was also wondering if a 16' trailer would handle either tractor with loader and 5' hog attached. Seems a little short to me.

Good luck with your buy, I don't think you can go wrong either way.

MarkV

 

[glennmac]

They are both excellent tractors. They both will do the job.

But I believe you are comparing a Kubota HST to a JD non-HST tractor. The HST on the JD will increase the price.

Me, I would only buy an HST tractor. You will back up hundreds of times during a half day of mowing, hogging or loader work. I also would get the LA 723 loader on the Kubota. The FEL will be the most important implement for the life of your tractor, which will outlive you. Not to get the far more powerful FEL (the 723) would be to waste the tractor's hydraulic power. That was the big improvement of the 3130 over the prior 3010--the increase in hydraulic power in the FEL and 3ph.

I like the 3130 better than the 4310 for lots of reasons. It has a smoother HST, a lot roomier operator deck, metal fenders instead of plastic, and because of Kubota's unsurpassed history of reliability. I also like the treadle peddle better than the two pedals. I back up all the time over creek banks and into small trees. A mistaken push on the reverse pedal would be disaster. I think I am far less likely to make a mistake with the treadle peddle. But many other folks have come to the opposite conclusion and choose JD.

If it's close in your mind after you have thought through all the specifications and options, just go with the tractor you psychologically like better. But factor into your psychology the proximity, honesty and professionalism of the dealer. You will be seeing him again.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Luv my 4310

Luv the plastic

Luv the two pedals.

Heck, I even luv the yellow seat.

Both are good machines. Why don't you get the Deere dealer to match the kubota on an HST?

But the ePowreverser is a good setup, too.

Sorry, but I can't understand how the operator station could be any more comfortable. The 4310 nis certainly not cramped.


Just my $.02

 

[MikeIIA]

Looks like you have done some excellent research. Both the Kubota L3130 and the John Deere 4310 are well built and comparable solutions to your needs.
I think your comfort level with the dealer will help you decide.
I think it is important to purchase from a dealer with a good reputation whichever brand you choose. Dealers who treat their customers well know they will get repeat business and be able to stay in business. A good dealer will be an asset after the sale.

 

[icat]

I have the L3130 HST so my recommendation will be biased at best. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif No big surprise there!

I looked at Deere, New Holand, and Kubota before going with the L3130. After sending 2 hours cutting yesterday, I couldn't be happier with my selection. That said, I probably would have been just as happy with one of the Deere units - or even the New Holand.

Why Kubota, because I REALLY LIKE THE HST! I also felt the cockpit had more room and was more comfortable (seat travel, support, ergonomics). I'm 6'1" and a bit short for my weight /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif, so comfort was high on my list. I also prefered the steps on the Kubota to the JD. To me, they seemed to support my weight better.

On the pricing - it looks pretty good with the trailer. I will agree with MarkV that you should go with the LA723 FEL. Contrary to what some others will say, I think the 5' rotary cutter will do just fine. I have the same unit (SQ600) and it's GREAT! However, I do not agree with the box blade. The 5 footer will not cover the tractors tracks - go with the 6 foot Bush Hog SBX720 instead. It's a well built unit and comes in at 550 pounds.

On the trailer, when my unit was delivered it came in on an 18 footer. The cutter was hanging off the back by a good two feet. With the FEL on and the cutter, you're going to be off the back by 4 foot or so.

I'm actually looking at the same size trailer though. But all my property is in one location, so the trailer will seldom be transporting the tractor. I felt that the cutter would not be going along for the ride if the tractor went in for service, and I could take off the FEL if I went to cut a relatives pasture. But it's important to realize the trade offs.

Of course you could always back the cutter on the trailer and drop it. Then drive on forward and let the FEL rest above the cutter. Not sure how difficult it would be to hook up the 3 point doing that though. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[EddieWalker]

Just a story about John Deere. My dad bought a John Deere mower last year from Home Depot. He broke down after a month of use. Home Depot said he had to contact the warrantee company, which he did. They said they would handle it and get him his parts. After a few weeks it turns out John Deere is reorganizing and they havn't returned numerous calls to the warrentee people. They authorized Home Depot to refund my dads money. Home Depot doesn't want the mower back, but gives my dad the money back.

Now my dad has a broken mower for free. He starts looking for parts and finds some old stuff to make it work. He has a free mower, but after the ordeal he went through and down time, he'll never buy John Deere again.

I'm sure your local John Deere dealer would be much better at handleing any issues that come up with your tractor, but I'm not going to risk it when I buy my next tractor.

 

[glennmac]

Mike, the aspect of the JD 4300/4400 operator station that I find "cramped" is the space (or lack of it) between the seat and the fenders. The lever controls are all jammed into this narrow space and I find them comparatively difficult to operate. They also have cheap position labels on them that curl and peel off.

The JD 4100 is less "cramped" as to control lever spacing because it puts some levers on the fender itself. The bigger JD 4600/4700 frames have more space between seat and fenders for the controls. The Kubota L '30's have the most. Not a decisive factor, but something I found to be noticeable.

I also like the Kubota's new reclining seat.

On the other hand, I do like the overall slightly smalller frame size of the JD 4300/4400 compared to the Kubota's, especially since my applications are primarily lawn and field mowing.