JD or Kubota - tough choice

[estamas142]

I have decided on JD 4310 or Kubota 3010 for general tilling, mowing, and snow plowing very steep dirt driveway in western Mass.

But...does anyone have any idea on which tractor will hold up better and require less maintenance? Especially since I will get Hydro or HST trans. I have heard bad reports on JD but I am not sure how reliable the source is.

 

[frank_f15]

i went with the kubota, not to say the jd was bad, but for me the kubota seemed better.they both had their good and bad points,JD had some things i liked better than kubota. u have to make the decision, which do u feel more comfortable with? they are both fine machines. my decision was based on little things, which arragement do u like better for hydro pedals? which seat do u like better? which has the better layout for control(for u) see what i mean?for me it was kubota.

 

[Boondox]

Estamas142 -- When I bought my tractor it came down to the JD 4300 or the Kubota L3010. I was worried about the Deere as I'd seen many more problems posted here on that model than on the Kubota. All of them seemed related to the release of the (then) new models and have since been fixed. And my bet, going forward, is that Deere learned a lesson about the value of quality control from that experience. Another consideration for me was the cost of replacement parts. I priced five parts locally and found Deere was more expensive by about 20%. That could have been my dealer, though. And lastly, my local Deere dealer left something to be desired. So I went orange and have been enormously pleased.

That said, all those factors may yield different results in your neck of the woods.

Pete

 

[TimSullivan]

I agree with frank_f15 except I bought the 4300 last spring. I just felt more comfortable with the controls on the JD. There were many things I liked about the Kubota and I would have been happy with either unit. The dealer was the deciding factor.

The 4300 has done all I have asked as we are transforming 23 acres of streams, ravines and woods into our new home site. I have dragged and pushed rocks and logs. Moved many yards of top soil. The Deere has cleared eight acres of brush land with never a complaint. This winter the eight hundred foot driveway takes 15 minutes to clear. The HST is a must on our hills.

My neighbor bought orange and he is as happy with his choice. I did have the pleasure of pulling him out of his creek at his crossing when he buried his unit. I have a picture taken by my wife and may offer it to the JD dealer.

Have fun with the decision both are great units.

 

[rkrynch]

Just had exactly the same situation, and reached same conclusion, for same reasons, as TimSullivan.

For me the decison re the tractor itself was VERY difficult and came down to personal preferences. For example, I strongly preferred the JD HST pedals; others much prefer the Kubota/NH style pedal.

One overriding message I got from the experienced TBN'rs was the importance of being comfortable with the dealer. Good ones and bad ones come in all flavors - although the NY Capital District seems to have a number of good ones. Hope you do too.

Good luck. If the dealer suits you, doubt you could go wrong with either of these machines. I really liked both, chose the JD, had a great dealer to work with in Clifton Park about 1 mile from home.

 

[john_bud]

I don't know if it still holds true today, but when I priced tractors the 3 JD dealers wanted more for a 4300 hst with ag tires, fixed rops, small loader (420) and unfilled tires than the 1 Kubota dealer quoted me for an L3410 HST with R4's, folding rops, loader, and filled tires.

On reliability of Kubota's:
I had some problems with leaking hydro filters the first winter at -30F with the UTF fluid. There is a new PN filter that is stronger and I have had no problems at all since then. At 50 hours I changed to Amsoil hydro fluid, and that helps at super cold temps too. Oh, the dealer came and picked up the tractor, changed the filter, topped off the fluid and pressure washed it before returning it. So, yes, the dealer can make a big difference, so don't focus only on initial price.

Did you look at the Blue tractors? This board has lots of support for them so they must be Ok too.

Best of luck in your quest,
John Bud

 

[Thomas]

Indeed that would be a tough choice.
There both well built and each unit has different features..easy for maint work,easy controls,different leg roo mstyle etc...
If it was I..I would take try both model out before purchasing one.
Don't over look New Holland,for the have real nice unit as well.

 

[cowboydoc]

If you're looking at the 4310 they are a sweet tractor. I just drove a 4710 yesterday and worked all the new controls and it is nice. The hst is like working a feather control. It's very responsive. the levers, loader, etc. all seemed to work better as well. That new speed control outdoes anyone out there. It's not where it will hold the pedal at a certain rate. It actually adjusts the tractor to stay at the same speed no matter the conditions. This tractor has so many controls it's amazing. You can even control your forward and your reverse speeds automatically and preset them. I'd go drive one with all the toys on it and then make your decision. Kubota is a fine machine but deere has outdone everybody at this point with these new tractors in my opinion.

 

[GaryK]

I was lucky when I went looking, the green and orange dealers were right next to each other. I simply had to walk back and forth. their prices were about the same and both were great to deal with. i finally went with the green machine because I liked the HST pedals better and the position of the SCV next to the seat, on the orange machine it seemed you just had to reach a little too far forward. But like others have said, it will boil down to which dealer you like and what is comfortable and best suited to your needs........good luck.

 

[Knight9]

Richard,

<font color=blue>This tractor has so many controls it's amazing.</font color=blue>

Could just be me, but since I'm such a mechanical junior as far as my capablities I feel much more comfortable with a less electronic, simpler machine. I'm always concerned with so many controls, that there are so many more things that can go wrong that I don't have a hope of fixing. The end result for me is a greater reliance on dealer service which costs more $$ in the long run.

Just my $0.02

Kevin