Comparison John Deere v. Kubota - small tractor

[Tenacious]

Looking from some comparison and buying advice between the John Deere E or R series versus the Kubota L series. Specifically, I am looking at Kubota L3301 or John Deere 3032E and 3033R. I am really torn between the two. any help on this would be greatly appreciated. I have a 3 acre piece of property with a two stall barn. i would be using the tractor for barn and stall maintenance, yard work, clearing junk in the wooded area, and using it for snow management of 100' driveway in the winter. Thank you in advance.

 

[GrumpyJoe]

There are vids on youtube that directly compare the two. From JD and from Kubota sides.

 

[GrumpyJoe]

Want to throw in another option for you. Check out the Mahindra 3016 vs the 3032e on you tube. Even though they dont sell the 3016 anymore you can still find them out there. Or step up to the 1533 like I have. Great tractor. Just more options for you. Looking for a tractor is half the fun.

 

[ultrarunner]

We went with the L and no regrets...

Decided because the Dealer was very helpful and nearby.

I also own a Deere and no complaints... it is just I always feel like small tractors are almost an inconvenience for my big Deere AG dealer...

 

[Shutesbury]

I'd suggest looking at the BX-25. Smaller to get into the stalls, standard backhoe will prove very useful on a regular basis.

 

[SteveM70]

I'd suggest looking at the BX-25. Smaller to get into the stalls, standard backhoe will prove very useful on a regular basis.

You haven't been here long have you? I've lurked here long enough to know that for 3 acres this could end up being Kubota M vs. JD 5 lol

 

[Wagtail]

G'day Mate and welcome to TBN from Downunder.

Enjoy the site... what do you mean by barn & stall maintenance? Are there horses/critters to consider?

 

[L39matt]

I have a 3901 and I like it a lot. It will be almost identical to the 3301 except for PTO power, I always lose traction before running out of power. I bought a Woods BH80X with a hydraulic thumb to go with it. I have cleared a good bit of brush and small trees, maintained the gravel road and driveway, dug out big rocks and a few big holes, brush hogged a little, and moved around a lot of dirt and gravel. I get a little annoyed with the fact I can only get on and off one side. Also rpms need to be about 3k for a regen which is loud and also a little annoying. It has done almost everything I have asked of it, and done it well. It's major limitations for me are with the backhoe but that would be the same on anything this size. I have almost 100 hours on it and it has regened four times, with zero warranty issues. I did have to tighten a hydraulic fitting on the loader that had a small drip at about 60 hours. Hope this helps and feel free to ask me anything else.

 

[Shutesbury]

You haven't been here long have you? I've lurked here long enough to know that for 3 acres this could end up being Kubota M vs. JD 5 lol

Ah. Six years vs 16 days. I'll step aside then.

 

[Tenacious]

I have a 3901 and I like it a lot. It will be almost identical to the 3301 except for PTO power, I always lose traction before running out of power. I bought a Woods BH80X with a hydraulic thumb to go with it. I have cleared a good bit of brush and small trees, maintained the gravel road and driveway, dug out big rocks and a few big holes, brush hogged a little, and moved around a lot of dirt and gravel. I get a little annoyed with the fact I can only get on and off one side. Also rpms need to be about 3k for a regen which is loud and also a little annoying. It has done almost everything I have asked of it, and done it well. It's major limitations for me are with the backhoe but that would be the same on anything this size. I have almost 100 hours on it and it has regened four times, with zero warranty issues. I did have to tighten a hydraulic fitting on the loader that had a small drip at about 60 hours. Hope this helps and feel free to ask me anything else.

Thank you for the information.

Yeah, it's tough to make a decision especially when the kubota sales rep says one thing and the JD rep says another. One thing that Kubota keeps mentioning is that JD doesnt manufacture all the components in their tractors i.e. the motor and the hydrostatic system. what are your thoughts about that? also, what is it with this plastic hood vs. metal hood?