Kubota costing more than Deere

[LD1]

No I'm somewhat right. 25 hp is 25 hp, whether the tractor is big or small. The weight difference is only 500 lbs between the HST 3320 and HST 3240. That weight could easily be made up on the JD for less than the extra price of the Kubota.

Same can be said for the l3400 hst. It only weighs 300lbs less than the deere. That can easily be bade up for less than the extra price of the deere.

 

[art]

I respectfully disagree with you.

1. John Deere is an American Company out in Wisconsin. They also have a very large factory there and one on the east coast that puts together the 100 Series tractors. They do have factory's all over the world, but a lot of them deal with the demand for tractors in that country.

Ok Ford pick up trucks instead of Chevy. Personally I love the 2009 Dodge Ram truck. They made some nice improvements to it.

Duh! Get past the glitter!

 

[Hematite]

So the truck or car you drive, is the hood and all the body panels made of plastic? If not, I guess you would prefer a plastic vehicle. What ever floats your boat.

No actually, I didn't say that did I? So rather than "guess" about what I prefer, why not think about what I said? By the way, since you mentioned boats, yes, they are made of plastic/fiberglass, as are MANY body parts on modern cars. The use of composites (plastic/ fiberglass) is a BIG improvement over using steel in body parts applications. The advantage of using painted steel is that it's CHEAP.

A tractor is not about what material a body part is made of, it is about the type and capacity of work that it can do as well as its mechanical durability.

 

[slowzuki]

I suppose I could try to ballast a 25 hp ride on up to the same weight too but it doesn't make it apples to apples. A bigger tractor has larger tires and the ability to carry more ballast or larger implements.

My 52 hp L5030 hst can't do the same things as my neighbours 50 hp Case/IH JX. Their maximum ballasted weight is like 16,000 lbs.

No I'm somewhat right. 25 hp is 25 hp, whether the tractor is big or small. The weight difference is only 500 lbs between the HST 3320 and HST 3240. That weight could easily be made up on the JD for less than the extra price of the Kubota.

 

[Cargun]

I haven't kept up with the latest pricing, but when I was tractor shopping for 2 years solid back in 05-07 I compared about every model of every make in the 30-45 PTO horsepower range. And I got quotes from at least 2 dealers on each.

Comparing nearly identical tractors, the NH was the most expensive, Kubota was 2nd, Deere was cheapest (again, comparing dealer prices for nearly identical tractors out the door). But there were certain features or model combinations that were only available from one manufacturer. For example, if I wanted a Powershift transmission, Kubota was the only one to offer that in the L series. For base model tractors, Kubota's L3400 and L4400 didn't have any direct comparison (maybe to the JD 990... but not exactly). For a small utility, Kubota was the only one that offered Power Reverser on a 'value' tractor with the M5040. Deere had more basic 5x05 (no reverser) or the uplevel 5x25 series, which were cheaper and much more expensive than the M5040 respectively (but with feature content that matched the price).

But there were special deals that would come along that could knock any of the 3 into the value lead. When the L40's replaced the L30's, Kubota has some excellent prices on old stock L30's. I ended up buying NH when they offered several thousand off and 2.9% for 96 months on the TC55 when they were phasing it out.

So you can say based on a special sale, or having a model available with the exact feature content you want that one brand is a better value than the others, but if the tractors are comparable and no one is running a land rush deal they were all within $1000 of each other out the door. I also found the non-big name tractors to be so close to the big three in price that I wasn't willing to take a risk on them. I'd rather spend the extra $2k-$3k up front and know I'm getting a unit with dealer support and resale that will be there decades down the road.

 

[Hematite]

My experience while shopping was similar to that of Cargun and others. It really is quite difficult to compare across manufacturers. There are a number of size differences, alone, when comparing "same" hp tractors.

In the end, I went with the best value that I could find in a quality tractor and I think that this is what most people are trying to do.

 

[Altex]

... By the way, since you mentioned boats, yes, they are made of plastic/fiberglass, as are MANY body parts on modern cars. The use of composites (plastic/ fiberglass) is a BIG improvement over using steel in body parts applications. The advantage of using painted steel is that it's CHEAP...

BIG improvement? Any examples? Here's one.

When something heavy falls on it or you bump something hard, metal will just dent, but plastic/fiberglass will crack and break, then you have to replace the whole fender/panel. With metal, I can live with a dent.

Sure plastic/fiberglass is lighter, good for boats and cars that need speed and better gas mileage. If you hit a small stump on a fiberglass boat and get a ding, you have to get it repaired $$. If you hit the same stump with an aluminum boat, you get get a dent. If you look at the other end, why don't tanker ships use plastic hulls, wouldn't it be lighter?

We're not drag racing here. I think most of us are looking for durability. Tractors are suppose to be tough and last long. Oh and I think you got it wrong. Most people would think, using Plastic is CHEAP.

 

[Hematite]

Altex, you seem to have no knowledge of the cost of manufacture of plastic or especially fiberglass parts so, in view of that there is no point in continuing any discussion of which is cheaper to manufacture. Suffice it to say, I maintain my position that steel sheet metal is cheaper to manufacture.

If you're talking about "perceptions" that would be a different matter. Most people would "percieve" the plastic is cheaper. I prefer reality to "perceptions".

 

[MDM]

So could a 25 hp Briggs move a 3000 lb machine the same as a 25 hp motor made for that machine?

 

[gordyy]

So could a 25 hp Briggs move a 3000 lb machine the same as a 25 hp motor made for that machine?

I will take on that one
went and helped a friend mow he has a 24 hp Murray hst drive garden tractor 54" cut
my cc-yanmar has a 24 ho yanmar diesel 60" cut
he can mow at maybe 2 mph in tall grass level ground
I was maxing out low range hst in the same grass about 5.5 or 6 mph and occasionally slapping it in high range on the level areas mowing even faster
my cut was better than his I mowed 3 times the area per hour

there is a lot of difference between 24 hp gas and 24 hp diesel
and of course the whole build of the tractors is totally different

and as for pull he can hook a trailer with 1000lbs in it and not be able to pull it power wise
Mine will pull a 1/2 ton pickup out of a ditch ( just put a lot of weight in the loader bucket before you try that one