Kubota costing more than Deere

[LD1]

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

I disagree.

HP is HP. It doesn't matter what it is. Torque on the other hand is a different story. While a briggs may have high HP, they lack the torque down low. So no it wouldn't be able to move a 3000lb tractor very efficiently.

Torque is a measurement of how much work can be done.

HP is computed using the torque to derive how fast that work can be done.

While you make a valid point with the two mowers, if it's 24HP it 24HP. But when in tall grass, the smaller mower lacks the torque to keep the engine art max RPM, which is where the 24HP is. When it bogs down, it has way less than 24HP.

I'll give you an example of my own. I have a 29 PTO HP tractor with a 60" 3PH mower. My parents have a 23HP ZTR with a 61" deck. He can cut grass way faster than me, no matter how high, and leave a cleaner cut. And I'm not talking about the agility making him faster, in a straight line, he can mow at more MPH than me.

As far as pulling, again it has to do with torque, and gearing and not HP.

How's come a 310HP deisel motor in a 3500 will out pull a 345HP HEMI in the same truck?..........Torque.

 

[Hematite]

LD1: You bring up an excellent point! It really is about torque. It makes me wonder why tractors are rated by HP? Torque ratings would certainly be more meaningful in rating the power of a tractor.

 

[Johndeere3720]

I would go Deere. The green machine will do the job, but I still like Kubota. I am all about price and quality.

 

[Altex]

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".

Hematite, "you seem to have no knowledge" between the difference of Cost and Durability. Metal fenders are more durable than plastic because they give. As I said before, if you bump something with a plastic fender it will crack and break and metal will just dent. Why is it that JD uses metal fenders on those big AG tractors and plastic on some of the compacts?

You keep mentioning cheap, cheap, cheaper and cheaper in your posts. I agree with you that Plastic is Cheaper. That's because most people know, CHEAP refers to low quality. Inexpensive refers to cost.

 

[art]

Steel vs plastic in tractors goes deeper then you think!!!!!!!!

A while back a manufacturer discussed with us that they lost 2 decibels of noise by going with the more expensive plastic hoods!!!! The loss of the noise was worth it to them to make a quieter machine.

Some manufactuers build high enough quality components(engines,transmissions) that they don't need to cover them up with more expensive plastic hoods and body panels to make them exceptable for the market place.

It is the most economical way to make a noisey engine and drive quieter for some!

 

[MessickFarmEqu]

Metal fenders are more durable than plastic because they give. As I said before, if you bump something with a plastic fender it will crack and break and metal will just dent. Why is it that JD uses metal fenders on those big AG tractors and plastic on some of the compacts?

Guys.. there is no real point to the plastic vs metal thing. Whats more important is if its done right or wrong. Kubota did plastic in the BX-50's... they did it wrong and had a near riot on their hands till we got our metal back. I'd say Deere did plastic wrong on their compacts as the hoods are floppy and thin. New Holland did a bang up job with plastic. Their hoods and fenders are very solid. Kubota did a poor job with plastic on some of the big M's as the paint fades in the sun.

You can't make blanket statements that say one is better than the other. You gotta judge each machine on its merits.

 

[Hematite]

Guys.. there is no real point to the plastic vs metal thing. Whats more important is if its done right or wrong. Kubota did plastic in the BX-50's... they did it wrong and had a near riot on their hands till we got our metal back. I'd say Deere did plastic wrong on their compacts as the hoods are floppy and thin. New Holland did a bang up job with plastic. Their hoods and fenders are very solid. Kubota did a poor job with plastic on some of the big M's as the paint fades in the sun.

You can't make blanket statements that say one is better than the other. You gotta judge each machine on its merits.

Thank you, makes sense to to me!

 

[rickster]

JD do cost more then Kubota where I live!

 

[tallyho8]

Comparing fiberglass to metal, if you hit the metal front fender of a dually, LIGHTLY, with a hammer, you have a dent that needs to be repaired. If you hit the rear fiberglass fender LIGHTLY, it does no damage.

If you hit them both hard, you get a dent and a crack. I can repair a crack in fiberglass faster than a dent in metal. Other people who are more experienced with metal work may be able to fix the dent faster.

The fiberglass will never rust out, the metal will.

Yes, there are cheap plastics used in some applications and quality plastics used in others. There are also cheap and quality metals used. All the chrome metal pieces I get that are made in China start rusting very quickly compared to the ones made in the US.

Which is better all the time? Neither. But both are better sometimes in unique situations.

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

Year or so ago when i made up my mind to buy a tractor i was stupid and thought yeah i will do the right thing and buy an american made tractor

i basically found that there was not really such a thing anymore, so knowing that i figured i wouldnt go wrong with either green, blue or orange. So i started calling around for price and the dealers ability to negotiate off list price. Im cheap, i wanted the best bang for the buck.

I called dealers in a 3 state area. at the time (late april 08) the green dealers wouldnt budge off list, you want it heres the price, you dont fine. I was surprised but none would deal.

The 5 blue dealers i called 4 wouldnt budge off list and one came off list 11% but was the farthest away from me.

The 4 orange dealers I called all wanted to wheel and deal off list. While some were just 5% off list some others were quite a bit more plus they were offering free delivery, free 50 hour maintanence, etc. Needless to say I ended up with the kubota and have been 100% happy ever since.

So that was my experience, had the green dealers been willing to negotiate at the time i would have probably been owning the green brand.