Newb questions....

[Rodney Shuffler]

Howdy all, I'm new to the forum and hoping to get advice from more experienced folks. I own 6 acres, my main use will be tilling for garden area and FEL work keeping up my shooting area (backstop etc...) along with other light tasks like dead tree removal etc...
My dad has a JD 3032E and I like it okay, but the 2-speed tranny seems to be all around where I really wanna be though. I have to admit to being a little blown away by where that little 4WD tractor could go, in the creek with mud deep enough to cover the front tires getting rock for the driveway......I just watched shaking my head.
The local dealer here in Crockett, Texas has priced the 3032E with FEL and a rotary tiller for 22,080 out the door. I reckon that's an okay price, I've not compared it to other dealers....but I do like keeping my money local. We also have Kubota, Mahindra and New Holland in town. What would be the closest equivalent from those brands to the 3032E? I'm thinking Kubota L3301, Mahindra 1533HST, New Holland I don't know about.....the Workmaster 33 or Boomer 35?
From your experience which of those choices would serve me best and am I making apple to apple comparisons?....or do I need to look at different models? Seems like industry standard warranty is 2 year bumper to bumper and 6 year drive train except Mahindra's 7 year warranty.

I'm not a brand loyalist or a dealer loyalist, I'm a Rodney Shuffler loyalist and whatever lets me buy more guns, guitars and Harleys is what i usually like best, but not if it costs me in the long run. :laughing:

Thanks folks, I appreciate the help.

 

[Tractorable]

The E series Deere's are lower end machines with non-removable loader, JD propriety quick attach, aluminum rear end, and two speed HST. The R series are more feature rich.

The equivalent to the 3032E would be:

Kubota L series (2501, 3301, 3901) - economy models. Grand L Kubota's are high feature.

Yanmar YT235 - high feature

Kioti CK3510 - economy model.

Not sure about LS, Mahindra, and Branson.

Most manufacturers have economy and premium lines. Compare the options, weight, specs and make sure you're comparing apples to apples.

 

[N2DFire]

What Tractorable said

For New Holland the Boomer is their lower end series and would be more in line with Kubota L & Kioti CK.

Also I'm 99% sure that the Boomer series is actually made by LS tractor & re-badged for New Holland and from what I've read LS puts a few more "upgrades" into their own line and still comes in at a lower price point. The XG3032 would be a comparable unit from them.

 

[Rodney Shuffler]

I didn't realize I posted the same question twice. I asked for input on models comparable to the 3032E, not much action on that, but enough to lead me in another direction. I posted another question concerning two specific models.....and got many helpful responses. Sorry, guess I shoulda read forum rules better.

 

[audsp98]

I was like you when I bought my tractor. I was not brand/dealer loyal. I just wanted the most tractor for my money.

I'd recommend looking and pricing a comparable Mahindra and LS. You'll very likely find you'll get more tractor for same money in comparison to JD and Kubota.

 

[CMV]

Have you considered used? Don't know about your area, but nice low hr small tractors show up on clist frequently here. Tractor - farm & garden - by owner - sale is an example that popped up today - that's a lot of tractor & extras for $13k.

I got mine w/ 5' bush hog & SSQA pallet forks & had 30-some hrs on it so practically brand new. I couldn't buy just the tractor new for what I paid and no tax buying used from a private seller. Was also looking at a Kioti 25hp at same time that was also nearly new, ultra low hrs, and came with bush hog. It was priced a little less but was gear drive vs HST. It also was a lot less than I could have bought just the tractor new.

No idea how your berms are made, but that is a task for mine. It's the primary reason I wanted a bigger machine too - for the dump height clearance. But after having my small 25hp machine, I think it is the right size for my 6AC land. My berms are 8' high so I needed to pack dirt & gravel to make inclines behind them so I could clear 8' to dump. No big deal and easy enough to work around. Alternative would have probably been a ~50HP machine just to get the frame size and loader height which would have been too large for the other 99% of uses and way over budget. I'm also 'limited' by only hi & low range. I don't feel like I'm missing anything though. My land is too rough to bush hog any faster and a 5' still makes quick work of the areas that I mow. If I'm doing any kind of work with the tractor, I'm not going as fast as possible in low range, so don't know where a "medium" range would fit for me. The only thing I do in "high" is run down the road to the gas station or go from one end of property to the other. I have never wished the tractor would move faster with a full scoop of dirt, pulling a bush hog, dragging a box blade, etc. Typically moving pretty slow doing any kind of work. Maybe a bigger/heavier machine that would ride better over uneven ground or a much larger and smoother piece of land and I'd wish I could go faster, but on 6AC I don't feel like I'm lacking a gear.

You can save a lot of $, still have some factory warranty left, & possibly get some attachments for 'free' on a slightly used machine. I would suspect if that slightly used machine isn't green or orange there is even more potential to save. If you have a dealer close by, I would add LS to your list of brands to check out. I'm sure many others too, but I felt like it was a lot of machine for the $ - even at new price.

 

[varmint]

Some good advice is coming your way... I am brand loyal to Kubota not because of a local dealer, color or anything but having had great service from three, all purchased used, two with 500+ hours, one with 1250 hours. I have never had anything fail on them. They seem to be very well engineered and built for their intended uses. My neighbor, on the other hand, who buys Deere's is occasionally having issues.
You probably want HST for loader work, 3 range being most useful, and having a standard SSQA bucket opens the door to easily using a fork or grapple. I'd guess R-4 tires would be best, but I don't really know Texas.