Which tractor To Buy

[jakekubota]

I am in the market for a new tractor and am wondering if anybody has any suggestion or pros or cons. I have got it narrowed down to a Kubota L3400 a Bobcat or a John Deer. I really am leaning towards the Kubota but am looking for somew advice.

Thank You Jake

 

[TheRegMan]

The Kubota L3400 is a good tractor. I had one for about 2 years and it was very capable for what I used it for which included mowing with a 6' mower, bush hogging with a 5' light duty cutter, box blading and some FEL work. You can run it all day long hard and not use a 9 gallon tank of diesel.

It is a very basic tractor though and had a couple of "minor" problems. The PTO cable was a very poor design and became non functional. Apparently from what I've read, this was a problem with many of them but I believe they have changed the design. Mine was a 2007 model. Also it uses a little plastic sight glass to check the hydraulic fluid. Mine broke with under 100 hours and drained out a bunch of fluid before I realized it. That was also a cheap fix but I suspect I may have cost myself some life of the tranny (hydro). Also, the lift arms on the 3 point are reported to have a real jerkiness problem. Mine did also but not real bad.

As far as basicness, it is definitely a no frills tractor and pretty light weight which can be a good thing depending on what you want to do. It has turn buckles on the lift arms instead of the sway bars and they do not have have telescoping ends. That can make hooking up an implement a real frustrating chore. It has no remotes but they can be mounted as an option.

Don't get me wrong; it was a good tractor IMO but I certainly would not pay a premium price for one. That's the problem; for the price they cost, you can get a lot more tractor.

I have never owned a JD so I will not comment on that other than to say it's clear that people like them.

I like the Kubota brand because they build their own instead of usiing parts from everybody all over the world. That's one of the reasons I also looked at the Kioti which I am really pleased with. That will be my next acquisition.

Good luck on your purchase.

 

[jakekubota]

Thank you for your response. I was wondering if the rear hydraulic coupler is a expensive option? I understand what you mean by basic tractor(no frills) I was wondering if there are any other options that you would have liked on the tractor that others had.

Thank you Jake

 

[LAWALLSTRACTOR]

The Bob Cat is a Kioti tractor in white paint, and I would think it would be a bit more tractor for the money than the Kubota.

 

[TheRegMan]

Thank you for your response. I was wondering if the rear hydraulic coupler is a expensive option? I understand what you mean by basic tractor(no frills) I was wondering if there are any other options that you would have liked on the tractor that others had.

Thank you Jake

Jake, from what I have gathered on this forum, a hydraulic remote is typically about $800 if you have it done by the dealer. Two would be nice. That way you could have top and tilt. If you're not familiar with that, it allows you to adjust the pitch and yawl of a rear implement on the go hydraulicly instead of getting off the tractor and dealing with tight turnbuckles. There is a recent thread on them in the attachment section with good pics. Many tractors come standard with one remote and some with two. Another thing which I feel is essential on my next tractor is telescoping lower links with sway bars. I would not get anything without this. It will save a lot of headaches and frustration in the implement hook department.

Galen is correct on the Bobcat. It is a Kioti with some minor differences. Kind of like buying a Buick or Chevy. It's going to be the same mechanically with some minor trim differences. You will definitely get a lot more tractor for your money than buying the Kubota or JD. I believe the Bobcats come with a rear remote. I know Kioti does.

If you decide to look at used, I would recommend you go to Used Tractors at TractorHouse.com: John Deere Tractors, used farm tractors and farm equipment, Case IH, New Holland, Agco, Caterpillar.

There are some good deals on there and it gives you some really good pricing information.

My first tractor purchase was the L3400. This was done without education and really without any research. I knew Kubota was a good name and the guy showed me a great deal on used one with 1.1 hours. A guy had bought it and brought it back 2 days later and said it was too big for what he needed. He took a beating on it and I reaped the rewards of his mistake since I was paying cash. Although it was a good deal, it was still an uninformed purchase. I will not make that mistake again. Kioti for me!!!

Good Luck Jake!!

 

[RobertN]

Depends on what you are doing... What do you plan to do? And how much, ie mowing 10 acres or cleaning barns, or?

Biggest suggestion is to:
1 - List out the things you will be using the tractor for(include how much, ie mowing 5 acres, mowing 10 acres)
2 - Size the tractor from there
3 - Drive them all. Demo them if the dealers will let you.

I was upgrading my first tractor, a 19hp Kubota. Although the tractor had worked well, it was underpowered for the mowing chores I have. And, it was sluggish on my hills(that is why the latest "B" series have 27, 30, 32HP...). We also wanted more capacity in the FEL.

I was looking at L3410's; my wife uses one frequently at work, and it would have fit the bill for our needs.

We wound up with a New Holland TC40... Kinda big for our needs. But, it will do all the mowing we need. The loader is larger and can lift more volume and weight. The tractor is real comfortable to drive. The deal was great. Got it used from a local dealer who provides great service and support. And, it was available on the used market.

Two things you will find mentioned on TBN all the time
- Drive them all
- Good dealer can be more important than the brand of tractor

I am in the market for a new tractor and am wondering if anybody has any suggestion or pros or cons. I have got it narrowed down to a Kubota L3400 a Bobcat or a John Deer. I really am leaning towards the Kubota but am looking for somew advice.

Thank You Jake

 

[jakekubota]

thank you