Cadillac of tractors?

[beppington]

I'm in the market for a tractor, either in the ~33HP range or ~40HP range, not sure yet, close on new property this Friday. Should know which is needed pretty soon.

In the "small runabout" category in the boating world, there's Cobalt & then there's the rest. Cobalt is far & away the best boat built in that category. Best design, best materials used, best fit-&-finish, etc etc ... of course highest cost.

Now you may see a Sea Ray, Wellcraft, Crownline, Regal, or others & think it looks just as good as a Cobalt. And maybe it does "look" as good, but when you handle, drive, inspect, touch, feel, sit in/ on, etc, a Cobalt, you know right away they're kind of like BMWs or Mercedes on water.

So the question: Which brand, if any, is the Cobalt of tractors? Which brand uses the best quality, most rugged materials, has the best fit-&-finish, etc., to where you just know ____ is the best brand. Seems from my reading like maybe there really isn't one, just curious.

 

[Thomas]

Nope..well if tractor fits your needs and your comfortable one has found there cadillac.

 

[Wacky]

Nope..well if tractor fits your needs and your comfortable one has found there cadillac.

Agree. I have had my share of BMW's. Learned my lesson. :laughing:
German engineering is great...till you need a repair.

 

[sweettractors]

A good dealer can make about any brand a Cadillac. No Joke, Deere, NH. Kubota, Case/IH, MF, all your main lines with broad dealer support across the nation and better resell value will be a good place to start. Ken Sweet

 

[Transit]

Even Cadillac has lemons.

 

[JasG]

I love Deere for over 50 Hp, Kubota for under. I must say that is my personal preference. Any of the larger mfg make a great product, they also make some bad. To me it would come down to dealer support, long term ownership cost (again this is as much a dealer thing as it is OEM). Things that a brand has that others do not (Kubota with the GST, NH supersteer, etc) that I like.

Asking this question is like Ford Vs Dodge Vs Chevy. Every one has an answer, but in the end it is just opinon. There are no luxury tractor makers.

I do think Deere has the best support out there, that has been my own experience. Not very often I can't get a part, even old machines. This has been a bit of an issue with other mfg with older equipment. I fear it will only get worse as brand keep merging or changing who they partner with.

 

[roger 4400]

Mine of course, convertible, cruise control, tilt steering and red.

 

[Soundguy]

as the others said. any o fthe 'big 3' or top teir manufacturers are offering very good technology.

dealer support play a role as well.

soundguy

 

[beppington]

Big 3 ... JD, NH & Kubota?

 

[Soundguy]

and massey ferguson..

soundguy

 

[JasG]

I would say Deere, Kubota, New Holland/CaseIH, AGCO/Challenger/Massey would be the ones with the best tech and support.

 

[magicheater]

A good dealer can make about any brand a Cadillac. No Joke

Does this mean that support is more important than engineering? Too bad here in the USA we don't have access that the rest of the world has. While traveling in South America I saw GM cars you don't see here in the US, among many others. They also have diesels in compact Pickups. Could be the stringent EPA laws but in the end don't we all breathe the same air?

 

[sweettractors]

Does this mean that support is more important than engineering?

In a perfect marketplace, both should go hand in hand. It is hard for a dealer to support a poorly engineered product over the long run. Ken Sweet

 

[foggy1111]

well.....I DO own a Cobalt (07 222)......and I own a JD (even if it's only a 790 :laughing::laughing

Seriously....one of the things that makes a cobalt great is its great dealer and factory support, coupled with great design and engineering, and great resale value......all traits of the JD product line. IMO, You'd be hard pressed to beat the nationwide dealer network and parts and service support furnished by Deere.

 

[whistlepig]

Working in the machine making industry for 38 years makes for a very critical eye. And my love of tractors makes my eyes even sharper. The Kubota L3400 is my idea of the Cadillac. It's all there in a small package and then some. I don't need something this big. At least I keep telling myself that.

 

[Transit]

I had bought a Jinma; the reasons were that they are simple and easy to work on, tough, and reliable. I had the opportunity to test that.

Hydraulics; poorly engineered, replaced 4 pumps. Totally re-engineered the pluming because the lines were too small, 1/4 in. in dia where they should have been 1/2 in. dia. All leading to overheated pump failure.

Cooling system; poorly engineered, overheating because hot exhaust air was recirculating to the radiator input. Fix air dam on top of the radiator.

Electrical system:
Poor start/no start; fix, install a relay to switch the current directly to the starter solenoid.
Battery charging only to 70%. Fix, add diode to regulator to boost voltage from 13.6 to 14.3 volts.

Bolts constantly loosening; install better flat washers.

These are some of the improvements, now the tractor in near perfect.

 

[Brad_Blazer]

Boomer 8N?
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-owning-operating/133344-new-holland-boomer-8n-6.html

 

[foggy1111]

Boomer 8N?
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/new-holland-owning-operating/133344-new-holland-boomer-8n-6.html

I gotta admit....the Boomer 8N is likely the Caddilac of CUT's. Good pick. :thumbsup:

 

[magicheater]

Working in the machine making industry for 38 years makes for a very critical eye. And my love of tractors makes my eyes even sharper. The Kubota L3400 is my idea of the Cadillac. It's all there in a small package and then some. I don't need something this big. At least I keep telling myself that.

Funny, I have been thinking of upgrading to that for my small tractor ever since I saw one while doing a little custom work and a demo. I see you have the B7800, and I as well

 

[whistlepig]

Funny, I have been thinking of upgrading to that for my small tractor ever since I saw one while doing a little custom work and a demo. I see you have the B7800, and I as well

Let me know if you do. The L3400 is just crammed full of everything that Kubota does best. Some of these features seem to drop off on the next larger sizes. The larger sizes are more for farms and don't have the features of the CUT's.