Cadillac of tractors?

[Hematite]

Well, the plastic hood on my JD 110 has had more than a few rocks bounce off it and has never dented, far superior to steel in that department. Plus, it will never rust.

Same thing for the canopy over my ROPS/FOPS. Plastic and I love it.

Now somewhere along the line is a damage event where steel will hold up better than plastic, but properly engineered plastic has lots of advantages...

I agree. The "wonderful" steel hood on the Massey Ferguson in my avatar has already been replaced to the tune of $100. The same incident would have lightly scraped the NH "plastic" which could have then been wet sanded and polished smooth again.
The only place that I see a deterioration in finish on either tractor is on painted steel or iron surfaces. The composite panels still look like new.:thumbsup:

 

[Builder]

My JD plastic parts are 10 yrs old and still look great. My Kubota plastic panels are 3 yrs old and sun faded to a salmon color. I read an article about how meticulous JD is about plastics & painting. They are over the top compared to others. My neighbor has a Chi-com tractor and after 3 yrs of sitting outside, looks like it's ready for the scrap heap.

You really do get what you pay for. If I had the money, I'd buy almost all Deere. IMO, Kubota might actually be a bit better than JD for engines & drivetrains, but JD has better fit/finish & resale value.

When you buy used equipment, appearance is a big selling point. It tells the story of most equipments previous owner. I find JD has the best used appearance.

 

[beppington]

My JD plastic parts are 10 yrs old and still look great. My Kubota plastic panels are 3 yrs old and sun faded to a salmon color. I read an article about how meticulous JD is about plastics & painting. They are over the top compared to others. My neighbor has a Chi-com tractor and after 3 yrs of sitting outside, looks like it's ready for the scrap heap.

You really do get what you pay for. If I had the money, I'd buy almost all Deere. IMO, Kubota might actually be a bit better than JD for engines & drivetrains, but JD has better fit/finish & resale value.

When you buy used equipment, appearance is a big selling point. It tells the story of most equipments previous owner. I find JD has the best used appearance.

Why no JD listed in your sig?

 

[TripleR]

Well, the plastic hood on my JD 110 has had more than a few rocks bounce off it and has never dented, far superior to steel in that department. Plus, it will never rust.

Same thing for the canopy over my ROPS/FOPS. Plastic and I love it.

Now somewhere along the line is a damage event where steel will hold up better than plastic, but properly engineered plastic has lots of advantages...

I think for many the "plastic" thing is just a personal quirk or left over from when plastic was synonymous with "cheap". I am guilty of this and hated it when Kubota used more plastic in its tractors and really don't "like" plastic in much of anything, just can't help it. I do however carry "plastic" guns, Glock and most manufacturers make similar versions and own a John Deere. While I prefer steel, it really doesn't weigh heavily on my purchase decisions, especially as the steel seems to become thinner each year and plastics get better.

 

[dodge man]

You have gotten plenty of feedback on what are considered good brands. I understand where you are coming from when you state the quality of your boat. There is just something about certain brands of things that make them stand above the rest, be it work boots, boats, cars, clothing etc.

As far as tractors go, I'm not sure you can say one brand stands above the rest. Each of the big name makers have some things that are better than the rest, and maybe have a few faults also. In my area in terms of small tractors, I see the most John Deeres, and Kubotas. That could just specific to my area but I suspect it is a trend nation wide.

You really need to just drive a few of them, and pick the one that stands out in your mind as the best.

 

[beppington]

... In my area in terms of small tractors, I see the most John Deeres, and Kubotas. That could just specific to my area but I suspect it is a trend nation wide. ...

My local Kubota salesman told me yesterday that Kubota & JD both hover around 37% market share.

He also said JD's aren't what they used to be

Of course the JD salesman said JD's are just a step above everybody else

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

My local Kubota salesman told me yesterday that Kubota & JD both hover around 37% market share.

He also said JD's aren't what they used to be

Of course the JD salesman said JD's are just a step above everybody else

Of course the Kub salesman is correct. Nothing is what it used to be. Would we still all want to be driving a Modet -T?

The JD salesman is right as well. JD's are a step above.

 

[Wacky]

If you are looking for a caddy type tractor, then yes, JD, Kubota, and even maybe NH.....but if you are looking for a Bentley type tractor, look at MF:laughing:!

 

[sweettractors]

Dealer support and reputation in your area is the key to making a decision on any top line tractor brand. We had a MF dealer here in the early sixties that would deliver a tractor to your farm and tell you that he would leave it a few weeks and if you decided you did not want it, to call him and he would come and pick it up and if you wanted to buy it, he would write you up a ticket. Not many farmers ever returned the tractor to his dealership. Needless to say, he sold thousands of 35-50-135-150-165-175's in the following years. That set this area's mindset up for most everything else being off brand for many years. Ken Sweet

 

[Soundguy]

the only problem with plastic I see is long term age and uv degredation.

metal, while it will dent, can be repaired fairly easily, and if you keep paint on it can last 70+ years.. EASY Plastic? hmm.. even the good 'space age' stuff seems to fall prey to getting brittle int he sun over the long term.. plus it's harder for the layman to repair.

soundguy