Buster57
Platinum Member
I really need a lighter tractor with more HP. I live on a steep hill. I am leaning real hard to the JD 3520. I need to go drive them both....but it is raining hard this week in Oregon. Can you imagine that?
Buying Advice John Deere compared to Kubota
- Thread starter rarvesen
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I really need a lighter tractor with more HP. I live on a steep hill. I am leaning real hard to the JD 3520. I need to go drive them both....but it is raining hard this week in Oregon. Can you imagine that?
om21braz
Veteran Member
Somebody here has already said it, but test driving a tractor is probably more important than a test drive in a new automobile.
Buster57
Platinum Member
Om21; I think you nailed it. On paper the 3520 appears to be exactly what I need. I am concerned about the comments about it being top heavy. This can only be properly determined by driving the machine.
om21braz
Veteran Member
Buster57, I have spent limited time on a Deere 3320 and on a Kubota L3240 - there is quite a bit of difference in the feel of each. IMHO, the Deere is more compact and nimble although not as planted and stable on hillsides as the Kubota. Having had 2 tires off the ground on the 3320 while lifting a large 72" pulverizer into a pick-up bed on slightly uneven ground may give me a little skewed view of the Deere.
Deere Dude
Elite Member
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- 3,886
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- John Deere 3720
I have a 3720 and had the same concern. I'm not someone to go sideways on a hill just to see how tippy it is but I want a tractor that feels planted all the time. I put 4" of wheel spacers on each side in the rear and added fluid to the tires. This stuff was relatively cheap but the riding experience improved a lot. The owners manual told me to add fluid and wheel weights and a ballast box for stability. But, fluid and spacers made all the difference in the world. After 100 hours, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.
skspurling
Silver Member
Some of the old timers I have spoken to just don't like the new JD compact tractors. Both a neighbor and my FiL both made the same observations, unsolicited.The main complaints I hear from them is the excessive use of plastic body parts and the controls make them more like a car than a tractor. My FiL is kind of hard on his stuff and the plastic on his 3410 keeps getting all broken up. In all honesty, it runs like it was built to mow grass first, and maybe do some other work second. That is just the impression I get. It runs nice and smooth. Lots of power. Just looks and feels like it was built mostly for grounds keeping.
The little Kubota I got (B2620) looks and runs like something I would expect a Japanese farmer to use to plant and work his vegetable or rice fields. It runs like a small farm tractor. In fact, the little B2320 with the narrow front end is absolutely for dirt farming. That is what it was designed for. So, to me, it feels more like a small general purpose tractor. Run a bush hog, pull a small plow, or run a small hay baler. Once, on a lark, I ran my dad's old square baler on his M John Deere. The B2620 may not have as much ground clearance, but it has more weight and horse power than that old M does.
The little Kubota I got (B2620) looks and runs like something I would expect a Japanese farmer to use to plant and work his vegetable or rice fields. It runs like a small farm tractor. In fact, the little B2320 with the narrow front end is absolutely for dirt farming. That is what it was designed for. So, to me, it feels more like a small general purpose tractor. Run a bush hog, pull a small plow, or run a small hay baler. Once, on a lark, I ran my dad's old square baler on his M John Deere. The B2620 may not have as much ground clearance, but it has more weight and horse power than that old M does.
Makes perfect sense. By a John Deere direct from the Factory!
RoyJackson
Rest in Peace
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The cab models seem to be a bit tippy...cabs add weight well above the center of gravity. That weight, plus a short wheelbase, can be problematic in some situations.
I have a 4520 with a Curtis cab. I don't think the Curtis cabs are as heavy as the factory cabs. I have a cab since I live in Vermont and our winters can be pretty tough. If I was still in south-central Pennsylvania, I'd still have an open station tractor.
So, if you want less tippy, buy an open station tractor.
As far as Deere vs. Kubota...this has been an ongoing discussion since before I joined TBN (about 16 years ago). I think they're both great...but it seems like the Kubotas are a bit shy on PTO HP compared the the closest Deere equivalent.
ovrszd
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I had never looked at the engine versus PTO HP numbers.
I made three comparisons. Compared percentage of engine HP returned in PTO HP.
Largest was the Kubota M5-111/JD 5100E. JD had .07% better return.
Mid size was Kubota M5-091/JD5085E. JD had 1.6% better return.
Smallest was Kubota MX5200/JD 4052M. JD had .01% better return.
Not sure any of those differences would be noticed.
I made three comparisons. Compared percentage of engine HP returned in PTO HP.
Largest was the Kubota M5-111/JD 5100E. JD had .07% better return.
Mid size was Kubota M5-091/JD5085E. JD had 1.6% better return.
Smallest was Kubota MX5200/JD 4052M. JD had .01% better return.
Not sure any of those differences would be noticed.
RedNeckGeek
Super Member
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- Kubota M62, Kubota L3240D HST (SOLD!), Kubota RTV900
This old thread was recently revived, and I can't help but wonder how the tractors from 6 years ago compare to what's being made now.
I also didn't see any mention of how the tractors are made. On my L3240 Kubota, the LA724 FEL pivots were worn when I bought it used, and no bushings were in any of the pivots. I ended up cutting the loader arms apart so I could get them into a mill to bore out the oval holes. Then I turned bushings and installed new pins, and welded everything back together. Major PITA caused by Kubota cutting corners to save a few bux.
The mounts for that same FEL were broken when I got the tractor, and my two attempts to repair them weren't successful. I found other threads on TBN from people with the same issue, so I had a talk with my dealer. He was reluctant to do anything seeing as how the tractor was out of warranty. I showed him the other threads where Kubota admitted there was a design issue, and he was able to get new parts for me but I had to pay something like seven hundred dollars for shipping. The regional service manager he was working with swore up and down there was no design issue, but when the new parts arrived they had been redesigned and the changes were obvious. I was pretty put off by the whole experience, by the lack of help from the local and regional Kubota people, by their implications that I'd somehow mistreated the tractor, and the outright lies they told to cover their butts.
On the other hand, the people in the dealer's shop have been very helpful, showing me exploded parts diagrams and talking me through repairs. I had to split the thing during my first year of ownership to replace a propeller shaft seal (another seemingly common problem with the Ls), and the shop's help was invaluable. That said, the new seal had also been redesigned, an indication, at least to me, that there was another design issue that Kubota wasn't owning up to.
As others have mentioned, the three point on the Kubota is very jerky, and the little set screw thing in the lever slot doesn't do a very good job of bringing the arms to the same position every time. The bracing used to keep the arms from swaying also isn't very strong and it bends easily when pushing dirt backwards with a box blade.
I've also had problems with castings breaking in the front hubs on the Kubota. They just can't seem to take much side hilling. My property is pretty steep, and it's easy to find 20 degree (thats degree, not percent) slopes. The little 32 HP engine has to work pretty hard to keep a 60" rotary or flail mower going up those slopes, and I often have to ease off on the go pedal to maintain engine RPMs. The L3240 is also pretty tippy, even with the tires loaded and the rears set to the widest stance. And the tractor doesn't even have a cab.
I'm not saying these things just to run down Kubota, as they're just my experiences with one tractor at one dealership. I do feel I know a bit more about what to look for in a tractor now, and if I ever feel a need to replace the one I've got, I'll be looking at other colors before coming to a decision on what to buy. And things like bushings and heavy sections for mounts and three points are going to have a big bearing on what I end up with. I think my neighbor, who has a comparably sized John Deer, put it best: These little tractors are good at maintaining stuff, but if you want to build stuff, you need a real backhoe.
I also didn't see any mention of how the tractors are made. On my L3240 Kubota, the LA724 FEL pivots were worn when I bought it used, and no bushings were in any of the pivots. I ended up cutting the loader arms apart so I could get them into a mill to bore out the oval holes. Then I turned bushings and installed new pins, and welded everything back together. Major PITA caused by Kubota cutting corners to save a few bux.
The mounts for that same FEL were broken when I got the tractor, and my two attempts to repair them weren't successful. I found other threads on TBN from people with the same issue, so I had a talk with my dealer. He was reluctant to do anything seeing as how the tractor was out of warranty. I showed him the other threads where Kubota admitted there was a design issue, and he was able to get new parts for me but I had to pay something like seven hundred dollars for shipping. The regional service manager he was working with swore up and down there was no design issue, but when the new parts arrived they had been redesigned and the changes were obvious. I was pretty put off by the whole experience, by the lack of help from the local and regional Kubota people, by their implications that I'd somehow mistreated the tractor, and the outright lies they told to cover their butts.
On the other hand, the people in the dealer's shop have been very helpful, showing me exploded parts diagrams and talking me through repairs. I had to split the thing during my first year of ownership to replace a propeller shaft seal (another seemingly common problem with the Ls), and the shop's help was invaluable. That said, the new seal had also been redesigned, an indication, at least to me, that there was another design issue that Kubota wasn't owning up to.
As others have mentioned, the three point on the Kubota is very jerky, and the little set screw thing in the lever slot doesn't do a very good job of bringing the arms to the same position every time. The bracing used to keep the arms from swaying also isn't very strong and it bends easily when pushing dirt backwards with a box blade.
I've also had problems with castings breaking in the front hubs on the Kubota. They just can't seem to take much side hilling. My property is pretty steep, and it's easy to find 20 degree (thats degree, not percent) slopes. The little 32 HP engine has to work pretty hard to keep a 60" rotary or flail mower going up those slopes, and I often have to ease off on the go pedal to maintain engine RPMs. The L3240 is also pretty tippy, even with the tires loaded and the rears set to the widest stance. And the tractor doesn't even have a cab.
I'm not saying these things just to run down Kubota, as they're just my experiences with one tractor at one dealership. I do feel I know a bit more about what to look for in a tractor now, and if I ever feel a need to replace the one I've got, I'll be looking at other colors before coming to a decision on what to buy. And things like bushings and heavy sections for mounts and three points are going to have a big bearing on what I end up with. I think my neighbor, who has a comparably sized John Deer, put it best: These little tractors are good at maintaining stuff, but if you want to build stuff, you need a real backhoe.