Buying Advice Ugg.. How did you owners ever come to a decision?

[DMG Tractor]

Thank you very much everyone for taking the time to share your experiences and advice, I'm glad to hear that in general all the machines i'm considering are believed to be adequate as far as initial quality is concerned. So that leaves it to Dealer service, Warranty and Price. To be fair to the JD dealer I was dealing with the used manager for 9 Green diamond locations as the sales guys were out when i was there..so he was likely just out of his element a bit... I'll have to survey a few of the local JD owners to get a feel for the dealer's after sale commitment. As far as the jerky hitch on the standard L series kubota I'll have to try out the new ones they have up there. Still good to hear that you guys are satisfied with them though and no no i can't really see myself boom ploing an engine out. Does anyone else feel the little GL3240 may be a little under powered for its weight? I remember the little 20 hp kioti i've used on occasion it seemed to have ample power and I'm told its quite heavy for its HP rating.

I noticed no one commented on their experience with the JD4105 .. anyone got one? .. it seems to get overlooked either for a smaller higher end 20 series or perhaps people in that price point bite the bullet and move right on up to the 4120

Thanks again folks and keep it coming..all good stuff...
Dave
"JD La135 special edition".. lol

 

[k0ua]

Thanks again folks and keep it coming..all good stuff...
Dave
"JD La135 special edition".. lol

Hey I have one of those too! love it:thumbsup:

James K0UA

 

[ManAtArms]

Just another note for you to consider. I live in NJ and have 3 Kubota dealers within 25 miles. It might sound unnecessary, but if you need to find a new dealer because one is unhelpful/unfriendly/goes out of business, then it's nice to have the option of a second dealer nearby.

For example, one local dealer has an excellent service dept., but they're small and get backed up often. It can sometimes take 30 DAYS to get an appointment for non-emergent issues. There's another dealer neraby with a gigantic service department. I can usually drop off a machine without an appointment and have it looked at same day. They can also pick up my machine or perform same day field service. So if you're going to depend upon your tractor, strongly consider which service departments are close to you and capable.

 

[om21braz]

1 - Researched for quite some time - got a TBN education.
2 - Figured out what were popular models that many were happy with in the hp range I was looking at
3 - Once I determined size and which brands, then I began looking at used and approx. what they were selling for (looked at many completed Ebay auctions) - figured approx. price to expect to be able to buy one for.
4 - Now it's time to look at some machines - looked at several before finding one that appeared to be in overall good condition and price was in my range.
5 - Lastly, and most importantly IMHO, don't pay more than I think it could be sold for at a later date - Fortunately (really unfortunately) I was able to own and use it for a year, then sell for what I had invested in it. Basically used it free for a year.

Problem now is I thought I could do without it, thought my work was done. Two weeks after selling, I wish I had it back. Oh well, somebody has another one for sale and I am better equipped than before - Many thanks to TBN!

 

[grsthegreat]

I had the same problems when i bought my tractor a few months ago. My John Deere dealer..the one i bought my last tractor from, refused to give me 1 cent off of the MFG suggested price....even for cash. He also took 3 days of calling to find out how tall the cab was...3 days of calling. I probibly should have checked at another JD dealership, but that was 45 miles further away.

I liked the local Kubota dealer and liked the tractor, but the price was just too much.

I loved the Kioti i finally purchased, got along great with the dealer and hes been selling them and working on them for 8 years. The price was substantially less then either JD or Kubota, with an additional 2500 off for all cash. Some people say the Kioti will be worth less if i resale it...but i paid less for it so that doesn't matter.

NO SALESMAN should be cold and standoffish....never. I'm a businessman and i know if I'm cold and uncaring, i lose clients. Well the same goes for them. I don't care if i know what i want. If they want my money, they better care about my needs. PERIOD.

 

[TripleR]

Does anyone else feel the little GL3240 may be a little under powered for its weight? I remember the little 20 hp kioti i've used on occasion it seemed to have ample power and I'm told its quite heavy for its HP rating.

Thanks again folks and keep it coming..all good stuff...
Dave
"JD La135 special edition".. lol

The only GL3240 owner who I can remember who has commented on not enough power was working in the hills with a BH and it was a little slow going uphill.

I don't own one, but used a 32 HP Ford for quite a few years and while it was OK, I need/want more power, but we have a lot of ground. Others will be happy with them.

 

[Agrantina]

I have the little Grand (L3240GST) and have not found a problem with--not enough power. It did slow in RPM when I was tilling MUD with my brand new tiller... But that was my fault- I couldnt stand it and wanted to try my new tiller out at full 6inches one pass depth. :confused2: Other than that I have not had any problems out of it.. Now I wanted the 3940 but price was the difference for me.. But I am not at ALL dissatisfied with the power of the little Grand!.. Excellent tractor that is heavy-larger than the L3200-L3400 and has all the opitions.. Life is Grand!

ANdyG

 

[PapaPerk]

Kubota L3240.... but I would go for the L3940!

I prefer to pick out the best machine... and then worry about the dealer. If the machine is of good quality.... you won't need the dealer!

Deere is a little big for the britches. If I was buying a 50+ tractor I would consider a Deere. But for under 50 hp Kubota is the only way to go in my opinion.

I have a L3830 with 600 hrs on it. It is an awesome machine.... and I design machines for a living. It is built very well and is tough as nails. There's a reason the Bob Cat company uses Kubota diesels in their equipment!

 

[Chilly807]

I'd suggest you look in the review section of the forums..

Compact Tractor Reviews - TractorByNet.com

Sean

 

[Dr_Zinj]

View attachment TRACTOR.bmp

 

[MtnViewRanch]

There's a reason the Bob Cat company uses Kubota diesels in their equipment!

Are you sure that they are still doing that? I thought that they changed a few years ago.

 

[flusher]

Hello folks, I'm new here and am trying to decide on a machine but having a rather difficult time determining which machine would be best for my needs.
I have very limited tractor background having only operated a Kioti ck20hst and a kubota l3250 gear. That being said I much prefer the simplicity in the operation of HST.
My property size is 51 acres however the tractor is only ever likely to see 16 of those acres. There will be small tree and slash removal. small road building, Log and firewood handling, 6ish acre pasture maintenance, fence building, snow removal and of course landscapin'g. Not likely to be involved in any hay work or heavy forestry work. So I think that puts me in the compact range between 30 and 40 hp. The implements I forsee are Loader with hd bucket, rotary cutter, grapple bucket, post hole digger, snow blower/ power angle blade, box blade, landscape rakes, etc. I was thinking R4 tires (with chains for the winter), at least one rear remote and a true third function on the loader.

The models I am condering are:
kioti ck35hst
Kioti dk 35hst
deere 4105
deere 3320
kubota L3400 hst
Kubota L3800 hst
Kubota GL3240

As far as dealers go.. the kioti guys seem alright and i have heard positive reviews from a neighbor, The kubota guys get mixed reviews most of the negative being based on parts pricing but willing to deal a little a little more on tractor purchase. The deere guys actually scare me a little, they seem cold and unhelpful, however they claim to "look after their customers". The thing i likeabout deere is the size of their support networks for parts etc.

All in all i get exicted about the acquisition of a new tractor.. but after trying to determine what and who to buy from and trying to compare all the options the whole process leaves me anxious and bothered.

Any insight, experiences or suggestions are truly welcome.

With 51 acres, I'd think over my hp requirements again very carefully. With that much land, I'd go with a Kubota L4400 as a minimum. Don't fall completely in love with hydrostatic trannies to the exclusion of other options--shuttle shift trannies are nice too and generally less expensive.

Kubota's are nice machines. My first tractor was a new 2005 Kubota B7510HST. My neighbor has an L4400 which is a sweet machine.

Test drive. Be sure you like the way the 3pt hitch works (Kubota's quarter inching 3pt on the smaller machines is decidedly inferior IMHO). Check out the service and parts departments carefully, including transportation costs if you don't have a rig capable of hauling your tractor.

 

[powergod1]

Are you sure that they are still doing that? I thought that they changed a few years ago.

i just looked at the motor in my CT440, doesnt say kubota on it anywhere i can find.

 

[PapaPerk]

i just looked at the motor in my CT440, doesnt say kubota on it anywhere i can find.

I'm talking about their excavators and skidsteers. Not their compact tractors.

BobCat was purchased from Ingersoll-Rand by a foreign company. So I wouldn't doubt that BobCat may switch from Kubota to another engine manufacture. Which is a shame.

But T190, T320, etc have Kubota engines last time I checked.

 

[powergod1]

I'm talking about their excavators and skidsteers. Not their compact tractors.

BobCat was purchased from Ingersoll-Rand by a foreign company. So I wouldn't doubt that BobCat may switch from Kubota to another engine manufacture. Which is a shame.

But T190, T320, etc have Kubota engines last time I checked.

sorry my mistake

 

[milkman636]

View attachment 212196

Wow, a picture is worth a thousand words isn't it? Couldn't have said it any better, no matter how hard I tried.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm talking about their excavators and skidsteers. Not their compact tractors.

BobCat was purchased from Ingersoll-Rand by a foreign company. So I wouldn't doubt that BobCat may switch from Kubota to another engine manufacture. Which is a shame.

But T190, T320, etc have Kubota engines last time I checked.

Yes, BobCat is now owned by a Korean company. They get the BobCat tractors from Daedong another Korean company, the same company as Kioti. I don't know if they will start using Daedong diesels in the skidsteers but if they do rest assured they are very reliable engines.

 

[DMG Tractor]

lol without the axis labeled .. not sure i get it...

 

[grsthegreat]

lol without the axis labeled .. not sure i get it...

it looks alot like Obamacare funding graph to me

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Humor is rarely universal.
There's always going to be someone who "doesn't get it".
That's okay.
Better to have folks not get a joke, than to have a bunch mad as **** because of it.

Point is, there's a lot of factors that go into the decision process for a major cost item like a tractor. And that item is always going to cost more than you want to pay. Given a field of 6 different manufacturers and 1 to 3 different models for each one, the decision point is going to start with a resounding no sale for all of them, and then increase in fits and starts until you reach a tipping point. And even after the sale, if you had a couple of other tractors that were almost at that buy point, then you're going to engage in various amounts of buyer remorse, no matter how happy you are with your new toy.