Buying Advice Kubota vs JD...newbie with 80 acres

[Notforhire]

The ONLY things that sound reasonable in that list are that the JD tractor weighs more (easy to verify) and most JD engines put out their rated HP at lower RPM. I know very little about cab tractors so I can't help you with how their constructed.

Their both good machines. I think it may be a matter of what features suit YOU best. Some features may be more important than others, to you. Good example is the buddy seat mentioned by calhoun9001.

Bill

BTW after I bought my JD, a Kubota salesman told me how JD brakes fail and cost a zillion dollars to fix, and their clutches explode every 10 minutes!
Seems they all sell their own brand of BS.

 

[GManBart]

I was in the same spot your in, After tons of research and spending time with both tractors and many others I bought the deere. I ordered it it Nov and it just came in. For me personally I felt the deere was a better fit. This is a pic of it at the dealer, they have to add loader and bunch of other stuff. I hate to say it, but one of the big reason was the buddy seat. Sounds stupid, but I really want my boys to be with me when using the tractor.

Some serious iron there! What's a ballpark price for a 5085E cab with FEL running now?

 

[trook]

I have seen them advertised for $49,950. I'm not sure, but I would imagine that is one of the better prices.

 

[MtnViewRanch]

This is from the JD dealer. They claim that the JD filters and fluids last longer, belts are self tensioning, zerks (whatever that is) are easier to greese, and fuel economy is better.
They also claim that the hydrolics run twice as fast which gets the job done faster.
JD cab is steel tubing vs. Kubota's sheet metal so JD more sturdy/secure.
JD has two sets of real SCVs compared to Kubota's one set.
JD wheelbase is wider by a few inches
JD is 1500 lbs heavier
JD's horse power is industry certified whereas Kubota's isn't.

JD says that all this leads to their product's cost to maintain for the first 600 hours is only $200 compared to Kubota's being $1,200. At 1200 hours, JD cost $500 compared to Kubota's $1,900.

Whatever I buy will be my first tractor...hopefully the last. How much truth is there to these claims?

They are both very nice tractors. They VERY FIRST thing to do is to find a new salesman if not a different JD dealer altogether. ( I would be looking for a different dealer myself) The JD salesman is , well this is a family forum and you get the idea.

Good luck with your research and the purchase.

 

[calhoun9001]

Some serious iron there! What's a ballpark price for a 5085E cab with FEL running now?

Pretty much loaded out mid 50's. I really wanted a M series, couldnt justify the extra 10 grand. I got about 18% off list. I'll post some pics when I get it home, I hope it lives up to my expectations.

 

[TXAggie1999]

Calhoun9001, that is beautiful! I still haven't been able to stomach the extra cost of the cab but the buddy seat availability may change that. I have 3 boys that love to help out.

Thanks everyone for the advice.

 

[GManBart]

Pretty much loaded out mid 50's. I really wanted a M series, couldnt justify the extra 10 grand. I got about 18% off list. I'll post some pics when I get it home, I hope it lives up to my expectations.

That's what I was guessing. The M series offers some nice features, but they aren't cheap!

 

[TripleR]

I was in the same spot your in, After tons of research and spending time with both tractors and many others I bought the deere. I ordered it it Nov and it just came in. For me personally I felt the deere was a better fit. This is a pic of it at the dealer, they have to add loader and bunch of other stuff. I hate to say it, but one of the big reason was the buddy seat. Sounds stupid, but I really want my boys to be with me when using the tractor.

Not at all and that's a really nice tractor.:thumbsup:

 

[tanker8]

Something else to consider is tier3 or tier4 engines. That will drive the cost up. I would go for the tier3 myself, less cost up front and less maintenance cost down the road.

 

[wmonroe]

This is from the JD dealer. They claim that the JD filters and fluids last longer, belts are self tensioning, zerks (whatever that is) are easier to greese, and fuel economy is better. They also claim that the hydrolics run twice as fast which gets the job done faster. JD cab is steel tubing vs. Kubota's sheet metal so JD more sturdy/secure. JD has two sets of real SCVs compared to Kubota's one set. JD wheelbase is wider by a few inches JD is 1500 lbs heavier JD's horse power is industry certified whereas Kubota's isn't. JD says that all this leads to their product's cost to maintain for the first 600 hours is only $200 compared to Kubota's being $1,200. At 1200 hours, JD cost $500 compared to Kubota's $1,900. Whatever I buy will be my first tractor...hopefully the last. How much truth is there to these claims?

I find this claim impossible to believe, but with a little work you should be able to figure out the maintenance costs. Look at when fluid changes on both tractors are required, capacities of the fluids, then see what the dealers are charging for fluid/filters. Fluid for JD and Kubota are both expensive. Better yet to mess with the salesman tell him to write into the deal that the dealership will do all servicing for the first 600 hours for $200 and up to 1200 hours for $500, I bet he starts back pedaling very quickly.