Hello this is only my 3st post but I have been snooping around for quite awhile . I just purchased a 2015 Branson 3520R with FEL,Backhoe and a BH15 5' Brush Hog . I think I got a reasonable deal at $24,241.25 OTD for the package . The dealer is @50 miles away so not a big deal since any tractor dealership is at least 20 miles from me . The dealer has been in business awhile and has a service dept as well so I feel pretty good about that end of the deal . I did get a few quotes from tractor shops that did not stock the units but I would never buy something so expensive from a brochure .
I live in town on 1.33 acres that has my house and old business that the wife and I ran for 20 years and I recently paid off my Kubota ZG222 zero turn (way overkill but hey , I like quality stuff) . I also wanted it to be the last mower I ever bought . Why did I choose a Branson tractor ? Last year I purchased about 8 acres outside of town and I need something to prepare a new home site , moving dirt , digging trenches , stumps etc . The first thing I will have to tackle is brush hogging a good bit of thick underbrush and installing a overflow pipe in a small pond area . The first place I went was naturally the Kubota dealer as the ZG has been flawless even when I used it as a brush hog when my daughter bought 3.5 acres of a mess right after I decided to get it . That thing went through 3 foot tall grass , weeds , small sapplings , scurrying rodents etc like it was a tractor itself ,lol. Well the smallest model Kubota had that I thought might even tackle the job was their BL26 but at over 31k , Wow ! Over the next 6 months I would look at and consider everything from used dedicated heavy equipment backhoes and possibly getting a old tractor with a cutter just to brush hog with , to a new JD 2032R , Kiota CK27, Mihindra 3016, and a LS G3038 . After looking at the Branson 3520R with all its features , build quality , size , weight , warranty and capabilities for 24K total , it was a no brainer . Since closing my own business I am a multi-craft maintenance tech for a major automotive engine block supplier so I know what to look for as I will be the one fixing everything after the warranty is up . From the outside this thing is built well and is big enough to get the jobs I need done . It certainly fits the idea of what a tractor should be considering its appearance compared to the other offerings in the "Compact" catagory . Good or bad I will post the results here as it will definitely not get babied at its new home .