Buying Advice Many People Seem to Favor Kubota over Deere on TractorByNet.

[MossRoad]

Scanning the General Forums where prospective buyers are genuinely seeking advice on new tractors to buy, it seems to me that the vast majority of posters recommend Kubota with sometimes fairly negative commentary about Deere. For perspective, we are a 4th generation Deere family with pride in our tractors and mostly positive experiences with them. We note they are robust and attractive and bring smiles to others. I certainly do not even look twice if I see an orange tractor, but then again, in my area there are mostly Deeres on the farms - easily 90 percent so I really don't see many orange tractors. But the opinions on this site would lead me to believe otherwise and so I need to consider if I have been missing something. We obviously have brand loyalty to Deere but would like to know if Kubota has overtaken them in product quality.

Perhaps you didn't know that TBN started out as a Kubota board many years ago. That's why there seems to be more Kubota talk than other brands. As the years have come and gone, Kubota has captured a huge share of the non-agricultural tractor market and quite a bit of the smaller commercial market as well by offering good products at good prices while Deere kinda let that portion of the market slip through its fingers by offering good products at premium prices. Now that Kubota has captured that share of the market, as others have mentioned, up and coming brands are taking a page from Kubota's playbook and offering good products at competitive prices. Its up to Deere to become competitive in this segment of the market. Until they do, you'll here more about the other brands on this board, as it caters to more home owners and small business owners than it does to agricultural users. That doesn't mean they aren't welcome here at all. It just means they have other interests than smaller tractors.

 

[Wagtail]

Here's what I see here in Tasmania. Now, before you discount an observation from Australia, this State is unique in that it is an island which is a significant distance from the mainland (think transport costs). With a small population of around 500,000, most of which is rural, the dealerships for all colours tend to be centrally located in the middle of the State (Longford) so it's practically a 'one stop spot' to shop for a tractor... which is great if you live in central Tassie but a problem (distance wise) for everyone else.

Therefore, in this somewhat enclosed environment, it is dealership service and support which wins the day. JD has a strong following here (by roadside observation) but there is equally a strong red (Case,MF,McCormack,Fiat) representation. I've seen some orange & blue on occasion.

At one point, the Case dealership was the top one for product support... and that was reflected in the number of red tractors bought. The local JD dealership recognised this, has built up their mobile field service/repair fleet + in-stock parts department with the promise that they will get your tractor back on line if there's a problem.

Because of this, Red owners are (by and large) switching over to Green when it comes time to buy a new rig. I bought Green because of the local JD Dealership's reputation.

So, I put it to you that the increase in Orange being sold, initially, is price for a good reliable product but it is the local dealership support that is keeping the increase share of your local market/satisfaction.

(I hope that this makes sense & that I haven't rambled on...)

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

A wouldn't mind messing up the orange color scheme with a 1960's model JD to mow with, but I will take a new Kubota ofer a new JD any day. I also hate the separate forward and reverse pedal on a JD, and what kind of moron who probably has never used a tractor decided to put the brake on the left side?

The two separate pedals is one thing that I personally put down as a plus for the Deere. Personal preference but why wouldn't you want to switch from fwd to rev with less foot movement and keeping your heel planted. I guess it depends on what you are doing, if you are back and forth and keeping your entire foot on the treadle pedal, just rocking it, then it is an advantage. I personally don't use it in that manor very often.

Also. My 2015 Kubota has its brake pedals on the left. So apparently Kubota has morons working for them too ;-)

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

I was between the JD 4052R and the Kubota L5460. They had a lot of the same features but I felt that the Kubotas distinguishing features were more useful to me than the JD's distinguishing features.

Kubota has the dual range hydrostatic which I use most every time I use the tractor. The JD had controls for inching the tractor and operating the 3 point on the rear fender. I wouldn't use them nearly as often. Maybe a few times a year as I don't switch out implements on a daily basis. Someone else would likely find the opposite to be true.

It is strange to say but I think that Kubota often times misses on the little things and surprisingly the ergonomics. I can't tell you how it pisses me off to turn off the ignition switch in my RTV with my knee when I turn to look backwards. That and catching the parking break in the hip. I strongly dislike most loader mounted hydraulic controls. Though it is certainly less complex and helps Kubota sell their product at a lower cost.

Looking at the tractors this year, JD had multiple / nicer storage compartments, the JD controls were easier to use rather than having to run through a series of menus on the dash, though the standard seat on the Kubota was a standout feature, and the JD made you remove body panels under the hood in order to get to things. So there was a bit of give and take.

 

[Texas Dawg]

I am not a Deere of Kubota owner, but went through the research and buying process about a year ago. I looked at all the brands and when talking to the Kubota dealer, he pretty much said what you said. He felt that the Kubota was a superior small tractor, but he said if he had to buy over 100 HP then he would go with a Deere himself.

 

[wcampbell47]

I have in the past traveled across Texas quite a bit. As a tractor owner I was observant as to the color of tractors I saw during my travels. A little investigation shows that the predominant color of tractors in a region could have to do with the local dealer in that particular area. I saw a lot of green when there was a Deere dealer, a lot of Orange where there was a Kubota dealer and a lot of red if there was a Case IH dealer local to the area. Another factor was the size of the machine. Mostly green and red on the large stuff. Orange was more visible on the compact utility side - home owner small contractor type. My Kubota machines (21 hp, 32 hp and now 37 hp) have been good to me. Reliable and ready to go when the key is turned on. So far I have never had to leave any of them in the shop, even just over night.

 

[MinnesotaEric]

Ah. Thanks for this helpful perspective guys. Looking back at the posts it seems more clear to me now that the stated preferences for Kubota were mostly for the smaller tractors. The next tractor I need is in the 125 hp range as we expand our farm.

Have you looked at the Massey 5600 series? Looks like a really neat machine.

 

[jeff9366]

Ah. Thanks for this helpful perspective guys. Looking back at the posts it seems more clear to me now that the stated preferences for Kubota were mostly for the smaller tractors. The next tractor I need is in the 125 hp range as we expand our farm.

You've got it.

It is only now that Kubota is introducing HEAVY 135-hp tractors, engineered specifically for quad rear wheels, to compete with Deere in the big-ag market.

U.S. Kubota dealers have complained internally for years that the M's are too light for SOME customer's needs, leaving potential sales to Deere.

This is the direction in which Kubota is moving:

"Kubota Tractor Corporation announced the grand opening of its 765,000 square-foot North American Distribution Center in Edgerton, Kansas, which will serve as the primary distribution hub for Kubota parts and whole goods distribution across the U.S. and Canada. The company expects to hire 100 employees by the end of 2015."

"Strategically located in the same development as a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Intermodal operation, which manages products delivered on ocean freight containers, Kubota’s NADC will receive and process shipments from Asia and Europe, in addition to a number of daily truckloads of goods from suppliers in North America. It will be the worldwide source for many Kubota parts, which will be exported globally."

While I have no insight, I expect that the Kansas inventory will emphasize the Kubota 'M' series.

Perhaps an 'N' series beginning with 150+ horsepower tractors is in development. (?)

 

[Garandman]

Re: Many People Seem to Favor Kubota over Deere on TractorByNet.ik

I would not be asking the question or raising the topic if I were unwilling to consider other brands so you can get off the blind brand loyalty theme please.

When I was buying a compact tractor last year, the first thing I noted was that while many people in the area had Deere tractors on farms (almost none had Kubotas), Kubota was far more popular in the compact sizes.

When I went to a Kubota dealer, the salespeople were intimate with the kind of tasks I'd need to perform on a small (12 acres) hilly, wooded tract. They had a range of recommendations for what I'd use for attachments and which ones to get first. While many people I knew had the B series, because I wasn't planning on a front-mount snowthrower they suggested looking at the heavier L series. I was going to clear trails, lift logs, move snow (not necessarily plow since I contracted that out) and had to navigate through heavily wooded and somewhat soft terrain where you could definitely have a tractor that was too big.

When I went to the Deere dealership, well actually they had two. The "big" Deere dealership sold larger equipment to farmers and contractors. They were perfectly friendly but had to direct me across the street to where the compacts were sold.

I knew this dealer as I'd purchased some Stihl tools there already to check them out. Told the salesman what I was looking for, and he didn't seem to hear a word! First thing he did was to bring me over to a tractor and show me how quick and easy it was to attach a mower, which is apparently a Deere advantage. The only problem was one of the first things I told him was "I'm not using this for mowing." it became very clear that they most of what they sold were lawn and garden tractors, primarily for mowing. It truly seemed like he was selling against Kubota instead of for Deere. I haven't been back for so much as a quart of oil since.

I also stopped at the Mahindra dealer (Pilgrim is a Mahindra fan) and they were sort of in-between. They listened to what I was looking for (by this time I was pretty sure it was a 3016 hydrostatic) and then tried to sell me a shuttle model, because that's what they had in stock. If they'd been less self-serving I might have tried to work with them as they were much closer, but this was the end of their supply of Tier 3's and I think they just gave up.

The one area where I didn't listen to the Kubota dealer came back to haunt me. When I was looking at chippers I focused on the hp requirement, and the 30hp model had a max 4.5" feed. The dealer explained that the chipper seldom need max hp and going up one model would gain a larger feed throat. The cost difference was a few hundred. I've cursed myself 25 times since because I've cut down scrub saplings where only the base and a foot or two is over 4.5" but I've either got to cut it off, or get it jammed in the throat.

So the Kubota dealer got an A+, the Deere dealer a D-, and the Mahindra dealer a C. Also noted the local farmer had 50+ hp Deeres, but all the "hobby farmers" and homeowners on the street (a total of five) had Kubotas. So maybe I have friends in low places, but at least I have friends....

 

[Egon]

Dealerships and the equipment they sell will be a direct reflection of what the buyer wants. Requirements for most farm applications are a size Kubota just doesn't have. With large farms there are fewer buyers for small tractors leaving dealerships handling them unable to be profitable.