Olympus
Platinum Member
My wife says I'm about to worry her to death with all my obsessing over which tractor to buy. She's really put a lot of pressure on me with the "this is the last tractor we're going to buy and I MEAN IT" speech. So here are what I'm looking at with what I perceive as the pros/cons of each. Please help me with what you would choose. I live on 6 acres and I mow 3 of it with a ZTR mower and the other 3 acres I brush hog about 4 to 5 times a year. I have a 350ft gravel driveway that I maintain. I also have a 100 acre hunting property that I trailer my tractor to. The 100 acres is all timber except for a 2 acre old pasture that I let grow up and brush hog once in the winter and 2 acres of food plots that I put in. I also brush hog the ATV trails and would like to make some new ATV trails with a brush hog. Most of my loader work has been done already by my previous tractor, but there will be occasion to need to use loader work again I'm sure not to mention the general pushing around of things an back-dragging. So there is my situation in a nutshell and what I would be using the tractor for. I already own a 5ft brush hog, a 6ft finish mower, and a 6ft landscape rake. My father in law has a 5ft rototiller that I can borrow for tilling up the garden twice a year.
John Deere 3032E with only 90 hours and 2014 year model. Loader has never even been used and the machine literally looks like it's brand new. No scratches, dents, or dings anywhere. Still has warranty left. Hydro tranny is nice and the two ranges don't really bother me much. My last tractor only had two ranges. Good dealer network close by for parts and service. Negatives include a non-foldable ROPS (worried about limbs and branches when working at my hunting land), vertical exhaust (again worried about branches and limbs), concerned it may not be as heavy and/or wide as I like for stability and traction. But the non-foldable ROPS and vertical exhaust are my biggest worries because I know they will become a headache at some point. I'm not sure about the weight and width of the machine. I may find myself wanting more traction or stability or it may work out just fine. I probably wouldn't worry about removing the loader frame, so that's really a non-issue. And I don't use anything on a mid-PTO so not having that is also a non-issue for me.
Kubota L3200 HST with only 165 hours and a 2013 year model. Here is a link to the actual machine: 2 13 Kubota L32 HST 4WD for sale in Columbia, MO | Farm Power Lawn & Leisure (573) 442-1139 I like the Kubota brand, like that it's a hydro tranny, and looks to be very clean. Rear tires are filled with Rim Guard. Negatives are the bucket is pinned on and dealer says probably $500 to convert to SSQA. Also potential negative is the treadle pedal design. My last tractor had the two pedal system and I much prefer that, but some say it's a matter of just getting used to something different. Also read that the 3pt arms can be jerky, but I haven't asked if that's the case on this machine. It's about 600lbs or so heavier than the Deere, so that gives me a little more piece of mind.
LS R3039 shuttle shift with only 187 hours and a 2013 year model. Has factory warranty until December 2018. Looks to be a very clean machine also. Original owner was a mechanic and took excellent care of the tractor. Biggest like is 39HP engine and 30HP at the PTO! Also has two sets of rear remotes! Has a suspension seat and tilt steering column. No emission junk to worry about either, just a regular 4-cylinder Mitsubishi diesel engine. Has detachable loader frame and SSQA bucket. Has telescoping stabilizers instead of turnbuckles and telescoping 3pt arms also! Tractor with loader weighs almost 4000lbs without fluid in the rear tires and is wide so I feel very confident that I would not be wanting for power, traction, or stability with this particular tractor. I have a strong LS dealer network in my area and my last tractor was an LS. I've been happy with the brand and with the dealers.
Branson 3520R shuttle shift with 304 hours and a 2013 model. Has factor warranty left until some time in 2018 also. Exceptionally clean machine with one owner. Owner also provided additional air and oil filters to the dealer when it was traded in. This tractor is the biggest frame size of all 4 options. It's taller, wider, and much heavier. It's closer to 5000lbs with the loader. Lift capacity is the highest of the 4 also at over 2000lbs. Has fender mounted loader joystick, has telescoping 3pt arms, has independent live PTO. And I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but the dealer said that these tractors have mechanical injection pumps instead of electronic injection. So I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Has a detachable loader frame and SSQA bucket as well. Possible negatives are that there's only 1 dealer reasonably close (40 miles) and it's a very small shop. Guy assures me that Branson factory is very responsive to their calls and he can get parts in about 3 to 5 days. Branson isn't a large or as well known of a brand, so I would hate to buy a machine and then be hours away from the next dealership if this guy closed the doors. Or even in Branson stopped making tractors altogether.
John Deere 3032E with only 90 hours and 2014 year model. Loader has never even been used and the machine literally looks like it's brand new. No scratches, dents, or dings anywhere. Still has warranty left. Hydro tranny is nice and the two ranges don't really bother me much. My last tractor only had two ranges. Good dealer network close by for parts and service. Negatives include a non-foldable ROPS (worried about limbs and branches when working at my hunting land), vertical exhaust (again worried about branches and limbs), concerned it may not be as heavy and/or wide as I like for stability and traction. But the non-foldable ROPS and vertical exhaust are my biggest worries because I know they will become a headache at some point. I'm not sure about the weight and width of the machine. I may find myself wanting more traction or stability or it may work out just fine. I probably wouldn't worry about removing the loader frame, so that's really a non-issue. And I don't use anything on a mid-PTO so not having that is also a non-issue for me.
Kubota L3200 HST with only 165 hours and a 2013 year model. Here is a link to the actual machine: 2 13 Kubota L32 HST 4WD for sale in Columbia, MO | Farm Power Lawn & Leisure (573) 442-1139 I like the Kubota brand, like that it's a hydro tranny, and looks to be very clean. Rear tires are filled with Rim Guard. Negatives are the bucket is pinned on and dealer says probably $500 to convert to SSQA. Also potential negative is the treadle pedal design. My last tractor had the two pedal system and I much prefer that, but some say it's a matter of just getting used to something different. Also read that the 3pt arms can be jerky, but I haven't asked if that's the case on this machine. It's about 600lbs or so heavier than the Deere, so that gives me a little more piece of mind.
LS R3039 shuttle shift with only 187 hours and a 2013 year model. Has factory warranty until December 2018. Looks to be a very clean machine also. Original owner was a mechanic and took excellent care of the tractor. Biggest like is 39HP engine and 30HP at the PTO! Also has two sets of rear remotes! Has a suspension seat and tilt steering column. No emission junk to worry about either, just a regular 4-cylinder Mitsubishi diesel engine. Has detachable loader frame and SSQA bucket. Has telescoping stabilizers instead of turnbuckles and telescoping 3pt arms also! Tractor with loader weighs almost 4000lbs without fluid in the rear tires and is wide so I feel very confident that I would not be wanting for power, traction, or stability with this particular tractor. I have a strong LS dealer network in my area and my last tractor was an LS. I've been happy with the brand and with the dealers.
Branson 3520R shuttle shift with 304 hours and a 2013 model. Has factor warranty left until some time in 2018 also. Exceptionally clean machine with one owner. Owner also provided additional air and oil filters to the dealer when it was traded in. This tractor is the biggest frame size of all 4 options. It's taller, wider, and much heavier. It's closer to 5000lbs with the loader. Lift capacity is the highest of the 4 also at over 2000lbs. Has fender mounted loader joystick, has telescoping 3pt arms, has independent live PTO. And I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but the dealer said that these tractors have mechanical injection pumps instead of electronic injection. So I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Has a detachable loader frame and SSQA bucket as well. Possible negatives are that there's only 1 dealer reasonably close (40 miles) and it's a very small shop. Guy assures me that Branson factory is very responsive to their calls and he can get parts in about 3 to 5 days. Branson isn't a large or as well known of a brand, so I would hate to buy a machine and then be hours away from the next dealership if this guy closed the doors. Or even in Branson stopped making tractors altogether.
