Upgrade to Cab Tractor for 75 acres

[Bavarian]

I own a JD 6430 and loading/unloading bales is real fun. The premium cab and upgraded hydraulics makes it really easy. Put buying a new comparable unit would be way off the limits.

If I were in your situation, I'd look at the Kioti PX series. I test drove one on the dealer's lot and I found it to be fair unit. Check out the dealer support in your area.

 

[W5FL]

Kioti has the PX series that I know nothing about except it looks to use DEF as most tractors of this size do.

Branson does not offer a 100HP tractor today but are slated to release one next year. Branson is committed to not using a ECM to control emissions which many of us appreciate. Not sure how they will meet the emission requirements on the higher HP.

I have a Kioti and a Branson and both are great tractors for their size. If I needed a 100+hp tractor today, I would have to look closely at CaseIH, Massey, New Holland and possibly Mahindra. There are others but not being in the market for one, I have lost touch with who is who.

Good luck with the hunt!

I had looked extensively at Branson and really like their approach to building tractors. T

hen Big Red sold out and the new owner never seemed to have the 78 HP cab version in stock. I was actually planning to wait until the first or second quarter to buy a new tractor, but it is so hard to find data and prices on tractors, that I got discouraged and quit looking. I did see that Branson was working on a tier 5 version that had a manual regeneration capability, but it lost 4 HP over the previous version. In the last six months the big Branson tractors seem hard to find. Every website seems to just dump you back on the Branson website when you are looking for their stock, and prices are no where to be found. Maybe someone will clue me in. I also think the Kioti is a fine tractor and the PX series seem to fit my use very well.

I had a Massey 135 before I bought the Kubota. It was definitely a third world tractor and I sold it. It was a 2WD tractor and if you got a wheel in a ditch while mowing it was hard to get it out again. I also know nothing about the other tractors, but will check them out.

Thanks for the reply and let me know if you have any more ideas about tractors in the 78-110HP group. Thanks again.

 

[K5lwq]

Yes Branson discontinued the 78 hp tractor because of slow sells. Hopefully they will have better luck with the new one when it is released. Probably a little further drive for you but BigTex in Caddo Mills, just east of the metroplex, is a great Branson dealer. They likely can give you more updated answers.

I do like the simplistic approach that Branson uses in their design. It will be interested to see how they handle the bigger tractors.

 

[W5FL]

I've only ever had Kubota's tractors so I知 a tad bit biased. Now let me tell you why. Because I've never spent a much on repairs on all my Kubotas since 1982. Only a sprocket and chain more on that later.
Let me tell about my first one DT4500 . I bought her used, she was an 80;s something ( never did know the year) I paid $4,500.00 for her with a 12' Land Leveler Scraper. Those aren't typos that's what I paid.
I drove, I should say, beat that tractor for 25 plus years. I only changed the oil once, I never changed the hydro fluids. It sat 15 years till the weeds grew up through the tractor and floorboards above the tractor.
I pulled her out, put in a new battery, filled up the tires and after sitting outside in the weeds for 5 years she fired right up and I plowed with her for 8 hours.

Now when say abused her let me explain how bad. I never greased her EVER. Finally after all the years of owning her and not using her as much as my new tractor so I put her up for sale.

Wanting her to be at her best I changed all the fluids/filters, greased her and found out what not greasing a tractor will do. The teeth on the sprocket for the hydraulic pump were worn completely off ( the hydraulics stopped working)
The chain was also worn nearly through.

I had a machine shop make a sprocket and got a new chain and she was as good as new.

The two pins holding the loader were wore exactly in half. Picture 2" round pin that now looked like a half moon. I replaced those.

She was in tip top shape for sale.

She sold in one day for $7,500.00, remeber I paid $4,500 with a 12' Land leveler (which I still have)

Two more Kubota later one open cab a 1999, and now my current on a 4060 cab/AC, does get greased every 10 hours and oild changed every 50 hours.

Today I actually miss that tracor and If I find it ever for sale I'll be buying it back for nostagia reasons.

I have had excellent reliability from my Kubota. They are priced a little higher, but not much IF you can find a dealer that will price them fairly. I found a new Kubota M5-111HDC-12 for $54,625.00 with loader and bucket. That is a little higher than I was planning to spend and the Kubota is a "do it yourself kit" and they make it hard to stick to the lower prices. I now hear rumors of large price hikes on Kubota at the first of the year, but have no idea what is driving the higher prices. I am not sure that I can afford to buy a used tractor without knowing a lot about it as mail order is about all we are able to do. Once a problem with the Kubota was diagnosed, I had to have a dealer pick it up and take it over 100 miles for the repair. I had no desire to pull the engine and replace the oil pump.

 

[W5FL]

I've been a lurker for years but never had much to add until now! Your post is timely for me as I just spent the last few months researching my tractor options and inspecting them (often in other states) in the same size/capability range as you are looking for.

I have a 35 hp Kioti I bought new probably 5 or 6 years ago but I've only put a few hundred hours on it so far (only had 26 acres). I've only had a couple minor issues, (defective hydraulic hose, fuel relay died, etc). For small things, a lot of them are pretty generic so I can find a substitute easy enough. What frustrates me a little compared to the JD is there is no easy way to just look up a part and order it online that I've found. You have to call a dealer, they probably don't have it and you wait a few weeks for it. The Kioti seems well put together and I appreciate it's simplicity. I've asked it to do a lot in those few hours and no major weakness has been revealed.

I checked out the Branson when I was shopping for the Kioti and played on one at and around the dealership. I almost bought one because the dealer seemed like a really good one. It doesn't appear Branson or Kioti make a 10,000#+ tractor but someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

Comparatively on the parts front, JD makes it dead nuts simple to put in your serial number, look up the part, and order it from a place like greenpartstore and have it in a few days. The drive belt on my JD gave up the other day and my closest local dealer had one in stock, for a model they quit making 15 years ago which itself has 4 or 5 different belt variations based on accessories. I was back up and running in the time it took me to retrieve the belt from the dealer and put it on. I'm hoping this is indicative of my future ownership experience.

I looked at Kubota too when I was shopping for my bigger tractor, but I didn't look at new ones. I'm in GA so we can get some hot/humid summers and A/C performance was a consideration. I can't speak for the new tractors but on the older ones I was looking at the A/C on the JD was better than anything else, especially JD models that have the vents in the console/column and not in the ceiling. I imagine that's something the other mfgs have sorted out by now though on their new models. It may be hard to evaluate this time of year but maybe some owners of late model years can chime in.

Have fun in your search and keep us posted.

Glad you had good experiences with the a/c on the used Deers. This is particularly concerning here in the extreme summers in Texas. It is very difficult to keep conventional tractor radiators from stopping up with grass and pollen when mowing. Yes, the Kioti and Branson deserve a good look. Both price and performance seem to be first class. Deer and Kubota seem to have mastered the replacement parts logistics. Fortunately, I have seldom needed more than filters, oil and grease over the years.

Keep watch on this thread as we are going to buy a nice cab tractor and sincerely appreciate your comments.

 

[W5FL]

We own a working cattle farm and have both cab and OS tractors and skid loaders too. I prefer a cab most times but sometimes the OS works better. All personal choice really. Only thing I specify is it HAS to be FWA and it CANNOT be a T4 or later motor. Don't do lowest bidder emissions hardware and diesels suffer under the imposed loading of emissions crap anyway.... and they break way too often.

Of course that limits my choices severely so I stick with pre 4 Kubota large framed units. Besides, they hold their resale value extremely well. In fact, instead of depreciating, they are appreciating in value as people are coming to the realization that post 4 diesels are a royal PITA. I cannot afford the downtime so I don't.

I was sure hoping that manufacturers had finally gotten tier 4 right since it looks like Europe (and the US) are going to be requiring Tier 5 next year. I can't afford the downtime either as the cattle require a tractor to assist in many daily chores. My biggest concern is that working at idle speed is more common than working at pto speed. I spent the day today hauling and stacking bales in the fenced bale storage area and have to put them out nearly every single day in the winter.

How do you find low hour, clean, large frame 100HP Kubota tractors?

 

[W5FL]

Tractor that size 80-100 h.p. used shouldn't be hard to find;too small for large ag operations and too big for most "hobby" farms.
My nephew purchased a 80 H.P. low hour cabbed JD for $40k.,loader,bale spear,forks.

You convinced me and I will look for one. I like the price, if I can find a low hour and reliable tractor in this range. Appreciate the comments and hope you will pass on any further comments.

 

[W5FL]

I own a JD 6430 and loading/unloading bales is real fun. The premium cab and upgraded hydraulics makes it really easy. Put buying a new comparable unit would be way off the limits.

If I were in your situation, I'd look at the Kioti PX series. I test drove one on the dealer's lot and I found it to be fair unit. Check out the dealer support in your area.View attachment 672813

I have never seen a PX in person, but they look like what I am looking for, IF they are reliable since they use urea to clean the exhaust gases. There is a local dealer for kioti that should at least be able to order a PX, but they don't seem to be many of them sold in this area. Yes, I want a JD6430 for 60% of the price. Seriously, the PX looks like it could fill the bill for the budget available.

 

[W5FL]

Yes Branson discontinued the 78 hp tractor because of slow sells. Hopefully they will have better luck with the new one when it is released. Probably a little further drive for you but BigTex in Caddo Mills, just east of the metroplex, is a great Branson dealer. They likely can give you more updated answers.

I do like the simplistic approach that Branson uses in their design. It will be interested to see how they handle the bigger tractors.

I sure did not know the reason, only that all ads for them just went away. I had heard that for the 80HP (which was dropped to 78HP) Hard to tell what is vapor ware and what is real in the tractor market now, but I will keep trying to make sense of it and your help is much appreciated.

 

[5030]

I was sure hoping that manufacturers had finally gotten tier 4 right since it looks like Europe (and the US) are going to be requiring Tier 5 next year. I can't afford the downtime either as the cattle require a tractor to assist in many daily chores. My biggest concern is that working at idle speed is more common than working at pto speed. I spent the day today hauling and stacking bales in the fenced bale storage area and have to put them out nearly every single day in the winter.

How do you find low hour, clean, large frame 100HP Kubota tractors?

Do a lot of web shopping. I bought my first one (M9HDCC3, Cab unit) new in 2004. It's a T3 engine and yes, it smokes when worked. Bought my second one M9HD (2002 build, open station) after some very serious shopping around for 6 months on various sites including Tractor House and Equipment Trader and I went 400 miles to get it.

I will only run a hydraulic shuttle unit, I do a lot of loader work with the cattle and the Kubota Hydraulic Shuttle tractors have no dry clutch at all. Just a damper plate in the bell housing so no dry clutch wear and the multi plate wet clutch is basically bullet proof.

This last one I bought has 6000 hours on it, which in reality is nothing for an M9. Bought it, brought it home on the GN and dropped it at my dealer and told them to go through it. Tractor cost me 18 and I put another 4 in it getting it completely gone through. Was 2 years ago and no issues yet.

When I bought my original M9 in 2004, I paid 47 for it. Both tractors have Kubota loaders and quick detach buckets with cast center rears

They are out there but you have to look and they keep going up in price because they are simple tractors with plenty of power and FWA. My 2002 dyno'd at 89 pto at the dealer after they tuned it up. Kubota seems to rate their tractors very modestly for pto power.

No, neither is for sale right now. Maybe when I retire from farming...........