Another confused first timer

[deereman75]

I have no response to that.
The only reason someone buys other than Deere or Kubota in the compact market is because it's either all they can afford or because the dealer is enough better than the competition to be worth the shortcomings.
Half my fleet here is orphaned or less than desirable machines.
You're talking to someone who has a Warner & Swasey yard forklift and a rear steer Case loader.
I have those because they were all I could afford when I needed them. No shame at all in saying that.
Would caterpillar equipment have been better in every single measurable way? Absolutely. Is money the only reason I don't have caterpillar? Yep.

Make whatever decision is right for you, or make the best of what you can do. But at least be honest to yourself and others about it.

Deere and Kubota in compact, Deere in AG, and Deere and Caterpillar in industrial are the market leaders for a very good reason....

 

[DK35vince]

I have no response to that.
The only reason someone buys other than Deere or Kubota in the compact market is because it's either all they can afford or because the dealer is enough better than the competition to be worth the shortcomings.

Not sure where you come up with this stuff.
My previous tractor that I owned for years was a John Deere 850.Was it a good machine = yes.
Was it a better machine than My Kioti DK 35 that I have owned the past 20 years = NO

My dad has a Kubota L 3000 and a Kubota L 4600 that I have run multiple times a helped him service on occasion
Does he like his Kubota's = yes.
I spent many hours on a Kubota L 3600 years ago
Are they a good machine = yes
Are they a better machine that my 2001 Kioti DK 35 = You would have to show me where, I'm simply not seeing it.

I bought my Kioti DK 20 years ago because I felt it was one of the best built, best featured and best value for the size at the time and I have never regretted that decision. It has been an excellent tractor for the past 2 decades

 

[Torvy]

I have no response to that.
The only reason someone buys other than Deere or Kubota in the compact market is because it's either all they can afford or because the dealer is enough better than the competition to be worth the shortcomings.
Half my fleet here is orphaned or less than desirable machines.
You're talking to someone who has a Warner & Swasey yard forklift and a rear steer Case loader.
I have those because they were all I could afford when I needed them. No shame at all in saying that.
Would caterpillar equipment have been better in every single measurable way? Absolutely. Is money the only reason I don't have caterpillar? Yep.

Make whatever decision is right for you, or make the best of what you can do. But at least be honest to yourself and others about it.

Deere and Kubota in compact, Deere in AG, and Deere and Caterpillar in industrial are the market leaders for a very good reason....

I am so sorry for you. Marketing is a science that often involves deception. The best product is not always the best seller.

Beta was better than VHS. Amiga was better than PC. Miller Lite was better than Bud Light...the list is endless with market leaders not being the best product.

Even if you ignore price, it is easy to see examples of more features on the same sized tractor. Your argument is just like the Detroit fans back in the 70s. They could not fathom that the Japanese (and later the Koreans) could make a better product than Detroit.

 

[jyoutz]

I do not understand how some people equate a small market share to not a good product. A company can be a excellent company and have a excellent product but only have a small part of the market share. Also to think that Massey and New Holland are not major players is ridiculous.

When you go out to eat, do you only go to the big chain restaurants? What about automobiles? What is Tesla's market share compared to Ford or Chevy? It just is not a reflection on quality or anything else.

And for some reason, Mahindra is the No1 selling tractor in the world but they do not make your list.

There is a bunch of good quality tractors out there made by different manufacturers. Good luck to the OP with his hunt.

Massey and New Holland might make good tractors, but their dealers are few and far between. Mahindra dealers are even more difficult to find. And when you do find someone selling Mahindras, it’s rare to find a full service and parts department attached to the dealership.

 

[K5lwq]

I have no response to that.
The only reason someone buys other than Deere or Kubota in the compact market is because it's either all they can afford or because the dealer is enough better than the competition to be worth the shortcomings.
Half my fleet here is orphaned or less than desirable machines.
You're talking to someone who has a Warner & Swasey yard forklift and a rear steer Case loader.
I have those because they were all I could afford when I needed them. No shame at all in saying that.
Would caterpillar equipment have been better in every single measurable way? Absolutely. Is money the only reason I don't have caterpillar? Yep.

Make whatever decision is right for you, or make the best of what you can do. But at least be honest to yourself and others about it.

Deere and Kubota in compact, Deere in AG, and Deere and Caterpillar in industrial are the market leaders for a very good reason....

Not the reasons I have what I have. Neither Kubota nor Deere offered what I wanted. You are assuming things you do not or could not possibly know or understand. Frankly I would have paid more for my Branson than any of the others if needed. The fact that it was less expensive is just a bonus.

I also would not discourage anyone from buying a Kubota or Deere. But if I was looking for another tractor today, Branson would win again for the same reasons. Not price.

The OP is leaning towards Kubota. They make a fine tractor and most likely will serve the OP well.

 

[Creamer]

The other thing I would personally add is skip the mower attachment, and spend the little bit extra to get a standalone zero turn.
I got a lightly used Kubota 54" zero turn (a trade in from the dealer) for about what a 3pt finish mower costs.
Having previously mowed everything with an 84" finish mower there is no comparison.... The smaller zero turn will do the same area in well under half the time. Mainly due to no wasted time turning around, no overlapping, ect. Also able to eliminate any push mower work, and greatly reduce weed whacker time going to the zero turn.

It's another machine, but you're also putting less hours on your much more expensive tractor that way. Extra resale value without 10 years worth of mowing hours could very well pay for the zero turn.

I agree completely. My property came with a Ford 1710 25 years ago with rear Finish mower. Unless it is open mowing the time spent turning around things is a a lot of waste. Keep in mind when an implement is on the three point and you are going around something the implement is always moving away from what you are going around.

I went from the 60" RFM, to a 48" front deck rear wheel steer mower and cut my mowing time almost in half and my yard is very open without a lot of things to mow around. I then went to a 60" front deck zero turn and cut my mowing time by almost 30% again. The last move also put me into a very solid mowing machine and with the front deck I cut my trimming time around trees and bushes and such by about 70%. Also a lot less fuel usage and you do not have to hook it up each time.

 

[jyoutz]

Not sure where you come up with this stuff.
My previous tractor that I owned for years was a John Deere 850.Was it a good machine = yes.
Was it better than My Kioti DK 35 that I have owned the past 20 years = NO

My dad has a Kubota L 3000 and a Kubota L 4600 that I have run multiple times a helped him service on occasion
Does he like his Kubota's = yes.
I spent many hours on a Kubota L 3600 years ago
Are they a good machine = yes
Are they a better machine that my 2001 Kioti DK 35 = You would have to show me where, I'm simply not seeing it.

I bought my Kioti DK 20 years ago because I felt it was one of the best built and best value for the size and features at the time and I have never regretted that decision. It has been an excellent tractor for the past 2 decades

Kiotis are good tractors. Dealer support is hard to find in many parts of the country.

 

[K5lwq]

Massey and New Holland might make good tractors, but their dealers are few and far between. Mahindra dealers are even more difficult to find. And when you do find someone selling Mahindras, it’s rare to find a full service and parts department attached to the dealership.

We have a excellent Mahindra dealer in East Texas that also sells New Holland. We also have a Massey dealer although I do not know much about them. It is all dependent on location.

 

[Creamer]

If you stay with the main brands of tractors there will be parts for them. When I say main brands I mean on a world market? The Deere and Kubota are obvious but not so obvious is the Massey which are Iseki which is a long time Japanese brand and not going anywhere. Kioti, LS, TCM, Mahindra, New Holland are all solid machines that you will get your money out of if you ever want to sell. It really depends on how much work you do yourself and what kind of dealer support you need and have available. Having said that I also know quite a few knowledgeable mechanics who will work on any tractor for something major as long as they can get parts. I would be more concerned about finding the tractor that you are comfortable with and the features you want with the level of dealer support you need.

 

[Torvy]

We have a excellent Mahindra dealer in East Texas that also sells New Holland. We also have a Massey dealer although I do not know much about them. It is all dependent on location.

I drove out from DFW on I20 to Tyler, then up to my property and back to DFW on I30. We went by at least 4 NH dealerships, a couple of those sell Mahindra, too. Only saw 2 JD dealers. So I guess if I use my sample size as reality, NH is the best because they have the most dealers.