New Kubota Tractor Purchase

ptsg · Jan 2, 2023

jyoutz said:
Could it be that 3000 hours for non commercial use is a pretty old machine. Maybe people are itching for new by that time?

Highly unlikely. This is not a country with lots of throw away money, so people can't really afford trading a tractor for the sake of it.

Anything under 5000 or 6000 hours is not really considered old over here.

sawtooth · Jan 2, 2023

I don’t farm now but my family did years ago and I remember being told they would put 6-10k on those old Blue Fords. They were tanks though. I have a couple smaller 3910’s and a 2810 now.

On the Kubota I’ll be lucky to put 100 hours on it a year though. Hopefully it holds up well. I know it’s extremely nice driving and using it.

Hay Dude · Jan 2, 2023

jyoutz said:
Could it be that 3000 hours for non commercial use is a pretty old machine. Maybe people are itching for new by that time?

The thing is, I have Legacy brand farm tractors (Massey, Case-IH, AGCO) with 5000-6000 hours that are holding up better. Not perfect, but better. And they were used in Ag almost every hour.

Kubota just isn’t there yet. Now their newer M series looks better. 6.7L Cummins is a nice upgrade

LD1 · Jan 2, 2023

sea2summit said:
I'm thinking it has a lot to do with the hight, the MX on R4s is lower and wider than an L on R1s I believe.

HE says he has R14's on both.

The actual size I dont know. THe MX and L spec the same rear size in R4 and R1....but different fronts for both (smaller on the L).

Having a cab on the L and the hoe being mounted further back could be the culprit? But I wonder if an MX has a cab if it also pushes the backhoe back further to be more apples to apples comparison.

Also says the MX pulls harder.

Not saying he is wrong or disagreeing. First hand experience always trumps paper specs. Just odd they conflict

jyoutz · Jan 2, 2023

Hay Dude said:
The thing is, I have Legacy brand farm tractors (Massey, Case-IH, AGCO) with 5000-6000 hours that are holding up better. Not perfect, but better. And they were used in Ag almost every hour.

Kubota just isn’t there yet. Now their newer M series looks better. 6.7L Cummins is a nice upgrade

A Cummins would be sweet indeed.

jyoutz · Jan 2, 2023

LD1 said:
HE says he has R14's on both.

The actual size I dont know. THe MX and L spec the same rear size in R4 and R1....but different fronts for both (smaller on the L).

Having a cab on the L and the hoe being mounted further back could be the culprit? But I wonder if an MX has a cab if it also pushes the backhoe back further to be more apples to apples comparison.

Also says the MX pulls harder.

Not saying he is wrong or disagreeing. First hand experience always trumps paper specs. Just odd they conflict

I have no idea about the backhoe situation, but pulling harder is likely due to the larger front wheels.

LD1 · Jan 2, 2023

jyoutz said:
I have no idea about the backhoe situation, but pulling harder is likely due to the larger front wheels.

Good possibility. Just depends on how its used and ballasted and what the surface conditions are like.

With both cast weights and loaded R1 tires in the rear....4wd dont really add much pulling force for me at all on firm ground. Really only notice 4wd effectiveness if I have loader but nothing on 3PH, or in muddy or snowy conditions.

Loader off and pulling the disc or 3-bottom plow....the front assist maybe gives 10%. CAnt think I'd notice any difference if the tires were just a tad bit smaller

AB4D · Jan 3, 2023

A lot of good information and that gave me plenty to think about. I appreciate everyone's input. After reading all the comments, I sat down and went though how I would likely use the tractor and how much HP I would actually need. As someone noted, guys with 30 hp tractors always wish they had a 50 hp, and 50 hp guys wish they had a 100 hp tractor. Another point someone mentioned, would a turbocharger be the best for my application? I would say no, I would prefer normally aspirated. I'm just not a fan of the added complexity of a turbocharger.

Weighing it all out, a 30+/- hp will likely be enough for what I need to do, mainly homeowner/hobby farm applications and some light material moving. Thinking back to my previous experience. I was quite satisfied with my L3430. It did everything I asked from it 95% of the time. Except for a few rare times the front end loader couldn't lift the load for stuff such as bulk bags of mulch on a pallet, my 3 point forks typically lifted what the front end loader couldn't, after I filled up the front bucket to balance the load.

Clearly, some of you use your tractor much more than I would, and for far more demanding applications. As an example, I had my L3430 for about 10 years, total use was 365 hours when it was sold. My use should be about the same. I'm not plowing fields or doing other heavy PTO work, likely using only a rotary cutter with the PTO will be about it. The one item I used the most on the tractor, was the FEL with a grapple for moving trees and brush.

I returned to the dealer today. I looked at everything he has in stock in a cab. He had both MX5200 and MX6000, M4, M7 and larger, and he had one remaining 2022 Grand L 3560 Limited Edition. Ultimately, I settled on the Grand L3560 Limited Edition, I added the front and rear remotes I wanted, mirrors, front and rear work lights, loaded/R4 tires, the LA-805 loader + bucket, and a Land Pride grapple. The cost came in just under budget.

Thanks for everyone's input.

rScotty · Jan 3, 2023

sawtooth said:
I don’t farm now but my family did years ago and I remember being told they would put 6-10k on those old Blue Fords. They were tanks though. I have a couple smaller 3910’s and a 2810 now.

On the Kubota I’ll be lucky to put 100 hours on it a year though. Hopefully it holds up well. I know it’s extremely nice driving and using it.

Our M59 has 1200 hours, OK maintenance, nothing special. It is now 15 years old. It lives outside - tarped. That's as close to 100 hrs a year as makes no difference.

So we don't put a lot of hours on it, but when it works it works hard. Not unusual for it to idle for an hour or more while we do chores and then use it full throttle like a rough country dump truck delivering 3000 lbs of rocks in the FEL bucket two miles away. We use it in the creek and forest for some rugged work. It runs and works like new. Yes, it was expensive. Even back in 2007 it cost more than comparable HP Kubotas do today. I guess the cost is the TLB vs Tractor thing.

I'll be curious to see if the next 1200 hrs goes as well as the last. Don't see why not. At that point the M59 will be 30 and I will be ... good god!

Was just looking at the Kubota brochure -online showing those new M7060s. Wow! What a nice tractor that is! I don't blame you a bit for jumping on it. Love that tranny, too. Seems like a whole lot of machine for a very reasonable price.
rScotty

"If there are no dogs in heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went" - Will Rogers

scootr · Jan 4, 2023

AB4D said:
A lot of good information and that gave me plenty to think about. I appreciate everyone's input. After reading all the comments, I sat down and went though how I would likely use the tractor and how much HP I would actually need. As someone noted, guys with 30 hp tractors always wish they had a 50 hp, and 50 hp guys wish they had a 100 hp tractor. Another point someone mentioned, would a turbocharger be the best for my application? I would say no, I would prefer normally aspirated. I'm just not a fan of the added complexity of a turbocharger.

Weighing it all out, a 30+/- hp will likely be enough for what I need to do, mainly homeowner/hobby farm applications and some light material moving. Thinking back to my previous experience. I was quite satisfied with my L3430. It did everything I asked from it 95% of the time. Except for a few rare times the front end loader couldn't lift the load for stuff such as bulk bags of mulch on a pallet, my 3 point forks typically lifted what the front end loader couldn't, after I filled up the front bucket to balance the load.

Clearly, some of you use your tractor much more than I would, and for far more demanding applications. As an example, I had my L3430 for about 10 years, total use was 365 hours when it was sold. My use should be about the same. I'm not plowing fields or doing other heavy PTO work, likely using only a rotary cutter with the PTO will be about it. The one item I used the most on the tractor, was the FEL with a grapple for moving trees and brush.

I returned to the dealer today. I looked at everything he has in stock in a cab. He had both MX5200 and MX6000, M4, M7 and larger, and he had one remaining 2022 Grand L 3560 Limited Edition. Ultimately, I settled on the Grand L3560 Limited Edition, I added the front and rear remotes I wanted, mirrors, front and rear work lights, loaded/R4 tires, the LA-805 loader + bucket, and a Land Pride grapple. The cost came in just under budget.

Thanks for everyone's input.