Branson 5520CH vs Kioti vs Kubota for new tractor owner

[hdmyers]

Thoughts on how I approached selecting implements:

First comparison criteria involved determining best value looking at price versus metal - what was the cost of the implement, how heavy was its build material, and was it available immediately. Price isn't applicable if the supply chain is indefinitely delayed with no delivery date due to COVID or other factors.

Second consideration focused on reviews or comments from owners online and local dealers.

Third input applied a positive bias for local manufacturers, especially small businesses versus large corporations. From my perspective, Made in Texas ranks first, Made in USA ranks second, Made by an Ally (e.g. Korea or India) ranks third, and Made in China best to avoid unless no other option is available/affordable. Economics is war without bullets.

Once I settled in on the decision for a Branson tractor, the preference for red and black paint weighed into selection as a tie-breaker on implements, if all other factors were equal. At a minimum, it was a requested detail when asking dealers about what inventory was available. Fortunately, most implements are available in a variety of colors, although some may require special order if the local dealer doesn't have red. Many people aren't too concerned with colors, but I'm not a fan of Skittles. I prefer a monotone sense of order for the tools in my world, especially if there isn't a dollar cost. Color-coordination presents a professional image to customers if you're planning to use the equipment for paid jobs, and generally looks clean-and-orderly in the shed, garage, barn, and when hauling down the highway.

The primary task for this tractor purchase is mowing and clearing brush, a recurring job to be performed multiple times per year, every year, and is the first job performed upon delivery. Therefore, the first implement to select is a rotary cutter. After the shredder is included in the budget, other implements are added to list. Any that don't make the initial purchase are set aside as future objectives, balanced against needs versus wants.

I purchased the Ag-Meier Bronco rotary cutter based on (1) its heavy build quality and rating to cut 2.5-inch material, (2) a local dealer that sold multiple brands highly recommended it, (3) a customer at the dealership seconded the positive experience, (4) it was available in red, and (5) manufactured by a small business in Texas! The Bronco was ~$2700 from Epperson Tractor near Waco.

Runner up for rotary cutter selection was the Rhino Twister TW36 that cuts 3-inch material at a cost of $3500 from a local Rhino dealer, Hanson Equipment in Lockhart. It was a tough decision between the two, as both the Ag-Meier and Rhino were in-stock and immediately available. I sent an email directly to Rhino and they replied the next business day, confirming the TW36 will work well with the Branson 5520CH ~47 HP PTO. Hanson was very helpful answering my questions about rotary cutters in general, and I hope to do business with them in the future as they're minutes away from the ranch.

If money wasn't a limiting factor, I would've gone for the Rhino rotary cutter due to its 3-inch cutting rating and weight, but opted for the Ag-Meier given its lower price point and hyper-local small-business manufacturing versus larger corporation. My minimum requirement was 2-inch material cutting, so this more than solved the need and left some dollars on the table for pallet forks, etc. In third place for shredders, I looked at the Titan Implement 1506, and the Modern Ag Super Highway, where Titan is a great price and Modern Ag is galvanized, but neither were available nearby in-stock.

Stepping up to a 7-ft shredder was also a consideration as there are some models available in the $2500~$3700 range, but I stuck with 6-ft to ensure an easy fit on the Falcon trailer. The width of 7-ft shredders probably won't fit within the rails of the trailer that I bought to haul the tractor. If/when I go larger at some future date (and have more than $10K to trade against mowing hours), I'll pursue a flex wing cutter like the Bush-Whacker MW-144, but that's probably only going to happen if I start a side hustle doing tractor work and shredding for others. A larger cutting deck or flex wing will likely require a new, wider trailer, which should be factored into the overall cost.

I purchased the Falcon Super Duty II 83x20 trailer due to its excellent entry-level price point at $3500 for a twin 5400# axle trailer with 7000# jack, capable of hauling ~10,000 pounds, made in Texas by a family-owned business that values the honor of a handshake, and Epperson Tractor had it available in red. A larger trailer up front would've been a good idea, but it'll likely be years before I can quit working for the man and start doing tractor work for others, so for now, a rarely used trailer is best not to over-spend.

Given you spent 50k on a tractor...'cash money', money isn't a factor for you Branson is an intriguing brand. I like your decision making here. Not so many dealers around..but c'est lav ie (in da nord). Sweet ride man.

 

[MadGunner]

Comparing the Branson 5520CH (Cab and HST) to brands with more market share, I was seeing upwards of ~$10K+ difference, which was a large delta in price range for this class of tractor. $34K for a Branson 55HP tractor equipped with cab, loader, HST, and two rear remotes all standard, is an attractive price.

I'm fortunate to be in a location with multiple dealerships in various directions. Four Branson dealers are within driving range. Other dealers in the area include Kioti, Kubota, JD, MF, LS, TYM, etc. At the dealers I checked, comparable tractors with equivalent features, apples-to-apples, were much more expensive, while the Branson dealers were within ~10% of each other. After sitting in different brand cabs, and reviewing specs (e.g. PTO HP, weight, lifting power, etc.), I couldn't find a way to justify the additional cost of the brands with more market share. Much of my decision was driven by reading TBN forums for a few months, and always coming back to the repeated comment - there are no bad tractors sold new at dealerships today.

While the Branson cab is utilitarian, it does offer many standard features - mirrors, cup holder, radio, front and rear wipers, 12V plug, etc. It surprised me that some brands nickel and dime for minor accessories associated with cabs. More importantly, all of the tractors in this class had cabs roughly the same size, which was a disappointment. I was specifically looking for a large cab, but discovered CUT-class tractors in the 40-60 HP range don't go very big... Anything rated "compact" where the tractor width is less than 6-feet, isn't going to scale up much. Cabs on the utility-class tractors at ~80 HP and above do get bigger, and there's a matching jump in price, and don't offer HST (yet).

Comparing tractors turned out to be a lot like comparing new pickup trucks. There is no "bad" full-size (1/2-ton and larger) pickup truck in the market today; they're all very capable, especially if you're coming at the puzzle from a non-bias perspective with no pre-existing brand loyalty.

Having bought a Ford a long time ago at a great price, I've become a fan, and have stuck with Ford trucks ever since, even in later years when the cost was higher than some of the competition. Something to do with the consistency of the product over time, nostalgia, knowing that Ford invented the assembly line, etc., keeps me going back. I suspect the same brand loyalty develops with many tractor owners. Not sure I'll buy a second tractor in the future, but the buying experience was a fun ride from start to finish, with enough ups and downs thanks to COVID that it was truly an interesting series of events. I'm still in the honeymoon stage with the Branson 5520CH; no buyers remorse.

The big-corporation polish and obvious market share advantage shines thru at the Kubota and JD dealerships. This is considered a perk by many buyers, viewed as justification for additional cost. Lots more information available online, aftermarket accessories that are simple to find, etc.

Selecting Branson is sort of like buying a car from KIA (especially when KIA was new to the US market), while looking across the street at the <fill_in_the_blank_large_incumbent> dealership.

The industry needs a Tesla equivalent for tractors to shake up the market, and kick-start innovation.

 

[MadGunner]

About the new 4-range transmission on the Branson, and other comments:

As I'm now >20 hours on the tractor, the range selection is no longer stiff, and easily allows changing between A, B, C, D, in an H pattern, with neutral in the middle.

"A" is lowest. I tend to mow in "A" or "B" depending on terrain, vegetation type, and how fast I'm comfortable moving. "A" with the pedal all the way down is slow but easy to maneuver and feels safe when shredding rough areas. "B" with the pedal all the way down feels a bit reckless if on uneven ground, but is good for long straightaways (such as mowing large fields that are clear of obstacles and few turns).

Other thoughts:

I'm often driving backward while shredding; camera add-ons are moving up the priority list. I'm almost comfortable turned around, looking over my right shoulder, but it's not a great posture for coping with rough terrain. Shredding backward is great to get near trees with branches that prevent close forward driving, and shredding backward is best for mesquite and other hard thorns that present a risk to tires.

The cruise control button is helpful, as pushing the pedal down for a couple hours is tough on old knees. The downside of the cruise control button is the sudden stop that occurs if you press the button to turn it off... no coast-to-a-halt with HST. Better to press the pedal down, then while keeping the pedal pressed, disengage cruise control, avoiding a sudden stop. Lots of little things like this to be learned for newbies to tractors, that I'm sure the pros have developed into muscle memory.

The three-point hitch control lever on the right side of the driver's seat, that controls the lift arms, doesn't have a knob or widget to set as a stop. The word "Hydraulic" is spelled out vertically for use as a marker (other tractors use numbers, dashes, or letters) so you can eyeball where to set your three-point back down at a preferred height after raising it up for travel, but it's foolish not to have a sliding stop for this purpose. Elsewhere on TBN, I found this can be added: Hydraulic Lever Position Holder (part number FEB4100000A). I plan to order that widget soon, as I prefer to mow with the rotary cutter several inches above the ground. Dealers should include it by default, or at least tell customers this is an available accessory.

When running at full throttle, the radio can be used to drown out some of the noise, but the speakers aren't the best, and the combined rumble and whine from the engine and transmission are still present. The radio has ports for an aux line-in, USB, and SD flash. Best to load a bunch of MP3 files on SD flash. (Amazon should make it easy to download your full music collection, but looks like the only option is very tedious downloading one song at a time.) Although the Branson cab wasn't any louder than other brands when compared for test drives, now that I'm shredding brush with the engine at ~2500 RPM, a set of noise-canceling headphones or earbuds is next on the shopping list. I'll use Bluetooth to play music from a phone, while diminishing the tractor ruckus. The Bluetooth approach will also ensure I don't miss phone calls, as having the radio up past 20 in volume renders useless the phone ringer, and vibrate ringing isn't so obvious when bouncing around in the cab, turned around backwards.

Pat's Easy Change, PTO Link, Lube Shuttle, and Paragon 3000 grease, were among some of the additional purchases for the tractor that were found with positive reviews online and mostly favorable comments at TBN.


For those that may read this forum in the future and haven't yet purchased a tractor, press forward and buy the tractor you're thinking about. So long as it's within your budget and you don't end up tractor-poor, odds are high you're going to have a lot of fun using your tractor to "get stuff done!"

 

[ericm979]

If the 3pt position lever or the throttle lever action is too stiff for your liking, they are both adjustable. They have spring preloaded friction dampers, double nutted so they don't back out. I like controls that work smoothly so I reduced the friction on mine by quite a bit.

The throttle one is inside the dash. You have to take it apart to get to it but it's not that hard. On my non cab 3725 the 3pt one can be reached from behind.

 

[K5lwq]

The three-point hitch control lever on the right side of the driver's seat, that controls the lift arms, doesn't have a knob or widget to set as a stop. The word "Hydraulic" is spelled out vertically for use as a marker (other tractors use numbers, dashes, or letters) so you can eyeball where to set your three-point back down at a preferred height after raising it up for travel, but it's foolish not to have a sliding stop for this purpose. Elsewhere on TBN, I found this can be added: Hydraulic Lever Position Holder (part number FEB4100000A). I plan to order that widget soon, as I prefer to mow with the rotary cutter several inches above the ground. Dealers should include it by default, or at least tell customers this is an available accessory."

I don't think this stop will work on the cab tractors because of the lever boot. I will be fabricating one that will work for mine.

 

[Lunk]

My first new Tractor was a 2010 Branson 3510i which I sold in 2014 with just under 400 hrs on it IIRC. I bought it from a small dealer who was about 35 miles away. I wanted to replace it with an HST model, but couldn't find a single tractor "on the ground" within 150 miles. I ended up buying a TYM T354 HST from another dealer who had 6-8 tractors in stock. While not as heavy-built as the Branson, it was still heavier than most brands, and the Mitsubishi 4cyl engine was a real gem (as well as Tier 3 emissions!).

This last January a new Branson Dealer opened just 15 miles away, and low and behold, had 8-10 tractors in stock, all the time! After spending the better part of the Summer drooling, I pulled the trigger on a new 4720H, and a Befco BRB284 rear blade. The dealer has sold over 50 Bransons so far this year, and is on track to be the largest Branson Dealer in WI. It's awesome to have a dealer close by who understands that people won't generally buy without the ability to sit on and try out an investment as substantial as this.

Branson's have been trouble-free and good to me. Time will tell if it remains true with my recent purchase, but I'm optimistic. Having Dealer support close by makes it more so.

My .02

 

[oosik]

That's a really nice setup and glad you are finding it easy to operate. Regarding the weight of a tractor. I did a "paper calculation" of the weight of my tractor. It has FEL plus grapple, RimGuard loaded rear tires and Rhino 950- 96" rear blade. I then drove the tractor in to the ADM grain mill in Cheney where they have big grain scales.

Surprise, surprise - my paper calculations were some 350# below the actual weight. Actual weight - 10,100#. Then way down, on a truly obscure page, in the Owners Manual, was a note. Indicated that the bare tractor weight did not include fuel, oils & greases. It all adds up........

That's a particularly nice looking grapple. Be careful - it has the possibility to make a "lazy man" out of you.

However - I do have a suggestion. Before you find out that the grill guard WILL NOT stop stobs, sticks, limbs, etc from damaging your grill, radiator or battery. Do something like this...........View attachment 675662 It's not a 100% guarantee of safe grubbing but it sure has saved me more than a few times.

 

[likable1905]

Hello, thanks for your sharing.

 

[K5lwq]

I don't think this stop will work on the cab tractors because of the lever boot. I will be fabricating one that will work for mine.

Finished the stop. I just duplicated the bracket that supports the fender trim then cut down some angle iron to create a slot for the stop. Works good.

 

[ffrob2001]

About the new 4-range transmission on the Branson, and other comments:

As I'm now >20 hours on the tractor, the range selection is no longer stiff, and easily allows changing between A, B, C, D, in an H pattern, with neutral in the middle.

"A" is lowest. I tend to mow in "A" or "B" depending on terrain, vegetation type, and how fast I'm comfortable moving. "A" with the pedal all the way down is slow but easy to maneuver and feels safe when shredding rough areas. "B" with the pedal all the way down feels a bit reckless if on uneven ground, but is good for long straightaways (such as mowing large fields that are clear of obstacles and few turns).

Other thoughts:

I'm often driving backward while shredding; camera add-ons are moving up the priority list. I'm almost comfortable turned around, looking over my right shoulder, but it's not a great posture for coping with rough terrain. Shredding backward is great to get near trees with branches that prevent close forward driving, and shredding backward is best for mesquite and other hard thorns that present a risk to tires.

The cruise control button is helpful, as pushing the pedal down for a couple hours is tough on old knees. The downside of the cruise control button is the sudden stop that occurs if you press the button to turn it off... no coast-to-a-halt with HST. Better to press the pedal down, then while keeping the pedal pressed, disengage cruise control, avoiding a sudden stop. Lots of little things like this to be learned for newbies to tractors, that I'm sure the pros have developed into muscle memory.

The three-point hitch control lever on the right side of the driver's seat, that controls the lift arms, doesn't have a knob or widget to set as a stop. The word "Hydraulic" is spelled out vertically for use as a marker (other tractors use numbers, dashes, or letters) so you can eyeball where to set your three-point back down at a preferred height after raising it up for travel, but it's foolish not to have a sliding stop for this purpose. Elsewhere on TBN, I found this can be added: Hydraulic Lever Position Holder (part number FEB4100000A). I plan to order that widget soon, as I prefer to mow with the rotary cutter several inches above the ground. Dealers should include it by default, or at least tell customers this is an available accessory.

When running at full throttle, the radio can be used to drown out some of the noise, but the speakers aren't the best, and the combined rumble and whine from the engine and transmission are still present. The radio has ports for an aux line-in, USB, and SD flash. Best to load a bunch of MP3 files on SD flash. (Amazon should make it easy to download your full music collection, but looks like the only option is very tedious downloading one song at a time.) Although the Branson cab wasn't any louder than other brands when compared for test drives, now that I'm shredding brush with the engine at ~2500 RPM, a set of noise-canceling headphones or earbuds is next on the shopping list. I'll use Bluetooth to play music from a phone, while diminishing the tractor ruckus. The Bluetooth approach will also ensure I don't miss phone calls, as having the radio up past 20 in volume renders useless the phone ringer, and vibrate ringing isn't so obvious when bouncing around in the cab, turned around backwards.

Pat's Easy Change, PTO Link, Lube Shuttle, and Paragon 3000 grease, were among some of the additional purchases for the tractor that were found with positive reviews online and mostly favorable comments at TBN.


For those that may read this forum in the future and haven't yet purchased a tractor, press forward and buy the tractor you're thinking about. So long as it's within your budget and you don't end up tractor-poor, odds are high you're going to have a lot of fun using your tractor to "get stuff done!"

Any new news with your tractor after about 3 years of ownership? I have been going down the same road as you. With Brandson now being bought by TYM do you have any issues with parts or service?

I was looking at the Kubota MX5400 and was going to add the air seat. I ride in a fire truck enough to know that the driver's air ride seat is very nice when compared to the rest of the seats. Its another $1000 but I dont plan to change tractors anytime soon after I buy mine so I feel like this is worth the money if I do go the Kubota route.


With my local dealers close to me it's either going to be a Kubota or TYM ( Brandson)
There is a LS dealer but they are an hour from me.
Massey Ferguson is about 30 minutes from me but they are as much as Kubota
New Holland is at the same dealership as Massy but they dont make a tractor in my class.
Kioti is fairly close but I think I would rather TYM Brandson.


Once I decide on a brand I will shop the attachments across the southeast and see who has the best deals. Then take that to my local dealership and see if they can match or get close to the price. I would like to purchase locally but not if its going to cost me thousands more then a dealer 4-5 hours away.


Thank you, I hope you are enjoying your tractor and I really appreciate this post. You did a great job at describing everything and your thoughts and reasons behind your desitions.