1 tractor rest of forever -- what brand?

[rScotty]

For the homeowner with some acreage I'm wondering what the average hours a tractor will see? I would think 2,000 hrs would be the lifetime of many tractors.

I think they are designed to go quite a bitn farther than that many hours, but have to say that I cannot think of a single homeowner/small acreage tractor that I have seen with over 2500 hours. Lots with 1500, so maybe it just takes time.
Now for Ag and construction equipment, 2000 hrs is common and considered low hours. Last JD I bought had 5800 hrs on the clock and runs and works about like new except the seat and switches are worn.
rScotty

 

[JoeTexan]

I would guess that Kubota is the most popular compact tractor these days. Thinking that it and John Deere are 1 and 2? So, I have a Mahindra but I might sell it in order to get exactly what I need in a tractor. Primary needs are pasture clipping 7 acres and use in a 50-acre woodlot for managing trees and trails. Was thinking that JD or Kubota would provide...

- parts availability
- dependable
- design
- performance
- ease of maintenance
- resale ability down the way
- plenty of dealers

If you could find exactly what you want in a tractor, what brand would you buy? Being as dependable as possible, easiest to maintain, parts availability and ability to resell down the way are very important in this discussion. Easiest to maintain probably No.1 because I am age 70 and do maintenance and repairs that I can but I am not the type that relishes tinkering, lol, plus, I work alone mostly. Buying used would be great if one is found but not averse to buying new if have to. Should be my last tractor.

Doesn't have to be JD or Kubota but that's my thinking.

TIA!

I’m wondering why you didn’t like the Mahindra. I understand it’s the #1 selling compact tractor in the world. I have two Mahindra’s and looking for a third now. My only thought for you is if you go with any other tractor, you’re going to hate the Regen (regeneration) and buying DEF. Mahindra is the only tractor that has approval from their design, not to have to use DEF up to 100 HP or something like that.
I’m not a dealer or kin to a Mahindra dealer either. I just love my Mahindra Tractors! Hope that helps.

 

[tacticalturnip]

Why do you continue to force Yanmar tractors on people? Let the OP decide.

Cults are exciting.

 

[tradosaurus]

I’m wondering why you didn’t like the Mahindra. I understand it’s the #1 selling compact tractor in the world. I have two Mahindra’s and looking for a third now. My only thought for you is if you go with any other tractor, you’re going to hate the Regen (regeneration) and buying DEF. Mahindra is the only tractor that has approval from their design, not to have to use DEF up to 100 HP or something like that.
I’m not a dealer or kin to a Mahindra dealer either. I just love my Mahindra Tractors! Hope that helps.

The OP wanted to stay under 50 hp so no DEF would be needed.
Also Mahindra skirts the DPF solution by running the tractors hotter continuously instead of in brief spurts with a DPF. They don't have a regen which forces the tractor to burn hot for a period of time to burn the soot off of the collector but MF (and Mahindra) has a mCRD (DOC system) system which runs hotter all the time to burn off the soot. This is not new technology and is really is dishonest for a tractor mfg to tout this as a benefit over DPF.

 

[tradosaurus]

that hour figure seems a little low. Do the maintenance, replace the hoses, belts, tires, etc and just keep on going.
properly maintained diesel engine will last a very long time, commercial farmers run 10k.
at 100 hours per year for hobby tractor, I bet you could go fifty years.
There are some early Kubota tractors with a lot of hours.
more an issue of how long you will last, or how long the need remains, vs the tractor wearing out.

I think most folks buy a new or new to them tractor for more capability, not because their tractor wore out.
Also depends upon whether folks have more than one tractor
2000 hours in a rental fleet maybe

I wasn't implying a tractor for a homeowner would only last 2,000 hrs but that it might only rack up 2,000 hrs.
In 3 yrs I have 70 hrs on my MX5400.

 

[Pleease]

Do John Deere tractors generally require "proprietary" attachments/implements, or can they accept generically-designed attachments? Or maybe it varies by JD model, etc.

That's my understanding based on comments over the years, but it seems unlikely. For reference, my total tractor experience is having a subcompact Kubota for 6 years, so please excuse my ignorance if that's incorrect.

 

[daugen]

JD usually do not come standard with quick attach skid steer compatibility.
They have their own simpler setup, which weighs less, a good thing on a small tractor grapple, but
you have to buy Frontier green implements to work with that setup. I think many JD's have converted over to SSQA format.
Everyone else uses the SSQA format.
any implement can be used on a JD if you convert the JD to SSQA.

that green and orange color does clash though...

 

[tacticalturnip]

Do John Deere tractors generally require "proprietary" attachments/implements, or can they accept generically-designed attachments? Or maybe it varies by JD model, etc.

That's my understanding based on comments over the years, but it seems unlikely. For reference, my total tractor experience is having a subcompact Kubota for 6 years, so please excuse my ignorance if that's incorrect.

The smaller ones can use implements that attach to the frame of the tractor using a proprietary system, such as a plow, broom, front-mount snow blower, etc. All of the Deere compacts, through the 4 series, use the JDQA system on their front-end loaders. The JDQA system is as ubiquitous as skid-steer quick attach, because John Deere makes up a large segment of the market in their own right. So it's not an inconvenience with regards to finding aftermarket accessories, typically; I even prefer the JDQA, it's an extremely simple system. An idiots idiot could master it.

Also, some dealers love to try to talk the iMatch down as a proprietary system that will cause you all kinds of headaches, and then they'll try to sell you on a different brand QH that follows the same standard specs.

 

[Andrus]

I would guess that Kubota is the most popular compact tractor these days. Thinking that it and John Deere are 1 and 2? So, I have a Mahindra but I might sell it in order to get exactly what I need in a tractor. Primary needs are pasture clipping 7 acres and use in a 50-acre woodlot for managing trees and trails. Was thinking that JD or Kubota would provide...

- parts availability
- dependable
- design
- performance
- ease of maintenance
- resale ability down the way
- plenty of dealers

If you could find exactly what you want in a tractor, what brand would you buy? Being as dependable as possible, easiest to maintain, parts availability and ability to resell down the way are very important in this discussion. Easiest to maintain probably No.1 because I am age 70 and do maintenance and repairs that I can but I am not the type that relishes tinkering, lol, plus, I work alone mostly. Buying used would be great if one is found but not averse to buying new if have to. Should be my last tractor.

Doesn't have to be JD or Kubota but that's my thinking.

TIA!

I have an L-4701 Kubota and I'm very pleased with it. I use it mostly for mowing with a rotary cutter, and occasional other small jobs. I did NOT get four wheel drive, which saved me a bunch of money, and I don't regret it for a moment as the tractor powers through wet spots and mud with no problems. It also spins that five foot Land Pride cutter in the toughest areas of brush and tall grass without straining. I didn't get a loader as I rarely need one, and I have an nice old Ford 9N with a platform on the back which I use to move lots of heavy stuff and pull a wagon.

 

[t44e6]

I would guess that Kubota is the most popular compact tractor these days. Thinking that it and John Deere are 1 and 2? So, I have a Mahindra but I might sell it in order to get exactly what I need in a tractor. Primary needs are pasture clipping 7 acres and use in a 50-acre woodlot for managing trees and trails. Was thinking that JD or Kubota would provide...

- parts availability
- dependable
- design
- performance
- ease of maintenance
- resale ability down the way
- plenty of dealers

If you could find exactly what you want in a tractor, what brand would you buy? Being as dependable as possible, easiest to maintain, parts availability and ability to resell down the way are very important in this discussion. Easiest to maintain probably No.1 because I am age 70 and do maintenance and repairs that I can but I am not the type that relishes tinkering, lol, plus, I work alone mostly. Buying used would be great if one is found but not averse to buying new if have to. Should be my last tractor.

Doesn't have to be JD or Kubota but that's my thinking.

TIA!

I vote, depending on the size you need, a vintage Yanmar. OR other pre emissions unit. With ANY new tractor there is the possibility that the electronics and/or emissions control system will leave you limping or DOA until you get a visit from a authorized technician. Even if the right to repair movement is successful you will still have to get diagnostic software and you may end up fighting your machine even if there is nothing mechanically wrong with it.

 

[kmesr9]

Good point. Some of these tractors are not meant for large people. Not sure how you stack up physically but I can tell that the Kubota tractor is built for a smaller framed/sized person than most resulting in some ergonomic compromise. Common to see keys bent over by the operators knee if he is 6 ft tall and gannon and gear/speed controls feel like they are in your side pockets.

I disagree with your size analogy. That also depends on what model Kubota and could be any of the smaller and newer brand tractors. I have a Kubota B2150, I’m 6ft and 250lbs. I don’t have the seat set all the way back and it is perfectly comfortable for me. When I was shopping (used) I wanted HST, FEL, 4cyl (smoother running), power steering and >25HP. This has been a great tractor.

 

[scootr]

My Skip loader had a seat that swiveled to 45º for gannon work. Very nice. I tried retrofitting a swivel seat base on my MX5200 and it was a no go resulting in my knees in the draft controls. There is significantly less real estate in the operator station in these tractors than say a full size JD, Case, or Terex skiploader.
Your level of comfort is not my experience. None the less, I'm basically happy with the Kubota and would buy it again.

 

[daugen]

Kubota tractors are notorious for crappy standard seats, and only in recent years have they upped their game and offered better seats on smaller tractors.
When I went from an L5740 to a Massey 70hp full size utility tractor, the jump in comfort was simply enormous.
I thought I had died and gone to heaven in that comfy air ride seat, and the cab was surprisingly quiet.
I think the Kubota was functionally superior (I still love their hydro) but it simply wasn't comfortable.
Granted, part my fault. Anyone ever have soft riding R4s? unlikely.
The Massey had huge radials and weighed twice as much.

The Kubota L basic series is considered almost unbreakable. You see them in all the local nurseries here.
Kubota owns that market here, not JD. JD was never interested in small tractors in this area and just weren't friendly
to deal with. If you weren't buying a 5 series they really didn't have time for you.
How times have changed.

I almost bought a JD 4720 instead of the Kubota L5740. Kubota has more "smart" features but primarily it's because dealer
was local and friendly. Kubota used to be a bargain and be at least 15-20 percent less than JD, who was, and likely still is, the most expensive line out there. No bargain today, I think Kubota is mostly built here in the US.

some folks get so ticked off at the price of their filters, you might want to compare what a set of air, oil and fuel filters will cost.
I think Kubota has the most expensive hydraulic oil out there, but it sure does seem to work.
for typical low hour hobby farmer use, cost of filters and fluids really isn't very much.

these tractors can get very expensive quickly when you load on the options
do you really need four remotes?
so it's sort of like a new Ford, are you an XL guy? A Lariat guy? or do you always go for the Limited?
Kubota really has fine tuned their models to fit a lot more buying niches I think than JD.
They got their marketing honed early on.

I would think a gear drive 2wd Kubota of any size would be a perpetual motion machine.
but so are most tractors built in the sixties and seventies.

I grew up with a 1939 JD B and I know it is still running locally because I see it at the Grange Fair

 

[Coffee drinker]

It surprises me how popular Kubota is on this forum. We are a fairly large mixed farming operation with various brands of tractors and quite a few guys operating them so there is definitely a difference of opinion which brand is best. What we all agree on is Kubota is not in the same class as JD,Case or Ford. But I am not denying that it seems to be the tractor of choice on TBN.

 

[daugen]

coffeedrinker, when this forum started, I think it was primarily Kubota.
This is primarily a site for hobby farmers.
few tractors here have gps...

 

[sd455dan]

.

that hour figure seems a little low. Do the maintenance, replace the hoses, belts, tires, etc and just keep on going.
properly maintained diesel engine will last a very long time, commercial farmers run 10k.
at 100 hours per year for hobby tractor, I bet you could go fifty years.
There are some early Kubota tractors with a lot of hours.
more an issue of how long you will last, or how long the need remains, vs the tractor wearing out.

I think most folks buy a new or new to them tractor for more capability, not because their tractor wore out.
Also depends upon whether folks have more than one tractor
2000 hours in a rental fleet maybe

Heck I bought the 1967 Ford 3000 diesel from the Original owners son. The engine had never been touched and ran good, they did have the original dealer rebuild the powershift transmission though.

I checked the dash hour meter and it had stopped at almost 5000 hours, the guy laughed and said don't trust that dad said it quit in 1976...

 

[Jstpssng]

It surprises me how popular Kubota is on this forum. We are a fairly large mixed farming operation with various brands of tractors and quite a few guys operating them so there is definitely a difference of opinion which brand is best. What we all agree on is Kubota is not in the same class as JD,Case or Ford. But I am not denying that it seems to be the tractor of choice on TBN.

You're talking about different tractor sizes. When Fords were being made, Kubota was focusing on smaller tractors, more the size of an 8N. In the ag lineup they are still one of the new kids on the block.

 

[Pleease]

I disagree with your size analogy. That also depends on what model Kubota and could be any of the smaller and newer brand tractors. I have a Kubota B2150, I’m 6ft and 250lbs. I don’t have the seat set all the way back and it is perfectly comfortable for me. When I was shopping (used) I wanted HST, FEL, 4cyl (smoother running), power steering and >25HP. This has been a great tractor.

I have the smallest Kubota - a BX1880 (the BX 80 series models all have the same frame) - and am 5'11, 220, and I have plenty of room.

 

[Pleease]

JD usually do not come standard with quick attach skid steer compatibility.
They have their own simpler setup, which weighs less, a good thing on a small tractor grapple, but
you have to buy Frontier green implements to work with that setup. I think many JD's have converted over to SSQA format.
Everyone else uses the SSQA format.
any implement can be used on a JD if you convert the JD to SSQA.

that green and orange color does clash though...

OK, so you can convert to SSQA - that's good. I'm sure the JD-branded implements are fine, but generally better to have a broad range of choices, i.e. let competition among the implement manufacturers work for you.

 

[sd455dan]

I have the smallest Kubota - a BX1880 (the BX 80 series models all have the same frame) - and am 5'11, 220, and I have plenty of room.

The old Yanmar's are cramped as well. I can barely fit on FIL's 2310D can't even move my feet. It would not surprise me if it is still running in 50 years.

I was impressed with the Branson 3015 when I test drove it , Lots of open floor space and a comfortable suspension seat standard.