1st time buyer - 35 hp comparisons

[TheDogFather]

One thing to consider is if the tractor needs DEF. Somewhere around 28 to 35 HP is where tractors start requiring DEF, and DEF is a real pain to deal with. A friend of mine just bought a Kubota tractor and later discovered that if it had 1-2 less HP it would not have needed a DEF system.

 

[tthopskin@yahoo.ca]

I’m in the market for a 35 HP tractor and I’ve done a lot of research as a first time buyer.

The tractor will mostly being used for dirt work around the house (2 flat acres) and lifting items with the FEL. I also have 100 acres of hunting property to brush hog roads/shooting lanes, and plant about 5 acres of food plots.

Dealers seem to be a hot topic when it comes to tractors so I’ve narrowed it down to these, their time selling the tractors and distance from me.

YT235 - 2 dealers (1 has been selling Yanmar for 8 years and is 25 miles away, they only sale yanmar products). Other one is 40 miles away, didn’t get details on selling time

Kioti ck3520SE - 27 miles away, only been selling Kioti for 8 months.

Kubota L3302 (or L3902) - 2 dealerships within 20 miles. Been selling as long as I can remember.

Anyone have any experiences with these tractors, part availability, etc? I’d be doing as much repair work myself as possible.

i have run and owned yannmar kabota kioti i always look at resale .and price and parts availability .the kioti has came a long ways . and built stronger the kabota now . and used ..unless one hell of a deal .. used gose for a wild prices now .

 

[JLinOK]

I’m in the market for a 35 HP tractor and I’ve done a lot of research as a first time buyer.

The tractor will mostly being used for dirt work around the house (2 flat acres) and lifting items with the FEL. I also have 100 acres of hunting property to brush hog roads/shooting lanes, and plant about 5 acres of food plots.

Dealers seem to be a hot topic when it comes to tractors so I’ve narrowed it down to these, their time selling the tractors and distance from me.

YT235 - 2 dealers (1 has been selling Yanmar for 8 years and is 25 miles away, they only sale yanmar products). Other one is 40 miles away, didn’t get details on selling time

Kioti ck3520SE - 27 miles away, only been selling Kioti for 8 months.

Kubota L3302 (or L3902) - 2 dealerships within 20 miles. Been selling as long as I can remember.

Anyone have any experiences with these tractors, part availability, etc? I’d be doing as much repair work myself as possible.

Even my John Deere Dealer said small Kubotas are good. You will wish you had gotten a 50 hp if it fits where you need to use it.

 

[Mart5130]

I’m in the market for a 35 HP tractor and I’ve done a lot of research as a first time buyer.

The tractor will mostly being used for dirt work around the house (2 flat acres) and lifting items with the FEL. I also have 100 acres of hunting property to brush hog roads/shooting lanes, and plant about 5 acres of food plots.

Dealers seem to be a hot topic when it comes to tractors so I’ve narrowed it down to these, their time selling the tractors and distance from me.

YT235 - 2 dealers (1 has been selling Yanmar for 8 years and is 25 miles away, they only sale yanmar products). Other one is 40 miles away, didn’t get details on selling time

Kioti ck3520SE - 27 miles away, only been selling Kioti for 8 months.

Kubota L3302 (or L3902) - 2 dealerships within 20 miles. Been selling as long as I can remember.

Anyone have any experiences with these tractors, part availability, etc? I’d be doing as much repair work myself as possible.

I’ve owned a ck3510 for 4 years with about 600 hours on it. Great machine

 

[Finkelfunnyfarm]

I’m in the market for a 35 HP tractor and I’ve done a lot of research as a first time buyer.

The tractor will mostly being used for dirt work around the house (2 flat acres) and lifting items with the FEL. I also have 100 acres of hunting property to brush hog roads/shooting lanes, and plant about 5 acres of food plots.

Dealers seem to be a hot topic when it comes to tractors so I’ve narrowed it down to these, their time selling the tractors and distance from me.

YT235 - 2 dealers (1 has been selling Yanmar for 8 years and is 25 miles away, they only sale yanmar products). Other one is 40 miles away, didn’t get details on selling time

Kioti ck3520SE - 27 miles away, only been selling Kioti for 8 months.

Kubota L3302 (or L3902) - 2 dealerships within 20 miles. Been selling as long as I can remember.

Anyone have any experiences with these tractors, part availability, etc? I’d be doing as much repair work myself as possible.

Wow this is going to turn into a Chevy vs Ford post , lol .
Kubota long term will probably be the best they make them to last and I had a friend who owned a dealership and visted the factory and could not believe how well they are built , unfortunately I don’t have that kind of money so I bought a mahindra after 20 years one tire , one battery , and one pto seal , it’s also a really good tractor but less expensive . Good luck which ever way you go .

Larry

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

One thing to consider is if the tractor needs DEF. Somewhere around 28 to 35 HP is where tractors start requiring DEF, and DEF is a real pain to deal with. A friend of mine just bought a Kubota tractor and later discovered that if it had 1-2 less HP it would not have needed a DEF system.

You mean DPF. Yes, a 25hp unit won’t have it. You are just much more limited in HP and weight at that point

 

[Advil]

We have a Kioti CK4010SE HST and are insanely pleased with it. It gets 33hp to the pto in the hydrostatic model which is a lot for it's size. We did that to be able to run a good size wood chipper which it does very well. It lifts the whole 1600 lbs+ on the loader that it's rated to. We move good size down trees and ibc totes full of firewood around with it. Carefully.

 

[OzarkChris]

All I can do is imagine the humidity where you're at, and my gut is screaming for you to get a cab. However, I suspect you're not a hairy, overweight man from the northeast, and perhaps you're more climatized to that than I would be.

I'd be swimming in the seat.

Not sure I'd want a cab since he's planning on doing stuff in the woods. I have a cab for flat open ground, and a open for woods. I lost (more like broke off ) enough mirrors, windshield wipers, etc on my cab with them pesky limbs that come out of nowhere and bite your tractor. Just a couple cents worth.

 

[RB5]

In my area there are mostly Deere dealers. I went with them partially because the dealer network is here and I happen to like the tractor when I sat on it. I looked at the 3 series off and on for a couple years. When I bought I decided to go with the 4 series. Lots of things I either couldn't do with the smaller tractor or would have taken much longer. I can lift round bales and run a wider mower. As far as used I had a very used tractor before finally buying this one. The used tractor was in need of repair more often that I used it. Many times I would start to mow or disk, and I would spend half the day going to get parts and working on it. Sometimes I never got to do the work. It might rain before I had time and then all bets were off. With the tractor I bought new I have it serviced about once a year and never have issues. If you get used don't get too used and make sure you have parts available.

I also think there are many good tractors. It comes down to the dealer network and service. I considered New Holland, Branson, Kubota, and Massey Ferguson. Those were dealers closest to me. Although, Branson was well over an hour away. That and the fact that it jsut didn't feel comfortable for some reason when I sat on it are what steered me away. I almost bit on a package deal from Branson, but I decided the dealer was way too far away. What I noticed was that features varied. Prices were not that different from what I recall for comparable features. This was over 5 years ago.

 

[scootr]

Barely used is the ticket. I try to buy cars and tractors just after the new has worn off and the seller takes a hit. It only works if you can find what you want when you want it...

 

[RB5]

Power reverser type transmissions don't require the clutch to forward/reverse
Shuttle shifts do require the clutch to forward/reverse or to shift gears.
I have an 8 forward 8 reverse synchronized shuttle, the clutch is required to forward/reverse

I have a power reverser and I love it for doing lots of loader work.

 

[flyingace43]

I’m in the market for a 35 HP tractor and I’ve done a lot of research as a first time buyer.

The tractor will mostly being used for dirt work around the house (2 flat acres) and lifting items with the FEL. I also have 100 acres of hunting property to brush hog roads/shooting lanes, and plant about 5 acres of food plots.

Dealers seem to be a hot topic when it comes to tractors so I’ve narrowed it down to these, their time selling the tractors and distance from me.

YT235 - 2 dealers (1 has been selling Yanmar for 8 years and is 25 miles away, they only sale yanmar products). Other one is 40 miles away, didn’t get details on selling time

Kioti ck3520SE - 27 miles away, only been selling Kioti for 8 months.

Kubota L3302 (or L3902) - 2 dealerships within 20 miles. Been selling as long as I can remember.

Anyone have any experiences with these tractors, part availability, etc? I’d be doing as much repair work myself as possible.

Have a Yanmar YT347 but I did look at the YT235 and they are great tractors if your dealer is ok I would give them a hard look. Good luck

 

[JohnTexas]

I am in a somewhat similar situation with 160 acres of timber land of which about 10 acres are easements, trails and firebreaks which require mowing. I had a skid steer and a 32hp John Deere. I had to sell the skid steer and was left with the small tractor which was ok for mowing although it took a while with a small shredder. I also had a grapple which is very useful for many things. Don't think I used a bucket more than twice. With the 32 hp lifting limitations I ultimately sold it and bought a 75hp (no DEF) tractor with a larger shredder, bucket and grapple. A good all around machine to do things I need. The greater lifting power helps with moving deer blinds, fallen trees, pulling up brush etc. I also went for enclosed cab due to heat and dust which beat you down when on the machine all day for mowing. I bought a low hour used tractor from a dealer to get more bang for the buck and have been happy with that decision. Oddly I found dealer pricing better than most private sales and felt I had some recourse if a problem was encountered. Would suggest you get as much horsepower as you can afford as it is always better to have sufficient power and easy to underestimate needs.

 

[Yander]

I would come up with the extra $$$ and get the iHmt tranny and never look back

 

[Redlined0002]

I’m in the market for a 35 HP tractor and I’ve done a lot of research as a first time buyer.

The tractor will mostly being used for dirt work around the house (2 flat acres) and lifting items with the FEL. I also have 100 acres of hunting property to brush hog roads/shooting lanes, and plant about 5 acres of food plots.

Dealers seem to be a hot topic when it comes to tractors so I’ve narrowed it down to these, their time selling the tractors and distance from me.

YT235 - 2 dealers (1 has been selling Yanmar for 8 years and is 25 miles away, they only sale yanmar products). Other one is 40 miles away, didn’t get details on selling time

Kioti ck3520SE - 27 miles away, only been selling Kioti for 8 months.

Kubota L3302 (or L3902) - 2 dealerships within 20 miles. Been selling as long as I can remember.

Anyone have any experiences with these tractors, part availability, etc? I’d be doing as much repair work myself as possible.

KUBOTA

 

[ScottHam]

I have a hilly 100-acre hunting property with ~5 acres flat/clear enough to mow, and I have been very happy with my Kubota L3560LEHST for dirt work, brush clearing, etc.

 

[rScotty]

One thing to consider is if the tractor needs DEF. Somewhere around 28 to 35 HP is where tractors start requiring DEF, and DEF is a real pain to deal with. A friend of mine just bought a Kubota tractor and later discovered that if it had 1-2 less HP it would not have needed a DEF system.

OOps, I think you are confusing Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) with Diesel Particle Filters (DPF).

DPF is common over 25hp because of Tier 4 emssions requirements. It's hard to avoid on new tractors.
You normally won't find DEF fluid used to control diesel emissions until you get up close to 100 hp.

The tractor world has a ton of these specialized abbreviations and hard not to trip over a few of them.
We are still debating "shuttle vs power shift" and half a dozen others. So welcome to the party and welcome to TBN.
rScotty

 

[grandfatherjim]

My dealer moved me from a CK3510 HST with a few select options to a CK4010SE HST for $1k Cdn. It's the same tractor with a different ecu running the same engine. There are things in the SE package that I didn't think I'd care about but now I'm glad I have -telescoping lower lift arms, cruise control, etc. Get the rubber floor mat or risk your safety.
Previously I've only owned tractors from the 60s and earlier i.e. clutch and gearshift. I do a lot of loader work and the HST is saving my left knee; I love it.
Compared to a buddy's Kubota, I quite prefer the ergonomics of the Kioti.
We're on 50 acres. Most work has been snowblowing, earth moving (including a lot of large rocks), bush hogging, and firewood processing (dragging logs and wood chipping) and it's been excellent at all those things. I've also done a few post holes and it works fine but I don't like the electric pto for that job. I'd prefer to be able to engage the auger slowly but I guess that implies a clutch and I'd far rather have the HST.
I do not expect to ever do any ground engaging work so don't see any downside to the HST, for me.
The rims of the rear wheels can be set in different positions relative to the centre discs so I made the stance 4" wider and the difference is noticeable.
The FEL is very capable. I have loaded rear tires and can lift enough with the bucket that the rear end will lift.
The adjustable lift arm on the right is pathetic so get the one with the crank which is part # CKA123.

I had an early fluke of an engine failure and the dealer and Kioti were right on it.
There are many reports in Kioti groups about FEL frame bolts loosening off, but I haven't experienced that.
Lots of bang for the $.

 

[ksbrdmkr]

That is the estimated mowing speed based on ground speed and cutting width, but I agree with you that whether someone can actually cut at 4 mph depends on terrain and how tall and how thick the vegetation is. The actual acres cut per hour may be less. Acres Per Hour Calculator

My rule of thumb width x .5 x mph = ac/hr. Pertty well takes in over lap and turns.

 

[Randy52]

I have had two TYM tractors a 394 and now a 494. Loved them both very well built.