Buying Advice Branson 3515 Parts

[Nickak8]

Hey Guys,

I found a tractor I'm interested in purchasing to replace my MF TO35. See below. My main concern and hesitation in going through with the sale is part availability for Branson. Can anyone share specific places/sites you have found parts for Branson and share your thoughts?

Branson 3515R - 2018 - $17,900 - New
Link: New 218 Branson 3515R 35hp Shuttle Shift Tractor w/Loader - farm & garden - by owner - sale

Thanks,
Nick

 

[ericm979]

are there any local dealers? Try them first.

Dave's Tractor in CA is a good dealer and will ship parts. They also answer emails promptly.
I think Mr Bitz in North Dakota also ships parts.

 

[Nickak8]

are there any local dealers? Try them first.

Dave's Tractor in CA is a good dealer and will ship parts. They also answer emails promptly.
I think Mr Bitz in North Dakota also ships parts.

Thanks Eric. I noticed you have a Branson. If you don’t mind how long have you owned it and any advice for someone considering buying one instead of a Kubota? I like the weight and price of the Bransons.

 

[Granthol]

I have one and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another. I’ve only bought a few parts that were missing or damaged when I bought it. Honestly I’ve had no issues that require parts. I do have a dealer about an hour away that ordered the ones I needed and have them drop shipped.

 

[ericm979]

Thanks Eric. I noticed you have a Branson. If you don’t mind how long have you owned it and any advice for someone considering buying one instead of a Kubota? I like the weight and price of the Bransons.

I've had it for 2.5 years and put 180 hours on it. I had a much smaller Kubota B7100 prior.

I've been pretty happy with it. It's not needed much other than fluids and filters. I bought it from Daves even though they're 250 miles away. I've been back there once, to pick up a used backhoe attachment.

The one functional drawback vs a Kubota is the loader value. I could get the B7100 loader to raise/lower and curl at the same time. I just can't manage that with the Branson. I knew that when I bought it and it does not slow my work down much. I think it's just a lower quality loader valve. For parts I can't just go to Messicks's web site like I could with the Kubota. I have to call or email Daves. Parts prices generally seem to be comparable.

The Kubota L01 series I was shopping are bare bones old tech compared to the Branson 25 series. To get the same features you'd have to go to the Grand L series, which cost a lot more (but their HST+ is supposed to be really nice). I've been getting a lot of use out of the Branson and in retrospect I could have justified the extra for a grand L but I've got the Branson now and it works well.

But it really comes down to your dealer. You need a good one.

If you're going to be using the loader a lot or mowing on variable terrain, consider the HST. Bransons' linked HST and throttle is dead simple (it's a cable) but it works pretty well in the lower two ranges.

 

[Nickak8]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I’ll check out the dealer and see what parts and how quick he can get them. I’ll also check out those sites.

Call me weird but I prefer shuttle.