Buying Advice Branson or LS

Jrus · Jan 1, 2015

Iv been looking at tractors for awhile now. Iv narrowed it to either a LS g3038 or a Branson 3520r. The Branson has alot more impressive specs. Heavier tractor more lift capability and more user friendly options. However the LS is cheaper but has a longer warranty loader seems to work more smoothly and is only 167xx. The Branson is 18900. To step up in the LS 3000 series is significantly more money then the Branson but has all the user features I like about the Branson. I guess I'm just looking for some reviews and thoughts of who thinks what is a better tractor for the money.

jeff9366 · Jan 1, 2015

LS seems to be increasing its market share; Branson seems to be fading.

If you plug those model numbers, individually, into the search box in the header you can pull information on the models your are interested in from of the 4,000,000 thread TBN archive.

EddieWalker · Jan 1, 2015

Century and Branson used to be the same thing. Then they get rid of the Century name and it's now just Branson. There used to be a dozen dealerships of both Century and Branson within an hour of me ten years ago. When they got rid of the Century name, there was probably half a dozen Branson dealers. Every one of them are now gone and the closest Branson dealer that I'm aware of is more then 2 hours away. I think they make a great tractor, but from day one, they have had problems getting parts. It's one thing to make a great tractor, it's another to support it. They have never been very good at support, and in my opinion, the reason they are a declining company. I would not buy Branson because I don't feel they are going to be here ten years from now.

Eddie

JCar98823 · Jan 1, 2015

A dozen dealer within an hour ? no wonder they went out of business. Is there a part you are needing for you Branson ? Has anyone seen the New McCormick X1 series tractors sure look like Branson's. As far as 10 years from now I guess who really knows, just buy what you like and use it. I will say Branson does do a very poor job of self promoting.

TomSeller · Jan 1, 2015

I would favor the LS over Branson. Many people like Branson but the dealer comments I am seeing here would concern me. I see very few significant complaints about LS.

Jrus · Jan 1, 2015

Yeah iv got about 5 dealers I know of I'm michigan one supposedly the biggest branson dealer in North America. Quoting the dealer. However he's been selling them for 16 years now and says they are very good about warranty work and he has alot of parts in stock. The common things he said anyway. The guy (he is the oh sales men/owner of the joint) told me he has had very few ever come back in the years he has been doing it. Was telling me branson has been known to cover things out of warranty as well depending on history of the tractor. I dono if he was blowing smoke up my *** or not. Iv always had older ford and newhollands the ls 3038 just didn't seem like a whole lot of tractor. Compared to a Branson. I don't wanna buy too small I guess.

arnoldziffel · Jan 1, 2015

Branson tractors are well-built and tough machines I think. HOWEVER, I don't think they will survive long term in the US.

Not enough dealers and the one in my area previously sold string trimmers and spark plugs -- no tractor technicians on site. (Dealer just dropped the line).

Jrus · Jan 2, 2015

Yeah do you guys have any thoughts on the new tier 4 emissions motors. I'm a mechanic for a company with 90 some trucks and pieces of Equiptment. I know how I feel about the the dpf systems on the trucks but haven't had anything on Equiptment yet....

JCar98823 · Jan 2, 2015

I did a quick search back to 2003 on this site, people were saying the same things, I don't think Branson will be around in 10 years....

Mr Bitz · Jan 9, 2015

"BRANSON" Hands down.. I've seen the LS tractors and I'm sure they are a fine tractor as well, but Branson is built by Kukje Manufactoring out of south Korea and they have built agriculture tractors since the 60's. And they are a metal manufacturer so thus the heavier built Branson. Branson will stand by you (trust me).. It all goes of the saying "a product is only as good as it's dealer" This is so true, so if you your unsure of what to purchase, talk with your local dealer and get a good feel for them, how will they stand by their product? Will they go up to bat for you in the event something goes wrong.. Keep us posted to what you do.. Thanks. If you want a price on a Branson, PM me and I'll get you one..

Mr Bitz · Jan 9, 2015

Branson has been getting very aggressive and from what I see, will continue getting aggressive and will be pushing along with the other brands. More Branson Dealers are popping up everywhere, trust me they will be around..

Deerherd · Jan 9, 2015

Mr Bitz said:
"BRANSON" Hands down.. I've seen the LS tractors and I'm sure they are a fine tractor as well, but Branson is built by Kukje Manufactoring out of south Korea and they have built agriculture tractors since the 60's. And they are a metal manufacturer so thus the heavier built Branson. Branson will stand by you (trust me).. It all goes of the saying "a product is only as good as it's dealer" This is so true, so if you your unsure of what to purchase, talk with your local dealer and get a good feel for them, how will they stand by their product? Will they go up to bat for you in the event something goes wrong.. Keep us posted to what you do.. Thanks. If you want a price on a Branson, PM me and I'll get you one..

Mr Bitz said:
Branson has been getting very aggressive and from what I see, will continue getting aggressive and will be pushing along with the other brands. More Branson Dealers are popping up everywhere, trust me they will be around..

Paleeeeeez....Not sure what your agenda is but Branson is far from agressive. Here in NY there are exactly two dealers that didn't have 8 tractors between them when I was looking. Not one cabbed version at all. Even discounting the 12 million people in the metro NY area leaves about 1 tractor for each 800,000 people.

Only one of the 2 Branson dealers in NY even had a web site and there wasn't a tractor on it but there is "Small Engine" in the name.

You say "trust me" and you don't even list a Branson as a tractor you own!? I don't think so and feel LS is a much better option. Are you a new Branson Dealer?

George2615 · Jan 9, 2015

LS is more popular here in NY. A friend of mine has a Branson and has problems getting parts for his. He's going to sell and look at some other brands more popular.

Mr Bitz · Jan 9, 2015

Deerherd said:
Paleeeeeez....Not sure what your agenda is but Branson is far from agressive. Here in NY there are exactly two dealers that didn't have 8 tractors between them when I was looking. Not one cabbed version at all. Even discounting the 12 million people in the metro NY area leaves about 1 tractor for each 800,000 people.

Only one of the 2 Branson dealers in NY even had a web site and there wasn't a tractor on it but there is "Small Engine" in the name.

You say "trust me" and you don't even list a Branson as a tractor you own!? I don't think so and feel LS is a much better option. Are you a new Branson Dealer?

Wow, guess I hit a nerve. Agenda???Not sure what your saying by that. Just saying a few things that are of my opinion. I thought that is what these forums are about. Sorry!!

woodchipper · Jan 9, 2015

As the consensus is that Brenson is fading away, it leaves you with your other option... Warranty or not, parts availability is critical in supporting a product... It's the end user who will suffer the consequenses, not the dealer.

Also, brand financing could play into the make or brake deal.
Good luck, and keep us informed, as I think your question and ultimate decision could help others to do the same

Deerherd · Jan 10, 2015

Mr Bitz said:
Wow, guess I hit a nerve. Agenda???Not sure what your saying by that. Just saying a few things that are of my opinion. I thought that is what these forums are about. Sorry!!

No you didn't't hit a nerve. What I mean by agenda is you are recommending one tractor over another without giving us any facts other than "trust me". Your statement of aggressive marketing is directly contrary to what I have personally witnessed. Have you actually owned a Branson or LS? I see from previous posts you do sell tractors on Craigslist and you offered to get the OP a price on a Branson. So what's the deal?

EddieWalker · Jan 10, 2015

JCar98823 said:
I did a quick search back to 2003 on this site, people were saying the same things, I don't think Branson will be around in 10 years....

Branson and Century where/are the same tractor. Century no longer exists, they got rid of that brand and those dealers and now it's just Branson. The number of dealers that sold Century and Branson ten years ago was ten times what it is now. Easily 90 percent of those dealers are no longer in business selling those tractors. Just try to find a dealer and see how far you have to go. For me, it's over two hours.

While I'm not saying anything bad against the quality of the tractor, mine has been awesome and for a lot less money then the Kubota that I was comparing it to, I still feel I got a great deal. I just wouldn't buy another because I don't want to have to drive 2 hours each way to get parts for it or have it worked on. I also wonder how much longer that dealer will continue to support Branson when so many others have quit. If they stop supplying parts, then it's going to get even harder for me when I break something on mine. Sadly, I'm afraid that the day will come when I wont be able to find the parts to fix mine and that will be that.

Eddie

TomSeller · Jan 10, 2015

If you are to buy a tractor for life and don't mind searching for dealers or parts, the Branson is probably a good deal. If you are going to keep a tractor for 5 or 10 years and trade it in on the latest model, resale value is very important. Some brands well supported by dealers trade in at or near what you paid for them new. Net lifecycle cost then is basically inflation. It will be tough to sell a lower volume brand not well supported in 5 or 10 years if that is what you are going to do. In some cases the net lifecycle cost of a more expensive tractor is lower than that of a less expensive tractor due to trade in values.

Jrus · Jan 11, 2015

I have to say if I'm going to buy brand new it's going to be a branson the are a much heavier built tractor. LS from specs and personally driving alot of new tractors is not as quality built tractor. I was able to see alot of porosity in the the critical wields on the LS tractors I looked at and was not very impressed. But that's just my opinion as a heavy Truck mechanic. My dealer had told me Brandon will warranty things up to two years out of warranty if its found to be a manufacturing issue and not abuse or neglect. I'm still looking at some lightly used tractors but LS/ newholland is out of the picture. I owned a older 1520 ford and it was one of the best tractors iv ever had. However it was just two small for what I want to do now.