CNH DX33/TC33DA vs. JD 4310 vs. Kubota L3130

boze_man · Oct 14, 2004

hello all

well it's come down to the wire. after a few months of going back and forth (need vs want, new vs used) and what size (class2, class3 etc) i have come down to these 3 tractors, at least i think i have....

I live in Montana and have 16 acres of pasture (some flat, some contoured), no livestock yet, a quarter mile gravel driveway that needs a lot of help. Also the property around the house is in need of some finish landscaping, grading, and general cleanup. I would use the tractor for road maint, snow removal, pasture cutting, landscape grading, fencing, moving small trees/shrubs, maybe weed spraying etc.

now how to compare apples to oranges??

DX33/TC33DA hydro w/LX114/14LA FEL and HD bucket
JD 4310 epowrreverser w/ 430 FEL and HD bucket
L3130 hydro w/ LA723 FEL and HD bucket

seems the DX33/TC33DA spec wise is at the lower end, JD4310 in middle, and L3130 is at higher end

any help which is best?? any opinions?? i am still getting final quotes...

thanks to all who have helped

jfdlaw · Oct 14, 2004

All are good machines. Why isn't the deere hydro? Personally I found the 4310 to have the most comfortable work area. I think the NH loader is better designed. BUT the question is not what we think, its what you like. Drive all three, get to know all the dealers, choose the one that fits you best and with which you have confidence in the dealer. All three will do what you want. Choose the tractor and dealer you are most comfortable with and make the deal.

thcri · Oct 15, 2004

All three brands will do a good job for you. Throw the colors out the window and forget them all. Then go back to the different dealers and get the know them. Which one do you think will give you the best support. That is the one I would buy. If all prices are close I would not let price get in your way. Also which one fits your butt the best and has the most comfort feeling for you. Take your time and one of them dealers will start dealing more with you and maybe even send on home with you for the week-end for you to try out. Half the fun of owing a compact is buying it, have fun as you won't go wrong on any of them listed.

murph

Riddler · Oct 15, 2004

Boze, I just completed the buying process myself and agree wholeheartedly with the comments so far. Comfort with the dealer means alot.

That said, we all know that much of the fun is learning about the machines. I can't comment on the JD, but I did look long and hard at both the Grand L HSTs (including the L3130) and the TCxxDAs. I believe very strongly that only the TC35DA, TC40DA or TC45DA with 16LA loader are truly comparable to the Grand L HSTs.

Don't get too hung up on the differences in horsepower. While the Boomers I mention all have more hp than the two smallest displacement Grand Ls (i.e., the 3130 and 3430), in all other respects, including loader performance, they are very close. The TC33DA with 14LA loader does not have dimensions, weight or loader capacity of any of the Grand Ls. It is a great tractor for sure, but I do not believe you can use it to make reliable price/deal comparisons with the Grand Ls. You need to start with TC35DA with 16LA loader for that. Just my two cents.

boze_man · Oct 15, 2004

thanks guys for the input...

if you want to hear a funny story... the way this all started was i called a local tractor dealer at the end of may to rent a tractor to do some work around the property. while having him on the phone (stupidly) i asked if he had anything used, yes we do come on down...i went to look, the used one was 13,500, not bad i thought... next to it was a newer used one for 16, 500, from there i figured new is only a stones throw away and i was hooked.

i have gone back and forth on size ie class2 vs class3. then used to new, then back to used, now finally new again. lately i have been wanting to go to smaller end ie DX33 and 4310, but in comes the L3130 and that seems pretty close to a TC35 or 40 so i am now looking larger.....what a great problem to have..........what a great country.......god bless america........but the work is still not done on the property

i dont know where i am taking this but i am very close to pulling the trigger, today i added the TC40DA/DX40 to the mix. skipped over the 35 (from what i read).

i am gonna think hard about which dealer would be best

Case- old school, has been around here a long time, but is only starting to get into these compacts, they deal alot with the big ag and construction, better price than NH

NH- new school, do alot of compacts, some ag, always have lots of compacts in inventory, but priced a little higher than red

Deere- fairly new dealer (father/son), bought out old owner and upgrading etc, trying to change previous local perception of deere (bad rep), equal focus on ag and compacts, of course higher priced

Kubota- do alot of compacts for construction, usually have some used (more than other dealers, i guess he is moving more product), line is focused on compacts, not much in way of discounts off of list i guess due to demand

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jfdlaw · Oct 16, 2004

I think you've sorted it out pretty well. Now just go buy one. I spent way too much time analyzing and ended up close to where I started. Buy the one you feel most comfortable with and don't look back.

hazmat · Oct 18, 2004

For the chores you metion, pony up the 2-3K and get the class 3 machine. I'd place more emphasis on dealer than brand.

kybota · Oct 18, 2004

( i have gone back and forth on size ie class2 vs class3. then used to new, then back to used, now finally new again. lately i have been wanting to go to smaller end ie DX33 and 4310, but in comes the L3130 and that seems pretty close to a TC35 or 40 so i am now looking larger )

Been there and done that. I agree with others that the TC35 is more comparable to the JD4310 and the L3130 than the TC33.
I have actively shopped since April, and drove a bunch of trac tors in the past six weeks. I drove the Kubotal last, as in last week. Took two days to think it over and bought the L3130 Friday, expect delivery tomorrow or Wednesday (waiting on tire rims).

Locally, I was able to find the 4310 and 3130 priced almost identically with their largest FEL, the NH TC35 was about $1500 more.

Comfort level with the dealer tipped the equation for me. Unless maneuvering in tight spaces and lighter weight is important, the meager price difference to go to larger CUT vs the smaller CUTs also seemed the thing to do.

Happy tractoring. Can't wait for mine. If only the weather would give me a break now that I've decided to buy.

boze_man · Oct 18, 2004

i agree with going with the larger frame, but my case dealer has both the dx33 and dx40. he seems to think the smaller would suit me better....hopefully get this wrapped up this week

eee · Oct 18, 2004

( Took two days to think it over and bought the L3130 Friday, expect delivery tomorrow or Wednesday (waiting on tire rims). )

I think you will be happy with your new tractor,lots of luck.