Comparison/Reccomendations requested

[rScotty]

I still recommend you look closely at all the brands you can find and get quotes on the out the door price.

When we retired to a forested small acreage my wife insisted that we get a brand new tractor with a backhoe to maintain and improve the land......get the kind of machine I had always wished for. I agreed, and then had the brainstorm to add that my condition was that we shop for it together. The upshot was we spend an enjoyable summer going to a different dealer about once a week. Started with JD, but eventually went everywhere except Kubota - which I considered a bit of an upstart. Lots of dealers in a 100 mile radius here. Just for fun, we also looked to the big kids: Case, JCB, and Cat. Those Cats are luxurious! New ones have comfortable seating for two. One of the oddest tractors we saw was a Zetor which featured a truely nice cab, built in air compressor, and wrap around seating for passengers! Do they take the family into town in the tractor in Zetorville??

Finally pulled into Kubota almost as an afterthought after months of looking and immediately saw their demo M59 TLB with backhoe, thumb, 3 point hitch, 27 hours, multi-range HST, and set up with most extra options.... Wow! That was nearly ten years ago. It's simply been a wonderful machine. Powerful, well-balanced, and dependable. Extremely high quality of manufacture. Only compromise is that in the winter I wish it had a cab although in the summer it's better without one.
Hope you find what you want. As for us, we'd buy that same Kubota M59 all over again without any changes. In spite of being used often and hard it still works as good as new. A keeper for sure; but it wasn't cheap.
have fun with the search,
rScotty

 

[TSO]

When we retired to a forested small acreage my wife insisted that we get a brand new tractor with a backhoe to maintain and improve the land......get the kind of machine I had always wished for. I agreed, and then had the brainstorm to add that my condition was that we shop for it together. The upshot was we spend an enjoyable summer going to a different dealer about once a week. Started with JD, but eventually went everywhere except Kubota - which I considered a bit of an upstart. Lots of dealers in a 100 mile radius here. Just for fun, we also looked to the big kids: Case, JCB, and Cat. Those Cats are luxurious! New ones have comfortable seating for two. One of the oddest tractors we saw was a Zetor which featured a truely nice cab, built in air compressor, and wrap around seating for passengers! Do they take the family into town in the tractor in Zetorville??

Finally pulled into Kubota almost as an afterthought after months of looking and immediately saw their demo M59 TLB with backhoe, thumb, 3 point hitch, 27 hours, multi-range HST, and set up with most extra options.... Wow! That was nearly ten years ago. It's simply been a wonderful machine. Powerful, well-balanced, and dependable. Extremely high quality of manufacture. Only compromise is that in the winter I wish it had a cab although in the summer it's better without one.
Hope you find what you want. As for us, we'd buy that same Kubota M59 all over again without any changes. In spite of being used often and hard it still works as good as new. A keeper for sure; but it wasn't cheap.
have fun with the search,
rScotty

The m59 us an awesome machine. My previous issues with it was that it didn't come with a factory cab. However, I was BS'ing with the local 'Bota dealer recently, and he claims that the new version (replacing it for 2016 I believe) will offer the cab. If true, that could be the ultimate compact machine.

 

[rScotty]

The m59 us an awesome machine. My previous issues with it was that it didn't come with a factory cab. However, I was BS'ing with the local 'Bota dealer recently, and he claims that the new version (replacing it for 2016 I believe) will offer the cab. If true, that could be the ultimate compact machine.

Yes, that was my issue with the M59 too. A cab gets you away from the noise and exhaust fumes as well as the weather. But now that we have one tractor with a cab and one without I'm seeing some things that hadn't occurred before. An awful lot depends on the work to be done and the way a particular cab is built. Sitting in one open place working the backhoe or when pushing snow around I'd love a cab. But for working close to house or in an area with lots of trees the open station is way more convenient and safer too. Plus just flat being nicer for half the year.

What I'm saying it it isn't simply that a cab is better. I once thought it was, but not always. Sometimes the cab just gets in the way, and yet there it stays because it's impossible to remove. Given the choice, I'm not sure which way I'd go brand new. Well, probably a cab, but it wouldn't be the first thing on my list. More important things are a seat that pivots, an exhaust that throws noise and fumes away from the operator, a FEL bucket that pivots back far enough to see the load along with an engine hood shaped so as to let you see into that bucket in use, and a thumb on the BH. And HST.
Enjoy, rScotty

 

[Parkanzky]

Mostly a cost issue. For the smallest 3 series with the same setup as the kubota its looking like it's around $5k more.

I also understand many shy away because the engines (or whole tractor) in this range are farmed out to Yanmar.

When I was shopping for tractors, I compared Kubota and Deere and after incentives and a bit of negotiation they were within a couple hundred dollars of one-another OTD. In the end, I bought the one that "felt right."

 

[RollingsFarms]

I recently bought a Kubota in the size you're looking at and after comparing it to the John Deere 3032/3038 it was a no brainier. I own ALL John Deere tractors too, except for this Kubota and one Ford. If you end up looking at the Deere, I hope you will skip the 3032/3038 and just compare the 3M or 3R. I am not saying the 3e is a bad tractor but the design is just awful. They cut way too many corners when trying to make a "value tractor" and ended up making a cheap tractor. The 790/990/3005/4005 were far far better tractors and built much much better. Why they couldnt stick a hydro on them and call it a day I don't know but the 3e line is not a good replacement for them at all. In my opinion anyways, that's what I noticed the many times I looked them over when visiting my Deere dealership.

 

[k0ua]

Look at ALL of the brands near you!

I think that the L3301 is the perfect size for your property, and there will be comparable machines from all those brands you list. They are all good enough to own.

Of those brands you mentioned, that Kubota will likely have the least features and shortest warranty, and dollar for dollar will be the lowest on the "bang for your buck" meter.

LS will probably be the highest "bang for your buck," with Kioti being a close second.

You will find that all of those machines will offer something slightly different, better, worse, etc... Find the one that feels the best under your butt.

I am pretty much in this camp also. Lots of good brands to look at and consider. I am very pleased with my Kioti, as are many LS, Mahindra and Massey owners. Consider them all including the Kubota's you mentioned before making your decision.

 

[jenkinsph]

When we retired to a forested small acreage my wife insisted that we get a brand new tractor with a backhoe to maintain and improve the land......get the kind of machine I had always wished for. I agreed, and then had the brainstorm to add that my condition was that we shop for it together. The upshot was we spend an enjoyable summer going to a different dealer about once a week. Started with JD, but eventually went everywhere except Kubota - which I considered a bit of an upstart. Lots of dealers in a 100 mile radius here. Just for fun, we also looked to the big kids: Case, JCB, and Cat. Those Cats are luxurious! New ones have comfortable seating for two. One of the oddest tractors we saw was a Zetor which featured a truely nice cab, built in air compressor, and wrap around seating for passengers! Do they take the family into town in the tractor in Zetorville??

Finally pulled into Kubota almost as an afterthought after months of looking and immediately saw their demo M59 TLB with backhoe, thumb, 3 point hitch, 27 hours, multi-range HST, and set up with most extra options.... Wow! That was nearly ten years ago. It's simply been a wonderful machine. Powerful, well-balanced, and dependable. Extremely high quality of manufacture. Only compromise is that in the winter I wish it had a cab although in the summer it's better without one.
Hope you find what you want. As for us, we'd buy that same Kubota M59 all over again without any changes. In spite of being used often and hard it still works as good as new. A keeper for sure; but it wasn't cheap.
have fun with the search,
rScotty

I worked a job for a friend of mine in Durango with my 110 a couple of months ago. Thought about you while I was there. I have recommended the M59 several times recently and recognize it as a good machine. I bought my 110 loaded with a Laurin cab and have no regrets about it. The new replacement for the M59 with cab should be a nice tlb for sure.

 

[mike69440]

Curious why you won't consider Deere?

You own some of the better Deere models under 100 HP, but in general, I do not think in general the smaller Deere are a value (Kioti etc) or match Kubota in quality. Big Deeres are nice machines.