Buying Advice First tractor at my new place

GuiltySpark · May 26, 2017

Hello from DFW to everyone! My wife and I finally got out of town and back to the country where we belong. Due to crazy land prices around DFW, we only managed 12.5 acres, but it came mostly setup for cow/calf which was our intent all along.

I've had some good seat time back in the 80s and 90s on big row crop equipment (JD 4850, JD 4440), but have been living the city life since then. We moved in 6 months ago and have been working slowly on rehab after several years of neglect and overgrowth.

I have need of a utility tractor, but am having a crazy time shopping the segment. There are a ton of offerings. I borrowed my BIL's JD 5310 (65hp) to get started, and that's as big, or frankly bigger, than I'd need here. At most I'd like to unload and move round bales, but that's not absolutely required. Most of the tractors I'm considering won't do it. Mom wants a good sized garden, so a tiller and possibly a bedder/lister will probably be used. I mainly need to move dirt, drill the occasional fence post, and brush hog the pasture.

I've been looking at most major brands, but I'll admit I'm pretty green when it comes to recognizing potential weak spots. Being in DFW, I have access to virtually every major dealer within an hour and half drive. So dealer wise, I'm more concerned with longevity and service than location. I'm searching new because I'm having to put cash into livestock and other areas of the property and frankly can't afford to risk buying a $10k tractor and then having to dump $10k into it for repairs. I also can't be having a payment on a dead machine.

So far... I'm considering:

John Deere 3038E
Yanmar YT235
Massey 1739E
Branson 3520H
Branson 4520R
Kubota L3901HST

I've passing on LS, YHM, and New Holland (dealers won't even return sales call, lol). I'm also passing on Mahindra based on too many warranty/dealer run-arounds I've seen.

Specs wise, the Deere doesn't match up, it's the lightest and weakest at both 3pt and FEL of the bunch. Nostalgia wise, I gravitate toward green. It's all I ever wanted, or envisioned myself ever buying. But looking at the specs and pricing, I just don't think I can do it. The 3038E looks and feels like a toy compared to some of the others on my list.

The Branson's look well built, but I've no exposure to them at all. We have a good dealer (so I read) that's sold them for a while, so that's a plus. For not a bunch more money, I can step up into a 47hp package deal with practically every implement I need. It's very tempting.

I'm very excited to see the new Yanmar and will be looking at it next week. The dealer is pretty new, and it's the only one around which worries me. I'm not afraid of the Yanmar machine at all, but warranty work may be a problem long term.

On the list I have above, any thoughts? Any other brands or models I should be looking at? I know I could probably be happy with any of the machines on the list, as long as they are running.

I'm not terribly picky when it comes to controls, layouts, etc. I'm not even dead set on HST, as everything I've ever worked with before didn't have it. But, I'll admit, on my JD X300 mower it is very nice!

ericm979 · May 26, 2017

The Yanmars look nice but they're just starting out again in the US. I like a dealer that has some track record so not only do they have experience with the brand but they'll be around and servicing that brand for a while.

For me the features and price of the Branson won out over the Kubota. The extra weight and width makes it more stable on my steep land. I do a lot of wood chipping and being able to turn the pto on or off from beside the tractor was a factor for me. You'll want to make your own list of must have and nice to have features and see how the different models meet them. I ended up making a spredsheet to track it all. Also go visit dealers to sound them out and do test drives. The L3901 would have worked but if I'm spending all that money I wanted to get the best fit for me.

HP needs are determined mostly by the PTO implements you want to run. if you have enough HP for everything you're doing, more HP won't get the work done faster or make it more fun like in a car, it'll just burn more fuel.

GuiltySpark · May 26, 2017

I have the spreadsheet already going, lol. But I have scant few actual "hands-on" opinions of what I need. Short of running a tiller, I have done all the basics around here with the 5310, but my BIL came and picked it up. No more free tractor! It was too big to effectively clean out cow stalls or to park in the shop. It wasn't a turning issue with the stalls, but was just too tall to clear the roofline. It was a foldable ROPS, but the canopy made it almost impossible to fold it down.

3pt power down might be nice, but I haven't been able to find out which ones (if any) have it by just reading online. We have nasty clay soil, so that would assist with the auger. I also might run a chipper some day as well, so that's nice to know about the Branson. My land is all flat with a slight gentle slope, except for the creek that borders it. Lots of trees line the creek, but it's just a "cliff edge" down into it, not something I need to traverse. I have one stock tank that's already dug, but is dry. I'd have to be careful if I was going to brush hog that.

I'm also not sure how I would feel about the HST "rocker" foot controls on the Kubota. I really am used to the two pedal JD system because of my mower.

If I ended up in the 4520R, I would probably add an additional remote for drawbar implements that need to be lifted. While I'm only on 12 acres now, I will try to lease more if the opportunity arises.

kevin37b · May 26, 2017

Go to a bigger frame Deere . Most tractors are good , but the dealer is the gamechanger . Good luck , Kevin .

rustyshakelford · May 26, 2017

I agree. Check out the 5e series. I had a heck of a time with my old 5055e but that was a freak deal and now I love my 5100. I would imagine the price point will surprise you too. Lot more tractor for the money. Probably similar in frame size to your BILa tractor

Brett

TheMadOne · May 26, 2017

At least with JD and Kubota you're at the high HP end of the specific frame size. The 3901 is the same physical tractor as the 3301 and 2501(or nearly), I believe it's likewise with the Deere 3038, 3032, an 3025. For actual farming/animal raising I'd hesitate to call a tractor like mine big enough, and the Deere is physically a good bit smaller that that.

I'd suggest either jumping into the MX line of Kubota or a similar size in whatever color you like or looking at the premium options like the grand LXX60s/JD "R" line. Just my :2cents:

nybirdman · May 26, 2017

You may be a tad small for round bales with most of your choices;counter weight for sure.As far as the HST;I have a JD mower with the two pedals and a Kubota with the rocker;not a big problem for me.

GuiltySpark · May 26, 2017

nybirdman said:
You may be a tad small for round bales with most of your choices;counter weight for sure.As far as the HST;I have a JD mower with the two pedals and a Kubota with the rocker;not a big problem for me.

Yes, I'd consider most all of them too small for round bales on the FEL. The Bransons are the only ones on paper that show the lift capacity with any wiggle room, and they are over a foot wider too.

FWIW, I circled back to the JD 4044M and Kubota MX4800HST and they sit nicely against the Branson 4520R, and the quote was comparable if you throw out the tiller, auger, box blade, and 20' trailer that come with the Branson. At that point, I'm really buying the dealer, I feel. I'm not saying that's a bad idea. That's what I'm wrestling with.

NHSawyer · May 26, 2017

I have a Yanmar LX410 I bought 6 years ago. When I bought it I felt Yanmar had the best tractor of all that I looked at. I very much like my machine and have had no problems with the dealer or getting parts.

jeff9366 · May 26, 2017

"The Branson's look well built, but I've no exposure to them. We have a good dealer (so I read) that's sold them for a while, so that's a plus. For not a bunch more money, I can step up into a 47hp package deal with practically every implement I need. It's very tempting.

Yes, I'd consider most all of them too small for round bales on the FEL. The Bransons are the only ones on paper that show the lift capacity with any wiggle room, and they are over a foot wider too.

I circled back to the JD 4044M and Kubota MX4800HST and they sit nicely against the Branson 4520R, and the quote was comparable IF you throw out (!?!?!?) the TILLER, AUGER, BOX BLADE AND 20' TRAILER in Branson package deal.
At that point, I'm buying the dealer. I'm not saying that's a bad idea. That's what I'm wrestling with."

Texas is probably Branson's largest market. You have enumerated plenty good reasons to go with Branson. Branson 4520R has a much better outfit than Kubota MX4800, which is bare bones.

Branson 4520R: Branson Tractors - Home