Help Me Buy a Compact, 4WD, FST, 38-45 HP Tractor

[tigerhammock]

I have decided if I am going to buy a "top line" 4WD,FST,38-45HP Compact Tractor it will be a Kubota 3830 DT or 4330 DT ......... Now I want to know from anyone out there in "Tractor By Net" land, please give me "ONE" or "TWO" (at the most) reccomendations by brand name and model "second tier" (Mahindra, Farmtrac etc.) compact tractors that I should consider as competition to the Kubota ...... Also tell me why I should consider them ie, Price ?, Quality ?, etc. ????? ........... Thank You for your help fellow tractor men !!

 

[zekeman]

My First and current Tractor is a Mahindra 4110( 41 hp) with FEL, two year(up in Jan. 05) warranty - 405 hrs on it now, one time major warranty repair was a new pto shaft- company fixed
under warranty even though it was more operator error then tractor defect. Have Horse's and 31 acres of rocky and forest land and has done everything I needed it for including Removing a hill on side of house and filling in a pond with the dirt, I have pushed over small trees (6-8 in) tree's roots and all,( the tractor weight give it more power then I expected) to expand the horse paddocks, and have actually done some hay at my neighbor's farm when his machine broke down ( I buy my hay from him). plus the everyday manure and fence posts chores. I do not regret buying this tractor, it probably has added years to my life, because I was doing a lot of the above by hand for the last 7 years( since starting with Horse's)
P.S.Forgot to mention pulling down logs from the mountain for firewood
Ron in central NY

 

[Varmintmist]

The one I got is just slightly under your req's, a 35HP Mahindra 3510. The Kub at 31 hp was right there with it while I was shopping.

With the Mahindra, I got more tractor for about the same money (+500 for the Mahindra). The dealer played a large part in the decision also.

What I liked about the Kub was the loader and the way the controls were set up. Very easy machine to just jump on and go to work. The Mahindra was not bad, just different. There was for me a slight learning curve with the Hi Mid Lo/1234/ and shuttle shift. I was going the wrong way in the wrong gear for about the first 10 hours /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif .What I liked about the Mahindra was the WEIGHT, power, and dealer.

I'm pretty impressed with the machine so far. The loader is slower than the Kubotas but I really havent noticed it much. I only have 23 hours on it so far (had it about 2 weeks and its bow season /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif) and 90% has been loader work. I have 52 ac in a tree farm so the intended uses are skidding trees, loader work and some ground engagement stuff, probably nothing more serious than a single bottom plow. I have used the plow to rip loose a log access road. A lot of boney rip rap and the Mahindra sheared the main bolt once without even grunting. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Bad for the plow, but pretty impressive for the tractor.

Although the size I bought is a bit smaller than what you are looking at, I bet that the same "bang for the buck" will hold when you add 3+ hp.

This is not the first tractor that I have run. I have time on JD B's, A's, a ford 3000, a lot of time on a JD 950 4wd with fel and hoe, and I traded a JD 850 on the Mahindra. So far I am a satisfied customer.

You might want to fill in your profile some. There are a lot of folks here that might be able to help you find dealers and the like if they have a general idea where you are and what you are going to do with the tractor.

 

[DK35vince]

Kioti is also worth a look.
I'm going on 3 years and 400+ hours on my DK 35 and its been excellant and problem free.
A DK 40 or 45 would be in your HP range..

 

[frank_f15]

sorry can't help you! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif have no idea what you want to do with the tractor. i have a orange tractor, but up here the LANDTRACT & FARMTRACS are doing quite well.

 

[Bob_Young]

tigerham: I've got a new 45HP Kubota in the pipeline as well. It's an L4300 which is a bit more basic than what you're considering, but it will be my first exposure to Kubota and I'm looking forward to it. I got, what I think, was a good deal on it due to a sales incentive program.

If I decide to buy another new tractor, I will be looking very hard at Farmtrac. The 535 (35hp), 555 (50hp) and 665 (60hp)models look to be clones of the late 60's Ford 2000, 4000 and 5000 tractors. They're built in a former Ford tractor plant in India. Supposedly these are the same tractors the plant made for Ford with some minor upgrades. The specs look almost identical.

The 3 cylinder Ford tractors, the 4000 especially, have a reputation for indestructability. The design is very robust. I've got an old 4000 that saw a lot of abuse before I got it. It's just a nice old tractor with a big slow turning 3 cylinder diesel on 12.4x38's that does everything easily, sips fuel and handles like a dream. It's a pleasure to use and it's what I've relied on the most. One reason for buying the Kubota was to give me an opportunity to do restoration work on my two Fords. After 35 years, there are things that need attention.

Don't know about price, but it's probably reasonable compared to the big 3. In my mind, the biggest thing going for it is the "tougher than a boiled owl" tried and true reputation of the Ford 4000.....if it indeed carries over to the Farmtrac products.

Farmtrac sells 4WD versions of these tractors, but beyond that they're quite basic....they were that way 35 years ago and they still are. Farmtrac makes other models with more up-to-date amenities, but I know nothing of their lineage.