Help me please... looking at kubota L3130 vs. JD 3320 vs. NH

[Zachary]

Hello everyone, I am new to this and wish for any help in selecting the tractor. I just purchased a 17 acre piece of property which I intend to put up a fence, till the soil for a large size garden and finish mow. I was looking at the Kubota L3130 with a 723 loader for $19500. the same dealer sells the Deere 3320 with the hydrostatic transmission and loader for about a thousand more. now, the dealer keeps saying that the john deere is a better tractor and keeps steering me to it. I would get the kubota with the GST instead of the hydro. Anyways, I was just wondering which tractor, in your opinion would be better.

Any help would be appreciated. Also, from reading the other threads, I did not know that there are 3rd party FELs available... thanks for all your advice...

 

[ceh007]

Just went thru the same search myself. thought New Holland was overpriced. JD also came in at a higher price for the same features. I ended up choosing Kubota based on some friends evaluation as good machines, and the happy owners in this forum. I went for the higher horsepower of the L3400, which you might need for the tiller and post hole digger. Manual tranny also.
For comparison, i bought thru the internet at Barlow Equip., saved many dollars. L3400DT, 4wd, R4 tires, LA463 FEL, BH75 w/16" bucket, 5' box blade, 9" post hole digger. delivered to my door (MD) ; 22,500.
As delivery was late in the afternoon yesturday, i was out doing one of my projects by headlight last night. Great headlights by the way.

 

[Zachary]

you got a great deal! did you name the price? the back hoe alone is worth 5 grand...the reason I want to choose the 3130 is because the dealer stated that it was a much more heavy duty tractor....thanks I'll check it out.

 

[OrangeGuy]

Zachary,

Tough situation when a dealer sells two brands and declares one better than the other. IMO you have to discard the dealer's opinion in this situation. The dealer choosing one over the other tells me he is making the recommendation based on factors that are to his advantage; will make more profit, has a tractor that is due to be paid for, OEM has some sort of dealer incentive program, etc. Both are good tractors. You should choose based on which tractor is most comfortable and affordable for you.

Since you asked this question in the Kubota forum, I will give some reasons I considered when I purchased my Kubota L3430. First quality, performance, dealer support and resale are best in-class. Second, the Grand L Series is the best tractor I have ever owned. Engines are modern, quiet, efficient, easy starting, and clean burning. The Grand L is the only major OEM to offer three transmission choices. All are industry leaders. I chose the hydrostatic for my needs. Hydraulics are quick and powerful. 3 PT hitch is strong with extendable links; much better than a quick hitch (JD calls iMatch). Many implements are not compatible with iMatch i.e. post hole digger.

723 FEL is a much better loader, if for the only reason, it has the skidsteer quick attach as an option. JD has adopted this universal (Bobcat) quick hitch with its construction equipment but not yet with its compact equipment.
Other reasons are a better on/off FEL system, quicker cycle times and better specs.

Choose the tractor you want. In the case of the Kubota, I know you will not go wrong.

OrangeGuy

 

[Zachary]

thanks for all the good insights. I too are inclined to go with the kubota, and I did not know that about the JD. I was quoted 19280 with the smaller LA513 loader, also I asked about stepping up to the 3430 and he told me that I would not see a noticable difference in power between the two.

Also, does anyone have any experience with the frontier line, vs. the bush hog? I was quoted $1895 for the gm1072E finish mower and $1100 for the auger with a 9"bit. this seems kind of high for a frontier....
the bush hog was a little bit cheaper.

 

[RPK]

Hello everyone, I am new to this and wish for any help in selecting the tractor. I just purchased a 17 acre piece of property which I intend to put up a fence, till the soil for a large size garden and finish mow. I was looking at the Kubota L3130 with a 723 loader for $19500. the same dealer sells the Deere 3320 with the hydrostatic transmission and loader for about a thousand more. now, the dealer keeps saying that the john deere is a better tractor and keeps steering me to it. I would get the kubota with the GST instead of the hydro. Anyways, I was just wondering which tractor, in your opinion would be better.

Any help would be appreciated. Also, from reading the other threads, I did not know that there are 3rd party FELs available... thanks for all your advice...

I bought the 3130 with 723 loader heavy duty bucket and BH90 backhoe with HST. This is an amazing machine. The HST is so nice to use if you have to inch forward and backward in tight spots. My friend bought the New Holland TC30 from the same dealer and hasn't gotten all of the leaks out yet. The HST has a cruise control that should be pretty handy for mowing or tilling

RPK

 

[InlineDieselFan]

Well I chose Kubota, but did lots of shopping, I went to a dealer that sold both Orange and Green. Thier sales person was hands down go Orange. So be careful as was mentioned. At the time the nearest Blue dealer was more than 200 miles away, so they were out automatically.

All are good machines, HST is super nice and I was told "you shall" buy HST, so done deal for me. Try all three brands, drive around move the buckets, shift gears if gear model, be sure to go into reverse many times. Let the little lady of the house try them out also. I am sure there will be many times that she is driving while you have a shovel, matock, rack, something in your hands and working while she is driving. Just trust me on this!!!!!

good luck steve

BTW, going with a dealer that you trust and like is probably the biggest thing to look for as you are looking at three quality machines. You are now down to Ford, Dodge, or Chevy aurguements.

 

[Zachary]

well, I got a quote back. the dealer states:
$18950 for L3130 HST with LA723 Loader
$1295 for a 5' Tiller King Kutter
$695 for a 9" post hole digger
$1795 for a 72" Land pride rear discharge finish mower

Now this is about $2000 total less than what my local dealer would quote. Is it worth $2000 for a local?

or the other option is to put that $2000 towards a L3830!
hmmmm choices choices....BTW, you guys have convinced me to get the Kubota instead of the JD or NH.

 

[Spark_man]

I went into the dealer ready to buy a Green tractor (3320) - but this particular JD dealer is also a Kubota dealer and they had a L3430 HSTC (Cab) on the lot and made me an offer I couldn't refuse. ;-)

I drove a bunch of brands and had really settled on the JD because it was the most comfortable and seem to fit me. But the fact that to put a cab on the green one would have put me WAY over budget - the orange one is what I ended up with. I am happy with the Kubota and bush hoggin the horse pasture in 95* weather from the comfort of the AC'd cab convinced me I made the right decision.

Given the variation in price you note - give the local guy the price you got from the distant dealer and tell him that he can match it or you will buy from the other guy. But be sure to tell him that if you buy from him, he will surely get your service work - might be incentive enough for a price match. Otherwise, if you have the cash, go for the 3830!

BTW: JD does offer a skid steer quick attachment for their loader ($400 option).

 

[Zachary]

One more thing, in my research, I have found that the new line of L series tractors in Feb. is mostly cosmetic with new rounded fiberglass engine hood covers, better visiblity, talking to the different dealers, they have told me that Kubotas are notorious for bringing new models late. they have stated that the best deal probably will be around march or april of next year. However Kubota may or may not have the 0% financing for the 2006 models.
If they do, I probably will be able to save around 500-800 dollars, but if they don't, then that savings is for nothing by the finance charges that may acrue. In any case, the time I guess is now to the end of Sept. we will see.