MessickFarmEqu said:
Homework?! Maybe someone should stop drinking the green juice and read between the lines of what your told. Deere offers 1 $16,000 diesel model with a hydraulic PTO, every Kubota machine has one. Deere's highend transmission is from Parker. Several other companies have already used that parker tranny, its nothing exclusive to Deere. Kubota's in house transmission has Hydraulic lift rather than a foot pedal, shafts down to the deck rather than belts, and not a single hydraulic hose. Last I heard, Kubota has somthing like a 70% marketshare in diesel ZTR's (not a big player in gas). You can buy a diesel ZD321 for the same price as a liquid cooled gas from most companies. We do actually sell just as many Ferris ZTR's because the gas Kubota's are pricy because they contain all these commercial features. No question which is more advanced though. Btw.. Case / New Holland is really our bread and butter, I know my orange, but am by no means blind to what else is out there.
I apologize - I didn't realize we were talking about
DIESEL ZT's. Yes, Kubota has very high market share if you break ZT's out into Gas versus Diesel - on the other hand, they are not much of a player when you look at the ZT market as a whole.
Now on to the hydraulic pumps (not transmissions) If you read my post, I was referring to last years 700 series, which had a Kanzaki Dual Unitized Pump system, which was EXCLUSIVE to John Deere. You are correct that this years new model 800's do have an integrated Parker transmission. You are also correct that several other manufacturers have used a similar type of transmission as well.
No question as to which ZT's are the most advanced??? Since you brought up Kubota ZT's, how old is the current frame design? Does it have cast I-beam caster arms & cast forks? Are the mower decks still fabricated out of several pieces of steel, with sharp corners? Is there an available operator controlled mulching system with movable baffles in the deck? What kind of electrical system do they have? How many electrical switches are on each model? Do they have an onboard diagnostic system? How about an hourmeter that only counts hours the engine is actually running? Maybe, just maybe, there are some other units out there that have advanced features and ALSO are priced competitively with the rest of the industry.
Competitvely priced seems to be the issue with operators in my area not purchasing Kubota. Driveshafts are great, but at what cost? Hydraulic deck lift is great, but at what cost? And lets be honest, cost is one the most important items to a commercial landscaper. Also when I say "cost" I am referring to both the initial cost of these features, as well as the additional cost to repair / replace those features when they break.
After all this typing, I am a bit parched - please excuse me while I go drink some more green juice...
