JD 4310 vs Kubota L3130

[JohnMiller3]

<font color="blue">…The specs are about the same, ecept the Kubota outweights the 4310 about 300 lbs, and has a longer wheel base…</font>

Hi,

The spec’s are Not the same…

I would place the JD 4310 a closer match to a Kubota L3430… however between your choices you have narrowed down to:

John Deere 4310 has more PTO hp than the Kubota L3130
JD has more Hydraulic hp than the Kubota
JD PowrReverser is excellent for loader work, but so is the Kubota Hydro
JD PowrReverser 12/12 is excellent for field work, Kubota hydro is unknown
JD Yanmar is Direct Injection diesel giving better diesel fuel economy over the Kubota In-direct Injection

All-in-all, between your selected models… the JD 4310 has the overall advantage over the Kubota L3130… /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

However, I would consider a different rotary cutter from your current choices… you can do better for the money spent…

 

[glennmac]

("Kubota hydro is unknown" for field work)

Ahem!!! Could this be somewhat of an overstatement?

(4310 has more "hydraulic hp")

I am sitting in my gazebo near my creek communicating wirelessly by laptop back to my house, so I have no access to reference materials and am going stricly by my rapidly deteriorating cerebral cortex. My recollection is that the 4310 may have sightly greater total hydraulic flow capacity than the 3130, but that Kubota's implementation (WHAT REALLY COUNTS) gives the 3130 greater fel lift and 3ph lift capacity than the 4310. If I am wrong, the esteemed JM3 will correct me.

 

[GreenMtnMan]

I have heard that Kubota rates their FEL lift capacity differently than other manufacturers. Supposedly they keep adding weight to the FEL until something breaks, subtract a few pounds, and that weight then becomes rated lift capacity. Other manufacturers calculate the maximum capacity based on engineering calculations and allow for a safety margin to prevent damage. If this is true it would always give Kubota the edge in marketing numbers, but I doubt in the real world a couple hundred pounds on paper makes any real difference.

I really didn't like the Kubota HST pedal arrangement, with brakes on the right side in front of the HST pedal. Very hard to do any brake steering and the right side of the deck was a jumble of pedals. The 4310 loader joystick also seemed better positioned, falling right to the hand, where the Kubota required a reach. It seems to me this would make a difference when doing lots of loader work.

Kubota's web site directly compares the 4310 to the L3430, so they seem to think that's the proper matchup. I don't think you could go wrong with either tractor so you might make your choice based on the quality and reputation of the dealer.

 

[rockyridgefarm]

Oh, the 4300/4400... I thought we were talking about the current models...

 

[JimmyD]

I think it would help to first decide if you want Hydro or GlideShift/Kubota or PowerReverser/JD then get your pricing quotes. I just went through the purchasing process between the same units, except I am going with a Sync Shift which most people don't like, and was all set to go with Kubota as a personal preference. I ended up going with JD because I am certain I will get good support from my dealer. I think both of these units are roughly comparable and the difference in specs are not great enough to warrant a choice based on publised data. Consider which one you like better after sittin on em, drivin em and finding out as much as you can about the dealer's reputation and what you observe at the dealership about their operations. Something not mentioned was warranty. I think Kubota offers a 3 year warranty and JD a 2 year warranty. Also both Kubota and JD have excellent resale value.

 

[glennmac]

Rockyridge Mike is as observant as he is subtle. My comments on operator deck space and HST performance were indeed based on the older model JD 4300, which I had tested extensively. I have not driven a 4310, so I cannot comment on JD's changes to the HST. I relooked at the 4310 operator deck the other day. With the switches on the fenders, the spacing of the levers between the seat and fenders has been improved, though I don't think the space itself has been increased. The Kubota L '30's still do have more space, if that is important.

It is true that comparative measures of loader lift strength have historically been confusing. I among others wrote long posts on this issue in the past, which now seem to have disappeared. There are standard measures, but manufacturers use measurements at different physical points. Kubota now publishes lift capacity at three points: 500 mm forward (of the bucket lip, I assume), center of bucket, and pivot pin. My one year old JD Ten Series brochure doesnt seem to contain any lift capacity measurements. Probably the best comparator is lift at pivot pin, because that measurement seems to be a standard that all the manufacturers publish, if only in the salesman's manual. Breakout force is another confusing term. I think it is clear that the LA 723 loader on the Kubota 3130 has more lift capacity than the 430 loader on the JD 4310.

Interestingly, my 2002 JD manual says that PowrReverser transmission is not available for the 4310. Maybe that changed in 2003.

In the end, I wouldn't base a decision on small differences in specs or prices. After getting a literal feel for the tractors--how they drive, how they attach and detach things (the FEL, BH, and especially the MMM if that is in your plans), how they sound, how easy they are to the things I want to do with it, their colors and other aesthetics--and a feel for the dealer--I would just buy the one I "like" better. In the end, it will be, and should be, an informed but subjective decision.

 

[_RaT_]

"Hi,

The spec’s are Not the same…

I would place the JD 4310 a closer match to a Kubota L3430… however between your choices you have narrowed down to:

John Deere 4310 has more PTO hp than the Kubota L3130
JD has more Hydraulic hp than the Kubota
JD PowrReverser is excellent for loader work, but so is the Kubota Hydro
JD PowrReverser 12/12 is excellent for field work, Kubota hydro is unknown
JD Yanmar is Direct Injection diesel giving better diesel fuel economy over the Kubota In-direct Injection

All-in-all, between your selected models… the JD 4310 has the overall advantage over the Kubota L3130… "



For the HST drives, these are a bit more revealing:

1. JD has 25 PTO HP, Kubota has 24 PTO HP, we do not know what the torque is however since JD is rated at max RPM and Kubota is max. 1 HP is in all likelyhood going to be unnoticed, but I would have to give the 4310 the advantage there although the asterick would have to placed when a torque value is established at PTO speed. Kubota has a slight bit larger displacement. 91.3 vs 91.5

2. I am not exactly sure what hydraulic HP is, but the main pump flow is 8.6 gpm for JD and 8.3 gpm for Kubota, the catch however, is the Kubota is at a higher pressure 17.2 vs 17.7 MPa, even with a higher gpm pump on the JD, loader cylce times are slower. Power steering pump capacity is of importance only to how the steering performs, if both perform equal, the larger pump would simply eat up HP.

3. Kubota's shuttleshift or GST with up to 24 forward gears are also excellent for loader work.

4. Kubotas GST and FST are also excellent for field work, in fact, with GST you get 24 forward speeds or a set of creeper gears as an option. The HST is in my well expressed opinion, second to none and the primary reason I chose Kubota over NH or JD.

5. I have never understood this line of reasoning. Its a blanket statement at best to say direct is better then indirect. The Kubota ETVS indirect injected diesel is as far as we know, the only diesel that surpases CARB standards, Yanmar may, they don't acknowledge it. Kubota also builds direct injected diesels. The fuel graphs show fuel consumption to be nearly identical. Torque rise is similar as is HP.

6. The LA 723 easily surpases the 430 loader in almost all categories.

7. 3 pt hitch lift is stronger on the L3130

8. Both are great tractors and even though I quoted a bunch of stinkin specs, I really take them with a grain of salt, try them and all others and make up your own mind. Your the one making payments or buying the thing, be happy with whatever you get, thats my wish!

Rat...

 

[Anonymous Poster]

The 2003 Kubota full line brochure shows PTO hp at 24.4 The two tractors are very close. I considered both tractors before I purchased. Went with the Kubota because of price and dealer location.

 

[buck1]

Here's my advice:
(1) Make sure you're comfortable with the dealer-CRITICAL
and (2) make sure you're comparing the spec's such that you're comparing a green apple with an orange apple....if you know whut I mean /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Both are good tractor's but be sure you're looking at PTO HP, GROSS HP, hydraulic capacity, etc., etc. so that your choosing between appropriately compared machines. Otherwise, the price doesn't mean much.

 

[_RaT_]

John, not to beat a dead horse, but while browsing the Yanmar site and my JD tractor catalog, it says the JD 4410, using a slightly smaller engine then my Kubota L3830 (100.2 cu in vs 111.4) burns at 75% load mowing 1.5 gal/hr. I know that with about 50 hours on my L3830 HST, I'm just about or under 1.0 gal/hr. I suspect the JD 4410 might actually be better then the figure reported, but again, I don't neccesarily think todays indirect injected ETVS diesel from Kubota gives up anything to a direct injected diesel. Both engines are in my opinion the cream of the crop. I would not decide between a Deere or Kubota because of engine nor would the plastic vs metal or especially the two pedal vs 1 pedal ( I have a JD 510 mower with 2 pedals and can tell you, there is no difference in how I use them) have any influence in my decision. There are other things I think are more important like seat color /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Respectfully, Rat...