Buying Advice John Deere or Branson?

[Fireman1317]

Just to throw a curve ball into this. New tractor time led me to the Massey dealer. Like you, 40 hp range. Here being cold and snow country, a cab was a priority. Sat in a 1742 hydro, cab tractor, said yup, perfect. Didn't operate it at all. Just over 100 hrs on it now, loving it.

I know many say to go with the cab, but we are not really interested in the cab due to the price increase and we will be running it in the woods.

 

[ericm979]

To be fair to the Branson, the Deere doesn't have:
Linked Pedal
Extendable links on 3 point
Fuel tank on Deere is mounted up behind seat.
Deere weighs 383lbs less
Deere uses proprietary quick attach for FEL, unless you get a adapter.

Not sure any of these are deal breakers, but then again this is my first tractor. Also, I find it odd that the Deere's lift capacity is less, despite the small difference in weight. This goes for both 3-point and FEL.

the 3pt and proprietary FEL attach would be problems for me. I've had both traditional old fashioned 3pt with turnbuckles and extentable links and sliding stabilizers. The latter is so much easier to use. It seems that half the time the implement I want to use is not the implement that's already mounted. The FEL attach greatly limits the FEL attachments you can use.

The low mounted fuel filler on the Branson is nice, especially if you use cans, but to me it's a nice to have. Same with the linked pedals.

If the Deere is a manual (or shuttle) that's a HUGE difference vs a HST. That right there would make the choice for me. The HST is so much better for my use than operating a clutch. Your needs may vary. If you're mowing consistent material and grade and not having to stop and back up the manual/shuttle's drawbacks are less apparent.

I suggest test driving both. Plan out a pretend work sceneario and see how they do for you.

 

[ptsg]

Check this link:

Branson Spreadsheet Template

I think it provides a bit more info on the specs of the Branson like the 3 point lift capacity.

And here are some specs for the BL200 which I think is what Branson uses now instead of the BL25.

BL2 – Branson Tractors

 

[Fireman1317]

the 3pt and proprietary FEL attach would be problems for me. I've had both traditional old fashioned 3pt with turnbuckles and extentable links and sliding stabilizers. The latter is so much easier to use. It seems that half the time the implement I want to use is not the implement that's already mounted. The FEL attach greatly limits the FEL attachments you can use.

The low mounted fuel filler on the Branson is nice, especially if you use cans, but to me it's a nice to have. Same with the linked pedals.

If the Deere is a manual (or shuttle) that's a HUGE difference vs a HST. That right there would make the choice for me. The HST is so much better for my use than operating a clutch. Your needs may vary. If you're mowing consistent material and grade and not having to stop and back up the manual/shuttle's drawbacks are less apparent.

I suggest test driving both. Plan out a pretend work sceneario and see how they do for you.

You make some great points regarding the 3pt links.

I test drove a Branson 3725H last thursday, even though I plan to buy a 4225H. I tested a Deere 4052R on Monday. 4052R is same frame, just more HP, but the R adds more features than the M level. I thought both tractors drove nicely, though I did like that on the Deere, at least on the R series, you can adjust the sensitivity of how fast the tractor stops when coming to a stop or changing directions. I also like how the Deere sits taller than the Branson, but not sure if that translates to anything on the ground. There are a few other features on the R series that Branson doesn't have, but not really deciding factors for me. ALL TRACTORS TESTED HAVE BEEN HYDROSTATIC.

 

[ericm979]

I don't know about Deere but with some Kubotas the extendable lower links and stabilizers are available as accessories.

 

[forestermassey]

I'm in the market for my first tractor. Decided on the 40hp range, hydro transmission. Thought I narrowed it down to buying a Branson, then a friend of mine at a local John Deere dealership convinced me to give him a chance.


So here is where I'm at.

2018 Branson 4225H, FEL, 2 rear remotes, 3rd function valve, W.R. Long Open Bottom Grapple :$31,900. 0 down, 0% financing for 72

2018 John Deere 4044M, upgraded 440R FEL, 2 rear remotes, 3rd function valve, Frontier AC20H 60" root grapple: $33,999. Might be able to get a little more off this.


Branson dealer is 1 hour away, Selling Deere dealer is 30 mins away, but there is a local Deere dealer 10 mins from the house. Full disclosure, I have been a John Deere fan since growing up around John Deere Ag equipment as a kid, but I figured or told myself that John Deere was going to be out of my price range or I would lose features to keep the price down on a John Deere.

Any opinions? lol

I can buy a 4720 with everything except the 3rd function for $24,300.00. That would add about $1000. See if you can get a Deere for that.

 

[Turbys_1700]

You like Deere...
You get more tractor with the Branson for a lower cost...
You have to decide what is more important...
Believe me...
The adjustable lower links are something that I would highly recommend in whatever you intend to purchase...
The ease of hooking up your implements will be so much easier...
The JD proprietary QA on the FEL is a good design but I would much prefer the standard skid steer quick attach due to uniformity and availability of aftermarket support...
You are tied to Deere FEL attachments with that system...

 

[Texasmark]

To be fair to the Branson, the Deere doesn't have:
Linked Pedal
Extendable links on 3 point
Fuel tank on Deere is mounted up behind seat.
Deere weighs 383lbs less
Deere uses proprietary quick attach for FEL, unless you get a adapter.

Not sure any of these are deal breakers, but then again this is my first tractor. Also, I find it odd that the Deere's lift capacity is less, despite the small difference in weight. This goes for both 3-point and FEL.

Red is in my corral for a reason......they earned the place.

 

[searcyfarms]

a few things here would weigh heavy for me - I just went through this process and ended up with a deere - why?

1 - no branson dealer very close, branson dealer was newer and I wasn't sure how they would support service wise/parts when I break and need them.
2 - service, small dealer who sold more than branson so wasn't sure if they would keep carrying the branson line and at some point leave me in a predicament with service/parts.
3 - honestly I liked the branson but since I don't plan to keep my 2038r forever, I wanted to have good resale at some point and I knew my branson would fall off quicker in value
4 - price, the branson was higher and did not offer a MMM in what I was wanting and after deciding that a MMM was not optional I went deere
5 - other small things I preferred regarding ergonomics and creature comforts and simplicity for my daughter/wife were a little better on the deere


wishes - deere had the non proprietary SSQA - adjustable 3pt arms ( although I haven't needed them yet )

per deere = their reason behind not having SSQA - too many items that could be put on the front that are not designed to be on the loader and people overuse and abuse their machine so they try to limit things by size/item to fit specifically to keep people from tearing things up and voiding wtys and getting into arguments when they have issues - I can see some validity but I also see some marketing/sales strategy in it also - i not tupid..... ;-)

im not sold out to deere either I own most colors or have at some point

 

[rScotty]

You make some great points regarding the 3pt links.

I test drove a Branson 3725H last thursday, even though I plan to buy a 4225H. I tested a Deere 4052R on Monday. 4052R is same frame, just more HP, but the R adds more features than the M level. I thought both tractors drove nicely, though I did like that on the Deere, at least on the R series, you can adjust the sensitivity of how fast the tractor stops when coming to a stop or changing directions. I also like how the Deere sits taller than the Branson, but not sure if that translates to anything on the ground. There are a few other features on the R series that Branson doesn't have, but not really deciding factors for me. ALL TRACTORS TESTED HAVE BEEN HYDROSTATIC.

Some options make a big difference and others not much. Frankly your search is sounding a bit confusing. Does it seem that way to you? Might be time to sit back and re-evaluate what you want to do with it.

And BTW, you should be test driving the specific model that you are considering. Tractors vary a lot in the way that they "feel", and a lot of the differences are in things that don't show up on spec sheets. Things like vibration isolation, engine/transmission sound, overall stability, easy visibility for the FEL bucket & rear implements.....even simple things are important. Consider the how it sits. And particularly consider how comfortable and natural it is to swing on/off the tractor. Believe me, you do get on & off a lot.

Last time we were looking at tractors I was astonished to see that on half the ones we tried, the hood and loader arms obscured my view of what the bucket was doing. Sometimes it was even hard to judge the angle - you'll really appreciate it if it is easy and instinctive to tell when the front cutting edge of the bucket is flat or slightly angled.

Are you planning to buy a hydrostatic? If so, test driving becomes even more inportant. I like hydrostatics, but the more gears and ranges that you get with your hydrostatic transmission makes a big difference in how it works. In my opinion, 2 speeds are to few in a tractor hydrostatic. 3 speeds are better, and having 3 plus high/low in each speed is luxury. HST not only varies in speed of attack, but also in how the auto-throttle works.

Telescopic 3pt lower arms should be standard on all tractors, but if not, you do get pretty good at hooking things up anyway. I'd say that telescopic 3 pt arms are a factor....but not a major factor compared to things like seating position and visibility.

I believe that JD still offers the SSQA (skid steer quick attach) option to connect the bucket to the FEL instead of being tied to JD's own proprietory quick attach setup. You want SSQA. Everybody else in the whole world uses the SSQA attachment method and it opens up a huge amount of options. At the time we looked, JD would mount the bucket with SSQA instead of the JD system for only a tiny difference in price. JD's refusal to adopt the world standard is puzzling and makes one wonder what other kind of mistakes they are making through pure bull-headedness.

My belief is that the small difference you have noticed in how much the loaders can lift means nothing. It is way offset by how you use the bucket. For example, visibility to the bucket and how intuitively the controls allow you level the bucket and make delicate movements with the bucket as you inch forward means much, much more because that controls how the load is distributed within the bucket - and distribution of the load in the bucket really changes the lift it can do. Even the shape of the bucket counts.

Branson may give you more for the money, but there is an undeniable "JD club" that you join when you go green. And at least for me there's a certain pride that I only get with JD. It just about broke my heart when I began to realize that last time we bought that our new tractor wasn't going to be a JD. We had spent many weekends at JD dealers, and tried out a lot of their tractors. Nice machines, but we astonished ourselves by going with a Kubota instead of JD. Price had nothing to do with it. We've bought enough machinery in our life to know that when buying a tool to use, we are better off shopping for the features that we want rather than the price. First find the best tool for the job; then figure out if it is worth the price. If so, that's the way we go.
good luck, rScotty