Kabota vs Woods attachments

[Odonnks]

Hello all,
A friend is considering a L3901 and was considering Kabota vs Woods attachments.
For those that know this equipment, is there any benefit in say going with a Kabota front loader and hoe vs going with Woods attachments? The Kabota attachments are $4,000 plus I additional costs.

Any feedback is appreciated.
Thanks !

 

[Grandad4]

Hello all,
A friend is considering a L3901 and was considering Kabota vs Woods attachments.
For those that know this equipment, is there any benefit in say going with a Kabota front loader and hoe vs going with Woods attachments? The Kabota attachments are $4,000 plus I additional costs.

Any feedback is appreciated.
Thanks !

Your friend would do OK with either choice. I can think of a few things that favor the OEM Kubota loader.
1. Tractor would probably hold resale value better with a factory attachment.
2. Factory attachment is engineered specifically to that tractor, not a generic design that happens to fit.
Should check out actual operation of each before buying. Little things like how smooth and easy to use the control make a big difference in how well something works. You don't get any clue about stuff like that from just reading the specs. If it's a small money difference either way, I'd probably choose the OEM. Not knocking Woods, though. They make good products that deserve consideration.

 

[s219]

I'd go with Kubota for front loader and backhoe, since they are a better integrated fit and will be much better off for resale value in the long run. For anything else that is really a generic implement (front or rear) I think you can pick whatever brand fits the bill and is a good deal.

 

[nybirdman]

I know with the Kubota loaders you can curl/dump and lift/drop the at the same time;don't know if that is possible with all the after market loaders.

 

[Odonnks]

Thanks everyone for the responses !

 

[Fallon]

I know with the Kubota loaders you can curl/dump and lift/drop the at the same time;don't know if that is possible with all the after market loaders.

that is a function of the valve setup. internally its plumbed in series & parallel. I believe most modern loader valves are plumbed this way. Depending on how you cobbled together a loader with your own valve this could be an issue, but not a big one.

 

[EddieWalker]

If the Woods attachments need parts, who will you buy them from? How good are they at getting what you need, and how long will it take? I've found that Kubota is very good at getting the parts needed quickly for a fair price. I shop online all the time looking for a better deal, but always end up going to the Kubota dealer for what I need.

Eddie

 

[newbury]

For the FEL go Kubota. For the hoe carefully check the specs. When I bought my hoe for my B7610 the Kubota oddering was smaller and weaker than my BH70-X for about the same cost, and this was from the same dealer.

 

[DelSc]

I recently switched from a B3030 with a Woods BH70-X to a b2650 with a Kubota BH77 backhoe. For my uses, the capabilities were about the same. I didn't notice one being particularly stronger than the other, but there are a couple differences I can point out.

The Kubota is easier to get on and off. As others have said, it is integrated better with the tractor. For instance, it uses pins instead of bolts so its a bit quicker to change. It also feels like it doesn't stick out as far off the back of the tractor, but that may have more to do with the way they made the cab for the B2650 to accommodate a backhoe. The specs can tell you if thats true or not.

The thing I really liked about the Woods was that it swings noticeably faster. At first I thought the Woods was harder to use than an older Kubota backhoe I owned before because it felt "touchy", but eventually I got used to it and found it made my digging more productive. Switching back to the Kubota BH77 now, it feels a little slow. Digging holes to plant trees, or pulling stumps from time to time it doesn't matter to me, but if I was going to move a lot of dirt with it, I would prefer using the Woods.

The Kubota is also finished better. The joints are tighter, and its a little easier to get to all of the grease fittings.

 

[Grandad4]

that is a function of the valve setup. internally its plumbed in series & parallel. I believe most modern loader valves are plumbed this way. Depending on how you cobbled together a loader with your own valve this could be an issue, but not a big one.

From what I've seen, the FEL operation varies quite a bit across different models and brands. Even within a brand, there can be a big difference in the performance. The FEL control valve on my BX isn't anything close to the one on my Grand L regarding precise, controlled combination movements. Something that tractor + FEL buyers should compare when shopping.