Kubota or John Deer

[rScotty]

I looked at those two brands, and ended up with a Kioti.

Deere dealer had a take it or leave it attitude. Kubota had an old fashioned, uncomfortable treadle pedal for hst controls, an uncomfortable loader joystick, and seemed to have a larg, uncomfortable transmission hump.

Kioti was an unknown to me at the time, but had a dealer I quickly became comfortable with, a good price, and was conveniently located.

My tractor is several years old now, with no problems.

Yes. Kioti is coming up fast.

Isn't that Kubota HST treadle a crazy thing? Kubota actually makes several different shapes of treadle - and all different. Some good, some bad. No standardization, and no choices either.

The one on our TBL is actually nice - my foot goes next to the treadle instead of being on it. Just move your toes back and forth. Very sensitive and easy to use.

But their other models have different treadles. Some of which are crazy dumb designs. I saw one style where the expect a person's foot to fit ON TOP of the treadle and pivor at the ankle. It's apparent that Kubota hasn't put any effort into figuring out a standard treadle design.

Our old Singer Sewing machine has an excellent treadle. So we aren't talking about high tech or new innovations required.

 

[BX23S-1]

Yes. Kioti is coming up fast.

Isn't that Kubota HST treadle a crazy thing? Kubota actually makes several different shapes of treadle - and all different. Some good, some bad. No standardization, and no choices either.

The one on our TBL is actually nice - my foot goes next to the treadle instead of being on it. Just move your toes back and forth. Very sensitive and easy to use.

But their other models have different treadles. Some of which are crazy dumb designs. I saw one style where the expect a person's foot to fit ON TOP of the treadle and pivor at the ankle. It's apparent that Kubota hasn't put any effort into figuring out a standard treadle design.

Our old Singer Sewing machine has an excellent treadle. So we aren't talking about high tech or new innovations required.

I tried looking at Kioti. I try to give them ALL a fair shake, but there are no Kioti dealers in our area that i would bother with. Closest one is to far to drive to for service or parts. I have 2 Deere dealers and 2 Kubota dealers very near me. Both have been here a long time, and alot of the workers have been in these dealerships a long time as well. My main priority is having a dealer with parts & good service after the sale. Sometimes paying a little bit more, has its own rewards.

 

[daman1]

Browse the Massey Ferguson lot if you happen to have one nearby, nice units

 

[rScotty]

I tried looking at Kioti. I try to give them ALL a fair shake, but there are no Kioti dealers in our area that i would bother with. Closest one is to far to drive to for service or parts. I have 2 Deere dealers and 2 Kubota dealers very near me. Both have been here a long time, and alot of the workers have been in these dealerships a long time as well. My main priority is having a dealer with parts & good service after the sale. Sometimes paying a little bit more, has its own rewards.

Well, since dealers are your main priority you are lucky to have good ones nearby.
Everyone has a different implement to use on different land with different priorities.

I had a mechanical shop years ago. Frankly I had mechanics I wouldn't trust with anything more complicated than a can opener, and others who were perfectionists. But they all had to eat and pay bills...so how is a customer to know which one will be doing the work?

rScotty

 

[jyoutz]

Well, since dealers are your main priority you are lucky to have good ones nearby.
Everyone has a different implement to use on different land with different priorities.

I had a mechanical shop years ago. Frankly I had mechanics I wouldn't trust with anything more complicated than a can opener, and others who were perfectionists. But they all had to eat and pay bills...so how is a customer to know which one will be doing the work?

rScotty

You don’t know who is doing the work, but you do know the business that is standing behind that work.

 

[rScotty]

You don’t know who is doing the work, but you do know the business that is standing behind that work.

There's some truth to that. It's very important in the short term, probably less so long term.

 

[BX23S-1]

Well, since dealers are your main priority you are lucky to have good ones nearby.
Everyone has a different implement to use on different land with different priorities.

I had a mechanical shop years ago. Frankly I had mechanics I wouldn't trust with anything more complicated than a can opener, and others who were perfectionists. But they all had to eat and pay bills...so how is a customer to know which one will be doing the work?

rScotty

"I had mechanics I wouldn't trust with anything more complicated than a can opener"
Oh lord, i`ve been down THAT road a few times, lol, couldn`t agree more.

Once you meet and talk to the people working on your equipment, you can request who you want to work on it, if you know & trust them. Get to know them. Might be different for "you", but i know who works on my things whether its my tractor`s, or my truck, or my wifes car. The key to it is, "know your dealer`s & tech`s very well". My wife an i have done the research, we have a couple decent dealers and techs that know us both very well, and we have been going to them for years. When we walk into the dealership, the dealer already knows how we want things done, and exactly who will be working on our things. We have a very good relationship with those who do our repairs, IF, i can`t do them myself. I always make it a point to talk to the tech when i bring anything in so that they know they`ll be working on our equipment. Tech`s actually like that. It also helps to tip your tech very well when you leave, and we DO tip them very well. They never forget who treated them really good. They will go above and beyond for you, IF, you have a great relationship with them.

Yup, you`re absolutely right, everybody`s gotta eat. Some eat better than others.

 

[wolc123]

If you go with a Deere, the mechanic/dealer relationship might not be so important. A Deere dealer is the closest to my place. I’ve only been there about every 100 operating hours, over the 17 years since I bought my JD 4120 brand new, to pick up oil filters.

I didn’t even buy it from them, but rather from another JD dealer, on the far side of our county, who gave me a great deal at the county fair that year.

This baby has been almost completely trouble free over the years. It is American-made, right down to the American-made JD Powertech engine. That was a deciding factor, when I bought it new back in 2006.

At that time, you could still get a JD compact tractor with American-made power, but I don’t think that is still true today. I had a couple of close “grudge-holding” relatives, who had served in the Pacific theater during WW 2, at that time.

The main factors for me though, was the close dealer, and the facts that it equaled the best price and/or seriously outspec’d the competition from Kubota and NH at that time (next two closest dealers).

I did have one minor mechanical issue, just a year or two past the factory warranty, when the starter failed. The local dealer wanted big bucks for a OEM Bosch replacement. I found an aftermarket starter on-line, for about half that cost. I replaced that easily myself (just two bolts and a wire connection), and that one now has more than 4 times the hours on it than I got from the OEM original.

This tractor has not leaked a drop of any fluid, or given me any other serious trouble, over the last 17 years. Most recently, it dug me out from two blizzards this past winter.

 

[MikeFarm]

Hi
I would consider a companies ethics in a large purchase. I realise that such a consideration is sometimes not affordable, but if it is, then one should research it. For a long time John Deere has opposed any right to repair legislation and inhibited other repairers by withholding required information and implementing software locks on engines. Apparently it has now been "settled" but skeptics are wary.

https://www.npr.org/2023/01/10/1147934682/john-deere-right-to-repair-farmers-tractors

Best wishes, Mike

 

[rScotty]

If you go with a Deere, the mechanic/dealer relationship might not be so important. A Deere dealer is the closest to my place. I’ve only been there about every 100 operating hours, over the 17 years since I bought my JD 4120 brand new, to pick up oil filters.

I didn’t even buy it from them, but rather from another JD dealer, on the far side of our county, who gave me a great deal at the county fair that year.

This baby has been almost completely trouble free over the years. It is American-made, right down to the American-made JD Powertech engine. That was a deciding factor, when I bought it new back in 2006.

At that time, you could still get a JD compact tractor with American-made power, but I don’t think that is still true today. I had a couple of close “grudge-holding” relatives, who had served in the Pacific theater during WW 2, at that time.

The main factors for me though, was the close dealer, and the facts that it equaled the best price and/or seriously outspec’d the competition from Kubota and NH at that time (next two closest dealers).

I did have one minor mechanical issue, just a year or two past the factory warranty, when the starter failed. The local dealer wanted big bucks for a OEM Bosch replacement. I found an aftermarket starter on-line, for about half that cost. I replaced that easily myself (just two bolts and a wire connection), and that one now has more than 4 times the hours on it than I got from the OEM original.

This tractor has not leaked a drop of any fluid, or given me any other serious trouble, over the last 17 years. Most recently, it dug me out from two blizzards this past winter. View attachment 792462

if you read through TBN for a couple of decades, I think you'll find what you are saying isn't just limited to Deere. All the top brands of tractor are remarkably reliable. I grew up in the 50s and 60s with US and Brit cars/trucks/tractors...and even appliances that were designed to be "owner repairable". But no more....

That ease of repair spawned repair shops like mine, so I got to watch from a shop owner's viewpoint as the change to 'hands-off" reliability started with Japanese cars and motorcycles in the 1970's, spread to Europe and then back to the US manufacturers. By year 2000 it was complete.

Dealers aren't so important today simply because it isn't at all unusual for a compact tractor/car/mc/boat to go for decades with minimal homeowner style maintenance.

And repair shops have changed to. Rather than emphasize diagnostics, they emphasize parts replacement. Most of us can do that pretty well ourselves. With the internet and a tool box most of us can do that pretty well ourselves. Like your replacement starter proves.
rScotty