Comparison Kubota vs Branson?

[prichard]

When I was talking to the Kubota dealer about their 0% financing, he said that I had to pay insurance on the loan which was more then I liked. I forget the actual numbers, but it was definitely not a zero percent loan!!!

You have to insure the tractor not the loan. Same as auto or home financing. Tractor is collateral and they want to protect their collateral. You can buy insurance from anyone. We talked to our car/home insurer and they did not have any policies to cover it so we went with KTAC. I forget actual cost but didn't think it was bad. There are several threads discussing KTAC and other options available.

Are you saying that if you finance with Deers or Branson (if they finance) or AgSouth or whoever you do not need to insure your tractor?

 

[jeff9366]

KTAC insurance is about $400 per year, varying somewhat depending on tractor value.

 

[Poopdeck Pappy]

When you finance a car, the lender requires you to have casualty insurance.

When you finance a home, the lender requires you to have homeowner's insurance.

When you buy a tractor, what's so wrong with a lender requiring insurance to protect their collateral? If I was loaning someone money to buy a tractor, I'd want them to have insurance sufficient to pay off my loan if the tractor is stolen, catches on fire or decides to take a long nap in the pond.

 

[Aquamoose]

I too, was in the Branson or Kubota dilemma. Actually, I also strongly considered the Kioti, Mahindra, and TYM. I ruled out TYM immediately when it would skid (as opposed to coasting) when I took my foot off the hydrostatic. The Kioti was out due to the weak loader lifting capability. The Mahindra lost to Branson because of the price, power, and remote options available. I got the 3520h with backhoe w/mechanical thumb, FEL for $24,500 and added full time remotes for a future ANBO grapple (no diverter) and two rear remotes. All that for $1,400 more to the invoice. Very happy with it so far. I do have two Branson dealers within 40 miles from each other. The biggest attraction of the Branson was the 2,100 lbs lifting capability.

 

[Aquamoose]

- duplicate -

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Here's something to consider: look at Tractorhouse.com's listings for used tractors for sale, and you'll see that Kubota's and Deere's are almost ten times as available as Kiotis, and Bransons, LS's, etc. are scarcer, still. I bought a clean but old Kubota for our first tractor, because it seemed like the best available for our needs: clearing snow, and I needed it! I had great experience with it, so I got another Kubota when I knew more about our needs, and readily sold the first one, for almost what I had in it. The second was too large, as I learned, so I sold it, actually for more than I had paid, and bought the "Goldilocks" (just right) used Kubota. When I sell it, I expect to recover most of what I have in it.

Kubotas, by and large, are good machines that are well built, no doubt others are, as well, but it is in their re-sale value that Kubotas shine.

Others have posted survey results that indicate that Deere dealers aren't as happy with Deere as are Kubota dealers with their parent company.

Watching my neighbor, with his headaches with his new Deere, also reinforces my liking of Kubotas.

Yeah, what he said... Kubota's, in my opinion, are still the gold standard of the field. Yes, you can compare specs on a list, or dollars, or whatever, but Kubota always surges ahead. Yes, I am a Kubota man, and wouldn't ever buy another brand, so don't start beating me up...

 

[Grumpster]

I just bought the Branson 3520H and couldn't be happier. I did a ton of research, weighed out all the pro's, cons's, and value for the dollar. I have to say, after carefully considering everything, the Branson was just impossible to beat. I live in TX, and I bought mine from Big Red's Equipment in Granbury. If you want to see a great video comparing the Branson 3520 to a comparable orange and green, go to Youtube and search for Branson Tractors Dare 2 Compare.

I watched that video, and then compared the info supplied by the Orange, Green, and the Red manufactures (including MF) on their own smaller (25HP range) tractors, and it clearly showed that Branson has the better numbers. I bought the Branson 2400H with FEL, and love it. Mine has the hydrostatic transmission, and I especially like the "two peddle" system over the single "rocker" peddle. Also, I have no counterweight on the 3PT, (rears loaded, I'm 250), yet I can completely fill my loader bucket with damp gravel or crushed stone, and have no stability problem.

 

[Fallon]

I too, was in the Branson or Kubota dilemma. Actually, I also strongly considered the Kioti, Mahindra, and TYM. I ruled out TYM immediately when it would skid (as opposed to coasting) when I took my foot off the hydrostatic. The Kioti was out due to the weak loader lifting capability. The Mahindra lost to Branson because of the price, power, and remote options available. I got the 3520h with backhoe w/mechanical thumb, FEL for $24,500 and added full time remotes for a future ANBO grapple (no diverter) and two rear remotes. All that for $1,400 more to the invoice. Very happy with it so far. I do have two Branson dealers within 40 miles from each other. The biggest attraction of the Branson was the 2,100 lbs lifting capability.

Kioti with a weak loader? One of the main bragging points every Kioti guy ever has to talk about is their loader capacity & beefy front axle. Whenever I've compared equivalent tractors (on paper at least) Kioti has always won, usually by a fair bit.

At the moment I'm quite happy with my economy Kubota L3200, although I may be in the market to upgrade to a premium cabbed machine shortly. Kioti is pretty tempting there & the NX loaders are noticeably better than equivalent Kubotas there as well.

 

[Btown]

I too, was in the Branson or Kubota dilemma. Actually, I also strongly considered the Kioti, Mahindra, and TYM. I ruled out TYM immediately when it would skid (as opposed to coasting) when I took my foot off the hydrostatic. The Kioti was out due to the weak loader lifting capability. The Mahindra lost to Branson because of the price, power, and remote options available. I got the 3520h with backhoe w/mechanical thumb, FEL for $24,500 and added full time remotes for a future ANBO grapple (no diverter) and two rear remotes. All that for $1,400 more to the invoice. Very happy with it so far. I do have two Branson dealers within 40 miles from each other. The biggest attraction of the Branson was the 2,100 lbs lifting capability.

Which TYM model did you test? I have tested the T554 with hydrostatic transmission and it did not skid when I took my foot off the pedal. I think the one you tried had a problem.

 

[IslandTractor]

Kioti with a weak loader? One of the main bragging points every Kioti guy ever has to talk about is their loader capacity & beefy front axle. Whenever I've compared equivalent tractors (on paper at least) Kioti has always won, usually by a fair bit. At the moment I'm quite happy with my economy Kubota L3200, although I may be in the market to upgrade to a premium cabbed machine shortly. Kioti is pretty tempting there & the NX loaders are noticeably better than equivalent Kubotas there as well.

If he was comparing a C27/30/35 Kioti to a 35hp Branson then the Branson has a stronger loader. The newer Kioti models in that size range like the CK3510/4010 have substantially increased loader capacity but the older CKs lift only about 1200lbs. The 40+ hp Kiotis DK/NX tractors all lift 2760lbs.

 

[Kenneth in Texas]

Kubota without a doubt

 

[IslandTractor]

Kubota without a doubt

Why not Branson with greater lift capacity, greater weight and a few thousand bucks left in your wallet? Kubotas are excellent but overpriced. Unless you need an extensive dealer network to hold your hand, there are much better deals on strong reliable tractors outside the JD and Kubota orbits. If you have "no doubt" about Kubota, maybe you just haven't done much research.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm naïve, who makes Branson and where??

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm naïve, who makes Branson and where??

Korean Company. Kukje. They make Cummins engines under license as well as some Yanmar, Mitsubishi and ?Perkins diesels. Not as well known as Kioti and LS but basically another competent Korean manufacturer that makes tractors/engines to be sold under a variety of badges. I don't know if Branson is their brand or a U.S. Marketing company that buys from Kukje.

 

[ovrszd]

Korean Company. Kukje. They make Cummins engines under license as well as some Yanmar, Mitsubishi and ?Perkins diesels. Not as well known as Kioti and LS but basically another competent Korean manufacturer that makes tractors/engines to be sold under a variety of badges. I don't know if Branson is their brand or a U.S. Marketing company that buys from Kukje.

Thanks for the info. I've been to South Korea 13 times. I first saw Daewoo equipment over there and now see it here, very reliable. Just hadn't ever saw Branson.

 

[k0ua]

Thanks for the info. I've been to South Korea 13 times. I first saw Daewoo equipment over there and now see it here, very reliable. Just hadn't ever saw Branson.

Richard, I have seen several of them down here. I think originally they were retailed as Century. They seem to be pretty heavily built. I looked one over pretty good this summer at a farm show. They have been around for quite a while.

 

[ovrszd]

Richard, I have seen several of them down here. I think originally they were retailed as Century. They seem to be pretty heavily built. I looked one over pretty good this summer at a farm show. They have been around for quite a while.

I recall hearing of the Century brand but as I said, didn't have a clue as to where they originated.

Never been around a Kioti, but consider them as reliable as Kubota. Not quite as large of dealer network but it's growing. Thinking there will be several brands that rise above the scum to establish themselves over the next decade or so. The demand for Utility and down sized tractors in this country isn't slowing.

 

[k0ua]

So I looked up Century, here is what I found


Century Tractor History
Century was a US trade name for compact tractors built by the Kukje Machinery Company of South Korea and distributed by American Jawa from 2000 to 2006. The Century brand disappeared around 2006 when Kukje consolidated its products in North America under the Branson brand and American Jawa moved to the TYM tractor line. Branson/Kukje assumed warranty and parts support for Century tractors.

 

[ovrszd]

So I looked up Century, here is what I found


Century Tractor History
Century was a US trade name for compact tractors built by the Kukje Machinery Company of South Korea and distributed by American Jawa from 2000 to 2006. The Century brand disappeared around 2006 when Kukje consolidated its products in North America under the Branson brand and American Jawa moved to the TYM tractor line. Branson/Kukje assumed warranty and parts support for Century tractors.

Wow, they are in their tenth year then as Branson??? I would never say these consolidations are bad, but they can be confusing. Makes you wonder who you have to chase down ten years from now for issues or parts?? As long as everyone is the chain stays strong, life is good. Thanks for the info James, Mr Diligent.

 

[Helitech]

It was easy for me. 5520R Branson with a loader and dual hydraulics was $7,500 cheaper than a MX5200 Kubota! My Branson has the same build quality as a Kubota IMHO. Plus it's a lot heavier built.