Buying Advice Many People Seem to Favor Kubota over Deere on TractorByNet.

[Mysfyt]

Deere makes the best large agricultural tractors in my opinion and doesn't focus on the CUT and SCUT market. Kubota is hedging in that direction with some of its newer models over 100 HP as it struggles to compete with the newer low cost players in the small tractor market (LG, Kioti, etc.). The majority of TBN members are not AG tractor users which is why Deere is not appreciated as much on this forum is it should be. When it is harvest time, it is Deere time.

I think this sums it up pretty well. I'm right in the center of farm country, with the mega farms growing like I never thought possible. Almost all green on those farms with a sprinkling of red here and there. 400+ HP tractors that have interiors better than most cars. Very impressive!

 

[Garandman]

Some people here seem to have internalized their brand allegiance so nothing is objective.

Deere makes the best large agricultural tractors in my opinion and doesn't focus on the CUT and SCUT market. Kubota is hedging in that direction with some of its newer models over 100 HP as it struggles to compete with the newer low cost players in the small tractor market (LG, Kioti, etc.).

Poor poor Kubota. Their revenue from 2012 to 2014 only increased 47%. Doesn't sound like much of a struggle and I suspect the competitors you mention are taking market share from Deere, not Kubota.
KUBOTA REPORT 2014 | CSR | KUBOTA Global Site

Deere is a much bigger company (think 25 times bigger) but their revenue was flat during the same period.
http://investor.deere.com/files/doc...ports/2015/2014_annual_report_v001_g1fx1i.pdf

 

[TomSeller]

Some people here seem to have internalized their brand allegiance so nothing is objective.

Poor poor Kubota. Their revenue from 2012 to 2014 only increased 47%. Doesn't sound like much of a struggle and I suspect the competitors you mention are taking market share from Deere, not Kubota.
KUBOTA REPORT 2014 | CSR | KUBOTA Global Site

Deere is a much bigger company (think 25 tim

How many tractors in this size range does Kubota make? Kubota is a great company but not yet into the big AG market. Starting to get there but not in the large size ranges mega farms need.

 

[Ivan49]

I think a lot has to do the the dealers in the area. The little stunt that Deere pulled here last spring is not going over very well in this area. They combined all the dealers on one side of the state and put one name on all of them. The local one here now has p### poor service. There are farms that had only green on them for I know of 60 years and they now have none. They all went NH or Case IH. The salesman told me this spring that there main business use to be compacts now the new owners told them they will sell mostly far tractors. So far it seems that they forgot to tell the farms they could only buy green. I always liked deere and have owned several over the years including 2 dozers . My new tractor is going to be orange

 

[Carhartt Cowboy]

Perhaps you didn't know that TBN started out as a Kubota board many years ago.

Nope, did not know that at all. No wonder some many of you put attachments on lawn mowers....

 

[Knight9]

This seems pretty straightforward to me. You always look at all brands in your market area! Period. Then you pick the best "color" based on available models in the size you are looking for, dealer quality, tractor reliability, options, cost...etc.

 

[Powereng]

I think a lot has to do the the dealers in the area. The little stunt that Deere pulled here last spring is not going over very well in this area. They combined all the dealers on one side of the state and put one name on all of them. The local one here now has p### poor service. There are farms that had only green on them for I know of 60 years and they now have none. They all went NH or Case IH. The salesman told me this spring that there main business use to be compacts now the new owners told them they will sell mostly far tractors. So far it seems that they forgot to tell the farms they could only buy green. I always liked deere and have owned several over the years including 2 dozers . My new tractor is going to be orange

Yup, you have Greenmark on the west side of the state now and Tri-County on the east side. I miss Bader Bros. They always treated the small family farms well which is why I think so many where disappointed when they finally sold to Tri-County.

 

[Garandman]

How many tractors in this size range does Kubota make? Kubota is a great company but not yet into the big AG market. Starting to get there but not in the large size ranges mega farms need.

Not the point, the point is that you implied Kubota was struggling against competition while instead they are booming while Deere struggles.

Deere's product overlap with Kubota is quite limited. If you are a $35 billion corp you don't typically go after a $500 million market.

This forum seems focused on homeowners and hobby farmers rather than commercial farmers, hence the relative orangeness.

 

[brown40]

Deere made a decision some years back that small dealers that couldn't meet their revenue requirements would be phased out, and they were unceremoniously axed/rolled into larger dealerships. It felt that was a defining moment for a company, where customer satisfaction, long-time dealer and customer loyalty, and established relationships were eclipsed by a company demanding a stronger bottom line--they no longer wanted to waste their corporate resources on the lawn and garden crowd if they couldn't generate "x" dollars in revenue. They did their math, they formed a strategy, they focused their efforts where they felt they'd be most profitable. More populated areas that could hit the target on small machines stayed, the smaller ones went.
All companies need to be profitable, but it is the assemblage of customers that make them so. Years ago 'made in the USA' was a strength of JD's business, but as they've outsourced (the rule for companies squeezing tenths of a cent out of each fastener), 'assembled in the USA' is about all you could hope for now. No different than automakers.
They made decisions that opened the door for other lines to get firmly established in that smaller market and earn a reputation--good, bad, or otherwise--and creep up the frame size/hp ladder. Had JD's resources been put into squashing competition early on, the situation would probably be different--they are massive, and market well.
Kubota is smaller, and makes quality equipment. They have enough brand recognition and following to start leaning into the Ag market.
When I was a kid, 'made in Japan' was what 'made in China' is today. Japanese products are now considered top quality--superior in many cases, where American products have largely disappeared. I have tried to find and buy US products, but it is getting harder and harder.
If you're buying Ag, that's the basket JD put the bulk of their 'tractor eggs' into years ago--it was a conscious decision.
I really enjoy my JD compact tractor, its ergonomics are great, it is reliable, the Yanmar engine is great, as is the Chinese/Indian loader, and I couldn't pass up the deal my former dealer (RIP) got me.
TBN has a lot of small owners, and that's not where JD makes their money.

 

[TripleR]

To paraphrase "the only constant is change". Farms in my area are from several hundred to several thousand, mostly row crop with the occasional mix of livestock and right now the tractors are predominately green. Several years ago it was red with some green etc. A couple of months ago a major land leveling company went from green to red and others are mixing red in as they trade out machines. Our neighbor just went from green to blue and a new Challenger dealership just opened a few miles away.

When I got my first Kubota, it was considered an off-brand for those who couldn't afford a "quality" machine.

I own red, green, orange etc., my last new one was green, but who knows what I'll get next if I need another.