Not trying to start a flame war. Kubota vs John Deere CUTS

[ultrarunner]

When I was first tractor shopping I fully intended on buying a Deere... the problem was I could not get the time of day from the Deere Dealers and they had no small TLB units in stock to view.

The receptionist said it was Harvest time and I would have to wait...

Did not have this issue with Kubota.

One of my friends is Deere through and through... his little Dealer did not make the cut up near Grass Valley CA...

My limited impression is Deere in my area is really set up for the big AG guys...

Deere Industrial for my 110 loader is totally different... very responsive on any Deere that is painted yellow.

 

[houstonscott]

Not trying to start a fire, but JD doesn't make CUT's. They just buy from other manufactures and paint them green. There are no JD CUT's. HS

 

[paulfun9]

I'm not up on JD but I thought one grip people had with the JD was transmission was 2 range, Kubota has 3... good low gear for work and the high gear for traveling down the road.

Also, isn't the JD rear housing aluminum? Good for light weight but most people try and add extra weight (tire fluid, wheel weights).

Yes they have some models with an aluminum rear housing. For me that would immediately take it off my shopping list. 3# range HST is a big plus for me also but for some it might not be as much of a consideration. I noticed that some have mentioned the weight being less and the wheel base being shorter which will give the Kubota and just about anything else an advantage in ride quality that again wont be noticed on a smooth paved parking lot but out in the field for hours at a time will pay big dividends.

I also see that some one said something about not having turning brakes. Fin loader work is much better done with turning brakes so that also would take it off my shopping list.

It seems to me that by other descriptions and the fact that JD doesn't recommend a Backhoe attachment for the models with the aluminum rear housing that they have effectively built a Big lawn mower with a somewhat able loader for those that want a tractor to maintain their golf course style existing lawn but don't really plan on doing the work with the tractor to get it there.

My vote between the two would have to be for the Kubota even if I had to build my own pedals to avoid the single pedal HST and even if comfort wasn't the best. The machine and its ability to do the work without worry does play a bigger part in the purchase for me. This is one of the reasons I suggest looking at other brands as well. Between all the brands I am sure you could find one that covers all the bases for you and is comfortable as well.

 

[Ryansweatt2004]

Not trying to start a fire, but JD doesn't make CUT's. They just buy from other manufactures and paint them green. There are no JD CUT's. HS

I was waiting for someone to come out and say this lol. My understanding is all the CUT's that Deere sells are built with Yanmar engines as well. At least kubota is kubota though and through. That was another selling point for me when I bought mine.

 

[mike69440]

Deere makes a fine CUT, just not in the economy series.
You get soooo much more with different color paint.

 

[dodge man]

I'll agree, both make great tractors. I'll just add one thing that has already been talked about. Dealers. John Deere sells a lot of stuff. Very expensive ag equipment all the way down to smaller riding mowers. I live in the heart of farm country. The local Deere dealer wasn't really negative to me when I walked in but they didn't seem that excited either. On the other hand, the largest Kubota stuff would be considered on the small side for ag tractors so they seem geared more for the home owner, at least thats the case in my area. I'd look at both of them and decide which you like best.

 

[bspeedy]

I'd also highly recommend that you look for a Massey Ferguson dealer and test the comparable 1734e. In my personal experience, the Massey units are at the top of the list for quality and durability.[/QUOTE]

I, too, like the MF. But dealers in the Greenville SC area are non-existent. Closest dealer is in Sylva NC about 70 miles away. That would make it a no-go for me. Parts are not available except from a dealer.

I would be looking for at least a 40 hp tractor for the work / usage you will likely have on 65 acres.

 

[paulfun9]

Being a new tractor owner I think you'd be happy with either pedal style. I've spent several hundred if not thousands of hours on the Kubota treadle pedal. The few hours I've spent on the Deere double pedal felt like learning a foreign language. I'd still rather use any tractor over a shovel. My statement Paul quoted above was true, but I later removed it hoping not to start a war. A agree 100% that you need some real seat time off the pavement before you can make an informed decision. Surely the dealer had a used machine of at least a similar model you could put a couple hours on. You probably aren't going to be able to take a new machine off the pavement.

I wasn't trying to start a war and certainly hope you didn't read it as such. I was just pointing out that we are all different and that what one person finds comfortable or even acceptable might not be the same as the next. Myself I also have thousands of hours on both single and dual pedals, experience with both Kubota and Deere as well as others over the years. Truth be told I much prefer one pedal and that little lever beside the steering wheel for direction changes over any HST set up for any type work. With this said Over the past 10 years we have been splitting the family property off and basically giving it away to other much younger family members who have lived in the city their entire life. Many of them have actually purchased new tractors to take care of their properties and the different choices and reasons have been rather mind blowing to say the least.
The one thing at least with those that chose HST that stands out to me is that they were dead set one way or the other on the pedal arrangement. Not one person said I really dint care about that. They were all comfortable with dual or single but not both.

I must point out that they did get to run all my equipment and most got to run my neighbors Kubota and my friends JD as well so they didn't go in totally blind. One of my great nieces actually chose to buy a Power reverser over a HST but for how pretty she is I still think if she had been raised out here she would have been a Tom-boy. She also wants to borrow my crawler rather than have me operate it when she clears out the other half of her property. Kind of scary putting a city girl on it but I think I might actually let her have it when the time comes.

Anyway my point is to tell your experience and don't think its always going to be a fight when someone disagrees as they might have good reason to think slightly different.

 

[paulfun9]

I'd also highly recommend that you look for a Massey Ferguson dealer and test the comparable 1734e. In my personal experience, the Massey units are at the top of the list for quality and durability.

I, too, like the MF. But dealers in the Greenville SC area are non-existent. Closest dealer is in Sylva NC about 70 miles away. That would make it a no-go for me. Parts are not available except from a dealer.

I would be looking for at least a 40 hp tractor for the work / usage you will likely have on 65 acres.[/QUOTE]


I often wonder how often people are breaking down that parts are such a concern? I have owned many brands over the years and with a few exceptions of problems during the warranty I haven't had very many trips in for parts and with todays world of shipping it right to the door I could have avoided the few trips I did make. Filters and such are most often available at the local level with nothing more than a different label.

 

[Ivan49]

As far as parts goes I owned my last tractor for 33 years. It was delivered to me from the farm and home show for a trial and it never left. It was a White FB 31 with loader and made by Iseki. Over those years I had to buy appox 1500.00 in parts due to failure. It was nice to be able to get parts when needed but when White went by the wayside Agco picked them up. My nearest AGCO dealer here is 60 miles away. If there would have been more dealers I would own a Massy Ferguston. I drove the cab model and it was outstanding in quality and handling plus the ride was something else. But this dealer was the only dealer in Northern Mich When I bought my White I paid 8500.00 out the door for it. They gave me 8300 trade in so I think it held its value very well. I would not spend the money they get now days without a close network of dealer support as these new tractors are not like my old one. I could tear that one apart and fix it, the new one has somuch electronics on it I would not know where to start