Orange vs Green

[beenthere]

Last week a friend of mine said he was looking at a 'bota so I stopped by to look closer at what he was looking at, along with some others in line. He was looking at the M.
I was hoping he wanted the HST (I prefer that over his desire for shuttle shift) so I looked at the L beside the M.
Was disappointed to see they still have split brakes on the right, along with the forward/reverse HST pedal as one single unit. Wouldn't be my cup of tea.
He bought the M and is happy.
That is all that really matters.

 

[TripleR]

Last week a friend of mine said he was looking at a 'bota so I stopped by to look closer at what he was looking at, along with some others in line. He was looking at the M.
I was hoping he wanted the HST (I prefer that over his desire for shuttle shift) so I looked at the L beside the M.
Was disappointed to see they still have split brakes on the right, along with the forward/reverse HST pedal as one single unit. Wouldn't be my cup of tea.
He bought the M and is happy.
That is all that really matters.

Yep, in the end it comes down to "whatever floats your boat". After dealing with the brake on the left/wrong side on my JD2305, I won't even consider one set up that way and my next tractor will be a Grand L.

 

[easygo]

I have orange but two of my neighbors have green machines. We all work a lot but the one thing neither of us do is spending much time fixing the machines. That tells me I would be happy with either color. They are both good in my book.

 

[Elcid76]

First off, this is my first post, and I want to say that this is one of the most informative sites that I have ever run across.
I bought an L3240 HST with 4 hours on it from an old friend at a dealer about five miles from my home. I decided to go with a NEW tractor after a kid that I knew died in a rollover a few months back. I basically gave away my 1962 D17 series II that I had for 25 years (I think it had "original" rubber)!
I looked at green, white, blue, and red compacts. The thing that finally sold me on orange was the simple fact that Kubota makes what they sell. I have 80 acres with horses, cows, alpacas, guinies (sp) and peacocks. I just cannot explain how much of a step up it has been from "snap couplers" to this little powerhouse. Hopefully I shoveled my way thru snow drifts for the last time! Heck, maybe that old Allis drew me to the modern orange......

 

[TheGoose]

I checked on the JD 303xe series, the Kubota L series, and the JD 3x20 series, as well as Mahindra, New Holland, etc. Here is the break down:

The Kubota L2800/L3400/L3400 are a step above the JD 3032e/3038e series. The 3032e's are nice little machines and a good price if you really want a Deere. The loader seems adequate for the machine and e-hydro and 4wd is great. I chose not to go with them due to the following reasons: no cruise, no drawbar, no folding ROPS, no temp gauge, no fuel gauge (lawnmower over the tank style), no split brake. Basically they took out the key features that would otherwise make this from a decent little machine to a great little machine. None of these items would have added much cost to the price, instead they force you to look at the 3x20 series to get the same features.

The Kubota L2800/L3400/L4400 has the following std. features: Cruise, drawbar, folding rops, split brake, temp gauge, and fuel gauge. Plus the loader is plenty strong. This series of tractor is considered an economy tractor and IMO does not directly compete with the JD 3x20 series. The JD 3038e uses a turbo to get it's 38 HP while the Kubota uses no turbo on either the 3400/2800. I am told the 3400/2800 are the same tractor with different engines. The 4400 is on a little bigger frame but I really didn't look at it much so I have no input for you here.

The JD 303x ehydro series and Kubota L2800/L3400 are within the same price range with the Kubota probably cost slightly more. I think I got quotes of ~$17K for the 3032e and I paid $18K drive out for my 'bota. The 3038e was slightly higher.

The JD 3520 (35 engine HP) is a step above the L3400 and 303x e series. The loader is much stronger as are the hydrualics. The frame is bigger. Just generally a much more powerful, and costly machine. The JD 3520 w/ hydro is a $23K-$25K machine. For me the extra $4K was simply not worth is and my L3400 has proved to me that I made the right choice and I had money left over to spend on attachments and I still got a quality machine.

Why wouldn't you check the JD 3520 for a more equal apples to oranges comparison?

 

[cheesehead]

pondering a JD or a Kubota, I like alot of options of both. I do have a quick question for anyone. Can I put a mid mount on a L series Kubota. I have an apple orchard where I need a bigger tractor 35-40 horse with a bucket, but I don't want to lose the mid mount.

A lot of responses but nobody seemed to answer your question. I have an L3130 with a 72" mid-mount mower. It is the worst attachment purchase I have made, and I bought a ZD-323 zero turn mower to replace the mid-mount. In fact, you can come by and I'll give you the mower.

This attachment is pulled by the tractor (not suspended) and does not raise very high when it's not in use. The wheels on it were replaced twice in three years of use. Blet covers kept falling off while mowing. Getting it on and off the tractor is a royal pain due to weight and clearance issues.

The ZTR mows the same acreage in 3/4 the time of the tractor, so I spend less time mowing and the machine doesn't tear up the lawn the way the MMM did. Initial cost of my ZTR is about 2x of the MMM attachment.

I love my Kubota tractor and I'd put it up against a green tractor of the same horsepower any day. The MMM sucks and I'd never buy another one for this size machine.