Recommendations before I pull the trigger?..

[bigsky355]

First of all, thank you for such a knowledgable and active forum. I was looking for a tractor a year or so ago but did not go for it for a number of reasons. Well now I am back at it... We had 2 wildfires get within a couple of miles of the house this year and that was enough. I have been loosing the war against the weeds this year with the roundup, weedwacker and mower- it is time to make a stand!

Here is my deal. I have 18 acres prairie, sage, STEEP hills- typical central Montana terrain. I have a bunch of dead pine trees and branches that I cut that need to be carried out. I will brush hog at least a third of the grass (mostly along the hill where the steep stuff is) and realistically I'll probably attack the rest of it as well. I have a very long gravel drive that needs to be graded on a regular basis. I also have no landscaping around the house so I'll need to address that at some point. In addition, I'll need to shovel snow when the occassional storm dumps on us.

I have narrowed my choices down to the Kubota L3400 and the B3030. I demoed a B2920 on my property recently and it was quite manuverable up and down the hills but I think it is just too small for what I am looking for (also don't like that quarter inching feature).

I think the L3400 will be what I end up going for unless someone has other ideas... It is heavy, wide and stout for the hills. It can handle uneven terrain pretty well (I think) and it has a strong loader for digging.

The B3030 is VERY nice and has alot of nice extra features. *Disclaimer* I am a complete tractor novice so most of my knowledge comes from places like this. The telescoping 3 point is a nice feature that I wish was on the L3400 and the smaller frame/weight makes for a more maneuverable tractor in the tight spots.

The B3030 is more expensive than the L3400 but both are pretty expensive regardless. There isn't much competition out here (I have been floored by some of the pricing you all are getting to be honest). We don't have to pay sales tax out here which helps somewhat.

I went to the Deere dealer this weekend and they had some very nice stuff but for some reason I have it in my head Kubota is what I want...

Attachments (to start) will be 5 ft brush hog, box scraper, FEL, and landscape rake.

I have not gone near the Grand L stuff because I am already way over budget and have to draw the line somewhere- as someone recently posted in another thread this is a dangerous UPWARD spiral...

Looking foward to the opinions from the Monday morning quarterbacks.

Chris

 

[bigsky355]

Mods please move to Kubota specific forum if you think it is appropriate.
Chris

 

[ScottK]

I have rented Kubota, then bought Deere. I like the Deere better because of the pedal configuration. Forward and reverse are separate pedals and brakes are on the left foot. You can get telescoping arms or a quick hitch for most tractors, so I wouldn't worry about that.

What is you budget? I can't point you to a JD model without knowing, but 30 hp includes 2720, 3120, 3005, etc. You probably don't need quite that much hp for the 5' brushhog. I would be thinking grapple for the trees though. Or at least pallet forks (I have pallet forks). They are great for moving trees and branches. The loader wll work, but you will want to weld on hooks for chains to be able to tie trees on and that simply takes a little longer, but it's feasible until you have money for more.

 

[stimpee]

Counter argument for ScottK:

I have a B3030. Just getting ready to hit 50 hours.

I have no clutch due to the indep PTO controls. I love the single piece treadle style pedal. And I have no idea when/if I will ever need to use my brakes independently, so the compromised setup of having the split pedals on the same side as the hydro pedal is a non-issue.

I could not be happier with the B3030.

I am not really up to speed on the tradeoffs of the B3030 vs the L3400. I needed a mid-PTO for mowing which I dont think the L had (but not sure).

Can't really go wrong with any of them, but I am obviously partial to the 'Bota at this point!

Steve

 

[MtnViewRanch]

Just an idea, but because it sounds like you are on a tight budget, maybe look at some other brands of tractors other than Kubota and Deere. I know of a dealer on the west side of your state that sells Montana, TYM, and McCormick tractors. All good machines and you might be able to get a tractor and some implements for the same $$$$$ as the big name brands. Just something that you might want to consider.

 

[ScottFarm]

I agree, I bought a Montana 5740 with cab/fel and it saved me at least 6K-8K. I liked it better than the deere due to mainly the engines. It came down for me between the Montana and the Kubota. My thoughts were ok resale is probably better for kubota or save money and get a tractor with cab. I've had my Montana a little over a year and love it. McCormick some identical tractors to the Montana and I here good things about Kioti and Mahindra machines. If you have any of those local dealers nearby, I'd go talk to them and see.

Scott

 

[MtnViewRanch]

One other thing, just my 2 cents. I would be looking at a bigger tractor if it were me.

 

[2YD]

Best advise on the TBN boards I got was buy one size larger than you need.

You are feeling the Orange love, your dealer let you test off his lot which says alot and with this car sized purchase there is an emotional pull (see my signature) so go with what you want. All the machines you are considering are very nice. Consider what you're planning to do since its always easier to finance (if you go that route) the tractor and larger attachments at the beginning instead of adding later.

I'm a newbie and I purchased JD. I went over budget but took advantage of little known regional financing program to make SWMBO happy. You might want to check. Read everyone's review here...I knew nothing and then I knew more than the dealer.

Friend has cabbed B3030 and he can afford anything he wants. He loves it on his 25 acres as primary mower/blower.

Best of Luck

 

[bigsky355]

Thanks for the replies so far.

Limiting the discussion to JD and Kubota, let me ask the question this way...

Which size tractor can I comfortably get by with for the jobs I have mentioned and not put myself at too much risk for returning it soon after because I have outgrown it already?

Budget is always a consideration but for this kind of purchase I think it is more important to get the right tractor the first time out (if that is possible).

Thanks in advance,

Chris

 

[AKfish]

Welcome - bigsky. Thanks for the pics. (A little too smoky for hot dogs - IMO - but that fire sure'd keep the mosquitos outta your potato salad!)

There's a Kubota dealer and a JD dealer here, locally. So, I shopped 'em both pretty well for the 2 tractors that I've bought in the past 3 years.

When comparing the different machines - the price usually was a few hundred dollars difference. So, the choice was not driven solely by price, in my experience.

Went with JD 'cause I liked the split hydro pedals, the layout of the operator station; loader controls and the fact that the local repair/maintainance shop and mechanics with Deere are 1st class.

I would think that with your acreage, you should consider a machine in the 35-40hp range. That would enable you to work with 6' mower, 6' boxblade, 6' landscape rake ( you could always buy 5' stuff and then go up later).

Take a look at the JD 4005 and the 4105 and compare them to the L3400. Or the JD 3203 to the B3030. (Or the new JD "economy" 3E machines - 32 and 37hp.)

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

AKfish